ok first off i have an 88 jeep cherokee pioneer 4x4 with the
command-trac transfer case, dana 30 front, dana 35 rear. i read stuff
about how you shouldn't use lockers in the front diff unless you have
manual locking hubs. they say that this is bc when disengaged it
bypasses the diff acting like an open diff. now i'm no expert, but
from what i understand, when the command-trac transfer case is in 2wd,
the front driveshaft doesn't spin, so it send no power to the front
axle. furthermore, i understand that when the command-trac transfer
case is in 2wd, the passenger side axleshaft is not connected to the
diff (only the drivers side is connected to the diff). so basically,
if only the drivers side wheel is connected to the front diff, and the
wheel is only moving from forward motion (not being driven), why the
hell couldn't i run a spool up front if i want to? am i wrong here?
the reason i ask is bc i am looking into lockers and limited slips. i
don't want to fork out the money for selectable lockers, yet i hear
really bad things about automatic lockers causing lots of problems. if
i could get away with running a spool up front i will. i mean, if i am
right, and the spool would only really engage when i put it in 4wd,
then what would be wrong in doing so? i would just have to be pretty
careful about where i use my 4wd at correct?

if anyone has any experience with lockers and limited slips in a dana
30 froont and dana 35 rear i would love any input. just understand, i
don't wanna spend the money for selectable lockers. i know they are
great and perfect for everything but they are too expensive for me! i
have been seriously considering limited slip front and rear (i hear
good stuff about auburns LS), or LS up front and automatic locker in
the rear (lockright maybe?) the vehicle is my daily driver, so i want
driveability to be affected as little as possible. i hear automatic
lockers make tons of noise from locking and unlocking, but since the
rear has so much less differential action than the front of the
vehicle, would an automatic locker be bad in the rear? i don't want it
to be noisy (between the rumbling of my engine, the roar of my mud
tires, and my stereo system i can't handle anymore!), and i don't want
it to put alot of stress on my drivetrain.

i know some of u jeep gurus out there can answer my questions! i very
well may be wrong about running a spool up front but i have done alot
of research and this is just what i've gotten out of it. if i am
right, technically i could run any kind of diff i want up front right?
i know the rear is a different story. if i can get away with running a
spool up front, i mind even splurge on a selectable locker for the
rear with the money i save. thanks in advance yall!

james morrow

XJJEEBS.....

Can't tell you about your theroy on the front end.  I would love to hear some replies from some of the Gurus out there also.

I can tell you that I put the lockrite (rear) in my 96 Cherrokee and I HATED it.  You get what you pay for.  It would lock in at the most inopportune times.  It was tearing up my rear tires something fierce.  I spent the extra 250$ on the basic detriot locker.  It was worth every penny.  You could predict fairly well when it would engage.  A huge plus on the dry road.

Good luck.

For starters, I don’t know where you’re gonna find a spool for either of your axles. A brief perusal of the catalogs from Moser Engineering, Summit Racing, Strange Engineering, Chrisman’s and Mark Williams Enterprises turned up nothing. Which might be just as well since spools place tremendous torsional loads on axle shafts, and the axles that came with your Jeep aren’t exactly the stoutest pieces Dana ever offered, particularly the D35 rear.

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If you’re considering an axle swap, you can get a spool for a Dana 44. Check out this link for a look at one in a Jeep rear-end application, with pros and cons discussed:

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http://www.jpmagazine.com/howto/31958

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That said, a spool is a flat-out bad idea for front-end use unless you only intend to drive in a straight line (i.e., drag racing). The reason is that it provides a solid link between the ring gear and the axle shafts, providing equal amounts of torque to both wheels and turning the axle shafts at the same rate---which is to say, it doesn't allow for any wheel slippage. This is fine for straight-line driving, but the minute you attempt to steer the vehicle in one direction or another---immediately inducing wheelspeed differentiation---the spool will try to correct for this, and the result will be pronounced understeer, jerky and unpredictable handling, excessive driveline binding, and premature failure of numerous components including (but not limited to) axle shafts and U-joints.

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Unless you’re considering a beefier rear axle setup (a D44 at minimum), you’re much better off going with a limited-slip up front such as a Truetrac or Auburn unit, a similar limited-slip or Detroit Locker in the rear, or selectable lockers such as ARBs in both ends. And forget the front spool in any event.

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Douglas McColloch

Editorial Director, Jp

I have a Lockrite in the front of my CJ5 and love it.  I have manual hubs but I generally keep them locked in unless I'm doing a lot of street driving. I don't notice them until I put it in 4wd.  Then you know they are there! Big difference over stock, and I tend to abuse the heck out of them.  Easy installation if you have a bit of mechanical skills, and it gives you an opportunity to change out those leaking axle seals.  ;-)

Buddy of mine put Lockrites on the back of his wrangler and isn't real happy with the street performance - kinda changes lanes on it's own sometimes.  He likes the offroad performance though.  I'm gonna go with an ARB in the rear when the cash becomes available.

A spool, aka Lincoln Locker, like the previous post said is good for straight driving, and you can get away with them on SOFT surfaces like sand or mud.  But on a firm surface? Well, let's just say you need to get used to changing out hardware: just little things like tires, u-joints, axles, bearings, gears...