Its hard to know what you mean by "general off roading". For the majority of fire roads, Forest Service roads, moderate trails, you don't need lockers front or rear. But lockers are awesome. Your ability to move when otherwise stuck, by sending power to the tire with traction, is remarkable. I think anyone who wants to play around off-road (i.e. more than just driving rough dirt roads) should have a rear locker at minimum. Front lockers do the exact same thing - allow you to ease onto the throttle and send power to the tire with traction - but they have to be used with a little more care. (1) a front locker will limit your ability to make turns (so you gotta turn it off before a sharp turn), and (2) a front locker puts strain on front axles. Aftermarket front lockers can end up doing damage to IFS in particular, because the manufacturer didn't design the front end to take that kind of strain. I know two guys with Tacomas who have broken front axles using aftermarket front lockers. So my advice (for what its worth) would be to get the lockers front and rear from the factory. As an additional reason to get the lockers from Ford - why open up the diffs on a new vehicle and add stuff that will likely void your driveline warranty? If you think you want 35s and lockers, get them from the factory: no need to mess with aftermarket lockers, air lines (since most people go ARB in the aftermarket), the need to re-gear. One of the easiest ways to ruin the driveability of a brand new 4x4 is to slap on big tires without re-gearing (and noone wants to spend the time and $ to re-gear). Get it all from the factory, and you've got the right gears, and a factory warranty. I know everyone talks about aftermarket mods, and its cool if you want to personalize your rig. But in my experience, the aftermarket gets expensive, takes time away from being out on the trail, comes with some risk, and can create problems at the dealer if you have a problem and they claim its a result of what you've done. Wow, that was really rambly...
Please correct me if I am wrong .... the difference between an aluminum and iron diff is only the diff cover itself so if you have an aluminum cover can't you just swap it out with a more durable cover?
I run this rear diff cover on my Raptor
Front diff on Bronco/ranger doesn't have a cover...its a dropoutPlease correct me if I am wrong .... the difference between an aluminum and iron diff is only the diff cover itself so if you have an aluminum cover can't you just swap it out with a more durable cover?
I run this rear diff cover on my Raptor
Thats for SFA...wont fit a dropout...too bad cause OX are cool!
From the info we have, you can. The Badlands with the manual transmission comes with all the pieces of the Sasquatch package except 35" tires and trail turn assist. The Sasquatch package will limit suspension travel by 1/2" to keep the 35" tires from rubbing.
Lockers in general, both front and rear, are only needed for serious off road situations. I have a Tacoma that doesn’t have lockers at all and I take it through trails that are rated as “difficult” frequently. The Rubicon trail is also rated as “difficult” for reference. Lockers are VERY helpful in certain situations and necessary in some, but a good driver (with good spotters) will do just fine in most situations without lockers at all. I’m still getting a Bronco with front and rear lockers because I’m a glutton for overkill
As I understand it the rear locker will have an effect, it just won’t be as severe. See the video I posted above. Everything I have read or seen says that you should not lock the differentials under normal driving conditions such as rain or even light snow. I think the various mode settings would be enough to manage the basic traction requirements but welcome others that have more experience here to verify that.
Hop in any vehicle that has a selectable frt locker just sitting still in a parking lot and dry steer it not moving. Then lock the frt diff and do the same. You will then know. Frt locker needs to be selectable. You will only use it in extreme situations once you have picked your "line" through the obstacle. It does make a huge difference in certain situations, and helps the IFS. Watch the video from rubicon and moab. Those guys are 3 wheeling all over the place. W/out a frt locker the frt wheel thats still on the ground does nothing.
