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Lockers

Blythewoodjoe

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Well, they positively lock both axles in a rear together for maximum traction. When cornering and not under power, the locker will unlock and allow the outer wheel to go faster. If under power while turning, they may not unlock. A simple test for your truck would be to jack up the back axle completely and try to spin a tire. If it spins and the other one goes in the opposite direction, its not a locker. If it spins and clicks or only spins in one direction, its got a detroit in it.
O K kids, this thread is 1.5 years old, but I think I have lockers in the M813 in the back yard. I lifted the rear most axle and with the drive shaft stopped, I could spin the drivers wheels a few rounds, with some clicking, with the other side stopped, and then, BAM, it stopped and wouldn't turn and more. The passengers side would spin over and over forward, not move back wards at all. I tried the drivers side again, still stopped, and then when I went back to the passengers side, it was stopped. I was puzzled by the end less spinning forward of the passengers side. Is that typical of these things? Bottom line, are these lockers?

Joe Trapp
 

m16ty

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Any thoughts as to which performs better, Detroit Lockers or Air Lockers? Are Detroits available for the Deuce (already answered that myself, yes, $569 each from Reider racing)? Or does it boil down to whether you are a control freak or not? If you just absolutely, positively have to manually control everything the truck is doing then you want Air Lockers, otherwise Detroits are fine?

Seems to me the Detroits would be better as they would engage before the driver realized a wheel was slipping and then disengage when the slippage went away, thereby minimizing torque wind up in the drivetrain and maybe prevent premature parts failure.
Air lockers are far better IMO. Detroits sometimes behave "funny" on road and if it's a little slick on the road from rain, snow, or ice you can really get into trouble. I rather have the air so I could turn it completely off for on road use but I my be a control freak like you said :wink:.
 

Recovry4x4

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You have Detroits in the 813 Joe. The weird behavior you experienced was probably a result of where the ramps are in correlation to the side gears if I understand them correctly.
 

Unforgiven

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The 2-1/2 ton Norwegian deuce (M621) air locker rear axle shaft

Wouldn't that mean only one drive wheel is always pushing the power when it's unlocked? It seems that would give some strange handling in both left & right cornering.

Unlocking this type of axle would not be the same as unlocking say an ARB & having a fully open differential.
 

spicergear

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With the way Detroits are designed if you jack the rear up and go to spin it...it may be locked in if the last effort to the rear was from the driveshaft. Usually a good hard snap on the tire will pop the locker loose as that IS how they operate...open under a deceleration type of condition and you should then be able to turn the wheel and hear click-click-click-click as it goes. It may jump back in...it may not- no biggy. They know how to work with the tires on terra firma. :lol: A straight open rear would just spin politely with no noise.
 

kastein

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Wouldn't that mean only one drive wheel is always pushing the power when it's unlocked? It seems that would give some strange handling in both left & right cornering.

Unlocking this type of axle would not be the same as unlocking say an ARB & having a fully open differential.
it is the same as having a fully open diff, because when it's unlocked it is a fully open diff. When it's locked it keeps one axleshaft tied to the carrier - when you think this through fully it becomes clear that this automatically locks the other axleshaft to the carrier as well via the spider and side gears. The only downside is that you are putting twice as much torque on that one axleshaft between the two sets of splines if I understand it correctly.
 

mudguppy

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Wouldn't that mean only one drive wheel is always pushing the power when it's unlocked? ... Unlocking this type of axle would not be the same as unlocking say an ARB & having a fully open differential.
no, it functions the same as the ARB. the Norsk design locks one axle shaft onto the differential carrier. if one shaft is locked onto the carrier, then the other shaft is because the spider gears cannot turn the locked shaft.

many locker designs actually only lock one side of the differential.
 

jwaller

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they are humongous. I put 2 in my 818 and they literally make a world of difference. totally tear up any turf you drive over.

I love it.
 

spicergear

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no, it functions the same as the ARB. the Norsk design locks one axle shaft onto the differential carrier. if one shaft is locked onto the carrier, then the other shaft is because the spider gears cannot turn the locked shaft.

many locker designs actually only lock one side of the differential.

The Unimog 406's and 416's for one have this type of locker design. One axle is splined past the outside of the carrier with a splined collar that engages it and has a blocky face spline (sorta reminds you of a love joy coupling) with an air chamber behind it. Hit the air soleniod, pressurizes the chamber, ...slides the collar than that engages with the side of the differential 100% positively locking that axle to the diff and, as previously mentioned, drives the other shaft since the spiders can't spin. They have really beefy spiders and a neat design on the differential.
 
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