Good job, Amigo. Stay safe. I'm new to the channel and glad to see other Cherokee drivers using these things for what they are capable of in these kind of conditions. Bob/Okc
Thanks! I always have wondered that . I posed the same question about front lockers to a guy on YT that sold all the brands of lockers but he never answered me. I live in Minnesota on a farm so I don't even think about it. All vehicles have their quirks in snow. To us the difference between two and four wheel drive is getting further and deeper into a snow bank before you get stuck. A two wheel drive is a whole lot easier to get unstuck than a four wheeler. Your comparison with a front wheel drive car is spot on. Once you start to lose traction on one wheel it can get interesting. I find most of my driving out here with my XJ is better done in two wheel drive until you get into town on snow packed streets then I shift it into 4wd.
Weird I have the same feelings LOL. 2 of my 3 vehicles are 4WD...err modified 2WD 1 front wheel 1 rear wheel spinning LOL. 4WD only gets you stuck further from the road in most cases. Where I live the roads aren't bad, its when I get into towns where they can't seem to figure out how to plow so the snow gets packed down to a solid sheet of ice that's when I use the 4WD occasionally...most time I don't even bother then because every moron in town can't get out of the way anyhow as they're slipping and sliding all over the place with their summer street tires, so 4WD don't do much since you are plodding along at 5mph anyhow LOL.
As a southerner I appreciate the advice. Everybody makes fun of us but we just dont get any practice or experience when we only have ice/snow once a year or two. I always make it a point to go out and drive my jeep in it mainly for experience...but I also like pulling my neighbors out of ditches haha
Im from Mass and moved to Missouri. It's clear you southerners don't have the ability to drive in it because you never grew up with stuffing beater cars into snowbanks like we did as teens.
Thank you this was what I was looking for in a video. My Isuzu has a elocker rear and I'm looking at a Lokka front. I was concerned with the winter driving though when the roads get bad.
If you have a front locker but dont have it in 4 wheel drive do you need to worry as much about it locking itself up when it's not under power going around corners and driving in the snow?
Nice video. I agree, it's not that bad, just don't drive fast. This winter I had to move my XJ (front/rear lunchbox lockers) off of the road, but was afraid after hearing everyone saying "lockers + snow = insta death" I wound up driving for about 15 min just to see, and realized I wouldn't have made it down my unplowed street to the main road in any other car/truck/van/suv I've even driven in the snow before. Im convinced that in deep snow lockers make it easier, patchy roads though...
Ronnie ...do these lunchbox lockers wear in? I guess what I mean is do you need to change your diff fluid after so many miles? Ive got a 97 xj with the dana30 front and Chrysler 8.25 29 spline in the rear. I need to change my rear pinion brgs anyway. So I have been thinking about putting a simple locker in the rear while Im messing with it.
Hallo! What happens if you have to made a sharp turn uphill with front locker? You need to give some throttle, would you be still able to turn? Thank you
So in my Tracker it has no locker and I just lock the hubs in and drive around town in the snow and when I need traction I just pop it 4 hi on the fly. But my 4 Runner has a locker up front. So is it ok to lock in the hubs and drive on dry pavement as long as the transfer case is not engaged? Or is that a good way to break stuff. I'm on 35's too. My 1st locker.
So when 4x4 is DISENGAGED does the front locker matter? Would it be better to have a front spartan locker and only engage 4x4 when needed or is it still just as bad?
@cherokeeronnie I purchased a Jeep xj 93 with what seems to have lockers installed. Found out due to the diff plate being after market and some nasty rear wheel hop on turns yesterday through some wet pavement. I’m a serious noob to this 4x4 game. Is the transfer case obsolete when front and rear lockers installed? Like can I switch the transfer case to 4hi? The light doesn’t come on, wondering if I made a mistake in purchasing because I planned to uses this Jeep as a strict daily driver. No off roading. And seeing how winter is coming, concerns me
my MJ had a Lock Rite up front and a open rear. was very capable on and off road. i think i ll move to LSD and lockrite on my current Cherokee. my TJ was open front and the trac lock rear in a d44.
Awd drive is great in the snow. It's limted slip. I have a 2000 XJ Classic with the AWD transfer case. 242 I think? I live in central Ohio and daily mine in the snow. All stock and she'll get you there.
I told my son to pull it in and out of 4wheel drive as needed. He has a front locker in his 87 4runner. Thank you for the video,I am going to have him watch it.
If it snows again, and if you have the time, would you hit a parking lot and make a video showing how it acts if you cut the wheel too hard and stuff? I've been putting off getting a front locker for this reason. I wish we would've got a good snow ride together this winter.
It'll go where you don't want it to is what will happen. That's why you don't want those piece of shit auto lockers in the front of any vehicle. An auto locker in the rear isn't so bad, get a selectable locker for the front because on the highway/pavement you don't need a locking front differential for any reason, if the roads are that bad that you need locked front and rear differentials with 4WD you shouldn't be out on the road in the first place. I've been in some situations where we've had 2-3 feet of snow, never needed lockers, just 4WD, common sense, and driving skill will get you a lot of places. I'd go with a limited slip in the rear and leave it at that for most cases it's plenty. Unless you are offroad trying to drive over boulders you don't need lockers.
I have driven mine with a front locker 2 North Dakota winters. I just found out TODAY that I actually had the dang thing. I am 56 and learned long ago to pay attention to what's going on when I am driving a vehicle in various situations. It was weird. I just paid attention and took it easy.
