Front Axle Lockers

[Wilkie]

To me a e locker is the way forward....normal driving when not locked i want to be in control

but then also fit manual hubs infront to be sure that the locker cant become a hazard while cruising in 2x4

[biggles]

Auto locker for me is definitely the way to go for front of our patrols. You do not have any on road issues as in 2H you are not using your diff. Offroad I am offroading and having the front locked until it don't need it, just feels better than having it open until I need it locked. When you want to go around a corner it unlocks. All that without having to push a button.

I tend to go into 4wd when travelling at speed on dirt roads - it makes the vehicle more stable (although the long wheelbase helps too). I would worry about a front auto-locker in those circumstances. Or am I mistaken?

As I understand it yes you will experience different driving feel with autolocker when at speed in 4x4 with your hubs locked. I am not sure about with the hubs on auto, that would be very strange I would imagine.

Thinking through how it would work. The auto hubs lock when they have torque from the shaft. When you decelerate or descend under engine braking they unlock. So if you powered through a corner you would experience about a 1/4 wheel turn resistance then they would unlock. If you coasted in auto hub you would not feel anything different.

I read someone saying that they definitely had to adjust thier 4x4 gravel road driving with the auto locker in.

[Clem]

Don't you have to reverse to get the auto-hubs to unlock?

[Tinus lotz]

No the moment there is no power on them they will unlock but you can use the wheel spanner and lock them up so it doesn't happen

[Clem]

I don't know Tinus. I come down a dirt road and drift to a stop. Then I put it in reverse for a few meters and i hear them unlock "clunk, clunk", which tells me that they didn't unlock when I took my foot off the throttle - or so I think (????).

[biggles]

I have heard that when going down an incline with hubs in auto they will disengage. I always lock them so cannot comment. I was warned specifically for that reason to lock my hubs if doing anything hectic.

If you braked to a stop then they would not disengage as the torque would still be from the drive shaft.

[Tinus lotz]

I have heard that when going down an incline with hubs in auto they will disengage. I always lock them so cannot comment. I was warned specifically for that reason to lock my hubs if doing anything hectic.

If you braked to a stop then they would not disengage as the torque would still be from the drive shaft.

Correct when there is no torque from drive shaft they fall out

[Peter Connan]

In theory, if there is no torque from the shaft they CAN un-lock, but it still takes a little bit of differential movement for them to actually un-lock. Be reversing, you cause this differential motion, which you may not have caused just by coasting to a stop.

I may be starting to sound like a wet blanket, but I wonder about the the behaviour of auto hubs and auto locker together. I think the auto locker could accelerate wear and tear on auto-locking hubs substantially?

[Tinus lotz]

I agree Piet when we service them you can see how quikly they come in and out...if i had a auto locker i would only use the locked position on my free wheel hubs with the hub coming in and out something gonna give

[Wilkie]

every modification has it ups and down ........