Driving in sand with rear diff locked?

[curmudge1]

Reviewing the manual on my recently acquired 2019 TRD Off Road, I read some warnings about the rear locker, it basically says to just use it when the wheels are spinning, get unstuck, then turn it off. Which is fine, but I had been keeping the diff locked on my previous 2012 4R Trail Edition when driving in soft beach sand (NJ - Island Beach State Park) for surf fishing... 4Lo, Diff locked, MTS on low... basically just thinking better to use these features to NOT get stuck, which I haven't, yet. Nor any trouble mechanically with 2012 TE. I try to drive carefully, not over the 10mph speed limit, avoid any sketchy spots.

I posted the warnings below, what do you all think about driving over 5mph, up to 10mph? Leaving the diff locked? Note, I did some forum searches, saw some discussions about A-Trac/MTS/Rear locker, and sand. Did not see my questions answered. TIA.

■To avoid an accident
●Do not use the rear differential lock system except when wheel spinning
occurs in a ditch or on a slippery or rugged surface. Large steering effort
and careful cornering control will be required.
●Do not lock the rear differential until the wheels have stopped spinning.
Otherwise, the vehicle may move in an unexpected direction when the differential
lock is engaged, resulting in an accident. This may also lead to
possible damage to rear differential lock component parts.
●Do not drive over 5 mph (8 km/h) when the rear differential is locked.
●Do not keep driving with the rear differential lock switch on.

 

[DAW89446]

My '18 is an SR5 thus no rear diff lock. But my previous truck was an '02 Tacoma TRD Off Road.

I used that truck a large percentage of its miles off road in the intermountain West. Any time I was on a rugged trail, I switched on the locker and it stayed on until I returned to the pavement. Same with 4WD, it went in once off the pavement, into 2WD when back on (unless there was snow on the road).

The truck went to my grandson when I bought my '18 T4R. The Tacoma has just over 250,000 miles and has never experienced any mechanical failure to date.

 

[Corbet]

My advice is to leave the rear locker off unless you need it. The electronic sorcery of the traction control is very good. Let it do its job. If you get stuck you have one last trick in the bag to get unstuck. If you drive around with the locker always engaged and get stuck you're kind of done.

While the locker has a speed limit of when it will engage exceeding that speed will not damage the locker. However it will put more stress on it when turning and your rear wheels have account for different lengths of travel. Straight line you are fine. (make sense?) So again best to leave it off unless you need it.

The most important thing to do in deep sand is air down.

There are lots of situations where you don't want it on like steep descents or off camber stuff. You have less control steering and the truck can walk sideways. Not sand related but just another reason to leave it off. Treating the rear locker like transfer case and engaging it on every time you take the truck offroad is a poor choice IMHO.

 

[MR203K24]

The way I see rear diff lock, is to get you out of trouble once you get stuck-- as a last resort

 

[1000MPH]

We use to regularly do a hill climb where there’s loose sand towards the top. Unless you’re really on low pressure ballons you need momentum and to be in the power band. Sand setting is pretty good to lessen the intrusion but electronic traction control tends to be a momentum killer. Diff locked and a running start (20-25mph) seems the best approach for this hill. Ymmv

 

[Turfboy]

I hadn’t been using my rear locker hardly at all (like never) but recently while trying it out I found it was quite sticky and would not engage. I had forgotten that 4low is not a locked engagement. Took me about a week of working it to get it smoothly operating again. This was done on dry pavement by driving in a straight line in 4low mashing the button and saying a small prayer (both in forward and reverse). I consider myself quite lucky to get it working again.

I guess I’d say if you don’t use it you may loose it :lol:

 

[DAW89446]

I hadn’t been using my rear locker hardly at all (like never) but recently while trying it out I found it was quite sticky and would not engage. ... I guess I’d say if you don’t use it you may loose it :lol:

One reason I always engage 4WD once off pavement and engaged my rear locker when on the trail. Another reason is that I'd rather not get stuck in the first place. I've never had any mechanical issues with transfer cases nor the rear lockers.

 

[El Dusty]

You absolutely should not be running the locker at all times offroad. Differentials exist for a reason. Tires still need to spin at different rates during the majority of offroad use: sharp turning, ascending and descending obstacles. Locking them together creates a skid/slide in many scenarios which can create a loss of control and damage your tires, axles and the trail.

A system like A-trac is something you could leave on during a full trail run. It is more passive and attempts to simulate a locker only when wheel spin is detected. The rear locker should only be used directly in the area that wheel spin is occurring or expected to occur and turned off afterwards.

It is not about not getting stuck in the first place. Its about control and understanding how to use the tools at your disposal when they actually help and and do not hurt.

 

[DAW89446]

The outer tire slides around turns. The granular granitic and alluvial soils of the Great Basin, Death Valley and the eastern Sierra Nevada is akin to tiny ball bearings and has little resistance to sliding. Tire wear was never a problem, other than the usual slicing and dicing of off road use (BFG All Terrain TA).

Again, my T4R is an SR5 so there is no rear diff lock. But I have kept A-Trac turned on the few times I go off road, usually during hunting. I'm up in my 70s now and don't off road much any more. I had the e-locker on my '02 Tacoma TRD Off Road. My grandson still drives the truck daily.

 

[fourwd1]

If you're attempting something challenging and might get stuck engage the locker.
When you no longer need it disengage it.

Or for more of a challenge, don't engage until you're stuck and no other way out.

It's that simple.

 

[MN_Pat]

I'm in prevention of getting stuck is worth way more than the cure to get out. sometimes it needs to be engage prior to the problem. Don't want it to have trouble engaging when already stuck.

Conditions matter, if where you are will allow wheel slippage (ice, deep snow, mud) then rock on with a locked diff until things improve. My main use case is deep snow over top of ice. I can leave it on for quite a while.

If there is really good traction (rock), then use it sparingly to solve a particular challenge. The undo it immediately after. As mentioned above, ATRAC or MTS is some awesome sorcery

 

[tonytoshiba]

My 2012 4runner Trail did not have that warning in the owner’s manuals. Yes, I read every one of them. I used to write or edit manuals, instruction books.
Living in the mountains, driving in deserts, in the snow, loose sand, dirt, I lock up my diffs. In four low my speed is low, usually less than 8mph. I only have 270k miles on it. No broken parts, weird noises, vibrations, and when I do go to Toyota service, they have not found anything either.
I try to do most of the work myself, being a retired engineer, I do want to know everything about my equipment.
edit follows:
I have many friends that rarely, if ever use their 4WD, and/or the lockers.
Then when hard weather hits, or they try to go where no man has gone before, the machinery will not work.
My manual did say to engage the 4WD, lockers, 4WDL, I do not remember the time/mileage points.
They paid good money to have the units replaced, or torn down, inspected repaired.
My 4WDH, L, and lockers get exercised at least once/month.