Spartan locker

[bax]

To those who may be running a Spartan locker in their dana 44. I understand it will work fine on the street with the hubs unlocked. How well does it work in 4wd on the street and on a dirt road. Who is happy? I have the opportunity to pick up one pretty cheap and was wondering if it was worth using one.
Thanks for any input.

 

[okie4570]

I put one in when I put chrome moly axles in. It's been fantastic at OCBR. As far as the hubs, I've got twin sticks and just leave the hubs locked, front axle engaged/disengaged as needed when doing any crawling. I would assume locking and unlocking hubs would be the same. No issues in 4x4 on dirt roads, I've never used it in 4x4 on ice, it's great on the snow. You probably won't see any ice or snow there I'm thinking lol. Install was easy.

 

[kylakekevin]

I have been running one for 10k miles In a daily driven vehicle that doesn't have hubs to unlock with out a problem. It will clank and BANG at times but no issues. Running one in rear 8.8 also same vehicle. Pavement,dirt rocks, snow, sand are great, with ice that wheel in your hands is for suggestions only!

 

[bax]

Thanks guys. Positive feedback.

 

[Boss Hugg]

I put one in when I put chrome moly axles in. It's been fantastic at OCBR. As far as the hubs, I've got twin sticks and just leave the hubs locked, front axle engaged/disengaged as needed when doing any crawling. I would assume locking and unlocking hubs would be the same. No issues in 4x4 on dirt roads, I've never used it in 4x4 on ice, it's great on the snow. You probably won't see any ice or snow there I'm thinking lol. Install was easy.

Same here. When I first put it in, it was loud. Except that I'm not sure it wasn't just u-joints in the shafts. Last year at OCBR there was some noise, but it turned out to be the new stub shafts had two snap ring grooves and I had them in the wrong groove so the hubs weren't locking in solid. After fixing that the only noise I hear is at 30+ mph with the wheels turned left to any degree--straight up/right is no noise. I think it's just the spring in the hub catching so it should be a simple fix.

YES. The spartan is a decent choice. and easy to install--if shaft removal is easy, that is. I did have to pull the ring gear off the carrier, so prepare for that.

As far as on road use, I think it slips appropriately. It's not locked as much as my Grizzly in the rear. THAT thing may be for sale in the next year.

 

[Justafordguy]

Hey Roger,
I have a Lock-Right (same design as the Spartan) in the front of mine and I've been happy with it. I don't drive it on the street in 4wd but it works great on the trail. I run with the hubs locked and front twin stick in neutral and just engage the front when needed. I have never noticed any odd steering with the front engaged or disengaged. Really can't go wrong for the price.

 

[Timmy390]

Not Bronco but the Spartan or Lock-Right are about the only options in a Samurai. Everyone seems to run the Spartans.

They do wear out and pins can be broken......The gears seem to hold up well it's just the springs and pins that seem to go bad over time. I'm sure it's due to abuse.

I'm planning on adding these to my Samurai (Bronco has a True-Trc) and I see replacement pins on ebay. Some say HD pins and some don't. Not sure if that's an upgrade or just marketing.

Check for rebates......They had one back in the Spring.....$25 as I recall. I missed it by 2 days so waiting for another.

Tim

 

[Nothing Special]

I had a LockRight in the front of a daily-driven (and winter-driven) F-150 for two lane changes in one snow storm. It gave ridiculously dangerous handling in 4WD on a snowy freeway. When one front tire loses traction (like when you change lanes and one tire hits the ridge of snow between lanes) the torque steer is so violent that the truck jumped 10' to the side before I could catch it (luckily I was trying to change lanes and the lane was clear). On the second lane change I thought I was ready for it. It only jumped 6' that time. I shifted into 2WD and never used 4WD on the road until I got the LockRight removed.

Based on my experience I would never recommend any automatic locker in the front axle of a vehicle that might be driven in 4WD on snowy highways.

If snow isn't an issue for you I'd still caution against any higher speed use. Automatic lockers in the front do have a lot of torque steer, and at higher speeds it can bite you pretty quick and hard.

At lower speeds I really didn't like the LockRight in the front axle, but I can see it being worth it for some people. There is a ton of torque steer that you keep having to adjust for. When going slow you have time to adjust, but I just found it to be very annoying. If I really wanted a front automatic locker the annoyance may well be worth it. But for my vehicles I think I'll always go with an open diff or a selectable locker in the front axle.

For what it's worth, I have had a couple of Detroits and a LockRight in the rear axles of three different vehicles, with around 150K miles total experience between them. I'm a big fan of auto lockers in a rear axle. I find the handling quirks to be very livable, and well worth dealing with for the performance. I just don't feel the same way about them in the front.

 

[okie4570]

I had a LockRight in the front of a daily-driven (and winter-driven) F-150 for two lane changes in one snow storm. It gave ridiculously dangerous handling in 4WD on a snowy freeway. When one front tire loses traction (like when you change lanes and one tire hits the ridge of snow between lanes) the torque steer is so violent that the truck jumped 10' to the side before I could catch it (luckily I was trying to change lanes and the lane was clear). On the second lane change I thought I was ready for it. It only jumped 6' that time. I shifted into 2WD and never used 4WD on the road until I got the LockRight removed.

Based on my experience I would never recommend any automatic locker in the front axle of a vehicle that might be driven in 4WD on snowy highways.

If snow isn't an issue for you I'd still caution against any higher speed use. Automatic lockers in the front do have a lot of torque steer, and at higher speeds it can bite you pretty quick and hard.

At lower speeds I really didn't like the LockRight in the front axle, but I can see it being worth it for some people. There is a ton of torque steer that you keep having to adjust for. When going slow you have time to adjust, but I just found it to be very annoying. If I really wanted a front automatic locker the annoyance may well be worth it. But for my vehicles I think I'll always go with an open diff or a selectable locker in the front axle.

For what it's worth, I have had a couple of Detroits and a LockRight in the rear axles of three different vehicles, with around 150K miles total experience between them. I'm a big fan of auto lockers in a rear axle. I find the handling quirks to be very livable, and well worth dealing with for the performance. I just don't feel the same way about them in the front.

I'm not familiar with the LockRight, is it the same as the Spartan?

 

[Nothing Special]

I'm not familiar with the LockRight, is it the same as the Spartan?

Essentially, yes. And all automatic lockers will behave pretty much the same (Aussie, Spartan, LockRight, Detroit, Grizzly, etc.)

 

[okie4570]

I see. When I'm not in 4x4 I cannot tell the spartan is there, highway speeds and all. Did your f150 have auto hubs?

 

[Nothing Special]

I see. When I'm not in 4x4 I cannot tell the spartan is there, highway speeds and all. Did your f150 have auto hubs?

Sorry, the bad experience was with the truck in 4WD. With it in 2WD and the hubs unlocked the locker does nothing because nothing around it is moving. No problems at all then. With the transfer case in 2WD and the hubs locked there is still very little issue. Possibly a little clicking or popping as others have noted, but nothing that would cause any real problems. The only issues are when you are in 4WD with the hubs locked.

 

[bax]

Good information, Thank you. I was too slow on the purchase. The guy sold it. he didn't want to wait for the weekend. ( when I could get over to him to pick it up ). Sold it to someone else.