to lock or not to lock

[cms6362845442]

have done a lot of research on here and couldnt really find what i was looking for. i have an all stock 2001 xlt explorer. its not a dd. maybe drive it once every other wk on the street. havent had it off road yet. it has an ok tire on it. goodyear wrangler radial. i want to make it more capable off road. i dont know if it has lsd or not. was thinking about getting a locker. dont know if i would get a front,rear, or both but what is the best locker to get for mild off roading that is still very streetable.this would more than likely be the only modification i would do since its so expensive to lift it due to the ifs. thanks in advance.

 

[MrSport]

Screw lockers if u dont need it as a DD just go offroading with it, Weld er up and save money.

 

[Blee1099]

Go with lockers.. Don't weld the spiders.. Imagine what carnage would happen if the welds fail and the internals get chewed up. Then you'll be out a carrier, ring & pinion, etc..

 

[slickemhoundd]

Whaaaat about welding the spiders up front? The locker for the fronts more expensive than the rear

 

[cms6362845442]

i assume its the ford 8.8 rear 28 spline that would be in my explorer?? i found a detroit locker. part number is 357912a56. would this be a good locker? do i need anything else besides gear fluid to install? thanks

 

[Blee1099]

Explorer is 31 spline. Aussie makes one and so does Spartan that are both pretty cheap and affordable. Before ordering one you need to find out what type of carrier you have.. Is it a open carrier or limited slip carrier.

 

[slickemhoundd]

I was informed that the Spartan is the superior to aussie/powertrax because they were designed to after both with corrections of their flaws. True or not I'm giving them a shot. Still like to know about welding the front spiders up. Light crawling and more mud/sand use

 

[cms6362845442]

Explorer is 31 spline. Aussie makes one and so does Spartan that are both pretty cheap and affordable. Before ordering one you need to find out what type of carrier you have.. Is it a open carrier or limited slip carrier.

how do i figure that out? i figured all xlts were the same

 

[FROADER]

Check your door sticker to find out what your rear diff has in it.

Explorer 43 Open 3200 3.08
41 Open 3200 3.27
42 Open 4.10
46 Open 3.73
45 Open 3200 3.55
D4 Limited Slip 3200 3.73
D2 Limited Slip 4.10
L73 Limited Slip 3.73

Limited slip (quality parts not the stock ford parts) front and rear or just a rear locker, would be perfect for you.

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Do not weld the fronts on any vehicle that might be used on pavement ever. You wont be able to turn without binding. Tires will skip and be very dangerous, not to mention you will very likely break something after a few trips around sharp corners.

 

[cms6362845442]

Check your door sticker to find out what your rear diff has in it.

Explorer 43 Open 3200 3.08
41 Open 3200 3.27
42 Open 4.10
46 Open 3.73
45 Open 3200 3.55
D4 Limited Slip 3200 3.73
D2 Limited Slip 4.10
L73 Limited Slip 3.73

Limited slip (quality parts not the stock ford parts) front and rear or just a rear locker, would be perfect for you.

on the drivers door sticker, it says axle and under that says 46 so i assume i have the open 3.73. i would never weld my ****. thats crazy. so should i go with the eaton, spartan, aussie, detroit? make any difference?

 

[cms6362845442]

cant seem to find a spartan locker for my rear end. i just keep finding the 31 spline. anybody have a part number? and would i also have to buy a cross pin or anything else besides gear fluid?

 

[Karpiel73]

Explorer is 31 spline. Aussie makes one and so does Spartan that are both pretty cheap and affordable. Before ordering one you need to find out what type of carrier you have.. Is it a open carrier or limited slip carrier.

What Blee said, 31 spline is correct

 

[cms6362845442]

What Blee said, 31 spline is correct

oh thank you. so would i need anything besides the spartan locker and gear fluid? cross pin? not really sure what thats for. and where can i buy one of these spartan lockers. not really finding a website for them

 

[slickemhoundd]

Do not weld the fronts on any vehicle that might be used on pavement ever. You wont be able to turn without binding. Tires will skip and be very dangerous, not to mention you will very likely break something after a few trips around sharp corners.

With the four wheel/actuator on front axle disengaged how would this be so? Id essentially be running one live axle as I am now.

 

[Karpiel73]

oh thank you. so would i need anything besides the spartan locker and gear fluid? cross pin? not really sure what thats for. and where can i buy one of these spartan lockers. not really finding a website for them

I have never heard of a Spartan locker so I'm not the one to ask for that. But the cross pin is 7/8". That is what keeps the axle shafts from smacking together and preventing alot of side to side movement in the axle shafts. Maybe someone could chime in and further elaborate if need be.

 

[slickemhoundd]

You'll need to shave a tad of your ring gear to slide the cross pin in. very carefully as you'd imagine. notching the pin will only weekend the dexterity of it

 

[LONO100]

dont weld the spider gears, especially of its DD. you could end up destroying your whole diff like mentioned above. besides, lockers can be had and installed for a few hundred bucks, and will allow the power to each wheel to differ in turns.

also, if youre rig is a DD, just throw a locker in the rear. putting it in the front (unless its a switchable e locker, or air locker) will make it harder to steer on the street.

 

[cms6362845442]

thank you to everyone for all your help. i guess i will just go with a detroit locker. easy to find. decent price. just need to make sure i get the correct one. theres a ton of them.

 

[rabbit91]

have done a lot of research on here and couldnt really find what i was looking for. i have an all stock 2001 xlt explorer. its not a dd. maybe drive it once every other wk on the street. havent had it off road yet. it has an ok tire on it. goodyear wrangler radial. i want to make it more capable off road. i dont know if it has lsd or not. was thinking about getting a locker. dont know if i would get a front,rear, or both but what is the best locker to get for mild off roading that is still very streetable.this would more than likely be the only modification i would do since its so expensive to lift it due to the ifs. thanks in advance.

Ya i dont think youve done a lot of research since you claim it is expensive to lift your truck and there is plenty of info on lockers on here.
it would be smart to actually take the truck off road before you invest in a locker
lockers aren't for mild off roading...