Not sure where you guys wheel that locking the front works so much better, but from my experience if you can only lock one axle, and you play in the rocks, lock the rear. Anytime you start climbing ledges and the weight transfers to the rear the front axle is unloaded and a locked front becomes about as useless as a limited slip differential up front.

 

I disagree, but to each there own.

 

I agree..... With n20.... Lol

Front dig works way better than rear on rocks.

 

Sorry you disagree, but the fact is when you unload the front while climbing most of your traction will be from the rear tires. I've been wheeling for over 35 years so I'm not a newbie at this, there are situations that the front axle would work better than the rear locked, just not many that can't be over come with a little knowledge and some thought.

 

Yes, most of your traction will be transferred to the back. That's why your front end needs a locker! To make up for the lost traction. You have all that weight now on the back, what is the chance of spinning your back tire and losing traction? Not likely, if you don't have problems with losing traction on that back tire, why do you need to lock another one in? The front is a different story. Another advantage to a locked front on the rocks as mentioned earlier is the ability to walk the front end left to right to find the sweet spot with the most available traction and overcome the obstacle. It is not as easy and in even some cases not possible to "walk" an open front end on the rocks...

 

If you're on a tight trail and come up to a 2'+rock that will only touch one tire, and you put your front tire up against that rock and try to climb it that tire that's not touching the rock will want to spin leaving the tire that's on the rock useless. And if your rear tires are not on a surface with enough traction you wont be climbing that rock.

I've been in that situation plenty of times with an open front. And sure, you could bump at it and throttle through... but that is not very graceful and leads to broken parts. And not everyone else is as willing to abuse there jeep like I am

And on the same obstacles Ive watched locked fronts ease right up the rocks.

 

Sorry, but what I'm stating is that if it is steep enough to unload the front you will not be getting enough traction with one wheel to climb anything steep, and if you understand that by unloading the front you have almost no weight on, or traction coming from the front.
Sorry, but like my first statement not sure where you wheel, but where I wheel If I only had one axle locked it would be the rear.
Also in most cases to walk an axle you need to be able to shift the front and rear axle separately so that the emergency brake can be used to stop the rear axle from moving, while you use the front to move the front of your rig.

 

Like I stated in some situations a front locker will be better. First on a tight trail I run them with my front locker turned off. [ it makes it easier to turn ] Next, yes in the two foot rock without traction in the rear you would have to bump it with the front open, but I could still make it. If on the other hand, I was climbing a steep set of two and three foot ledges the front would be unloaded, and the single rear wheel would not give me enough traction to be able to climb the ledges.

 

This is starting to turn in to a throttle body spacer thread....

 

open differentials are better for teh offroads

 

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Lololololol

 

Ok. I've got the end all solution: lock both axles. There. Your welcome. just kidding.

 

Oh my God ....so simple, yet ... so brilliant!