NL front locking diff

[shocker1]

Hi guys,
My NL Pajero has 290,000 km on it, would you all consider installing a front locking diff at these km's or not, if opportunity was there?. The CV's are original from factory, I'm unsure if I would swap them for new as I believe that factory were far stronger than after market. They've never been abused, torsion bars were never wound to full extent. If putting a locker in is viable, whish would you recommend?.
I also have an older set of Ironman Mits019 torsion bars in the shed, they would be at least 10 yrs old, but were only in the car about 2 or 3 yrs with no weight on the front except an alloy non winch bar, that's why I pulled them out. Would they still be useable, or has design & production methods changed to a point where a new set would be better?.

Thanks for any info guys.

Matt.

[aussieguy]

torsion bars sitting in a shed will still be good, check the expiration date on the steel.. LOL
Torsion bars work the same way as a spring, and will only be useless if you overload their rating for long period, in fact a "saggy" torsion bar can be some what fixed by re-indexing them for more life.


Have been investigating front locker for Pajero for a bit here is my conclusions;


1. Lokka (lunchbox locker) should only engage when drive is sent to the front, are designed to unlock when high speed turning may be issue in 4H with heavy steering. CHEAP and cheerful but always engaged when in 4WD.
2. ARB Air locker, need air compressor and lines to axle, if installation isn't done properly can be a hassle with air leaks, but mostly bullet proof.
3. TJM Air locker, need to look hard to find one of these, however according to winch challenge truck drivers, TJM are the go, well at least in the Pootrol arena. Same issue as ARB and all air activated lockers.
4. E-Locker, if you are to believe the whinge web they have issues with disengaging when vehicle slips backwards, apart from that appear to be good NEW tech.


Personally I will be putting a Lokka in mine, I have manual free wheeling hubs as well, oh and $600 + a set of seals and labour makes it the cheapest option.

https://4wdsystems.com.au/index.php?id=180

https://4wdsystems.com.au/index.php?id=125&cat=148

[shocker1]

Hi Aussieguy,
Thank you for the info, it's greatly appreciated. I might look at the Lokka diff, I do recall seeing somewhere that some say they aren't much good because of the unlock syndrome when the wheel turns backwards, but I'm thinking that when locked & forward momentum is the object, when would the wheel turn backwards, unless you stop & then try to go forward again?. They probably are good value for $. I think that whilst ever power is applied, this diff will be fine.
I might reinstall the heavier torsion bars when I find a steel bar & winch, a bit of weight to take the sting out of the front.

[pharb]

It's the Harrop (or Eaton) E locker that unlocks momentarily with a change of direction.
It utilises electric activation, but relies on mechanical force created by the rototating members to hold it engaged. As such, as the load comes off the diff when changing from forward to reverse (or reverse to forward) it momentarily disengages until load is applied again.

This is only really a potential issue when trying to rock out of a stuck position and you are rapidly moving from forward to reverse and back to forward again.

The Lokka diff basically utilises a set of dog clutches that are spring loaded in the engaged position, providing a solidly locked diff. When there is enough force provided by the half shafts rotating at different speeds, such as when going around a corner, the spring pressure is overcome and the dog clutches are forced apart, momentarily allowing the shafts to travel at different speeds.

When used in the rear diff you can feel the diff momentarily unlocking then locking multiple times when going around a corner.

The first time I experienced this in an 8t truck I thought the (rear) diff was buggered. It was like going around a corner with one sqare wheel.

I would not look forward to using one in a front diff, although I gather some have. I imagine it would be like having understeer, then not, then understeer, then not........multiple times around a corner.

[NJV6]

I would not hesitate in putting a front diff lock in at those km provided the diff has been well maintained. And the CV’s will be fine.
I would not use a lokka myself but plenty do and it’s personal preference. I like running my Pajero in 4H on the road and the lokka is not suitable for that. In the rear they are a change of driving style when turning, smooth and easy does it and it prevents it from locking and unlocking mid corner

I won’t lie, I love my air locker but would consider other manual lockers, the e locker engagement doesn’t bother me, they seem to be pretty bombproof. Whatever you choose, you need a front locker , the best mod for a pajero off road and as an aside, one in the front works better than one in the rear!

[pharb]

I also would have no hesitation fitting various accessories at that many kilometres.

