How necessary are lockers on these trucks?

I've been surprised how capable my Tacomas have been on trails even with open diffs. They just seem to crawl up everything in 4lo like a billy goat. The few times I've gotten wheel spin, I've just slightly altered my line and/or gave it more gas and I got out no problem. I was thinking maybe these trucks are light and maneuverable enough to not really have a huge need for lockers? I'm curious how often you all use them that have them.

Even so, I would like to have the added traction so I can more easily crawl over obstacles without having to put unnecessary wear on the driveline. What's the most cost-effective option these days? There are threads, but mosts are pretty old. Are TrueTrac LSDs usually good enough if you're not doing buggy trails, or are Eaton e-lockers worth the premium?

 

Everyone will have a different definition of offroad. One person will say fire service road is offroad while another person will consider rocks and boulders to be offroad.

 

They're helpful in deep snow

 

Well my truck is not a rock bouncer, that’s for sure. These are the kind of trails I usually do (min 1-9 in the vid below if you care to watch). I usually can get by with 4lo and some skinny pedal, but like I said I’d like to have more control on certain obstacles and peace of mind when going into a mudhole that I’ll be able to power out.

I hadn’t seen much buzz lately around people installing e lockers and LSDs in the 8.4” diff, so I was wondering if those are still viable options, or maybe they’re just more than people are willing to pay if it’s a specialist job to install them correctly.

https://youtu.be/OKDk5Zlc6HA

 

Hm yea I don’t encounter that too often. I’ve actually heard they can be counterproductive in snowy roads. We don’t really have much snow wheeling though here in Arkansas except for maybe 5 days out of the year if we’re lucky.

 

You 100% need front and real lockers

 

I def don’t wanna lock the stock front.

 

OP,
I routinely wheel in deep mud/high water here in MS. Have had an auto locker in the rear for 20 years. But I had ECGS build a 7.5" clamshell front diff. with Spartan auto locker with solid spacer and CV bushing last year. My '97 Taco has manual AISIN hubs up front so I normally offroad with only the pass. side locked to avoid binding the drivetrain on semi-hard trails. I got stuck 3 times this year in 3 wheel drive in super-deep mud just short of high centering. But all 3 times, I simply locked the driver's side hub and walked out in true 4x4. The 8K Warn winch up front did not get used this year, but it was there as an extra layer of offroad capability. I was impressed with true 4x4.

 

I think you wheel to hard to not have one

 

Sounds like you have a really good setup. I’m ADD so I’d have to get an e locker for the front if I were going that route. That’s a lot of $$$ for something I may not use that often, but it sounds like it’s payed for itself on your case.

 

Most people get pretty far without them.

As for @Ozark_RegCab he'll lock both the second he sees a rock.

 

This 100000000%

 

These trucks are crazy capable even with a driver of limited experience.

What you need OP is experience.

Your definition of off-road is something a completely stock truck with no lockers can easily handle.

 

I agree. My best hunting buddy has an '04 V6 TRD with ADD. When the mud gets super-deep, we just take my 4x4 capable Taco or walk in for a hunt. The questions you need to answer are how often you get stuck and how far offroad are you. You just might be good with what you have. Where I wheel hard, there is no help available. YOYO. Hence the auto 4x4 with 8K winch with multiple snatch blocks/logging chain/cable and a Stihl chain saw or 2 in the Taco at all times. I got hit with an un-forecasted tornado last year while on a turkey hunt. 4 days later, I wheeled out on my own after cutting 51 trees up to 24" out of my path. I NEED 4x4 capability and everything else I can haul along with me while off-roading. My life depends on my Taco's capability. And I make 70 in July, so the Taco has to do the "heavy lifting" now.

I took a danger-close lightning strike just before this 2nd pic was taken, maybe 100 ft. away. The high-quality Vietnam era USGI machete I was holding went flying and was never found. Luckily, the lightning strike just knocked me down. It was past time to get inside the Taco to ride it out. There were 5-10 lightning strikes a minute for a while. I thought I was in the movie sequel to "Twister".

Just after actual un-forcasted tornado passed: I shot a very nice gobbler, then the embedded tornado tore my ghillie suit off.

Just after massive T-storm & lightning strike:

4 days later, I am finally cutting the last of the 51 downed trees to get out:

 

Alls I'm sayin is I impressed a Sedona jeep in 2x4 with no locker (but I do have a rear elocker)

 

Depends on what kind of offroading you do. I do all the hardest trails in Southern California but I'm twin locked. I don't take bypasses and I do every hard line I can.

 

It seems to be a mental issue in many cases people feel a locker is mandatory once you are off hard surface roads. I knew a few like that I needed to go rescue a few times.

 

You can do as I did and pick up a used elocker for 1000 or less and go from there,
No special tools to install it!
Use the trail gear plug and play harness and your done.

 

I actually had a TRD axle that came with the truck, but I ended up selling it and putting the money into maintenance. The 8.4” is supposed to be a little stronger than the TRD 8”, but that probably isn’t a big factor in our light little minitrucks.

It also had 4.88 gears of unknown origin and a front diff with an LSD to go with it. I wasn’t sure how the front axle and diff would hold up with the gears and LSD either. Probably would’ve been ok but it seemed like overkill.

 

I do go out solo a fair bit up in the Ozark NF, but I’m usually really cautious as far as checking the depth of mud holes and things like that. I do have good KM3 MTs, but they can still gum up with mud if I’m not careful.