Had a chance to put my Cherokee with open diffs and chains on the front to the test against my buddies Cherokee with rear Spartan Locker while wheeling in the snow. (youtube link below) Just in case anybody has ever wanted to see the two compared.

Fun day hill climbing.

 

Not too surprising. I think the test would have been more apples-to-apples if you had put the chains on the rear or the locker would have been in the front.

Regardless, an awesome locker with crappy tires just isn't going to do any better than most open diffs with someone that knows how to drive.

I don't know how to drive well, so I have lockers front and rear to make up for my shortcomings

 

Pretty common knowledge that lockers aren't ideal for the snow (by them selves at least). Also I agree it would have been a better comparison if you had chains on the rear axle instead. Still goes to show why chains are a very important accessory for anybody that traverses snow either off road or on road (traveling through mountain passes etc).

 

Cool video. I was rooting for the chains. That music reminded me of Dead Island...

 

Real advantage if all else is equal is for chains on "Ice Only". Wait till you break a chain in snow and have to replace it then hope it hasn't broken a brake line or worse. It's a real PITA to put chains back on after one has came off in deep snow in sub zero weather.


I'll take lockers every time over chains and knowing how to drive helps a lot.

 

So next question then...
I do want to put lockers in at some point, probably one at a time. Considering we deal with winter here 8 months out of the year, would I be better off doing the front locker first... seems like that would be better than a rear locker only, in the snow at least?

 

I've always heard front locker first for snow. I have a welded rear and open front, I hate it and it's scary to drive

 

Save up for selectable lockers if possible. I have driven an front axle auto locker in the front in the snow all year in Edmonton (not sure too many places where people brag about having that much winter) and you definitely need to be aware of the fact that the auto locker is in there, but its not overly difficult to drive if you understand how everything works.

If you're on power or hard decal (manual trans) the Jeep will understeer twice as bad as it did with 4x4 and an open diff.

Most guys up here lock the front first. If there's any chance your girlfriend or mom or whoever is going to drive the Jeep in bad road conditions, keep the auto lockers (especially the rear) out of the diffs. If not, put one in the front and see what you think.

 

I've always heard selectable locker up front, LSD in the rear for a driver

 

I have always locked the rear first as most all areas of the US don't have snow year around. A welded or locked rear I have some experience with and fully agree with you. This applies to on road for sure, off road might not be so bad never had that only on HP cars.


I have auto lockers in both also with an AW4/231 TC, I do wish at times that I had a selectable in the front. That is when I'm on side hills in 4wd mostly it wants to slide more than I want.


My wife just read your post on the rear auto lockers and is still laughing as she has driven with one for going on 38 yrs. in March. Using trucks, SUV's and her hot rod on dry pavement to ice, snow, rain from the mountains to the flatlands. All ANYONE need is a little common sense to dive one.


Good advice for a DD that does not see off road use, then one needs an auto locker in the rear for that as they more effective than a LSD.