Is the Diff lock a "must have" for 4x4

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/3349083157.html

I was thinking of getting this Tacoma and noticed it doesn't have the diff lock button on the left side of the steering wheel. Is that option necessary or can I do without since it is 4x4? Sorry for the noob question. I'm just getting into this stuff

 

Not a necessity but can be nice. Can always add one later.

 

this. i have never “needed” it i do go to a gravel road and put it in some times just to make sure it stays working right.

 

What is its purpose? How much would it be to add on later?

 

purpose is when you have like off camber or. one rear tire off the ground/in the air and one tire on the ground. a lot of times(ok like every time) when you don’t have a locker, the tire in the air will want to spin and the tire on the ground wont want to do anything so you kinda become stuck.

 

Depending on the type of diff, it can be from 1k to 2k with installation.

A locking diff locks your differential, making both tires with traction get power.. If you plan on Off roading a bit i would get it.

 

In a ordinary open differential the wheels can turn at different rates around a corner. This is good.

When going down an even road with even traction an "open" differential can then apply even power to both wheels.

When off road however one wheel may have less traction than the other. The power will transfer to the wheel easiest to turn, less traction.

Imagine you had one side of your truck on the road, exclude the front for now, and the other side was on ice. Even though you have a wheel on the road with great traction, it's easier to turn the wheel on the ice and so you go no where.

That's a simplistic view.

A locker will LOCK both wheels together, so they turn at the same rate, and with the same power, regardless of conditions. This also means that taking a turn your tires can't spin at different speeds and so your tires will "hop".

Heres a video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dh0VQxprJA



4x4 open/open can go a lot of places without lockers though. I wouldn't worry about it unless you find yourself wheeling a lot.


fitting an ARB air locker to our trucks will run you probably 1400???

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIGvhvOhLHU


At about 2:26 you see an open diff

 

http://youtu.be/bvOgneVbVnE

at about 1:20 you can see it very well

 

that is a bad deal for 19k dollars any way you slice it.

 

I think that is even over KBB. I would pay 14k or 13k for that.

 

So true! That truck has 150k miles and they want $19k? Yikes.