When you think of traction control on your Jeep, most likely the first thing that comes to your mind is the tires. While tires are an essential part of good traction off road, most of us don’t seem to remember that it’s the differential that controls just how much power our tires are going to receive. In most cases, an open differential makes it extremely hard to gain the necessary traction you need on the trail, no matter how awesome your tires. Now, how do we fix that problem? The answer: Lockers.Lockers provide you with much more control over the power distribution to your tires, both on and off the road. The type of locker you install will determine the extent of control you have over the locker or whether or not the locker automatically engages itself. This article is meant to give you an idea of the most popular types of lockers available for your Jeep.
Let’s begin with a quick explanation of what lockers do. Simply put, a locker is a device that controls power distribution to your tires and control how power is redistributed to the tires in different situations, such as changing terrain and tire spin. Housed in the differential case, lockers come in two options, Selectable and Automatic. We’ll divide these into two sections for simplicity’s sake:
Selectable Lockers: These types of lockers allow the driver to control when the locker is engaged and when it disengages, hence the name “Selectable”. These lockers are controlled either pneumatically by an air compressor, or electronically by the use of magnetically charged currents.
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Animation of ARB Air Locker courtesy of www.arbusa.com |
Air-actuated Selectable Lockers: Air actuated lockers are usually controlled by a switch mounted on the dash. The switch controls an air solenoid that in turn sends pressurized air down a pneumatic air line to the axle housing and into the air locker in the differential. The compressed air actuates the piston and clutch gear, moving the gear into the “locked” position. The side gear is locked to the housing providing 100% traction lock-up between the two axle shafts.
The locker is deactivated by a flip of the switch, forcing the solenoid to release the air pressure. In turn the piston springs return to the pistons and the clutch gear returns to its original open position. The best example is an ARB Locker like the one in the animation to the right.
The locker is deactivated by a flip of the switch, forcing the solenoid to release the air pressure. In turn the piston springs return to the pistons and the clutch gear returns to its original open position. The best example is an ARB Locker like the one in the animation to the right.
The benefits of Air Actuated Selectable Lockers:
100% traction on demand without driveline wear
Easy to install, operate, and maintain
Simple design with minimal moving parts, making it ultra-durable
No extra tire wear
Option to disengage in places that an automatic locker could not such as hill-sides or rocky areas where an open diff would perform much better than a locked one.
Easy to install, operate, and maintain
Simple design with minimal moving parts, making it ultra-durable
No extra tire wear
Option to disengage in places that an automatic locker could not such as hill-sides or rocky areas where an open diff would perform much better than a locked one.
The disadvantages of Air Actuated Selectable Lockers:
High initial cost
Must have an air compressor
Require air hoses and fluid to work
Must have an air compressor
Require air hoses and fluid to work
Electronic Selectable Lockers:
Electronic Lockers operate very similarly to their air counterparts, with the exception that instead of using compressed air they use electromagnetic pulses to engage and disengage the locker mechanism. These electronic signals are also controlled by a switch that the driver can easily control. An example would be an Eaton ELocker.The benefits of Electronic Selectable Lockers:
No compressor noise
100% traction on demand without driveline wear
Easy to install, operate, and maintain
No extra tire wear
Can disengage in places that automatic lockers would self-engage, such as hill-sides or rocky areas where an open differential would perform much better than a locked one.
100% traction on demand without driveline wear
Easy to install, operate, and maintain
No extra tire wear
Can disengage in places that automatic lockers would self-engage, such as hill-sides or rocky areas where an open differential would perform much better than a locked one.
The disadvantages of Electronic Selectable Lockers:
High initial cost
More moving parts
Requires electricity to operate
More moving parts
Requires electricity to operate
Oxlocker: Functions the same as an Electronic locker, except using cabling to control the locking mechanism instead of electronics.
The benefits of an Oxlocker:
Does not require electricity or air to operate
Less costly
Less costly
The Disadvantages of an Oxlocker:
Cheaper material
Cable malfunctioning, or getting caught on something
Cable malfunctioning, or getting caught on something
Automatic Lockers: This type of locking system is not user controlled; rather, it is controlled by certain conditions such as speed, torque, and tire spin. There are several different types of automatic lockers, which vary in cost and usability.
Torque Actuated: A torque actuated locker is automatically controlled by the amount of twisting force exerted on the differential. This type of automatic locker is essentially always engaged, as the driver has no direct control over the components. The locker can sense turns and it will disengage itself when going around corners, as long as you aren’t giving it gas, allowing the wheels to spin at different speeds to properly turn the vehicle. Examples include Eaton’s Detroit series Locking Differentials.
Gleason-Torsen: Similar to a Detroit Trutrac. Was more popular 15-20 years ago but they aren’t seen anymore.
The benefits of Torque Actuated Automatic Lockers:
Never have to worry about when to engage your locker.
No extra components such as switches or air lines are required.
This is the only automatic locker that can work when one tire is completely off the ground.
No extra components such as switches or air lines are required.
This is the only automatic locker that can work when one tire is completely off the ground.
The disadvantages of Torque Actuated Automatic Lockers:
Almost always engaged
No way to control, completely automated
Increased tire wear
No way to control, completely automated
Increased tire wear
Limited Slip:
Limited slip lockers are a good bridge between your standard differential and a full locking diff. These lockers are not capable of 100% full lockup; however they provide a lot better traction when off-roading than an open carrier.The benefits of a Limited Slip Automatic Locker:
More cost-efficient to manufacture
Never have to worry about engaging it
More forgiving on the street than a Torque Actuated Locker
Never have to worry about engaging it
More forgiving on the street than a Torque Actuated Locker
The disadvantages of a Limited Slip Automatic Locker:
Do not provide 100% lock-up
Requires special oil friction modifier
Requires special oil friction modifier
Spools: Spools are the simplest way to lock your differential. Simply put, a spool is a solid carrier that allows for no wheel speed differentiation. Spools are always engaged. This type of locker is usually seen in competition and drag racing.
The benefits of Spools:
Extremely cheap
Permanently locked
Allows no change in wheel speed differentiation
Permanently locked
Allows no change in wheel speed differentiation
The disadvantages of Spools:
Tire wear
Low turning radius
Additional stress applied to shafts
Low turning radius
Additional stress applied to shafts
Mini-spools: Mini spools replace the spider gears in an open differential into a full non-differentiating diff that locks both shafts together. This would make it just as strong as the stock carrier is.
The benefits of a Mini-Spool:
Most cost-effecient locker available
Can use the same stock carrier
Can use the same stock carrier
The disadvantages of a Mini-Spool:
Like all other automatic lockers, cannot control when engaged
Prone to break
Prone to break
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