After market lockers

After many delays I am moving toward putting lockers in my '16 SR5. I lean toward putting from and rear lockers in but wanted to sort of get a sense of whether many others have done front lockers and their pros and cons? My understanding is that you have to be very careful steering with front lockers engaged. Thanks

 

you will probably almost never need the front locker in these trucks unless you are doing some serious offroading, even then I have not yet needed one.

Pros and cons to the front, only pros for the rear

 

This is the great debate I am having. I think my main concern is crossing muddy streams. I have seen a TRD OR with rear locker on get stuck (I actually had to pull him out) and then a land cruiser with front and back lockers got through the same spot. It was close in both cases but the front locker I think helped.

 

Which is not to say by the way that I am not weighing what you are saying. To be honest with you are am surprised by how few times I have had to engage four wheel drive.

 

80 series? Those things will drive circles around us.

I hate mud and try to avoid it but that is a very good reason for a locker. The locker will help the the tires clean mud from the tread which otherwise may sit idle due to the inherent nature of open diffs.

If you frequent mud often, then I would def consider one, if not you could always consider maxtraxx/treds winch etc.

 

I am in the Carolinas and most of the time it is fine but when it gets really wet the clay soil here forms this insane mud.

 

1) Buy the rear locker, use remaining money on a winch. [if there was a limit on money to be spent]

2) no body remembers the day you didn’t get Stuck. [recoveries = memories to clarify]

 

I don't use the rear locker often (honestly more often turn it on/off to keep the actuator and such from seizing than actual use)... but the two occasions where I really did need it I was really glad I had it and it was the difference between being stuck once and making it up a hill the other time. It probably also helped more than I realized a few other times when I put it on in advance as a precaution, and it's helps slow the truck some when descending very steep hills (with engine braking and the actual brakes)

 

My advice: Sell Tacoma, buy Land Cruiser. Or it's much less reliable cousin Wrangler.

 

Heh. I have a friend who has a 97 Land Cruiser. It is ... an experience owning if

 

Rear locker and a winch, I have never been stuck.
Good luck with your truck.

 

I cover my front install in the link below. Lockers are absolutely critical for serious offroad capability. The other items you need at that level are big tires and a winch. The rest is personal preference.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-arb-air-locker-diy-install-thread.692979/

 

not everyone sees signatures...

 

If its a muddy stream no, I put ARB's front and rear and used it everytime we would wheel. Do you have to be easy on turning yes. Get over obstacle than immediately turn the front off. As far as the 80 series, yes it will outwheel a tacoma all the time. Ive got 2 and they are beasts. Nothing like them, front locker, center locker, rear locker, I6, can fit 37s with no lift, solid axles and linked, 93 and up are Full float rear end, 9.5 rear ring gear, They are beyond stout and underpowered. Simply amazing

 

Fixed it.

 

Unless your truck is built to conquer serious rock (boulder) crawling trails you most likely will never need a front locker, assuming you have a rear locker that is. Get a rear locker and you'll be good.

 

I think streams and steep hills are a motivating concern

 

So I was thinking about having a regear done as well when having lockers installed. Can you even regear just the rear? Would four wheel drive still work?

 

If you regear just the rear and engage 4WD you're going to have a bad day. Have to regear front and back if you plan on using 4WD.