Diaries of a DD with auto lockers front and rear.
 

Let me start by saying, I am not a hard core rock crawler, but I do enjoy challenging terrain and trails and try to get off the pavement at least once a month. Whether that’s an overland route with the boys, or an off-road park like Windrock. That being said, if I’m honest, my xj is mostly used for daily driver duty.

My journey has followed the typical path, lift and tires, upgraded steering, recovery points, bumpers, winch. On top of general maintenance and reliability things of course.

To the point.

I have a solid rig and I have been wanting to get lockers. Not having a huge budget, about a year ago I decided on getting an Aussie locker for the front first. This was a big step forward off road and it is surprisingly transparent on pavement without 4wd engaged. The biggest drawbacks have been steering on the trail while engaged, but I have learned to deal with it and how to throttle to get what I want out of it.

A few months back I found a good deal on an 8.25 that already had chromoly shafts and a spartan locker installed. Easy and welcome swap for my d35.

My first impression was pavement. Way less transparent having an auto locker in the rear. I get it, it’s usually under torque, so there really is no way for it to be as transparent as the Aussie in the front. However, it has definitely taken the quality of the ride of the jeep down a notch or two. Having an auto locker in front and rear of a daily driver is obnoxious and sometimes even embarrassing with the galloping clicking happening during slow turns in parking lots. It sounds like large rocks in a metal bucket. I won’t even start with the time I went into a parking garage. Hahah:dunno:

The redeeming factor is, locked front and rear is a game changer off road. I don’t even know how to describe it. It feels like you can climb straight up a wall. There is a lot more crawl, and less “send it”. Which is where I want to be.

In conclusion, if this was more of a dedicated trail rig, I’d be very satisfied where things are with the auto lockers. However, I don’t think I’m going to be able to tolerate the rear auto locker much beyond this summer. Going to save my Pennie’s for something selectable. Probably an ox for the rear, maybe eventually an ox for the front too.

thanks for listening.

I would say something is wrong with it. I have had Spartan lockers in both axles for 6 years and I don't even notice them on the road, no way I would ever want a selectable in the rear either, they are useless on the street.

I've got a Powertrax No-Slip auto-locker in the rear, and it's completely silent around corners. That's one reason I went with that particular one.

Thanks Lynn!!

I see what you're saying.
I had an Aussie in the rear on my old MJ and it was borderline obnoxious for DD.

I should clarify, there is nothing wrong with the locker. It works great off road, and ratchets in turns. I do not notice the sound at all at hiway speeds, or even around town in corners. It’s mostly during slow turns like parking lots and drive throughs. Definitely turns heads too.

I wonder if the chromoly shafts are heavier and make more noise.

as far as my ref to ride quality, it most definitely changes the experience on road. It has a feeling of wanting to go straight. Which is fine, but also there is more play in the driveline. There has to be, that’s how they work.

anyway. My post was more of a sharing of my experience so others can make their own decisions on how to spend for their rig.

One auto locker is tolerable, two sounds like something is broken.

Mine aren't noisy at all as you can tell from the video, all you can hear is the engine and the steering popping.
https://youtube.com/shorts/91l9FMEfSFk?feature=share

Taking the auto locker out of my 5-speed XJ was the best thing I ever did. It drove night and day better on road. Off road.... not so much. I drove my buddies auto XJ with the same auto locker and I couldnt even tell it was there.

Got one in the 5 speed Dakota and it drives just as easily as the Jeep.

Don't know what to say. I took it out and life was good. I literally had to make turns with the clutch in or the drive train would buck.

I think there's a lot of variance in the brands of lunchbox lockers and differences in applications.
I had one in the rear of my V8 Landcruiser and one in my longbed Comanche. It was a love/hate relationship.

Same experience - I had an Aussie and a Spartan - at one point I had two Spartans. The Spartans needed heavy gear oil to act reasonable but even still - slow speed high traction turns pretty much required me to clutch in to be smooth. It torque steered like a pig in 4wheel drive but sure as heck went where it wanted to go. I'd never do it again unless I had a automatic and was doing a cheap, budget trail rig build.

I met a guy who once worked for Aussie in Rochester, NY and would run numerous tests in XJs and other Jeeps with auto lockers. He once told me never did any two XJ act the same with these things installed and they were rarely ever truly "smooth" but it had happened - proof point to Cruiser's argument that it's all relative and why, without fail, if there's a thread about auto lockers on this forum, 00t444e will come in and say all of his are super smooth when I, and many others, never experienced smoothness with autolockers.

Either 00t444e's tolerances are different as a person, or he's the world's greatest/luckiest auto locker installer ever lol

I personally am on the TrueTrac cult bus now - best limited slip rear diff ever. I didn't want to run a selectable in the rear because, well, I can't do at-will powerslides when it's unlocked. I figure whatever traction I lose by having a LSD instead of a true locker in the rear can be overcome by having a selectable front locker and a winch.

Very well stated. My exact observations/experience.

Watch the video I posted and see for yourself If you don't believe me. I installed them myself just like I have dozens of others.

I don’t think anyone is saying they don’t believe you. Straight from the Aussies mouth “No two xj s react the same”.

You haven’t lived till you’ve driven a pair of loud ratcheting lockers through a 6 level underground parking garage. Ask me how I know.