In need of locker advice

Hello my Ford peeps,

I was wondering if I could get some advice about lockers.

Here's my scenario:

I have an '05 ST Adrenalin. It will be my non-daily driver offroad rig build. I will install a 3" torsion key lift for the front and a 2" add a leaf in the rear. I'm gonna run 265/75r16 AT's (most likely Falken Wildpeaks) on stock wheels. I live in Vegas and will camp/overland in this rig. I will also road trip to Utah and Arizona. I will occasionally tow a tear drop trailer. And my wife and child will be with me. It's sort of a budget build. I'd like it to be an efficient and safe rig at a lower cost.

I am undecided on an automatic locker vs a selectable locker.

My main concern with automatic lockers is the stories of locking/unlocking at unwanted times. I've also read that I must modify my driving style with an automatic locker, which I'm totally fine with. I've also read about the extra wear on tires that come with using automatic lockers. But the pros about automatic lockers are very enticing, such as the cost. I know selectable lockers are pricey (but also a great investment into a rig).

Whichever I choose, will be professionally installed, so installation error should be a non-factor.

I welcome any and all advice. Thank you all. Please help. Lol!

 

[974X4BLACKSPORT]

For the rear, I would select and automatic locker, unless you already have a LSD. For the front, I would select a "selectable", for dual street and off road duty.
Reason: For a rear wheel/ 4WD, a LSD or equivalent is a must for anything RWD. Personally I like clutches, they are smoother, quieter, easy to change when needed.
A selectable locker for the front is the way to go if any street driving, that way when you go offroad, all you have to do it flip a switch be it air, or electrical powered.
For the amount of money I spent having my 88' RAMCHARGER pulled out of the mud, TWICE, (that thing HATED mud) I could have installed two air lockers in the front DANA 44.

 

[BKennedy]

Stick a Detroit in the rear axle and forget about it. The only thing you will notice is when making sharp right hand turns while accelerating you might chirp the inside tires. I would not bother with a front locker for what you plan to do with it.

I've had a Detroit in my 8.8 for about 15 years with no issues. I also have a ELocker in my D44 front that has performed flawlessly, but its pricey.

 

[No Pavement Please]

For the rear, I would select and automatic locker, unless you already have a LSD. For the front, I would select a "selectable", for dual street and off road duty.
Reason: For a rear wheel/ 4WD, a LSD or equivalent is a must for anything RWD. Personally I like clutches, they are smoother, quieter, easy to change when needed.
A selectable locker for the front is the way to go if any street driving, that way when you go offroad, all you have to do it flip a switch be it air, or electrical powered.
For the amount of money I spent having my 88' RAMCHARGER pulled out of the mud, TWICE, (that thing HATED mud) I could have installed two air lockers in the front DANA 44.

Thank you for the feedback about having one of each. That honestly, never occurred to me. The selectable locker I was most intrigued by, was the Ox Locker. I like that it's purely mechanical with a cable and lever. No need to worry about punctured airline or faulty fuse. Although I have heard that the cable can be finicky. I also like that "drive away key" that you can purchase with Ox Locker. If something does go terribly wrong with the cable system while out on the trail, you can still unlock/lock the diff manually.

Have you had any experiences with an Ox locker?

 

[No Pavement Please]

Stick a Detroit in the rear axle and forget about it. The only thing you will notice is when making sharp right hand turns while accelerating you might chirp the inside tires. I would not bother with a front locker for what you plan to do with it.

I've had a Detroit in my 8.8 for about 15 years with no issues. I also have a ELocker in my D44 front that has performed flawlessly, but its pricey.

Thank you for the info. That's great to know an automatic locker lasts that long!
What do you think about lunchbox lockers, like Spartan or Aussie?
Also, do you have experience towing with an automatic locker? How did the locker behave?

​

 

[No Pavement Please]

Oh, I also forgot to mention that my ST has a rear LSD. Does that also affect my compatibility with some lockers?

 

[410Fortune]

There is no select able locker available for your FRONT differential Just fyi, as mentioned earlier in this post. Unfortunately for us nobody made a select able locker for the dana 35 SLA front diff.

