front AND rear lockers

[glenn]

Do you guys think I should get lockers on front or rear or both ? If I get just rears will I gain that much with fronts too ? Should I spend the money on something else --LIke a winch instead ? THANKS

[88pathoffroad]

It depends on what kind of driving you do and how much you have to spend. The only locker you can get for the front is a ARB air locker, which runs about $700+.

 

If you want to drive over rocks and up hills fulltime, offroad your Pathfinder hardcore, and often feel that you need the front end locked, then sure. If you drive to the grocery store more often than on the trails, then no.

 

A winch would be a GREAT investment. Not only can you use it to save yourself, you can use it to save other people's rigs. The only thing is, you need a winch mount first.

[Diesel Boy]

Hmmm.

Beefed up LSD in the back and a locker in the front. Gets better and better.

Will the CV'S handel it??

[glenn]

88 and others, THanks ! I use the PAthy almost exclusively for off road and in South Cal. deserts [no mud ,some sand, alot of gravel and small rocks open spaces --not a lot to tie a winch to] give me some guidance here please ! -- I'm going to get rear lockers-- should I spend the extra money on front lockers or a winch?

[88pathoffroad]

First off, it's a locker, not "lockers". It locks the axleshafts together so both tires spin at the same time. Hence it's name. If you're just running in the desert on rocks or whatnot, then a front locker would be a good thing to have. A winch is always a great add-on, but if you can't get to where you want to go because your front end isn't locked, then you'll wish you had one. It all depends on what you want.

[Guest tram_bethea]

Sometimes it seems easier to go ahead and upgrade than get stuck and have to have something pull you out. I'm not like an expert by any means but when I got stuck in the mud I wished I had upgraded my Pathfinder.

[Diesel Boy]

Go with the locker in the front.

Winches in my opinion are over rated, as you never get to adventurous if you don't have other vehicles with you. A good driver can read the conditions and knows the limits of his/her vehicle.

By adding the lockers you will be increasing/raising the vehicles limits.

By adding the winch, the limitations of the vehicle remain the same, You will get stuck in all the same places, and possibly get your self into a whole lot more trouble than you would normally.

Except that in the rare 1 in a million moment of carelessness, an event occurs, you are by your self, isolated from every one and your spade is broken and you wish you had a winch to pull you out. Thats if theres anything to attach it to. Or you have a ground anchor kicking aroundin the boot, oh, but the spades broken so you can't dig it in. And your wire rope extention cable is 2m to short.......................................

For the $2500- $3000 (NZ$)it costs to set a winch up on a vehicle i think it should be the last major piece to the off road kit.

Better to go with good tall tyres which improve the ground clearence and sute the terrain you drive (Sand = big wide floaty non aggressive tyres), suspension upgrades/lockers are about even i reckon.

Why??

Suspension: better axel artic, wheels less likley to break traction through lifting off the ground.

Lockers: If one wheel does lift off the ground, the other is still driving.

So you can do two things with the lockers idea.

First, if you don't wanna shag around with suspension, as thats not the problem, its getting bogged in the soft sand, go lockers.

If your having a hard time on the rocks and ruts, and don't want to shag around with suspension go lockers.

If you want to go nearly anywere and be unstoppable do your suspension aswell.

Most people do it the other way round suspension first, go hey this is way better but i'm still lifting wheels. So they put lockers in. Then they can left all the wheels they like with in reason. The ultimate for mud soft sand and rocks are lockers.

Enough said,

Cheers,

Pete.

[88pathoffroad]

Good man, Pete.

[Diesel Boy]