When Do You “Locker” Up?

When is everyone engaging your rear (and front if equipped) locker?

I have always waited until right before an obstacle that is going to require 4L. Sometimes I’m already in 4L when I get there but generally I don’t actually hit the lockers until the hill climb, rock pit, rock shelf, mud bog, or whatever else I might get stuck doing.

I have seen other people do that as well but also people who wait to hit the locker until they aren’t able to get all the way through the obstacle. This never made any sense to me as sometimes the momentum you would have gained by previously engaging the locker would have kept you from slipping/spinning or worse, getting stuck, in the first place.

 

Most people enjoy the challenge with open diff, hence why they try that way first.

Those who lock up prior like you, will most likely break less stuff because you aren't tryna plow thru it with momentum and open diffs

 

ATRAC is good to get me through almost everything and the locker is mostly there for when I get or plan on being stuck.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4U1SLSV9wNk

 

LOL I thought off road owners always engage their lockers because they spent their money wisely on a truck that has lockers!?

 

Is this locker talk?

 

I just assumed y'all drove on the road 24/7 fully locked and in 4wd!

 

Almost never. I keep ATRAC turned on. If that doesn’t get me through, then I’ll turn on the locker

 

With the BS electronics on these things I’d be too scared to try that....

 

Haha.
In all seriousness 90% of the time if not more 4lo will get you by. So I would say to not turn it on until you need to or if you can proactively see an obstacle in which you leave the ground on one or more wheels

 

I use my locker occasionally in snowy / icy conditions, when I want to make sure the truck goes straight forward, with no wheel spin. Times when I do not want the rear end to kick out on a climb, or spin at all.

 

A locker will likely increase the chance of your rear kicking out in slick off camber instances. With both tires spinning at the same rate you are essentially floating and gravity will take over.

 

After I failed once, or maybe twice. So far that has been mud and snow

 

Wish i could lock it in 4h!

 

I’ve done 1000kms of winter driving and this is not my experience at very slow speeds. The locker prevents a tire from spinning, polishing the ice, before the traction control “catches” the tire. I am only describing situations where you want the truck to crawl straight forward.

 

In my Tacoma sometimes until I need it other time flick it on until I’m done wheeling.

in the tj I put her in low and lock the rear immediately off pavement every time, the limited slip has been known to eat ring and pinions upon failure.

 

Before I think Ill need it, that way its actually engaged and I dont have to worry about the mechanism lining up once Im already stuck.

Or before I wanna drift some dirt roads (2nd gen anything locker FTW)

 

a locker would force wheel spin in that situation, if one tire is spinning the other is also. Traction control can’t defeat a locker either in my experiences.

 

I wait till after I'm stuck. I wanna know each of different limits the truck has. 4h 4l Trac off lsd etc. If I'm stuck stuck I'll winch out. I like the slow technical approach. Any yahoo can stand on the throttle and blow through some sections.

 

Not in my experience. Might be the Canadian Ice.