74dart

The title says it all, I went down one of the old logging trails behind the house and when I came back up I got half way there when the truck started to slide backwards. I finally got past the slick spot in 4 low 4th gear and it on the floor. I know that in 4 wd it still only pulls with one front wheel and one rear wheel. I know that they need to both pull but there are so many diffrent ways of doing it I don't know which way to go. I figure that a straight locker in the front axel is the best but which one to use, and what should I put in the rear. What is everybody else using and how is it working out. For tires I am currently using Maxis Buckshot Mudders 285/75 R16s.

John Faughn

I think all of these truck came with a limited slip diff. in rear , neither front or rear should have a locker for everyday driving , the wheels need to turn at different rates going around turns , especially in front .
So unless there is a problem with rear , you should have 3 drive wheels .
Then it hard to judge with out knowing more , what kind of incline , any weight in rear of truck ?
If you were in 4 low & 4th gear , I would say you were going to fast , go with 4 low in 1st gear , maybe 2nd .

74dart

Limited slip was an option and unfourtanatly mine did not come with it. I always thought that rear ABS was standard but my truck doesn't have that either. I started in 4 low in 2nd gear till it lost traction. With the CAD I should be ok with a locker in the front axel or atleast that is what I thought.

Little03

A selectable locker in the front would work the best, Cause then you can just engauge and disengauge as you need it. If you have manual locking front hubs you can go with a regular locker.

You can get a True Track locker for the back that unlocks when you take foot off the throttle when cornering, then locks up when you apply throttle.

wadecool

I've had the buckshot mudders but the best mud tires I've found are Wildcat EXT's. I've been in some really deep mud trails & haven't come close to getting stuck with these tires.

74dart

I'm looking at buying a Jeep Wrangler instead of putting alot of money in the truck.

Rednecktastic

Why not get a limited slip for the rear and new tires? Junk yard rear end in good shape with the right gears and with the limited slip already in it and some new mudders if yours are worn down.

If that doesn't work then drop the real money and get a selectable locker for up front.

74dart

I ended up selling my 2000 Buick Lesabre and buying an 89 Jeep Wrangler and use it for my extreme 4 wheeling.

Chris Taylor

If you are like me you will put alot of $$ into it too.

trksrfun

Then you werent deep enough

Back on topic...
-A good set of tires will help alot, just look for a mud terrain that fits the budget.
-A rear limited slip will spin both rear tires which is good, but that does nothing if the tires are as smooth as a babys bottom. Look for a used LSD and go from there. (are factory LSD rebuildable?)
-A front locker on a daily driver is something i wouldnt even bother with mainly since you have a jeep to wheel (and lockers tend to get pricy). A full locker with CAD will work because you can disengage one axle with the push/pull of a lever so binding while going around a corner wouldnt be an issue.

I would just toss on a set of tires and wait to find a good deal on a used/?rebuilt? LSD and put the rest of the money into the Just Empty Every Pocket.... That is my .02, sorry for the long post.

Bozy

As a Forester, I have been up and down thousands of logging roads. With decent tires all that is needed is weight over the rear axle. Don't matter how old new big or small the truck. You need weight over the rear axle.

74dart

Probally. Long term plans for the jeep are 2.5" spring lift, 31" mudtires, locker up front, Ford 8.8 with lsd and disk brakes for the rear, and fitting a TJ top to my YJ wrangler.

SIXSLUG

Air'em down, get some weight in the bed.

A factory lsd is usually worn out by 50K miles, unless its been serviced regularly.

A true-trac or Detroit locker in the rear would be easiest. A locker in the front is a no-no, unless its selectable.

D Nut

When you get in a situation where one wheel spins, a temporary solution is to ride the brakes enough to equalize the resistance to all four tires. By slowing the spinning tire it trasnfers torque to the other tires. I frequently use this technique on a 4WD tractor in rough terain when one wheel is off the ground. Although the tractor has individual rear wheel brakes, applying braking pressure to all four wheels will have the same effect.

If all four tires are spinning then braking will not help.

FrozenAssets

Air down!

Lots of things factor into a no traction issue. Tires could be bald (or poorly suited for the conditions). Limited slip rear could be slipping. Weight bias could be improved (heavy diesel motor over the front axle, no weight over the rear). But the simplest thing to change (that will have a dramatic effect) is to air down. If you run load range E tires at 65psi, you will have to air down to 10-15psi to get ANY sidewall flex. Once you do, the tire can "conform" to rocks and stumps, and "float" on mud, snow, and sand (bigger footprint, less digging). That means you will get more traction. Too much wheelspeed can be as bad as too little (4th gear, foot on the floor?). The tires might be able to grab, but are spinning too quickly to catch up...

The downside is: you MUST air back up before resuming highway speeds, or you risk blowing a bead and crashing (or just wrecking the tire).

Another thing I teach in my offroad driving classes (no advertising in this forum, but PM me for details) is momentum. Not speed, but momentum. Getting into the hill with enough "oomph" to carry through the tough spot. A full throttle assault makes for interesting video, but it's rough on equipment and potentially dangerous for drivers and spectators. Each situation is different, but every situation (mud, snow, rocks, hills) requires a certain amount of finesse that takes practice to get right.

Lower the air pressure and get momentum right, and you'll walk right past the problem spot with no problems!