Last post we covered the initial upgrades we decided to make as a result of some of the off roading we have been doing. In this post we will continue with other upgrade decisions we made.
Axle Lockers
When we went to Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area we tried the jeep on some harder trails than usual to see what it could do. As mentioned in an earlier post, we met an obstacle that we couldn't get over due to not having lockers for the extra traction necessary. While on that obstacle, stuck, the NTJC leader said "this is where you need lockers". That got us thinking.
What Type of Driving We Do
At some point we had to be realistic as to what we wanted the Jeep to handle. Everyone knows you can get as extreme as you want if you spend enough money. I don't want get stuck every time we run trails or be told your Jeep can't make it through. At the same time I don't care to be able to climb cliffs or use my Jeep as a submarine. I also don't want weak links to break on easy to drive trails either. I do want the ability to drive more than dirt roads. The ability to lock the rear axle will help with that.
Why Only Rear Lockers
Because of these thoughts, we decided to add rear lockers to the Jeep. It makes perfect sense to do this while regearing since the differential will be completely disassembled. This saves on the labor a second time later. We only had rear lockers added. Because of the Dana 30 front axle and the stress lockers can put on the differential we decided against lockers on the front. I suppose they would have been ok depending on how hard we wheel and how careful I used a front locker but for now were not doing it. Eventually if we keep the Mudbug we might upgrade the front to a Dana 44. There is quite a cost association with just getting a new axle and components that we are not willing to spend money on right now. If we do upgrade we will add front lockers at that time.
Rear Lockers
Redemption Offroad installed Eaton Electronic Rear Lockers on our Jeep. We read a lot of articles about lockers and know that only having rear lockers will be enormously beneficial in off roading. Were hoping this will give our Jeep the edge we need to take on some harder trails.