Aussie Front Locker Tested at Hollister Hills OHVRA last Weekend

[SpeedometerRepairman]

some buddies and i went out to Hollister Hills OHVRA last Sunday ( no...i did not bring my Mom ).
I had recently installed a Aussie Front locker and wanted to test it out and see how it performs.
It was a weird feeling when just moving down a regular dirt road. I needed to turn the wheel a lot more and it tended to stick towards the right or left depending on my direction.
When i was Powering up a hill and traveling slower there was no problem at all. Truck Hill was a Piece of cake.
Rock Crawling in the garden was the same. At the slower speeds it travels straight and is a little tough to steer on the rocks but still no real problems.

I would say that the Aussie automatic locker is not for anyone who wants to just travel down dirt roads and do little crawling. So i guess it is perfect for me.

Here is a POV video going up Truck Hill

YouTube - POV Truck Hill Hollister OHVRA 1989 Dodge Raider

Now i will see how it all works at MOAB in a couple weeks!

[ES_97Sport]

Originally Posted by SpeedometerRepairman

...It was a weird feeling when just moving down a regular dirt road. I needed to turn the wheel a lot more and it tended to stick towards the right or left depending on my direction. ... At the slower speeds it travels straight and is a little tough to steer on the rocks but still no real problems.

... Now i will see how it all works at MOAB in a couple weeks!

Welcome to the wonderful world of front lockers. Unfortunately, its typically worse in Moab because you have a lot more traction on slick rock.

I don't know if you've run lockers on slick rock in Moab before. Take it easy until you've got a good feel for things. On really steep inclines and steps it can get squirrely if a front tire suddenly hits a patch of sand on slick rock especially with a short wheel base vehicle.

Edward

[SpeedometerRepairman]

Originally Posted by ES_97Sport

Welcome to the wonderful world of front lockers. Unfortunately, its typically worse in Moab because you have a lot more traction on slick rock.

I don't know if you've run lockers on slick rock in Moab before. Take it easy until you've got a good feel for things. On really steep inclines and steps it can get squirrely if a front tire suddenly hits a patch of sand on slick rock especially with a short wheel base vehicle.

Edward

Should i only lock up the rear? or just do it all without the lockers?

i guess i will play around a bit and do what you say. Thanks!

[ES_97Sport]

Originally Posted by SpeedometerRepairman

Should i only lock up the rear? or just do it all without the lockers?

i guess i will play around a bit and do what you say. Thanks!

Having front and rear lockers available is definitely a plus and there are some obstacles and situations where both is absolutely required.

Having a front that is essentially 'always on' may get a little tricky occasionally. I know with lockers like the old Detroit, that if you bind them up they won't unlock. Trying to steer a fully locked front and rear vehicle on 35"s without hydraulic assist or full hydraulic steering (not regular power steering) especially if you air down can be virtually impossible. This I know from personal experience.

My Sport is wired to lock both the front and rear simultaneously. In CO it's not usually an issue because traction out here sucks. It drove the guys from the shop that were spotting for me nuts when we were out in Moab a couple weeks ago, though. I don't think anyone was used to spotting for a fully locked vehicle where you couldn't unlock at least one end.

Out there on slick rock it's impossible to make anything even close to a tight turn with both ends locked. Traction is just too high. Usually what I do is unlock one front hub before I get into the obstacle but I'm not sure if that'll work with the Aussie. I run ARBs so when they're locked, they're locked. There's no dependence on what the other side is doing.

Take it slow and see how much you have to compensate for in the turns would be my sugestion. It's not impossible to run a full time locked front and rear vehicle but it's going to take some getting used to. There's definitely a learning curve.

One other thing. The last guy I went 'wheeling with had issues with the front locking and unlocking when he didn't expect it. I don't know if that'll be as much of an issue in Moab because typically traction is more consistent than it is here in Colorado but it had a definite tendency to occasionally point him in the wrong direction at the wrong time.

Edward

[SpeedometerRepairman]

Thanx Edward. The Information you have provided Is Excellent.

Kris.