Diff Lockers ... educate me...

[Big G]

Please tolerate a numpty but could one of you experienced lads put me right on this. I feel a bit daft asking but but here goes..

 Have had my Def.90 for about a year and love it for taking my dog over the fields (Mates farm) She brings me back stuff I shoot and,looks at me a bit old fashioned when nothing hits the ground (often).

Now I was surprised that I nearly got stuck the other day even with Diff lock in. I know how wet its been and I have got some biggish Mud terrain tyres on.

Question .... What if any is the difference when I hear people say "Fit Diff Lockers" to when I put the Defender into Difflock?

Thanks for your patience ...........  G

[TDi90]

no worries mate we all started somewhere.
land rover was fitted with a standard centre diff lock (the one you engaged in this instance)
"diff lockers" are a very EXPENSIVE aftermarket thing that fits into the diffs, to lock the wheels in a forward motion.
they are for "hardcore" offroaders so to speak. probably not something you will need!
R

[L90OOK]

The 90 has 3 diffs...one in the Transferbox & one in either axle.
The 90 comes with std fitment of a difflock in the transfer box (centre diff).  Locking this ensures the axle diffs turn at the same speed.  However you can still get stuck if one wheel on both axles loses traction.
Diff Lockers can be fitted in the front & rear axles (ARB are the favourite with many off roaders).  There are many different versions on the market.
By locking all 3 diffs the vehicle can move as long as there is traction to one or more wheels
Hope this helps 

[extreme90]

in reality a 4x4 is only actually a 2wd, just is drive is transmitted to front and rear wheels

in normal drive ( no difflock ) drive is transmitted to all 4 wheels, but when offroad the wheel of least resistance will spin, which then means all drive is transmitted to that spinning wheel
by selecting center diff, drive it split 50/50 to front and rear axles, but again, the wheels of least resistance will spin, which then only gives you 2wd

if you fit locking diffs ( mine are ARB air lockers which i can manualy lock up as a choose ) you can then lock both wheels together on that axle
which combined with center diff gives you a true 4wd as all 4 wheels are locked together

sounds good, but when used road, they get you even further into the S***  :roll:

dan

[clbarclay]

As said above they can do a great job of getting you more stuck. Also if your driving other say a grassy field where all the tyres generate equally poor traction then locking all the diffs will only be of limited help. They come in to there own on rougher ground or ground of varying conditions (one wheel on dry dirt and another in mud) were the tyres do not generate equal traction.

[extreme90]

As said above they can do a great job of getting you more stuck. Also if your driving other say a grassy field where all the tyres generate equally poor traction then locking all the diffs will only be of limited help. They come in to there own on rougher ground or ground of varying conditions (one wheel on dry dirt and another in mud) were the tyres do not generate equal traction.

best time for lockers
are on rocks
and when winching
or when you run out of suspention travle  :lol:

[L90OOK]

As said above they can do a great job of getting you more stuck. Also if your driving other say a grassy field where all the tyres generate equally poor traction then locking all the diffs will only be of limited help. They come in to there own on rougher ground or ground of varying conditions (one wheel on dry dirt and another in mud) were the tyres do not generate equal traction.

best time for lockers
are on rocks
and when winching
or when you run out of suspention travle  :lol:

Or towing boats out of estuary mud  :lol: :-'

[extreme90]

As said above they can do a great job of getting you more stuck. Also if your driving other say a grassy field where all the tyres generate equally poor traction then locking all the diffs will only be of limited help. They come in to there own on rougher ground or ground of varying conditions (one wheel on dry dirt and another in mud) were the tyres do not generate equal traction.

best time for lockers
are on rocks
and when winching
or when you run out of suspention travle  :lol:

Or towing boats out of estuary mud  :lol: :-'

a thats a good point i forgot about that
there brill on the beach with our boat
1st gear just above tick over and let the simex find the :lol:re own way in the shingle and crap
with the aide of going lock to lock sometimes and the determination to not get a tow rope out  :lol:

[L90OOK]

As said above they can do a great job of getting you more stuck. Also if your driving other say a grassy field where all the tyres generate equally poor traction then locking all the diffs will only be of limited help. They come in to there own on rougher ground or ground of varying conditions (one wheel on dry dirt and another in mud) were the tyres do not generate equal traction.

best time for lockers
are on rocks
and when winching
or when you run out of suspention travle  :lol:

Or towing boats out of estuary mud  :lol: :-'

a thats a good point i forgot about that
there brill on the beach with our boat
1st gear just above tick over and let the simex find the :lol:re own way in the shingle and crap
with the aide of going lock to lock sometimes and the determination to not get a tow rope out  :lol:

:lol: Been there too many times  :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

I have to agree, frequently the lockers can make things worse.  That's why i'm not a big fan of the Detroit style locker, it's locked up unless you have enough traction to unlock it.

IMHO the best fit and forget diff is a tryetrac or ATB diff.  It won't lock up fully but has IIRC 5:1 biasing towards the weheel with grip, a little gentle use of the footbrake can then have a positive effect.

But I have ARBs, it's just a matter of knowing when to use them.

[Evilgoat]

Right

try this...


Might help :)

[Range Rover Blues]

He's a star, isn't he :)

[Big G]

Glad I asked ...............   8-[ .....  :doh: .......



No really,  thanks chaps .. !

[markyb]

by the sounds of things you do you might be better getting a winch and winch bumper, cheaper and you then can pull your self out of most situations you might come across and they have a fair amount of uses.

i love my lockers but they can get you that bit further so i combine them with a winch. everything gets stuck at some point.

[Range Rover Blues]

Yes Ii guess you could argue that lockers just get you further in beofre you get stuck, but TBH I've used my winch once since I got it other than towing cars onto the trailer, even that time I wasn't stuck.

I'd say get a winch kit for your hi-lift and an ATB in the back end for starters.