Great job Ronnie! Question: I drive a 1999 Grand Cherokee 4.0 4x4 with open differentials. Occasionally I do light and medium off-road ... better to install spartan front or rear?
Depends on what you actually use the Jeep for. I had a 96 ZJ with open diffs, took it offroad all the time never needed lockers. My 98 ZJ had a rear limited slip, it would do fairly well in 2WD in many places. Honestly unless you are out on backroads or offroad all the time getting lockers really is pointless in a daily driver, a limited slip in the rear would be plenty, and unless you have driven with a limited slip or locker its highly advisable to not have them at all as it will make a vehicle handle completely different in bad weather, they'll get you sideways in a hurry if you try and drive it like a vehicle with open diffs.
A selectable front locker is the best way to go to avoid the weird steering issues that is talked about in this video. Most people have no use for a locker to begin with, a limited slip would take care of all their low traction issues, and putting an auto locker in the front end is a horrible idea for any driving use as it'll cause all sorts of steering anomalies and most drivers can just barely drive a normal car let alone anything slightly modified it would lead to a wreck. Selectable up front, and auto lockers in the rear is fine...or a limited slip up front and a locker in the rear would be fine too, but auto lockers up front is a terrible idea unless you are doing nothing but offroading.
I've asked this question a million times and no one's answered it yet. If you have a 242 transfer case and a locker in the front axle while using full-time mode only in the snow and ice wouldn't the effects be a little less aggressive because of the torque split.?
Unlike an all wheel drive vehicle, the 242 applys constant power to the front wheels when in 4x4. The difference between the two modes is weather the center diff is locked or not. If you send power to a automatic locker it will attempt to engage instantly. Limited slip doesn't engage instantly and when it does it if the road surface has some friction it will allow both sides of the axle to spin at different speeds. If you are off camber with near 0 traction a limited slip or locker in the rear. The rear end will tend to slide toward the down hill side when you turn the steering wheel. This is because the rear end is resisting the turn so both wheels end up braking traction.
Corban popen interesting that both stopped working. I recently looked at this and both share a common ground but brights have a fuse and low beam has a fuse. Have you checked your fuses in the passenger kick panel?
This might be a dumb question.. but I just got a Cherokee and previous owner did not take care of the headliner or the carpet in it whatsoever. So I'm wondering how your jeep does without the headliner? I kinda like the look of it without the headliner. Does it get super hot or cold? Awesome videos!
Neither. If you want a daily driver buy it as that, lockers will get you into trouble on a daily driver they cause all sorts of handling issues for unsuspecting drivers. If you wanna go play offroad you simply just drive around the nasty stuff. If you want to waste your money put a locker in the back first, never the front as it will screw with your steering even in 2WD.
If you get too carried away with the skinny pedal it'll get you sideways pretty quickly, but same goes for a front locker in 4WD...if you are careful you won't have any trouble, just like any other vehicle too much power and you have no traction or at least not going in the direction you want LOL. My Grand Cherokee has the factory Trac-Loc rear axle, does great in snow/ice but you better be careful with that skinny pedal it'll get you sideways fast, its not as big of an issue in part time 4WD but in full time mode it reacts much more violently due to the slight rearward torque bias that the 242's full time 4WD mode outputs which is a 48%/52% split. No issues at all, its a great thing to have in snow/ice.
Yes I wound up sideways twice couple winters ago in the snow. 2000 XJ with a 242 in 4FullTime. Happens real fast she yaws left suddenly. Open diffs. Lucky not other cars out. Happened again a year before that on flat road.
I am not young but. Lol. Going into a corner normal. The about half way through gently accelerate out the rest of the way. Locker or not. Has always seemed to work on any 4x4. Reducing your speed is a seriously good idea. Good luck.
Yes you are right but I got so many emails saying it’s impossible to drive with a front auto locker in the snow my buddy’s all are scared to drive their jeeps😂
Live that funky music, it reminds me of those movies in the eights. You know, which ones the ones you not suppose to get caught watching. Nice vid also.
I'm running Kentucky tags in Virginia I've had cops pull me over and I joke around with them about it and they agree with me nobody's going to get suspicious man.
Why wouldn't he be serious? That is 100% 2 wheel drive amounts of snow and in 2 wheel drive there wouldn't be any torque applied to his ratchet locker to engage it...
Exactly, don't drive like a moron it'll all be fine. This is why vehicles usually don't come with lockers or limited slips from the factory because most people have no idea how to drive on a good day let alone in rain/snow, add limited slips or lockers and the number of accidents would increase even more.
I dont get the whole locker thing a cherokee goes better then 99% of all other vehicals off road just with good tires on it, Iv billy goat mine up the craziest shit . Just tires....
Its the more equally balanced vehicle the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee both do really well in stock form offroad and in bad weather with just a good driver and good tires, no other mods are really necessary, they're so well balanced the 4WD system works extremely well. Unlike an unloaded pickup which as no weight in the back end and can't get going in 2WD LOL. I've always been surprised where a stock Jeep with good tires will go all because they're so well balanced and the 4WD system works great. Add lockers and you'll bury yourself to the doors or deeper LOL.
I have a 96 Cherokee 4inch RElift 33 inch Yokohama geogladeators lock rite locker in rear. I air down to 8 psi and I can crawl through 10 feet of snow. Never been stuck. Ever. Never found a need for chains. Watch snowbatman 99 to see what low air psi can do for you.
you call that snow??? this is nothing !!! we get more two or three times in summer...and you don`t even need a 4 wheel drive for that not to mention white stuff...