I'm currently tossing up what I fit to my "new" to me NL with 420,000km, but I have to keep reminding myself I should be preferencing my NX camping, touring wagon, not my wood getting bush pig.

A bit hard to justify fitting front diff lock to both

[shocker1]

Wow, heaps of info in here to consider. Thanks guys, much appreciated. If I were to put a Lokka in the front & as apparently it's locked most of the time, would it be advisable to also fit free wheeling hubs to reduce tyre wear, or would the centre diff take care of this?.

[disco stu]

For those thinking of a lokka they're having a sale currently, seen on Facebook. Looks about $100 off, bringing it down to about $478

Still thinking about installing A LOKKA in your 4WD - and suddenly have a bit of spare time on your hands?

Well you’re in luck, the LOKKA is still on sale - if you’re quick.

Follow this link…

https://4wdsystems.com.au/index.php?id=180

Enter this code…

ACTIONLKA19

And we’ll ship one out to you.

*Video credit: 4WD Action

[NJV6]

i Would certainly be fitting manual hubs... if you inadvertently had the transmission in 4H on the road things would get scary quickly. If you apply any sort of power you’ll be going straight ahead!
They work for corners by effectively letting one wheel (the one on the outside of the corner) run faster than the other, it doesn’t unlock as such but ratchets.

[NH-Mark]

I run a lokka and free-wheeling hubs in the front. It's great - I hardly ever turn on the rear locker anymore. Steering is a little heaver when engaged. I don’t notice/feel any sort of lock/unlock (or ratcheting as NJV6 said) when turning, but I only use it off-road.
Mark.

[shocker1]

Thanks guys, lots of info in here. I'm starting to wonder if the Harrop locker would be more suitable for me over the Lokka, my understanding is that as the Harrop is unlocked until needed I won't need free wheeling hubs & also still retain full super select transmission?. It would also be a faster install as the whole carrier unit is swapped & no need to dismantle the existing carrier to remove spider gears etc first?. The down side will be cost & remembering to keep power applied to keep it locked I guess. Have I missed anything?. Feel free to comment guys.

[NJV6]

You don’t need to keep power applied to keep it locked, you just need to keep going the same way. I cannot really see it being an issue and you won’t even notice it going about it’s busimess.

Yes you retain full super select and don’t need free wheel hubs. Have a look on you tube of how it works and it’ll become clear

https://youtu.be/nT_H6rpd-Ck

[selenger]

Интересное решение , вопрос в его цене ..

Как я вижу идеальную блокировку - это 100% блокировка в нужный момент .
По сути , такая же как установлена в заднем дифференциале .
Остальное - это компромиссные решения .
Локка - это сугубо направленная вещь для тотального бездорожья .

[Ian Sharpe]

You don’t need to keep power applied to keep it locked, you just need to keep going the same way. I cannot really see it being an issue and you won’t even notice it going about it’s busimess.

Yes you retain full super select and don’t need free wheel hubs. Have a look on you tube of how it works and it’ll become clear

https://youtu.be/nT_H6rpd-Ck

Have had e lockers in both nl & NS since they first became available for the Pajeros. Turfed our the arbs with much pleasure. Imo much better system than the arb & you don’t get any oil blowback because you aren’t putting 100 psi in the diff. And you don’t get any air line issues because you don’t have an airline. Funny that . The issue about unlocking in reverse is really a non issue & never , I repeat never has caused problems with any of my applications. At any rate they both do the same job just differently activated. I had front & rear elockers in my nl as well as a dual transfer case & it was unstoppable.

[jrmc47]

Hi guys,
My NL Pajero has 290,000 km on it, would you all consider installing a front locking diff at these km's or not, if opportunity was there?. The CV's are original from factory, I'm unsure if I would swap them for new as I believe that factory were far stronger than after market. They've never been abused, torsion bars were never wound to full extent. If putting a locker in is viable, whish would you recommend?.
I also have an older set of Ironman Mits019 torsion bars in the shed, they would be at least 10 yrs old, but were only in the car about 2 or 3 yrs with no weight on the front except an alloy non winch bar, that's why I pulled them out. Would they still be useable, or has design & production methods changed to a point where a new set would be better?.

Thanks for any info guys.

Matt.

I run a lokka in the front and a TJM pro locker in the rear.....seldom lock the rear...should have saved the money and left the LSD in the rear...they are awesome.....twin locked the paj goes almost anywhere