• RME Gear & Apparel

Locker/Axle Poll

Will a locker cause more breakage?

  • Yes, a locker forces the torque to be equally distrubuted, adding more stress & strain

    Votes: 42 76.4%

  • No, it just can't be possible.

    Votes: 2 3.6%

  • James K never breaks shafts, but he gets em'

    Votes: 9 16.4%

  • HOLY CHIT! Would you rather wheel with a locker....

    Votes: 1 1.8%

  • Wheel without.........

    Votes: 1 1.8%
  • Total voters
    55
  • Poll closed .
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Read the quesion carefully, then if you feel comfortable with the question, vote.

Do you beleive the addition of a locking type device can/may/or will cause an increased rate of pre-mature failure of an axleshaft, relative to the same axle without a locker. Please base your vote on personal experience, and not that of someone elses (aka 3rd person, 7-11 parking lot talk).

Thanks for your time!
 
tv_larsen

tv_larsen

Well-Known Member
Location
Logan, Utah
A locker will cause more failures, but not because it causes "torque to be equally distrubuted", that's what an open diff does. An axle shaft in an open diff will never see more than half of the incoming torque load. A single axle shaft in a locked axle can recieve as much as 100% of the incoming torque load. Add low gearing and shock loading, it just gets worse.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
this question is obvious isn't it?
when you pull a tire with an open diff all of the torque gets transferred through that side causing it to spin, which causes no harm!

when you pull a tire with a locker and the majority of the vehicles weight is on the planted tire, it tries to spin, thus causing breakage. unless you don't have enough traction.
did i explain that correctly?
 
EZRhino

EZRhino

KalishnaKitty
Location
Sandy, UT
An engineer is asking this question? Make sure you let us know which bridge you're building so we can drive around it......

EZ
 
Caleb

Caleb

Well-Known Member
Location
Riverton
tv_larsen said:
A locker will cause more failures, but not because it causes "torque to be equally distrubuted", that's what an open diff does. An axle shaft in an open diff will never see more than half of the incoming torque load. A single axle shaft in a locked axle can recieve as much as 100% of the incoming torque load. Add low gearing and shock loading, it just gets worse.
Click to expand...


I dont think I understand what you are saying...let me see if I have this straight...so you're saying that in an open diffed rig, say its putting out 300 Ft/lbs of torque, now I lift a tire so my tire thats still on the ground is not spinning cause it all went to the outside tire but according to you that tire is only seeing 150 ft/lbs and the other 150 ft/lbs has mysteriously disappeared cause it sure as heck isn;t going to the tire on the ground??? is that what you are saying, please explain a little more...or point me to somewhere that can ;) I say a locker distributes the torque evenly at all times...
 
BCGPER

BCGPER

Starting Another Thread
Location
Sunny Arizona
Understand, I'm no Enginerd, but I think you,ve stuck on something here. If indeed I'm unlocked and puting 300 ft/lbs to the front axle, what happens when I lift a wheel??? The engine revs right? Thus, that 300 did disappear into thin air in the form of wheel speed... Am I thinking right here???

Oh, and for the record, my vote is LOCKED busts shafts. Not only because that 300# is going to the one wheel on the ground, but you're far more likely to get yourself somewhere a sane man shouldn't be when you're locked. :D

Supergper said:
I dont think I understand what you are saying...let me see if I have this straight...so you're saying that in an open diffed rig, say its putting out 300 Ft/lbs of torque, now I lift a tire so my tire, 150 ft/lbs has mysteriously disappeared cause it sure as heck isn;t going to the tire on the ground??? is that what you are saying, please explain a little more...or point me to somewhere that can ;) I say a locker distributes the torque evenly at all times...
Click to expand...
 
Brett

Brett

Meat-Hippy
Location
Salt Lake City Utah
BCGPER said:
Oh, and for the record, my vote is LOCKED busts shafts. Not only because that 300# is going to the one wheel on the ground, but you're far more likely to get yourself somewhere a sane man shouldn't be when you're locked. :D
Click to expand...


Haha....true! I need a locker back in my Cherokee. First I need a 44 though!
 
Tacoma

Tacoma

Et incurventur ante non
Location
far enough away
I can't believe this thread is still going on among anyone who's been offroad more than a couple times.

duh open axles transfer torque to the slipping wheel

duh locked ones transfer torque to both of them

and how much force does it really take to snap an axle when it's attached to a stuck wheel? Not as much as we'd all like.

this just seems so obvious. Ah, anyway. The finer points are coming up, so that's good. I guess.
 
grinch

grinch

inner city redneck
Location
Salt Lake City
An open diff axle will break shafts less often because the torque is transferred to the tire in the air??? Problem is that then you rev your engine and start bouncing around. Now that tire is spinning twice as fast and hits the ground with a lot of force and snap.... there goes the axle shaft.
Well that was my personal experience it least back when I used to wheel open diff rigs...
I actually broke less when I first put my lockers in because I quit bouncing the heep around so much.... Then I realized where I could go with lockers and broke about twice as much stuff because of how extreme things had gotten.
Long story short I vote for the open diff rig to break more shafts..... Just from my experience.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
grinch said:
An open diff axle will break shafts less often because the torque is transferred to the tire in the air??? Problem is that then you rev your engine and start bouncing around. Now that tire is spinning twice as fast and hits the ground with a lot of force and snap.... there goes the axle shaft.
Well that was my personal experience it least back when I used to wheel open diff rigs...
I actually broke less when I first put my lockers in because I quit bouncing the heep around so much.... Then I realized where I could go with lockers and broke about twice as much stuff because of how extreme things had gotten.
Long story short I vote for the open diff rig to break more shafts..... Just from my experience.
Click to expand...

isn't that a driving style thing? just a thought :p
 
SUPERFLY

SUPERFLY

CaptainRob
Location
sugar house
Shawn said:
My trike is locked in the front... ya think I will brake the axle on it?????
Click to expand...
what kind have ya got on that puppy? detroit? arb?
now that i think about it, the only time ive really seen any axles break is when lockers were used but thats just my experiance. im not locked (need an air compressor) but im still careful just cause. i think it also depends on terrain. like slick rock in moab is sticky and often times steep and also often times all tires are on the ground thus not making a differance weather or not you are locked.
 
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