Lockers?

crawler dude12

Active Member
Location
Orem
Looking for a good cheap rear locker for my 88 4runner 8" rear axle. Looking for something cheap that works. It is my daily driver, just looking for some ideas. Thanks!
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
You could always swap in a 3rd member from a TRD Tacoma with an e-locker... will require a bit of grinding, but should run around $500 and be selectable.
 

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Quicker wear for sure but how much depends on how you drive it. If you let off the gas when you go around a corner it will unlock and act like a normal diff. If you stay in the gas it will chirp the tires and lead to quicker wear.
 

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
I'm a fan of aussie lockers in a toyota rear end. No experience with spartans, but for the price they seem tough to beat.
 

crawler dude12

Active Member
Location
Orem
Tires are my only real concern right now... I was looking into lockers for a birthday present to myself. Might be a good reason to drive slower though... There were some ideas being tossed around that I can recall they wanted to do NPLD at little Moab. I'm 99% sure I can get away that morning for a little birthday run... But I guess we will see
 

gorillaxj

Always building hardly wheeling
Location
SLC
I have used the 3 main lunch box lockers, after seeing them all I would hands down pick a spartan over the others just because of the larger sized pins (weakest point). But if you come across a used one or a deal on one that makes it a good amount cheaper they are all very comparable. I would buy a spartan or save up for a Detroit or e-locker(but you have to modify the housing and run electrical)

It all comes down to how much money your willing to spent and the behaviors your willing to put up with.
 

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
How so spartan lockers work exactly? And how will it effect daily drivability?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIGvhvOhLHU

A lunchbox locker replaces the spider gears with a pair of spring loaded plates. When you apply throttle, the torque is enough to overcome the pressure of the springs and the plates engage, locking the two axle shafts together. When you release the throttle, the springs push the plates apart and the axle unlocks. In terms of daily driving, you'll notice a little scuffing and chirping when you throttle through tight turns (like turning right from a stop sign). You'll learn quickly to adapt - the locker will be nearly invisible if you have an automatic, less so for a five speed but you'll learn to feather the clutch and it won't be a problem. Be careful the first couple times you drive on snow or ice with the locker in, cuz it's way easy to bring the rear end around if you aren't paying attention. Donuts in the empty snowy parking lot are rad :D.

So how would a lunch box locker do to tires? Quicker wear? No difference?

I have a Spartan in back of the '85. I'm sure they're wearing slightly faster than otherwise, but not so much that I notice it.

Lucky buggers and your cheap lockers.... *jealous*

Throw an 8" axle under the rear of your Troopy and you too can know the wonder of cheap Toyota mods. I'll have a housing for sale real soon here. :D
 
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audiofreak97

Registered User
Location
Magna
I had a lockright and it sort extended tire life, since I wasn't using just 1 tire to get the truck moving. I'm interested in trying a Spartan locker this time around. I've been reading reviews between the LockRight, Aussie and Spartan and they all seem to be similar, what makes the Spartan better then the rest?
 

bryson

RME Resident Ninja
Supporting Member
Location
West Jordan
I had a lockright and it sort extended tire life, since I wasn't using just 1 tire to get the truck moving. [snip]

Unless you are doing burnouts every time you get the truck moving, this isn't the case. With an open differential, there is equal power to both tires as long as they have equal traction - which they do on dry pavement. Unless you drive like a goober.
 

I Lean

Mbryson's hairdresser
Vendor
Location
Utah
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A lunchbox locker replaces the spider gears with a pair of spring loaded plates. When you apply throttle, the torque is enough to overcome the pressure of the springs and the plates engage, locking the two axle shafts together. When you release the throttle, the springs push the plates apart and the axle unlocks.

You're almost right, but just backward. The springs keep the plates engaged all the time, and when there's "drive" pressure applied to the cross pin, it locks them together even harder. When there is little driveshaft pressure (coasting around the corner, for example) the teeth are angled enough to overcome spring pressure and drive the plates apart, which lets them "ratchet".
 

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
You're almost right, but just backward. The springs keep the plates engaged all the time, and when there's "drive" pressure applied to the cross pin, it locks them together even harder. When there is little driveshaft pressure (coasting around the corner, for example) the teeth are angled enough to overcome spring pressure and drive the plates apart, which lets them "ratchet".

Thanks for the correction. I thought I remembered putting the springs between something, but failed to remember that there are four somethings and not two somethings. :bow:

http://www.ringpinion.com/Content/H.../Spartan_Locker_Installation_Instructions.pdf
 
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