Need Locker Advice!!!

[Forum TS155]

I currently have a 92 Expolrer. I want to get a locker for the rear, the only thing is I don't what type to get. I am hoping that some people can give me some advice. I don't want to spend a tremendous amount of money, but I will spend enough. If you know what I mean. Right now I have and open Diff. PLEASE HELP ME!!! I don't know much in this area. Thanks.

Barrett

 

[COMMOCOZY]

Lockers kick all forms of ass.. From what i have read, and researched the Powertrax no-ship is the best buy for the money and streetablity. It is like 400 or so, and one of the offroad mags did a review on it and says it is super easy to instal.

this is the one i plan on going with shortly. The down side is that it is always there! so if you are off camber both back wheels are going to spin and pull you down hil.

 

[Alec]

That's why I got the Eaton posi. The Powertrax unit is still a locker: that is it has two positions, on and off. It's just the no-slip makes the transition between the two states smoothly and invisibly. That's why it is more streetable than it's brother, the Lock-rite. They're essentially the same unit, just the Powertrax is fancier and more invisible. The Eaton posi on the other hand, has varying degrees of lock and adjusts for traction conditions. I've driven an Explorer with a Powertrax and like the function of my Eaton better, but that's just me. So IMO, the Eaton has much better road manners (even though the Powertrax is still very good onroad) and is a bit easier to control and avoid total loss of traction due to full lock.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[azleahy]

I've been thinking that a powertrax no-slip in the front might be the best for off-road-ability. I don't have a locker now and a while back a j##per friend and I were trying to check out the flex on my Rancho 2.5" lift and his CJ with ARB's. He locked his ARB's and drove one wheel up onto boulder roughly a coupla foot in diameter while the other wheels were left on dirt. No problem for him.
I tried doing the same and all I did was dig two trenches. One with my front low wheel and one with the opposite back wheel. It seems to me that if I had a locker in the back I still wouldn't have made it up onto that boulder and would have dug trenches with both of my back wheels. However I think if I had that no-slip in front, the climbing wheel would have had the power to climb that boulder instead of delivering all the power to the low wheel. And to boot, if you install the no-slip in the front you can remove any negative handling characteristics by switching off 4x. What do y'all think about that ?

 

[azleahy]

I've been thinking that a powertrax no-slip in the front might be the best for off-road-ability. I don't have a locker now and a while back a j##per friend and I were trying to check out the flex on my Rancho 2.5" lift and his CJ with ARB's. He locked his ARB's and drove one wheel up onto boulder roughly a coupla foot in diameter while the other wheels were left on dirt. No problem for him.
I tried doing the same and all I did was dig two trenches. One with my front low wheel and one with the opposite back wheel. It seems to me that if I had a locker in the back I still wouldn't have made it up onto that boulder and would have dug trenches with both of my back wheels. However I think if I had that no-slip in front, the climbing wheel would have had the power to climb that boulder instead of delivering all the power to the low wheel. And to boot, if you install the no-slip in the front you can remove any negative handling characteristics by switching off 4x. What do y'all think about that ?

 

[Forum TS155]

Hey Austin, do you know what place offers the PowerTrax for the cheapest? From what I have heard so far, from here and from my non-explorer friends that is the locker that I have heard the most and best about.

 

[COMMOCOZY]

umm i am not sure.. let me ask Sargon tomorrow since he seems to have got a good deal on his...

 

[Alec]

Usually West Coast Differentials www.differentials.com has some of the lowest locker and gear prices. They will also match any price they can confirm by another retailer.

 

[kvo]

There were a few posts a while back about a mail order place that has the Powertrax No-Slip for less than $300 (don't know if the search feature is working or not). When ordering, remember to tell them that you have an open differential or LS because they are different units and the No-Slip unit for the OEM LS differential is about $10 more.

Azleahy -

If you want to get it for your front, you will need to have the manual hubs otherwise, you won't be able to turn/steer with your Explorer, actually, you could but it will be extremely difficult.