PEAK PUTTERS

I looking for some opinions for differentials. If you were going to run one air locker and one mechanical locker, which axle would each go in? Some say put the ARB in the front to reduce steering wheel effort when it's unlocked. Others say put the ARB in the back to get better turning radius when it's unlocked, with the theory being that a rear mechanical locker won't unlock in the dirt and tends to push the jeep forward. Thoughts????

Very loaded question... give us some specs on the vehicle in question. Things like hubs and wheelbase make a significant difference in the decision, at least in my opinion, which will be worth exactly what you paid for it.

I run an ARB in the front and spool in the rear. Works great as a trail rig. Would not recommend it for a driver. Although my wife occasionally driver it to work when the weather is nice. The only time "pushing" has been a real issue was in Moab on the rocks.

I think Toby's remarks are on point. Perhaps you can provide more details about the rig in question. I know it's expensive but selectable lockers front and rear seem to work out well for a lot of folks. It seems to me that being locked in the front end can make it tough to stay in the ruts when running in snow at more than a crawl.

It's for my samurai. Currently locked front and rear on 35" MTRS with chromoly front shafts. I can drive it on the hiway with no more white knuckles than you would expect from an open dif samurai on 35s. Lol. But my turning radius is horrible. 3 point turns on such a short wheel base is ridiculous. I was thinking that the light weight and short wheel base may be leading to some push from the rear. The good news is that the front and rear diffs are the same so I can swap them if I don't like the results. But I'd rather do it right the first time and put the ARB where it will do the most good.

Auto locker front, air locker rear.

Btw, Steve can't stay in the ruts either way...

Roman is a Savage.

I run Arbs front and rear. Then again I run on the road and it's nice to hit a switch. I like the selectability and they stand up to abuse well. You have to make sure you run the air lines in places where they don't catch. The downside is you're relying on air and electrical circuits to make them work. Lose one of the two and that's it. No way to manually lock or unlock them. I've had a rear locker that wouldn't lock and a front locker that was stuck locked. The front was a used locker though that Lurch helped me repair pretty easily.

Another thing I've noticed is in a lot of the Dana axles you have to add drainage notches at the axle tubes near the carrier as the ARBs like to block diff oil from coming back into the center of the diff. Not a lot of people mention this but it causes blown seals and heat which pumps diff fluid out the breather line and all over the back of the Jeep. I fought that for a long time. That and replacing copper lines and the Arb collar seals which are really fun. Also I only run Lucas standard 85-140 diff oil in them. I don't think synthetic does well with them. If I had to do it over again I would run Eaton E lockers. Only one thing to worry about.

Roman wrote:Auto locker front, air locker rear.

Btw, Steve can't stay in the ruts either way...

Didn't you flop your jeep a few years back while trying to stay in the ruts?

SPR wrote:

Roman wrote:Auto locker front, air locker rear.

Btw, Steve can't stay in the ruts either way...

Didn't you flop your jeep a few years back while trying to stay in the ruts?

Yup, back when I had a auto locker front/"spool" (welded) rear. That's EXACTLY the reason I put an air locker in the rear axle.

I used to run open front/welded rear, but found myself in the ditch bank all the time. The front ditch side tire would start falling in then slip and all the power/wheel speed would transfer to the outer tire, throwing the Jeep into the ditch...
Very frustrating to say the least.
Being the "frugal" wheeler I am, I installed a lunch box locker. Ditch Hound problem SOLVED!
But the next problem was the rear "spool" push. I was finally fortunate enough to waste my rear ring & pinion, which created the right opportunity to purchase said air locker. (As we ALL know, you MUST replace your traction device when installing new gears )

Now, I have not had to opportunity to run it in the snow yet, but I'm very exited to see the difference, and at the very least it gives me a new button to push!

Roman wrote:
Yup, back when I had a auto locker front/"spool" (welded) rear. That's EXACTLY the reason I put an air locker in the rear axle.

I used to run open front/welded rear, but found myself in the ditch bank all the time. The front ditch side tire would start falling in then slip and all the power/wheel speed would transfer to the outer tire, throwing the Jeep into the ditch...
Very frustrating to say the least.

That's not the way an open diff works. . .the slipping tire is the one that gets all the power, starts spinning, digs a hole, and pivots you into the ditch. If you would have just lifted your right foot, you would have stayed out of the ditch. Of course, there is no fun in throttle modulation.

Missed some text... never have been very good at getting coherent thought out on a phone "keyboard"

Ditch side didn't "slip" or loose traction. It would "slip" into the deep abyss, stopping it's motion. Pretty violent, lifting didn't help, but when does it ever REALLY help

The front locker made that a thing of the past. Now, IF I get in too deep it just keeps pushing though.