With that said I love my ARB lockers, very reliable, very strong, work great. ARB locker is only as good as your installer.
I like the ox locker, cable is the way to go. Next would be air, followed by electric. OX lockers were not around when I installed my ARB's

With a 3" torsion key lift your ride will suffer, you are trading ride height for droop travel, meaning you will have no down travel left in your suspension at ride height, so it will ride very very much like a haywagon. Consider a 1.5-2 max torsion twist/key lift after that you need drop brackets, cut fenders, or small body lift to stuff larger tires.

 

[No Pavement Please]

There is no select able locker available for your FRONT differential Just fyi, as mentioned earlier in this post. Unfortunately for us nobody made a select able locker for the dana 35 SLA front diff.

With that said I love my ARB lockers, very reliable, very strong, work great. ARB locker is only as good as your installer.
I like the ox locker, cable is the way to go. Next would be air, followed by electric. OX lockers were not around when I installed my ARB's

With a 3" torsion key lift your ride will suffer, you are trading ride height for droop travel, meaning you will have no down travel left in your suspension at ride height, so it will ride very very much like a haywagon. Consider a 1.5-2 max torsion twist/key lift after that you need drop brackets, cut fenders, or small body lift to stuff larger tires.

Thanks for the info on the front diff and the insight. I should also mention that I'm new to offroading, I'm very late to the party. I haven't even done anything to my rig, but I have to say I'm hooked and addicted. Lol!

Regarding my lift. It is a 2-3" torsion key lift, so 2" is achievable. It will also come with elongated nitro shocks for the front and rear. The rear will be a 2" lift, via a long add a leaf. Not sure if the new shocks will improve the quality.

I'm guessing it will?

 

[410Fortune]

Ride quality will suffer with a torsion twist and add a leaf, no shock will fix that.
Shocks only control the rebound of the spring, the spring holds the weight of the truck

So a 2" torsion twist is a good idea
Consider using an extended shackle in the back for lift instead of the add a leaf, add a leafs can ride very "stiff"

Im with you, I would lift my rig as soon as I can, even if the ride is a little more harsh then stock, WORTH IT to stuff larger tires. Bigger tires = ground clearance and traction
A rear locker will take you places a sport trac may or may not belong
If you are new to off roading then get familiar with your rig off road, then modify a little, see what it can do. Your off road abilites grow as your trucks abilites increase, it is a beautiful thing.
People who have never wheeled before and start off with a fully locked and loaded Jeep can get themselves in real trouble, we prefer people who have "seat time" and grow along with their rigs as the build goes on. A good off road driver in a Subaru can go further then a novice in a Jeep Rubicon

 

[No Pavement Please]

Ride quality will suffer with a torsion twist and add a leaf, no shock will fix that.
Shocks only control the rebound of the spring, the spring holds the weight of the truck

So a 2" torsion twist is a good idea
Consider using an extended shackle in the back for lift instead of the add a leaf, add a leafs can ride very "stiff"

Im with you, I would lift my rig as soon as I can, even if the ride is a little more harsh then stock, WORTH IT to stuff larger tires. Bigger tires = ground clearance and traction
A rear locker will take you places a sport trac may or may not belong
If you are new to off roading then get familiar with your rig off road, then modify a little, see what it can do. Your off road abilites grow as your trucks abilites increase, it is a beautiful thing.
People who have never wheeled before and start off with a fully locked and loaded Jeep can get themselves in real trouble, we prefer people who have "seat time" and grow along with their rigs as the build goes on. A good off road driver in a Subaru can go further then a novice in a Jeep Rubicon

Thank you again so much for the feedback. I've been offroading with friends a few times and that's what got me hooked. It's been suggested to me that an LSD may be adequate for my needs. This rig will predominantly be our camping/overlanding vehicle, that will also tow a 1500 lb tear drop camper. But I would like it to be capable enough to handle more. It has a stock Ford LSD. Someone suggested an aftermarket LSD. I definitely don't plan on going nuts on the trail and I'm all about learning. I know several seasoned overlanders and offroaders that can essentially mentor me. And I have all of you on this forum. Thank you again.

What do you think of an LSD vs a locker?

