Trac-loc

05JeepKJ · **Posted:** Thu Jun 22, 2006 5:40 pm

Is trac-loc equivalent to a lsd? and if it is i have it do you guys think that i should replace it with a true locker (arb) or leave it alone until it wears out?

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Thu Jun 22, 2006 6:41 pm

05JeepKJ wrote:

Is trac-loc equivalent to a lsd? and if it is i have it do you guys think that i should replace it with a true locker (arb) or leave it alone until it wears out?

If it works aight for you then keep it. Its up to you. I would rather have a locker though. Ive heard you must use the ebrake to get it to work sometimes.

bighause · **Posted:** Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:25 pm

It works great until you lift a rear tire, then it doesn't work so well. I have to use the brake sometimes to get it to lock up. It also has almost 60k miles on it and I am anything but easy on it :twisted:

so it may be wearing out. I plan to install a NoSlip in the future, I had one in my XJ and they are great.

Se7enLC · **Posted:** Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:22 pm

05JeepKJ wrote:

Is trac-loc equivalent to a lsd? and if it is i have it do you guys think that i should replace it with a true locker (arb) or leave it alone until it wears out?

Try it out, you may find that it's enough.

If you get stuck in a situation where one rear tire is spinning and the other has plenty of traction, that's when a real locker would have helped. Chances are the trac-lok LSD will be enough and you won't see that case often if at all.

If it's just a little wheel spin, the LSD works great. If the wheel is off the ground, you need to use a little eBrake to make the wheel think it has a little traction.

jason thompson · **Posted:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 6:51 pm

this is a question i see asked almost weekly maby not worded the same but none the less the same question
i dont want to come across as an booty but i was the person at our recent "4X4 expo" that educated folks on the theory behind open diff. LSD and locker
so i feel "qualified" to answer this question
the trac lock will preform ALMOST as good as any other LSD how ever neither the trac lock nor any other LSD on the market will give you 100% lock up
e break or not i can prove this theory
when you lift a wheel going up hill wich is what will happen on almost any higher rated trail a LSD will help to a certan point then with out a locker or 100% lock up a wheel will spin and the e break trick will put more resistance on the whole rear drive line (both wheels get the same breaking pressure) and you will still not go up hill

now for the proff
we put a rail road tie out in front of any jeep with open diffs no LSD what so ever and they can climb over that tie no problem
put the same jeep with both tires on the passenger side on rollers and block the front driver with the same tie and e break or not they will not climb that tie
in fact it is so hard to climb that tie that a rubicon must lock both front and rear to get over the same tie that a bone stock KJ just walked over and did not spin a wheel

i have trac lock in the rear of my TJ and yes it is a big help over open i also have an ARB locker in the front and with out that i could not run 1/2 the trails i run do i think you should replace the trac lock with an ARB sure if you do a heck of a lot of wheeling but if you only go out 2 or 3 times a year that seems like a boat load of money to spend rember from start to finish it will cost you between $1200 and $1500 but it will be 100% better than a LSD

bighause · **Posted:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:43 pm

You are righ, the brake trick will not give 100% lock up, but I have had my jeep on a pretty slight incline that was very uneven and it had the suspension completely flexed out and I couldn't go any further. It was spinning the front right and back left tire since there was no weight on them. I gently pressed on the brake pedal and it continued up the hill with no issues.

This has happened to me multiple times, that is why I am looking into another NoSlip. And yes the TrackLock does do a good enough job for most offroading.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:28 pm

On the old LOST forum site, someone had posted a video showing the differences between an Open Dif, LSD, and a locker. The left tires were on a long roller and the open couldn't get anywhere, the LSD moved very slowly, and the locked vehicle moved across.

jason thompson · **Posted:** Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:37 pm

Tokyojoe wrote:

On the old L.O.S.T. forum site, someone had posted a video showing the differences between an Open Dif, LSD, and a locker. The left tires were on a long roller and the open couldn't get anywhere, the LSD moved very slowly, and the locked vehicle moved across.

that is the same concept how ever we used a rail road tie as a "stoper" and if the front was not locked they could not make it
even a few guys with true trac's up front tried the brake & gas trick but no luck unless they had 35" or biger tires
and if they had a locker out back the rear driver tire would just spin in the dirt

jason thompson · **Posted:** Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:44 pm

bighause wrote:

You are righ, the brake trick will not give 100% lock up, but I have had my jeep on a pretty slight incline that was very uneven and it had the suspension completely flexed out and I couldn't go any further. It was spinning the front right and back left tire since there was no weight on them. I gently pressed on the brake pedal and it continued up the hill with no issues.

This has happened to me multiple times, that is why I am looking into another NoSlip. And yes the TrackLock does do a good enough job for most offroading.

when you say completly "flexed out" were the tires off the ground with nothing but air under one rear and the front so light a 3 year ould child could pick it up off the the ground?
rember that when you go down hill no matter how slight gravity is all you need and on flat ground the e-break trick works fine but the trails we run seem to have more up hill than down and if you try to e-brake it all day something will break or ware out

this is what i call completly flexed out and this is also a "locker hill" because with out a locker you will not make it and if you dont you must take a strap becaus once you start up if you back down your bumper will just dig in

bighause · **Posted:** Sun Jun 25, 2006 8:15 am

Yep, thats what I mean by flexed out. Thats kind of trail is exatly what I am talking about, and yes the ebrake thing is a pain in the butt. That is why I will have a NoSlip soon for the rear. I ran one in my XJ and there really is no comparison to a locker and a Limited slip in a situation like the one in your pic.

SethX9 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 25, 2006 9:29 am

Tokyojoe - that video you're describing sounds like the one on the PowerTrax website (the middle one of the three).

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:37 am

You are correct! That was it! Great demonstration, but I wonder if the Trac Loc with E-brake trick would've done better than the LSD format in that test.

Still makes me want to go the right way and get an ARB.

JFortier777 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:42 am

Thats a fantastic demonstration video!

jason thompson · **Posted:** Sun Jun 25, 2006 12:56 pm

Tokyojoe wrote:

You are correct! That was it! Great demonstration, but I wonder if the Trac Loc with E-brake trick would've done better than the LSD format in that test.

Still makes me want to go the right way and get an ARB.

no it would not that is what we did to show folks and used a RR tie to block the tire that was on hard ground and the e-break trick did nothing to go over the tie infact even a locker in the rear would only spin on dirt it took a locker in the front to climb the 8" high peice of wood

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:37 pm

That's interesting. A lot of money to add another form of locking for the front.

Well, I have not had serious issues with my Trac Loc on the trails. Yes, full lockers would make life easier, but $$$ is the word we all understand that is needed....gotta buy those Powerball tickets and win.

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