ive got a 1995 cherokee thats a 2wd but ive put alot of 4wd sruff on it...im running 265/70/17 ironman mud tires with a rough country 3 inch lift. i jusr plan on taking it trail riding no hard mud riding until i convert it but having one tire only pulling sux so i want to put a locker in the rear. can yall give me some info on which one would be the best locker for my ride. really cant afford an automatic so one of those lunchbox lockers will do..i hear the luncbox lockers have a ticking sound to them but does it tick or click all the time or does it do it just in turns or what?...this is my daily also...any help or opinions greatly apprecited

 

Check out Powertrax no-slip. Supposedly they don't clank/clunk/ratchet like other "lunchbox" lockers.

Those ARE automatic lockers. Selectable ones are the expensive air or electronic style.

 

If you're on a limited budget, I'd recommend that you invest the money that you'd spend on a cheap locker on a better lift and tires. You can wheel on open diffs - I did for two years. This gives you time to save enough to purchase a premium switchable locker

 

A lunchbox is a reasonable choice, given what's already on the Jeep... and that it's only 2wd.

 

Spartan or Aussie lockers are cheap and work great. My Spartan lockers hold up fine with 35s, they are quiet, and they work great on the street as well.

 

This discussion keeps repeating on this site, so I just copy-clipped these remarks:

Originally Posted by Autotek79 View Post
That's looking like what ima do. I mine as well weld it up and roll it till the axle swap. The automatic locker can cause abrupt lane changes from what I've read

Originally Posted by TRCM View Post
Yeah, lots of people claim that, but most have never even had one in their vehicle...so how do they know ?

I've run auto lockers in several vehicles, from a 175 hp Jeep Cherokee on 28" mud tires to a 450 hp Dodge Ramcharger on 40" ground Hawgs and TSLs, with no problems at all, and most of the driving was on paved roads.

Only time, other than clicking during turns or tire chirping when you give it power during a sharp turn, that I've noticed anything even remotely weird, is if you are on an extremely slick or tractionless surface in 2wd, like ice or wet clay, the vehicle will want to go the way the rear axle is aligned, and you WILL have to use 4wd to get it to go where you want it to.

I had to claw my way down the road on some very slick red clay once, cuz I only had a limited slip up front, and both front tires weren't pulling hard enough to overcome the locked rear axle. Had the same thing happen once in deep snow with ice underneath......

It was not a real problem, I just went down the road crabbing for a bit till the front end could straighten things out.....

As long as you are aware of how these things work, you should be fine, so make sure anyone who may drive it KNOWS this. I say this, as I have actually chirped a tire in my 96 jeep on an off ramp doing 45 mph......if someone isn't aware of the locker and how it works, it may scare them if that happened.


My response:
.
Thanks for your honest assessment! Indeed the "chirping" is the sound of wheel scrub. Relaxing your foot on the accelerator entering a corner disengages the locker. However, when you clear the apex and accelerate out, the locker engages while the wheels are still turning around different radii; thus producing both the sound and a slight shuttering, Over time, a driver can alter their style or simply get used to it. Or simply install a switchable locker

 

The only selectable lockers for a Chrysler 8.25 are a VERY expensive ARB air locker or a cable/solenoid activated OX locker

 

I love my Spartan locker in my 8.25. Plenty of road miles and I've never once regretted it. Makes a huge difference with offroad capability.

I went Spartan over some of the other lunchboxes because it comes with a hardened cross pin replace the OEM. If you search you'll find people reporting they break the OEM pin.

 

I have been extremely happy with the Powertrax No-Slip in the rear of my XJs. I had one in a Dana 44 many years ago, and now have one in my 8.25. I think they're amazing in the rear.

On those same jeeps, I had a Powertrax Lock Right front, and now I have the No-Slip front. I would stick with the lock right (or similar, like spartan or aussie) front if I had to do it over. The no-slip seems to have weird tendencies when in 2wd, stopped, turning your wheels, and then proceeding (say pulling out of being parallel parked). It has a weird ratcheting sound; almost like it can't figure out what it's supposed to do. It just sounds like something isn't right, and it's not 100% consistent in that situation....I don't love it. All is normal when going straight again though, so I don't think it's an issue. The lock right just clicked....it was much more consistent.

 

I would recommend saving your money and completing the 4x4 upgrade. The 4x4 will give you more off road capability than a rear locker on a 2wd.

 

I know this thread is getting old but just in case you have yet to pull the trigger on a lunchbox locker. Amazon has the powertrax for 8.25 on big sale right now. It will make a big difference till you can get the full 4x4 ugrade done.

Hapdad

 

Find yourself a ford 8.8 rear axle, they can be had cheap with better gearing, factory disc brakes and also a factory limited slip differential. The factory limited slip can give you that "locked" experience to set you up for a full mechanical locker. I've run Yukon grizzly lockers in multiple axles now, both DD duties and aggressive crawling and they've all held up very well. Prolly not what you have in mind but just food for thought.

 

I think spartan, aussie etc are similar to grizzly and detroit locker just way less money. I would go the cheap route so your not out a ton of money if you switch axles later on.

I also wonder if some giving replies and reviews even have hands on experiences with what they speak of. Id guess that that atleast half dont and possibly dont even own jeeps of any kind.

 

Hey guys, we got off on a tangent. Nothing wrong said, but did anyone ask him if he was going to drive on snow or ice on the highway?