Chino78

... Then, does the Aussie work exactly the same like Powertrax NO-SLIP??... What is the difference??...

TEEJ

No thank god, I've been very careful about my choice in partners.





Crabbing is the term used to describe travelling sideways, even if facing forwards....kind of the way a crab moves.

When landing a plane in a strong cross wind, we also call it crabbing our way in from the side, etc.



As for a D30 Locker...the best CHEAP alternative seems to be the AUSSIE....as its an easy drop in installation, like any "Lunch Box Locker".....so there's no setting up of gears, special tools or knowledge required, etc....and, they have not been breaking, or breaking things....so they have been a reliable, tough, alternative at a bargin price.

A SELECTABLE locker, like the rich bass turds who got Rubi's etc, can tell you...can flip a switch and be locker or unlocked while still in 4wd if they want to....same with ARB's, etc.....which is sweet....but, at ~ $250 delevered for an Aussie, and 1.5 - 2 hrs to install it......vs a few $ grand for the Selectables.....well, your wallet can help decide what's best for you.

As for OTHER lunch box lockers....they also work well, but, they are noisier (Loud clicking), and do not allow as much control when locked, and are more $ anyway.

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Just a clarification - ALL a locker does is keep the tires trying to propel you....a 4wd rig with no tire slipping, will go just as far as a front and rear locked rig......except in rough terrain....a tire is REALLY likely to slip, either due to slippery conditions, being unweighted/hung in the air, etc....so, THAT'S the advantage to the locker....it ONLY makes you superman when - otherwise - a tire would slip, and the OTHER tire would stop to laugh at it....

As the front tires, especially on a hill climb, etc...are unweighted when the weight is transferred to the rear by the slope (Ever carry a heavy piece of furniture up the stairs? ...the guy on the bottom has to suppport maybe 70% more weight than the guy at the top of the stairs....)

The fronts are therefore more likely to slip than the rears....and, therefore, actually benefit the most from a locker.

(Because a locker ONLY adds traction if a tire is going to slip....)

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The No-slip is noisier, and more expensive than the Aussie. It ALLOWS the tires to differentiate, by letting the teeth slip past each other on a turn, (a bit different than POWERING both tires, but making the outer one go faster). Friends with the no-slips were more annoyed by the clicking when offroading (Locked)....on the road, the drivetrain would wind up under tension, and then let go, as on turns, the two sides were going the same speed, and the outer one had further to go, etc...so, on a turn.....the tension builds, then releases with a chirp or whump! or whatever, depending upon the rig...but even though the clicking could be loud, on the road, its less frequent at least compared to off road.



It has more moving parts, and, frankly, the freinds who installed them, had more problems than they thought they would...as in some grenaded (Blew up) etc. I know the company has been working on improving them, but, as they are noisier, more expensive, less reliable, and less maneuverable, there's no real motivation for me to consider one at this point.

Obviously, its not like they ALL grenade the diff...but apparently the percentage of failures is higher than expected for some reason....maybe they were installed wrong, who knows, but Detroit's and other harder to install lockers are pretty tough to break, and I do NOT see these breaking typically....but the No-slips, at least the one's I've seen, have had problems with reliability.





Hope that all makes some sense.

ThinkMud

I've been running an Aussie in my front D30 for months now.

I love it. noisy and clanky around tight turns, but well worth it on the trials.

best 250 bones i spent on the JK so far.

J..

Where bouts do you order one of these units from? Will they slot into the rear diff too?

ThinkMud

You can order straight from Aussie or Northridge4x4. As of now, I still think they only have the front D30 locker, none for the new D44 in the rear.

Chino78

Thanks a lot TEEJ!!...

Are the Aussie guys only testing the new D30??... What about a rear locker for the new D44?...

dpoelstra

When I bought my new JK the Aussie guys could not answer whether or not the TJ D30 unit would fit in the JK D30. I had a left over Aussie unit that I never installed in my TJ, so I tried in in the JK.

It installed perfectly and met all specifications perfectly. I have run it flawlessly off Road in hard core trails and love it. It will clunk around in tight turns such as a full U-turn, but it is flawless off road, and except for the really tight turns, it is not even noticable on the road.

The torque from the drive shaft actually engages the locking mechanism, so once shifted into 4wd, it will be engaged as long as there is torque from the drive shaft.

Cheap, easy, high quality unit.

drifter dave

Yeah - it wouldn't be unless you are in 4wd on the street.

If you run your rig on the street, in 4 hi in snow conditions you're going to want to save up for a selectible (ARB). If you run an auto-locker on snowy streets at speed, you're going to have grief.

NDynamite

Can anyone explain this further? What's the difference between running in 4HI in snow vs. running 4HI offroad?

Thanks!

Sv650

Packed snow & ice is WAY more slippery than dirt, and you might move on it far faster than mud!

If there is insufficient traction, especially on snow or ice, the understeer characteristics of the locker become more pronounced -- trying to make the vehicle move straight ahead through the corner A selectable will allow you to run your front diff as an open, while a locker (even an aussie type) may cause a problem if there is insufficient traction to force the outside wheel to rotate faster than the inside wheel or vice versa. If the driveshaft torque still turns both wheels, you may find yourself going straight when you want to turn.

For instance, Auburn Gear states the ECTED locking LS should only be used in a front axle if it has the ability to unlock the hubs.

SV