Locked rear gears

[Peter60]

I've been think about locking (welded spider gears) on the FRONT diff.

If free wheeling hubs were not engaged and its not in 4WD would that be OK. Seems to me nothing would be turning so all should be good.

Then for 4WDing, you lock the hubs, put it in 4WD and away you go. Unstoppable. Since on dirt/rocks etc there would be enough slip.

But how would the steering be?

[L60Boerne]

Peter,
I'm not sure but several on the forum will. It sounds like a good idea but there must be a catch or it seems like it would have been done before?

What I can say is that Presidio Patrol, aka CCV4, will be picked up today after the third rebuild in two years. King Kong Craig is supposed to wave his wrench over it after a cold start this morning. CCV4 has the locked rear spider gear Christian gave me. Therefore, we can finally put them to good use.

I will reinforce the experience predicted by the forum concerning the 4WD operation of the Patrol. CCCV5 or Green Machine never slipped a wheel after three days of climbing up and down significant rubble coated hills. CCV5 has the standard set up. However, we don't challenge those hills when they are wet, which is where the locked axles offer the highest value as you know. Water on limestone is a problem to respect besides the fact that our hills are laced with natural flint outcrops. The flint chards slice through rubber like butter so spinning wheels are avoided at all costs.

Patrolling to Paradise,
L60Boerne

[CBlake]

I have a 64 Patrol with Dana 44's and a Ford 289 in it and when I put an Eaton E-Locker in the front it was unsteerable on pavement when the diff was locked. It was manageable on dirt. I ended up going full hydraulic steering.

I have heard of people locking the front diff and just engaging hubs as they needed them.