LB xtra cab bone in craw

I have a bone in my craw. Why the heck can’t Toyota put the Locking rear diff in the Extra-cab longbox? Granted I screwed up by buying it and thinking it had locking Diff because it had words to that effect on the window sticker. But it sucks that I can’t go buy a LBXCab with TRD features. As far as I am concerned all trucks should have locking differentials. I am sure the ARB lockers are awesome but no one wants to install them and frankly I do not trust mechanics (been burned / ripped off too many times), maybe if I could find a guy who had done a few. I don’t really want an air compressor anyhow up here in the below zero weather. Then the other gripe I have is the soft suspension, 300lbs and the rear is riding low, I need those Dakar springs asap. I Love my toyo truck but it needs more manliness off the lot, at least offer a man version. Maybe I needed a TUNDRA but did not know it. Maybe if I had 3 grand to spend I would not be grumping. Maybe if I did not have to stop in front of the mud this weekend I would not be grumping, but I stopped because I had no faith in the vehicle. Dang it, my 97 FJ Cruiser went through anything. Its ok if you want to rip on me and call me aw wuss, I really like the forum.

 

The access cab long beds do come with a rear locker but only the TRD Offroads. No Tacoma's come with a front locker though.

You can run an ARB off of a nitrogen bottle which is dry so you shouldn't have to worry about freezing. I have yet to have an issue with my ARB compressor in sub zero (in Fahrenheit) temperatures though and I use it to run my front locker and fill tires.

Toyota did botch the rear leafpacks though...

I bought my gears an locker through easy coast gear supply. They came preinstalled in the diffs and they are good are what they do. They shipped me those diffs and I just had to swap them in and mail the old ones back to them.

The newer Tundra is big and bulky and won't ofroad as well as a Tacoma does.

 

Lockers are great for rock crawling, but I don't think it helps with mud at all. If anything gets you stuck faster in sand and mud. Example, I just sold my 2013 Ford F-150, EcoBoost (FX4) which had the factory electronic locking differential. I found it got me stuck easier in sand, snow, mud. Would cause the rear to hop and dig a hole.

I found it was much easier to leave the locker off in mud & sand, and just use 4-Low and let the traction control sort it out. Toyota trucks have always been fantastic off-road without all the electronic gizmo's, lockers and traction control. No reason why your truck could not tackle some mud with just basic 4WD and open diffs.

Just like the current Tundra, I found my Crew Cab, 6' box F-150 way too much truck to navigate daily. The size also made it a chore off-road, in fact I found I could take my wifes '13 Subaru Outback in more places off-road than I could fit or get my 157" wheelbase F-150.

I absolutely love the Tacoma size, and don't know why I felt I ever "needed" to get a full-sized truck. BTW, I use both of my Tacoma trucks for work (2010 & 2014) and we always have 300-400 lbs in the box and don't find it to affect the truck too much. The 2014 handles the load better, but it has the four leaf pack, where my 2010 has the three.

 

I kind of disagree with the first statement. Lockers are excellent in snow, mud and sand. They help keep a tire from spinning and digging a hole as easy as not having them. HP and taller tires help a lot more than lockers but lockers are still extremely useful. The difference you mentioned is that you let the traction control handle it. That in itself is an aide similar to lockers and not all Tacomas have it and even though mine does have it, I'd still prefer my lockers.

One thing I will say is that sidehilling in snow and mud with the lockers engaged will cause some sliding for sure but if they are selectable then just turn them off.

 

Thanks Guys, some good wisdom in those words. I never thought of using Nitrogen rather than the compressor. And, swapping third member might be a good option for me.

 

Say that again? WTF is a bone in your craw?

 

Craw=crop=food storage pouch in our avian friends. A bone could get crossways in the crop becoming stuck= aggravation or irritation like getting a fish bone stuck in your throat or a spec of dirt in your eye.

Good to have the reinforcement of my thoughts on the size of the Tacoma. During my first drive in a Tacoma DCSB in Jan of '07 I was impressed with the correctness of the interior proportions for my 5'7" frame and the maneuverability and fit of the Tacoma in traffic and parking spaces.

 

Funny how words and sayings like "stuck in craw" are in a persons head and who knows how they got there, but they make perfect sense.