Lock the front axle or the rear?

[djmac]

I have a d44 in the front and an AMC 20 in the rear both limited slip (but I believe the clutches are shot) on my J10. I can only afford to lock one axle. I have to drive the truck on the street to get to the dunes or trails and I occasionally drive it to work. So which axle would be the best of two to lockup and what would you guys suggest for a locker given the occasional street use?

[shepherdskeep]

Lock the rear first. If it were me, I'd use a lunchbox locker (Aussie, LockRight, EZ locker, etc) - but that will require using an open carrier, not limited slip. The small lockers like this aren't hard to install, inexpensive, and are stronger than you'd expect. It will wear your tire tread faster than the LS, but not as bad as my "lincoln-locker".

[shimniok]

Rear only because it will be easier to steer off-road and you can run 4wd in case it rains/snows without sacrificing steering. I ran with just rear for years in two FSJs and was well pleased. The front ARB doesn't do a whole lot in most cases to be honest. At least that's my assessment so far. I'm sure I will find situations where it makes a night and day difference.

[jeeping1974]

rear first. always rear first. it'll be better on and off road.

[ajbirken]

I am not sure how the rear is going to better on road unless we are talking about Qtrac or np219 or driving in 4wd on snow/ice/rain in which case open diffs seem to work best front and rear.

On the road if you have locking hubs then the only time you will notice the front locker is when you are on the trail climbing over stuff that you couldn't make before (and when you power steering pump is squealing cause it's harder to turn).

If it's mostly trail then I say rear. If it's mostly street then I say front. Just my opinion. There is no right answer. Just lock'em both and get it over with.

[shepherdskeep]

The philosophy behind "rear first" is two fold - first obviously is the steering issue. It WILL be harder to steer in 4WD, period. Turning radius is significantly reduced. If you find yourself off road in a bind on large slickrock, you'll really wish you had hydro-assist steering.

Second, in most wheeling situations traction is needed the worst when facing uphill. The upward angle shifts more weight to the rear of a rig, resulting in reduced weight on the front axle. The axle that carries the most weight load has the greatest opportunity to provide momentum IF traction is acheived. Locking the rear helps provide that traction, and in very uphill conditions the front axle has very little rig weight to draw traction from. Normally in downhill situations the traction is not needed because gravity helps carry the rig's weight forward.

[rockkrusher79]

Originally Posted by shimniok

Rear only because it will be easier to steer off-road and you can run 4wd in case it rains/snows without sacrificing steering. I ran with just rear for years in two FSJs and was well pleased. The front ARB doesn't do a whole lot in most cases to be honest. At least that's my assessment so far. I'm sure I will find situations where it makes a night and day difference.

Can you say Mt.Blanca? You will definatly like that ARB up there.