This is a bit unusual as mostly differentials are in the middle of the axle. More evidence to add weight to this argument is that when a vehicle is fitted with a factory diff locker by the original manufacturer, in my experience, it is always in the rear. The above is the correct nomenclature. Read on to learn what differential lock is, why it’s important and how to use your locking diff when driving. 4SITE 4x4 TYRE CENTRES is a trading division of Micheldever Tyre Services PLC. The photo below shows an axle with a differential housing as a bulge on the right, inside it are the cogs which make up the differential. For what vehicle?? All Rights Reserved. This includes the new hilux, which has a factory rear locker… There are a number of aftermarket companies which supply diff-locks, but not for all makes and models, only those most popularly used for off-roading. Understand? An "inter-wheel differential lock" is a diff lock. In essence, it locks them together as a unified shaft. But there are a few things to keep in mind. There are two basic types of diff-lock, manual and automatic. Maybe it already has one or two as standard. To sign up to our newsletter, please fill in your email below. i load it till the dump can barely tip it. Who makes it? When your differential is locked, your vehicle will want to drive in a straight line, making corners difficult. Exactly how the cogs do this isn’t important from the driver’s perspective, what’s important is the effect. In this video, I m gonna find out how much diff lock and AWD effect Speed on Road. diff lock is a must i think for anyone wanting to do alot of off road, these trucks are light and can have issues getting power down. You … same only use low in the transfer case of my hijet when hauling rock and dirt. Like when you’re going to be driving in mud, snow, or rocks for an extended period of time. It's very usefull for getting out of ditches, quarries, etc. Sometimes it’s best to leave it disengaged. 4x4 TyresStay safe when going off road. Your progress is likely to be impaired by having a wheel on the axle with lockers spin, for example a rutted hill climb or some muddy ruts. Find out more at www.ford.com.au/commercial/ranger/life-hacks The Mercedes axle diff lock is a dog cluch setup with 5 big strong teeth (see below). If we then tried to go around a corner, the inside wheel would rotate at the same speed as the outside wheel, and the inside wheel would hop, skid and jump as it is forced to rotate at a much faster speed than it should for the little distance it has to travel. These lockers drop inside a factory differential carrier and replace the original stock spider gears. A differential lock secures this differential in place, making all the wheels on the axle move at the same speed. Not all versions of all 4X4s have diff-locks. July 6, 2016, 1:24am #8. You will only need to engage your locking differential when you need extra traction, so you may only use it for a few moments on each off road adventure. Some 4X4s come with them standard, either on the rear axle, or front and rear axles (“twin locked”) and depending on the exact make and model of your vehicle, you may be able to fit an aftermarket locker. Sometimes, the answer to wheel … Driving with the diff lock on will cause high stresses and strains in the drives, and can result in accelerated component wear or even catastrophic failure. If the rear diff is locked when you corner, the inside wheel will lose traction as it maintains the same speed as the outside wheel. Manual diff locks put the driver in control, enabling them to decide when and if extra traction is required. This pushes equal power through to all wheels, which is needed when handling difficult terrain. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Although the diff-lock is great for when we lose traction, it can often fight against us when we need to corner for our next obstacle. With a rear differential locker engaged, you have improved control of the vehicle and less momentum is required since both rear wheels are locked as if it where one axle turning at the same speed irrespective if there is … Generally anywhere where you’re moving in low range first or second, are likely to lose traction on one or more wheels but there’s good traction on the other wheels, and you don’t need to turn tightly. On the right hand side of the picture there’s an icon of four wheels with an X between the rear axle – that’s the button to engage and disengage the rear locker. So it is always important to only use your diff lock when necessary, and wherever possible, let the diff do its job. That’s why diff-locks can be engaged, or disengaged – you have it engaged when you need it, for example, ascending a steep, rocky climb, and disengaged when you don’t, for example, normal road driving. Please see So if we have a wheel with little grip compared to the other one on the axle, for example in the air or on mud, that’s pretty easy to turn, so it gets very little turning force, and that’s how much its partner wheel on the other side of the axle gets. When’s the best time to engage low gear, and when should you lock the diff? Ingame if you have route advisor on, it will suggest you when to turn the lock on. The diff locker manufacturer is making people use the rear first due to their perception of front end CV risk and impact to steering. Diff lock causes all driven wheels to rotate at the same speed which greatly increase traction on hills and mud. Automatic lockers lock and unlock automatically with no direct input from the driver. See them in action. As long as the difference in speed between both axles sides is not too much, the teeth of the locker will find their way safely into the groves. It locks the diff into full time posi traction. Nov 4, 2016 @ 4:01pm the only time you should ever need low range is when … That’s why diff-locks can be engaged, or disengaged – you have it engaged when you need it, for example, ascending a steep, rocky climb, and disengaged when you don’t, for example, normal road driving. Gives you all sorts of options in battle. Use your locking differential