 

[BKennedy]

People who have never wheeled before and start off with a fully locked and loaded Jeep can get themselves in real trouble, we prefer people who have "seat time" and grow along with their rigs as the build goes on. A good off road driver in a Subaru can go further then a novice in a Jeep Rubicon

This is very good advice. I didn't get a locker until I had been off-roading the Explorer for several years. I had a Powertrax No-slip but it exploded on the Rubicon trail. Luckily, it jammed into the carrier so bad it became a spool so I could finish the trip. I took the advice I gave you about Detroits.

 

[RangerX]

Oh, I also forgot to mention that my ST has a rear LSD. Does that also affect my compatibility with some lockers?

Yes that very much limits your locker choices. Most lockers are made for an open diff, but there are some made for an LS diff, just not as many.
One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is gear ratio. What is your current axle gear ratio and should it be changed to support larger tires. The time to to do that is while the diff is already opened up getting a locker installed.

 

[No Pavement Please]

Yes that very much limits your locker choices. Most lockers are made for an open diff, but there are some made for an LS diff, just not as many.
One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is gear ratio. What is your current axle gear ratio and should it be changed to support larger tires. The time to to do that is while the diff is already opened up getting a locker installed.

Hi there. I'm going to run just 31" AT's. 32"s at the biggest. My gear ratio is 4.10 and I think I'll have to regear if I go with anything larger than 32".

 

[No Pavement Please]

This is very good advice. I didn't get a locker until I had been off-roading the Explorer for several years. I had a Powertrax No-slip but it exploded on the Rubicon trail. Luckily, it jammed into the carrier so bad it became a spool so I could finish the trip. I took the advice I gave you about Detroits.

Yes, I also agree. I suppose I am jumping ahead of myself. I definitely don't have the "seat time" as he mentioned to form any type of opinions or conclusions. All I know is that during the times I went offroading with friends, I had a blast. I have some experience with driving in sand on the beach and driving on a muddy pineapple field dirt road. I grew up in Hawaii. I've driven a few fire access roads in Vegas. But nothing crazy. I definitely am looking forward to increasing my "seat time."

 

[No Pavement Please]

Thank you guys. I appreciate all the advice/feedback/insights/personal experiences. This is the stuff I crave. Lol!

 

[DJE75]

Your 4.10's will be fine with 32's. I switched to 4.10s from 3.27's in my 1998 sport with a manual 5 speed and they are perfect for around town and towing. I'm running 32 11.5 15 BF Goodrich Km2's. I'm turning around 3100rpms at 75mph on the interstate but I don't do a lot of interstate driving so for me it's well worth the trade of a few rpms vs the ability to accelerate and tow.

 

[No Pavement Please]

Your 4.10's will be fine with 32's. I switched to 4.10s from 3.27's in my 1998 sport with a manual 5 speed and they are perfect for around town and towing. I'm running 32 11.5 15 BF Goodrich Km2's. I'm turning around 3100rpms at 75mph on the interstate but I don't do a lot of interstate driving so for me it's well worth the trade of a few rpms vs the ability to accelerate and tow.

Yes, I'm also thinking my 4.1 gear ratio is enough to spin 32"s at an optimal performance level. But just barely. That's pushing the envelope. Any bigger, than I'd have to regear. But I'll be spinning 31" AT's, instead of MT's. So they will be lighter. 31.7" to be exact.

 

[BKennedy]

A tip for driving off road with a limited slip diff. Sometimes you can get the diff to grab harder when only one wheel is engaged by lightly pressing on the brake pedal, or engaging the parking brake a couple of clicks.

 

[RangerX]

I’m also reading your other thread about tires, and I’m now thinking the best thing for you would be to get the couple inches of lift and the more aggressive tires and drive that for a while, without getting a locker, and see how it does and how you like it. You have a lsd, and you’re not talking about doing knarly trails, so the LS may be just right for you. If you’re doing a lot of trails over your level, and/or you’re getting stuck all the time, then you know you need a locker.

 

[No Pavement Please]

A tip for driving off road with a limited slip diff. Sometimes you can get the diff to grab harder when only one wheel is engaged by lightly pressing on the brake pedal, or engaging the parking brake a couple of clicks.

Very nice!! Thanks for the tip. I didn't know there was a trick to "activate" it willingly. This will come in handy.