[Joe Dirt]

I keep hearing from people about the Aussie locker. I have heard of people running it in the front axle of their TJ's without manual hubs and having no steering problems on the road. I'd previously been told that an automatic locker can't be run in the front of the rig or it will have steering problems on the street. Is anyone running this setup? My Jeep spends 95% of the time on the road as a double duty.

 

[Vector6]

my 01 TJ has been aussied front and rear for over a year

the only way to know the front is Aussied in 2WD is the faint clicking when making turns.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

The TJ doesn't have a problem with front lockers like most other 4x4 vehicles do. This is because the front driveshaft is disconnected inside the transfer case when you're in 2wd so no torque gets sent to the front locker/axle when you're driving in 2wd. That means the locker isn't locked up hard in 2wd so it doesn't present the usual steering problems.

In addition to the Aussie, the Lockrite is another good choice for the front axle. In fact, they work identically as the Aussie is as much of a direct copy of the Lockrite as you can get.

 

[upinar]

ask LOST, he has the aussie in the front D30

 

[Joe Dirt]

Very cool. Do you have to pull the differential to install it. How hard is it to install.

 

[ccarr51]

couple hours to install if you have the right tools. Its the best mod on my jeep so far. Clicks when you turn in 2wd but other than that, its totally invisible.

 

[nicolas-eric]

wow. the aussie locker only costs 229$ for each axle. thats very cheap in my opinion.

how would this locker work in a rear D44? will the handling on the road become worse?

are these ausssie lockers for all gear ratios? or would i need some others when i change the gears from 3.07 to 4.56 in the future?

can you say something more about the installation? do i need some other fluids with these lockers?

 

[Vector6]

how would this locker work in a rear D44? will the handling on the road become worse?

My Aussie locked jeep has the D44... I use regular 80-90Wt gear oil

there is a learning curve to daily driving with an aussie in the rear.. but after a few days your used to the quirks.

 

[nicolas-eric]

there is a learning curve to daily driving with an aussie in the rear.. but after a few days your used to the quirks.

could you tell me how the handling changed with the locker in the rear?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Most Jeepers, even after having learned to drive it so to minimize the quirks, don't like lunchbox lockers in the rear axle of a daily driver Jeep. The rear axle is always receiving torque which keeps the locker tightly locked so it has a harder time unlocking in the rear for turns than it does in the front when in 2wd.

I had one lunchbox locker in the rear of my TJ and I won't have another. I now have a full-case Detroit Locker installed in my rear Dana 44 and it's quite liveable compared to when I had a lunchbox locker in the rear.

If I HAD to choose a lunchbox locker for the rear, I would definitely go with a Powertrax No-Slip locker as it's much smoother operating in the rear axle than either the Powertrax Lockrite or Aussie which are very similar to each other.

 

[Vector6]

you learn to either... power thru the turns... or clutch and slip the tranny in neutral thru the turns..

but for $229.00 per axle I can adjust my driving to compensate for an auto locker in the rear..

plus the OMG looks from bystanders in parking lots when they hear the ratcheting sounds are priceless

 

[nicolas-eric]

or clutch and slip the tranny in neutral thru the turns..

i have an auto tranny and i don´t want to switch to N while every turn/curve.
i think an aussie locker isn´t the right for me in the rear.
for the front i think it will be ok, but for the rear i have to searhc for another locker.

are there some other automatic lockers that work better in the rear?

 

[whitebuffalo]

Most Jeepers, even after having learned to drive it so to minimize the quirks, don't like lunchbox lockers in the rear axle of a daily driver Jeep. The rear axle is always receiving torque which keeps the locker tightly locked so it has a harder time unlocking in the rear for turns than it does in the front when in 2wd.

I had one lunchbox locker in the rear of my TJ and I won't have another. I now have a full-case Detroit Locker installed in my rear Dana 44 and it's quite liveable compared to when I had a lunchbox locker in the rear.

If I HAD to choose a lunchbox locker for the rear, I would definitely go with a Powertrax No-Slip locker as it's much smoother operating in the rear axle than either the Powertrax Lockrite or Aussie which are very similar to each other.

does a lunchbox handle differentlt than a full? i thought the diff was only in strength. im on the fence for LB locking or spooling my 8.8

 

[Jerry Bransford]

On the street, a spool is more predictable than a rear-mounted lunchbox locker but for street use, I woudn't install either in the rear. I'd install any of the selectable lockers or a Detroit Locker which is fairly well behaved on the street.

A lunchbox locker is basically not predictable on the street and most who drive their Jeeps on a daily basis probably wouldn't like a lunchbox locker in the rear. In the front they're fine, it's in the rear that they give more problems.

Again if you really want a lunchbox in the rear, I would forget any of them except for the Powertrax No-Slip which while much better than an EZ-Locker, Aussie, or Lockrite, is still not completely well behaved when installed in the rear axle.

 

[nicolas-eric]

i never heard about the "Powertrax No-Slip" before. how does it work and how easy is it to install?

 

[Digger 5]

The Power Trax No Slip is similar to an Aussie or Lock Right in it's installation. The downside is that the thing is almost as expenside as a Detroit so why do it right the first time?

 

[nicolas-eric]

some other people told me that the aussie and the no-slip nearly work on the same way.
so where is the difference?

please could someone explain me again where the disadvantages are with such an automatic locker in the rear?

i want an aussie in the front, i already talk to them about the shipping to germany.but for this littlke price i´d like to buy a second one for the rear. but only if driving isn´t too bad on the road.

how does an aussie work differnt to a detroit locker? i drove a detroit in the rear of a friends YJ and it was ok for me. when it was raining i had to take care a bit more but it wasn´t as bad as the same locker in a friends long pickup.

and i only want to buy lunchbox lockers because they are much easier to install and i can also use them after regearing in the future.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

An Aussie and Lockrite are virtually identical in nearly everything but name. There is no difference whatsoever in how they work or how they feel.

An Aussie/Lockrite is not as smooth IN THE REAR as a Detroit Locker is. No lunchbox locker is as smooth as the full-case Detroit Locker is. But if you really still want a lunchbox locker in the rear, go with the slightly more expensive Powertrax No-Slip which is also an automatic locker but which is far smoother operating than the Aussie or Lockrite is when installed in the rear. None of those are as smooth in the rear as a Detroit Locker is though, nor are they as strong as a Detroit Locker is. But again, if you want a lunchbox locker for the rear axle, skip over the Aussie and Lockrite as neither are all that well behaved in the rear. Instead, again, go with the Powertrax No-Slip which is THE smoothest lunchbox locker available at this point. In the front axle, any of the lunchbox lockers are fine and will operate the same way, you wouldn't be able to detect the difference in any of them when installed in the front axle.

 

[4.0l sahara]

I think i'll get one of these for the front.This guide shows how to install it. It's easy.Aussie Locker - Dana 30 Front Axle Installation Write-Up

 

[nicolas-eric]

my TJ is a daily driver. so i think i should install an aussie only in the front.

and a used limited slip truetrac from a buddy in the rear. the only disadvantage is that i´ll have to buy a new one after regearing to 4.56...