when you want to go off road, for driving on difficult terrain, such as dirt, gravel, mud or snow. Both wheels then turn together, … AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest new … Keep in mind, your vehicle may have something called electronic locking rear differential. On the downside, when the rear wheels spun, they usually both spun, and the rear end would step sideways very quickly. Period. There are so many off-road situations it’s not possible to give specific advice and you will need to break each of the rules below at some point, but here are some general tips: The term diff-lock is short for “differential lock”, and is also shortened to lockers. These either work with compressed air, an electromagnet or are cable-operated. As such, all powered axles – front and rear in a 4WD - have a differential. But, it also eliminates the good part about a differential, the part that allows the wheels on an axle to be driven at different speeds and vehicles to turn corners effectively. There is a solution, and it’s called a differential, or diff for short. Examples of aftermarket locker companies are ARB and Eaton. It could well be that your 4X4 comes with a diff-lock on the rear axle, or on both axles. How much money?? Lepton1 and … The diff lock forces all wheels to spin at the same speed, regardless of traction. Diff lockers can be selectable (turned on or off by the user) or … Campfire Etiquette – 19 tips to have you doing it like a pro, Calculating how much solar you really need. The purple dot represents the differential which allows this to happen, yet drives both wheels. The problem with this is stress on the axle, tyre wear, poor handling, and a tendency to ‘understeer’ which means the nose of your vehicle will push wide in corners. It’s also going relatively fast. Do I need a diff-lock to go 4x4ing? Use your locking differential when you want to go off road, for driving on difficult terrain, such as dirt, gravel, mud or snow. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Keep an eye out for that one. Some automatic locking diffs will only disengage once one wheel is required to spin faster than the others. First, a diff lock should not be engaged for on road driving, unless weather conditions such as snow or ice mean that extra traction is required. I don't really want to weld the rear end so I'm looking for a used rear end with diff lock. Driving differential-lock equipped two-wheel drive vehicles off the beaten track or even on off-road 4x4 routes is a new concept waiting to be explored by adventurous owners of these vehicles. You see in the picture that the front right wheel is spinning madly, but the front left isn’t moving. Listen to your vehicle and do not put undue stress on it, otherwise you could cause serious damage to the axles. So as tractor when driving it. Other auto-locking diffs are the opposite, which means they only lock automatically when necessary. I use the diff lock on my Daihatsu Terios to make sure I get through it, and then when I pull up outside my house and switch the diff lock off, the back wheels lock when I try to reverse turn into my drive. It doesn't matter if you have the diff/axle lock engaged it will still put the truck in 4 wheel drive. Do not use it when driving normally. Cars only have one differential, but 4X4 vehicles can have up to three differentials – front, centre and rear. … This differential will direct power to the wheel that is easiest to rotate – providing different power to each wheel according to its needs. There is no arguing this. It is a complex series of cogs that allows the inside wheel to slow down relative to the outside wheel, yet both to be driven. When that axle turns a corner, the inside wheel describes a shorter arc than the outside wheel. It also has its rear cross-axle locking differential engaged, shown by the equivalent red icon but with an X between the rear axles. (Any source ideas for this would be appreciated). The locker fixes that problem by eliminating the differential effect. The photo below shows the driver’s controls for front and rear ARB Air Lockers. If you've heard otherwise in your travels,then you were misinformed, or you misunderstood. And it’s designed to use in off road situations. So, differentials solve the cornering problem, but they come with a huge disadvantage for off-road driving, which is shown in this picture: There are no production 4X4s which have lockers on the front axle and not the rear, it’s always rear axle only, or both axles, and you have to engage the rear before you can engage the front. That’s to minimise risk of stress and damage to the drivetrain, as lockers can easily produce significant extra stress on transmission components such as axles. I don't know if you guys are trying to use a truck as a amphibious vehicle or what but I ran R model dumps for a long time and probably only got stuck two or three times I can remember. There are a few different types, but before we get into why you’d want to lock your differential, we need to explain what a differential is, and that starts with the problem it solves. There are various types of manual diff locks, most of which are worked using a switch on the dashboard or gearstick. 