Question about Aussie Lockers

[fishead]

Hey Guys, I need some info on Aussie Lockers.

Buddy of mine has a '92 Dodge Ram 250 CTD 2 wheel drive. He complains that he gets NO traction due to his "1- wheel drive" open diff. (ie 1 - wheel burnout all the way up the hill on Clarke Rd. in Coquitlam) This winter he has plans to drive the Coq, but doesn't trust his truck.

My question is, would it be benificial to throw an Aussie Locker in the rear end? What would the results be? What would this do to handling on wet/snow?

Except for a few logging roads (Chehalis Lake thanksgiving weekend, w00t) he mostly sticks to pavement.

Also, he needs new tires. How are BFG A/T's for a pavement princess?

Thanks guys.

[kore]

tell him to take his right foot off the floor going up clarke hill in coquitlam and see if the wheels stop spinning

[DnD]

Auto lockers, like the Aussie, Lock-Rite, or even a Detroit can have 'interesting' characteristics under power in snow or slushy conditions. If the driving surface is off camber they can lead to side slip instead of forward motion. Some people prefer a limited slip or even an open diff in these conditions. I'm currently running Lock-Rites F&R and must admit I'm looking forward to ARB's instead for their day to day driveability.

My $.02 worth.

[kore]

sounds like your friend should get a limited slip diff.. less annoying on the street than an auto.
an arb for driving on the coquihala highway or up clarke hill in coquitlam is not practical. you wont want to drive the coq in the snow locked and certainly not around town.
an auto will work nicely offroad, but not much good for snow slush and sometimes rain in a daily driver

you can never go wrong with bfg a/t's... the cheapest place to get them is costco.

[Rogue Bronco]

When that 1 tire breaks loose, get off the gas.

Whats the difference between a limited slip, and a locker in the snow....... NUTHIN.
LSD is nicer for the dry patches, but once it gets slippy, they will have the same characteristics. Unless your LSD is burnt out, but then you realy only have an open diff anyways.

an arb for driving on the coquihala highway or up clarke hill in coquitlam is not practical. you wont want to drive the coq in the snow locked and certainly not around town.

Thats why you run with it 'off' till you need it.
Open diff will always have more directional stability than lockers, or LSD's.

[d0ubledown]

i wouldnt run an autolocker in the back if youre gonna be drivin the coq in snowy conditions...can you say sketchy?

got traction issues? as said before, get off the gas. in the snow..a locked rear in an unladen truck is gonna be a handful. best thing to throw on the truck is a bed full of sandbags..you'll have better traction with open+weight in the back than locked. thats been my experience anyways...

[Rogue Bronco]

Originally posted by d0ubledown
best thing to throw on the truck is a bed full of sandbags..you'll have better traction with open+weight in the back than locked. thats been my experience anyways...

^^^ +1
And if you get stuck you can toss some of the sand under yur wheels.
If you realy wanna rip sh!t up, get some chains. I believe they are still a 'lil' cheaper than an LSD, or Locker.

Wouldnt waist time with studded tires, chains are your 'friend' ;)

[fishead]

Thanks for the (mostly) helpful tips.

Yeah, laying off the gas when accelerating is an obvious solution, but a 2WD CTD with an empty box on wet pavement and poor tires cuts loose more often then my mother-in-law eating a chilli-dog.

I assume from the above posts that an aussie locker is an auto-locker and not a LSD? Is there an LSD that 2 non-mechanic chumps can install themselves for under $400?

He just bought a Gem-top that is pretty heavy, and will prolly add a few sandbags as well to weigh it down a bit more. I figure most of the problem is the tires. I like BFG AT's, but he is leaning towards more of a street tire. His wife told him the other day (after driving it herself in the rain) that he can buy some new tires. That's half the battle!

Thanks for all your help guys. Would have been a waste of time/money to throw in a locker only to learn what you guys already know:beer

[gavman]

That big snow we had in 96 (i think) was well forecast the night before, So off i go to buy 30 bags of playsand for the trunk of my $300 dollar pimping cream coloured 77 monte carlow, ended up returning about ten of them.
Next morning the car was buried to the door handles with snow, got in and drove around all day.
The sand bags are the cheapest lockers out there.
Three months ago i sold a 94 ext cab 2wd toy to an employee of mine, He phones me the other day after the first rain to ask why the truck was spinning its tires on the wet pavement.
Told him to get two sandbags for the box and try it.
Next day he just smiled.An amazing difference (he thinks i am so smart)lol

[kore]

sandbags are great too.
engage a locker on the coquihala highway in the snow? sounds like a very good way to end up in the ditch when it engages and pulls you sideways. alternately sounds like a way to make the trip take 2 times as long when you pull over to engage and disengage at the bottom of every hill...

more weight, less gas peddal, or an lsd. tires help too, street tires suck for wet weather and probably cost more than bfg at's. if your friend gets street tires on his truck, its time to start looking for new friends:p

[Rogue Bronco]

I'll vote for BFG A/T's
Had them, and a few other brands, gotta admit, they are IMO the best truck-street tire. Awsome in snow and wet roads, lasted pretty good aswell. Because the tires have such a 'squared' thread shoulder, it gives \the tire a wider contact patch on the road compaired to tires of similar size.