Lockers

wrote:

The concept of steering is that the front wheels turn at different speeds. If you force the two wheels to turn at the same speed then the vehicle will attempt to travel in a straight line. The steering will become heavier and the whole vehicle will buck about as the tyres loose grip or something in the driveline breaks.
The turning circle will increase and this is something that must be accepted.
The comment "does not LIMIT the turning circle" does not apply because the turning circle has already been increased.
If you still have reservations then I suggest you check out the web.

Roger

By your reckoning, if the wheels are locked together but both pointing to the left the vehicle will still go straight ahead. Can you not see how that completely absurd that would be? Anyway, I've posted a video on the web now, to add to the heaps of content you'll find about real world experiences of welding only the front diff...

I had the clicky lockers on my SJ, both front and rear. Driving on slippery surfaces like icy roads, there was not enough grip and friction to release the lockers for turning. In effect they were locked most of the time so I had to shift it into 2wd to make turns. On road in traffic. I learned how to operate the throttle pedal to either release the lockers or make the rear spin to get around corners. I sold the clicky lockers after a year or so. For my 40 year birthday my mates chipped in and bought me an ARB .
They are Just great both my mates and the ARB.

That seems to be a fairly common issue with clicky lockers. You have to adapt your driving to their nuances. I think if you'd have tried one only in the front you'd have had a much more positive experience.

I was watching a video about the new Ford Bronco and one of the features they mentioned was the option to engage each locker independently, rather than rear first then front and rear together as with Jeep and Mercedes 4x4s. They suggested that locking just the front would be a big advantage in many situations, including driving on snow.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locking_differential

Might want to nip on there and correct the article bernie..

The video is very informative but not for the reasons the driver wants. A jimny is approx. 3.6 metres long and has a turning circle of 9.8 metres. It is obviously difficult to be exact with my measurements but the circle appears to be closer to 4 times vehicle length ie 14.4 metres which is 50% more than normal. It is also obvious that the front tyres are scrabbling for grip and whereas a normal diff. would easily negotiate that turn on that surface with little damage to the surface, your motor is fighting you all the way.

My LC was fitted with an Eaton Trutrac in the rear diff. Immediately obvious was that tight turns on a sealed surface were now much smoother. The axle tramp had gone and the motor felt smooth and planted. On a track the long travel suspension was easily able to cope with most situations but when confronted with pot holes that would lift a wheel a quick pull on the h/brake would activate the Trutrac and away we went. The reality of this scenario was that sealed surface or rough track the Trutrac worked. There were no situations where I had to stop and think "have I modified my vehicle to the point that some mods have made it dangerous"

Yes I harp on about dodgy this or dangerous that but I have seen or heard about apparently small mods that have created major problems that inevitably involve innocent people. So I will say again.
A spool, a mini spool or a welded front diff. will reduce a Jimny to a 4x2 on a sealed surface. If you try to use it as a 4x4 because of ice or snow you will be in contravention of Construction and use regulations. If you want further confirmation of this I suggest you approach your insurance company and request confirmation that the welded diff mod is acceptable to them. Also remember that a "Green Lane" is in law subject to the same regs as a sealed surface road.
If you use the vehicle on private land to which you have permission you can do what you like, responsibility is yours and yours alone.

Roger

PS If you look back at the start of this thread, you will note that 4 other people said that a welded front diff will increase your turning circle.

Nearly forgot this one.
Much like Busta I converted my 4x4 engagement system to allow me to have 4x2 in low range. It was very useful when backing up my trailer on a hard surface.
There was a comment earlier about the use of 4x4 on a sealed surface. The author was of the opinion that damage would occur if the vehicle was driven in such a manner. On my LC I removed the locking hubs and fitted solid flanges. This meant that the internals of the front axle rotated at approx the same speed as the rear axle. Any variation was due to cornering and tyre diameters. This conversion meant that I could go from 4x2 to 4x4 by just pushing a button switch on the dash and activating the pneumatic lock in the T/box. I could use this system at any time without having to worry about "were my hubs engaged". On ice or snow the use of 4x4 is obvious and should be used whilst the conditions dictate. I would also use it on flooded roads but if the steering started to stiffen up then as this was a warning that I needed to change back to 4x2, I would act accordingly. I found that the ability to engage 4x4 at a moments notice to be invaluable. After all, what is the point of a 4x4 if it is not available as and when you want to use it.

Roger

Roger.
You said it would double or triple the turning circle. I have demonstrated that it doesn't.
You said the vehicle would only drive in a straight line, I have demonstrated that it doesn't.
You said that driving would be difficult. I have demonstrated that it isn't.
You said that the vehicle would buck around. I have demonstrated that it doesn't.
You said that something will break. I have demonstrated that it doesn't.

9.8m is the turning circle in 2wd. No Jimny will turn that sharp in 4wd. I can measure it if you'd like? Or I can make another video comparing directly with a standard Jimny in 4wd. I can also demonstrate how the engine loads up just the same without a welded diff, which is normal when using 4wd  while turning sharply on a relatively grippy surface. You should be aware of this, as you say you noticed the steering weighting up when using your "LC" in 4wd on grippy surfaces. It's the same thing.

I have a Quaife LSD fitted in the rear, which is a helical gear LSD just like the Truetrac you had back in the day (not available for a Jimny).

We could compile a list of popular modifications that contravene construction and use regulations. It would be quite long. As discussed many times before, using 4wd on a sealed surface is not on my agenda, no should it be on anyone else's. It is potentially dangerous even in a completely standard vehicle.

Your second post describes exactly how the 4wd system on a standard Jimny can be used, with a simple push of a button or flick of a lever at a moments notice. No conversion needed.