Who has actually driven in snow with front and rear lunchbox lockers?
 

I am going to swap the rear limited slip carrier out for an open carrier and put either a Spartan or Aussie locker in it and I am also considering putting a locker in the front. This isn't my primary daily driver but I would still like to be able to drive it in the snow if needed. Are front and rear lockers to much of a handful in the snow or is it manageable.

yes I resemble that comment. Been auto locked a couple of seasons front and rear. Just remember that the XJ is allot closer to a farmall than a ferrari, you'll be alright.

You may be OK with a lunchbox locker in the rear for snow driving, keeping your foot out of it. But if you want to use 4wd on the road with a front lunchbox, it will be undriveable. I run a front lunchie and its horrible in the snow (on-road). It's nothing but understeer. Don't do it.

I drove all this winter with Spartan lockers front and rear.
One of the worst winters we've had here in Montana in a long time.
Drove many a morning to work with a foot or more of snow on the highways.
Had zero issues with understeer in the snow, or on ice. Of course it's a jeep, I didn't drive it like it was a sports car.
There is a small learning curve to driving with a front locker on ice and snow.
Once you learn when to let off the gas and coast, you will have no problems.
That being said, no way in hell would I take my XJ on the interstate, dry or icy.
It prefers 55mph or less.

ran a Aussie Front in the XJ. You just have to realize that it drives like a tank. let off and coast through corners. if you go from a icy spot to a hard packed spot, it will pull you. Its Doable, you just have to be aware.

Traction is required to unlock a lunchie. When you're out driving through snow packed roads in 4wd and approach a turn, merely releasing the throttle will not unlock the locker. Turn the wheel, both tires are still locked = understeer. It makes for dangerous driving and a selectable locker would be better suited for this type of driving.

A selectable locker isn't an option for me it is either a drop in locker or leave it open.

I think I'm going to go with Spartan lockers front and rear, now if I could find an open carrier for a Chrysler 8.25 I'll be good to go.

I drove in ice and snow this past winter with a front locker. Its pretty scary in 4wd when you start to slip.

what are you more likely to do? climb rocks on the trail like a boss or drive down the road in a snow storm to get your bread and milk? priorities man.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...29840d8bbf.jpg

Not really in to rockcrawling, there isn't much of that around here. Mainly mud, old rutted out logging trails, and hill climbing. I will still drive it on the street but it isn't my main vehicle I mostly drive my truck.

Before mine became a buggy, I had a Detroit in the rear (9") and Aussie in the front (D30)...and originally a spool before the detroit.

I drove it all around in the snow, but it was a little bit of a handful.

Don't accelerate when turning, instead coast.

Watch for spots of uneven traction, etc.

I drove it like that for years, but not sure I'd do it again these days.

If I were, I'd rather have the spool since it's more predictable (Detroit could load/unload at any moment on snow/ice, making you jump halfway out of the lane).

On this next XJ I'm building, it's getting a selectable in the front. If not selectable, it would remain open. This will be becoming my new daily driver however.

My wife dailys the xj locked front and rear with no issues just gotta adjust how you drive

It changes the mannerisms of using 4wd on snowy roads considerably.

Makes it harder to run 4wd on patchy areas where there is some snow, some ice, and some pavement visible. Have to get used to coasting around tight turns.

For those reasons (and because my XJ is a DD), I am going to probably go with an LSD in the rear (TruTrack), and a selectible air or electronic locker up front if/when I can afford either of them.

Essentially equal traction is required would be a better answer

Merely releasing the throttle won't let it unlock unless there is enough traction for one tire/axle to spin faster than the ring gear is spinning....yes, I said faster.

What lets a locker unlock (lunchbox or full-case) is 1 tire/axle spinning faster than the ring gear, and this happens during a turn because the inside tire is engine driven, and the outside tire is ground driven.

Ground driven means the tire/axle is accelerated or spinning faster due to it travelling more distance in the same amount of time....and this spinning faster lets the inner cone disengage to allow differentiation in the turn.

Once you get back on the gas, that tire/axle is no longer being driven by the ground, and it re-locks.

The only way the tire/axle can spin faster is if there is enough traction at both tires for one to not spin as much as the other. The engine driven tire/axle has to have enough traction to not slip, and the ground driven tire/axle has to have enough traction to actually turn vice sliding, or it will never spin fast enough for the inner cone to disengage & unlock, as EZ said.