0870 112 9401. Not much. A locking differential ensures that maximum power is put into all wheels, providing a much needed boost to your forward propulsion. The photo below shows a Toyota Prado. That means both wheels have to turn at exactly the same speed, so it eliminates the differential problem. Look for a button like this on a Nissan Y62 Patrol. We call vehicles with front and rear diff-locks twin locked. To be precise, they equalise torque (turning force) between two wheels on an axle. Firstly, your rear diff lock should never be used when driving on a hard surface, as the vehicle needs differential action in order to corner properly. Today's trucks have been stripped out with just a couple buttons. So which is THE best all-terrain tyre out there? To Use The Inter-axle Differential Lock Flip the switch and press the clutch briefly (some recommend to feather the clutch, as in a normal shift); do likewise to disengage the lock. We also call a differential that has no locker an open differential, or open diff. more then 350kgs lol. Diff lock makes the difference uit Leisure Wheels; 23; Jul - Aug - Sep 2003 Text by Braham van Zyl. Operating The Diff Lock On A Moffett Truck Mounted Forklift Lockers are very useful off-road, but shouldn’t be viewed as the answer to all traction problems, and fitting them should not be a priority for new off-roaders who should focus on safety gear first. What we’ve talked about so far is not just a diff-lock, it’s a “cross-axle locking differential” to give it the full name. Sales of raised-body bakkies with the aggressive … I have a 91 Suzuki Carry with both axle lock and diff lock, this is how they work.The axle lock function is simply part of the 4wd system,when the transfer case is shifted into 4wd the engagement of the front differential to the front driveline is done by the vacumn pod on the differential housing.The front differential is an open type which means that the tire with the … That’s because an electronic traction control system mitigates the “differential problem” in a similar way to a diff-lock. Differential lock helps when you are in a ditch or you cannot move eitherway properly. There are two types, most are manual, but some are automatic. For most off-roading situations, the diff-lock is not necessary. Most are manually engaged and disengaged, but there are some designs that are automatically engaged and disengaged by mechanical means or computer control. The Jeep Grand Cherokee below needs counter-steer to continue heading up the hill, and lockers would make that harder. It locks the rear differential, forcing both rear wheels to spin at the same speed for improved traction. Learn more about our range of 4x4 tyres and wheels, and discover how easy it is to order online with 4SITE 4X4 Tyres. I just read... Log in or Sign up. the axle lock does the same for the front tires. I miss the old trucks, 60 gauges telling you everything plus 40 toggles for this and that and power this slide that lock over here so on. You can tell because the front right wheel isn’t spinning. i have had mine bouncing trying to get grip or just spin 2 wheels untill i use diff lock You’re going relatively fast and need to manoeuvre, for example sand, some situations in mud and snow. First, a diff lock should not be engaged for on road driving, unless weather conditions such as snow or ice mean that extra traction is required. I don't need to … I was told by someone on this site that Axle lock refers to the equivalent of lock out hubs and diff lock refers to a locking rear diff. They are called lunchbox lockers since they … The diff lock will release once traction has been regained. The left and right wheels always rotate at the same speed when a diff locker is engaged. Same deal for the Nissan GU Patrol in the title image of this article; Descending a rutted hill where one wheel is likely to be in the air or lose traction; and. … There are two basic types of diff-lock, manual and automatic. It’s a device that disables the differential, locking it out. The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon pictured below has its lockers engaged as it ascends a hill. That’s because it’s a differential lock that works across two wheels on an axle. Lockers are for slow-speed off-road work on loose surfaces, so losing the differential effect around corners isn’t too much of a problem, you just notice the turning circle is bigger than before. That’s because differentials are lazy, they direct drive to the wheel that’s easiest to turn. Nov 4, 2016 @ 3:02pm ok I see now, thanks #2. Once you have everything else sorted then consider diff-locks. These are common in four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles. However, some owners of vehicles such as the Nissan Patrol fit them to the front axle, on the basis the rear already has a strong limited-slip differential (LSD). So a diff lock should be used when you loose traction. The locking differential limits the two wheels on an axle to rotate at the same speed. For example, let’s say you are driving over rocky terrain and one of your wheels leaves the ground. If your vehicle is equipped with a factory rear diff lock, when you use it will depend on several factors. At 1000 rpm in first gear low range each tire rotates at 25rpm - so, even if one tire starts rotating faster, it will only be10 or 20 rpm more. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. I'll run same truck throughout the test with different scenarios to find out the effect on speed. 4SITE 4x4 Tyres To Attend Midland Game Fair 2017, 4SITE 4X4 TYRES ATTEND THE SCOTTISH GAME FAIR 2017. Solved by driving on further and doing a forward U-turn. The diff lock locks the rear tires so they both will spin regardless of the traction. Once you have mastered your differential lock, traversing off road will get a whole lot more exciting, as you will be able to take on more challenging tracks and difficult terrains. So what’s needed is some way to drive both wheels, yet allow them to turn at different speeds around a corner. Examples of cars that have rear lockers are the Ford Ranger, Pajero Sport and Nissan Patrol Y62, and for front and rear lockers examples are some Land Cruiser 70 Series, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Learn More. The differential itself means that two wheels on an axle can be driven at different speeds, but that means one wheel on an axle could spin when it loses traction, causing a lack of progress. … Powered by ClickClickMedia, FOR MORE 4X4 & RV INFO, VISIT SOME OF OUR OTHER WEBSITES. You will only need to engage your locking differential when you need extra traction, so you may only use it for a few … Knowing how and when to employ the diff lock will enable you to traverse difficult terrains with ease, helping you get more from your off road vehicle. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookie settings at any time. #1. zlatanfish. They are called air lockers because the mechanism to engage and disengage is driven by an air compressor.