E-locker in the Mud for Control???

josh.bunch

josh.bunch

New member
Can using your e-locker in the mud help with control, i.e. keep you going straight instead of sideways? I ask because I was at my dear lease and had to drive down this road that was 10-12 feet wide, & had been rained on for 7 straight days. One side is Mesquite trees, brush, cedars, etc, and the other side is a mean barbed wire fence.

The road was about 800-1000 yards long. I made it down the road with a few close calls, but I wasn't so lucky on the way back. I had 2 run-in's with the barbed wire on the way back. I couldn't cut the fence down, so I gunned it and steered out of the fence. Let me just say that the 4runner didn't win.

I was in 4wd Hi, no locker engaged. I feel like the usual rule of thumb is when you encounter lots of mud, being in 4wd Low is generally not as good as being in 4x4 HI. However, would being in 4wd low with my locker engaged have given me better control of my vehicle. Basically I am wondering if my rear wheels would have stayed behind my from wheels?

I know the discussion has been had for using a locker in ice, and the consensus is NO LOCKER IN ICE. Mud has similar surface characteristics(lack of control), but I thought I would ask the question anyway.

What say you?
 
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I don't have a locker myself, but I believe there is the "grey wire mod" that allows you to engage your locker regardless of transfercase position. So you could be in 2wd locked, 4hi locked, or 4low locked.

Hard to say if it would have helped you here, maybe, maybe not. Too many other factors at play, but it likely wouldn't have hurt. One extra driven tire may have allowed you to carry less speed, and more control through the narrow muddy road, and kept you out of the fence.

Best part is it's cheap and easy.
 
Do the gray wire mod and give it a try. If the trail is off chamber, locker on may make things worse!

Maybe better (mud terrain) tires and limit wheel spin. Try to just troll thru.
 
My two cents...the locker would probably make things worse. I have one on my rig and while it's great for a lot of things you have to keep in mind what it's actually doing. By locking both wheels together and not allowing either to slip then it's much easier to push the truck sideways. In slippery situations torque can work against you so being in 4low would not be helpful.

Think about doing a burn-out. If both rear tires spin (they're traveling faster than the front) it kicks the vehicle side-ways while it's searching for traction. Same concept here.

What shape are your tires in? If you have decent rubber, and the mud isn't deep enough you are going to sink, trying gonig slower and letting your traction work for you. If that doesn't work you would always have the locker to help get you unstuck.
 
I have found myself in a position where if I gave it any amount of gas, in drive or reverse, my back end would start sliding toward a cliff. A couple hundred foot drop off. This was in about 6" of snow, on top of solid ice. I was in 4Hi to start, then went into 4Lo with the same results.

My buddies were going to hook me up to a winch and drag me out of the ice, but I thought, "Oh wait, I have this fancy locker, let me engage that first." Long story short, I hit the button, and with MINIMAL sliding pulled right out of there. Is my situation the same as yours? No, but that's my story.
 
I was just in this situation 3 days ago (same day I did the "blue wire mod"). I'm working here in south Tx and have about 10 miles of dirt road to travel to get to pavement, after 3 days of rain it was pretty muddy. The night before I used 4wd to get around since it was so slick but after doing the blue wire mod I wanted to try 2wd with the locker engaged and it actually helped out a big, at least when it came to keeping the truck straight.

I tested this out by traveling 20mph 2wd and getting sideways then slowed to below 5mph engaged locker in 2wd then sped backup to 20mph and stayed straight the rest of the time not to mention it didnt bog down as bad in the deeper stuff.

I still prefer using AWD or 4HI locked but it was fun to test out the blue wire mod and see how well it all worked.
 
I would say it would have helped. I was in Baja a few years back and went through some slick clay-like mud. It looked dry, but it wasn't. Had MTR's, and barely made it through.

Next day I went back and put the locker on, knowing I almost got stuck, and felt a world of difference.
 
Thanks fellas. It sounds like I should do the blue wire mod so I have the option of a locker in 4wd HI. I have Toyo Open Country AT for those of you asking. They have about 85% tread left and are great tires. This is my 3rd set.

I was driving very cautious and slow, 3-7 mph. The road had a slight angle to it that kept causing me to slide toward the fence. When my back end would head that way I would just let off the gas and try to re-correct. I never hit the brakes.

Like I said, I made it down the road unharmed, but on the way back (road slightly more torn up) I had more control issues.
 
Yep. Didn't even think about that. I need on board air before I go airing down out there. It's 35-40 miles hwy driving to the nearest gas station to air them back up.
 
I would expect the locker to make it a lot worse from my personal experience. I've had some moments where I had it engaged on slippery off-camber spots and immediately if I change throttle input or hit a small bump it throws traction off and the rear end kicks down the hill. Your best bet would be probably be 4HI, and keeping steady momentum. Slowly accelerate before you bump over any obstacles, and back off just as you crest them so your wheel speed is always at or just barely above the speed you're actually moving.

Definitely no locker in the ice like you said... unless it's time to play :)
 
bike said:
I would expect the locker to make it a lot worse from my personal experience. I've had some moments where I had it engaged on slippery off-camber spots and immediately if I change throttle input or hit a small bump it throws traction off and the rear end kicks down the hill. Your best bet would be probably be 4HI, and keeping steady momentum. Slowly accelerate before you bump over any obstacles, and back off just as you crest them so your wheel speed is always at or just barely above the speed you're actually moving.

Definitely no locker in the ice like you said... unless it's time to play :)
Click to expand...

Thanks bud. That was my common sense thinking too. Doesn't mean it was right, that's why I asked.
 
I think your biggest problem is that you have AT tires. They will pack and hold mud and turn into slicks. Sometimes you actually need to get the tires spinning to toss the mud out of the grooves (caution, this has to be done and still keep the vehicle in control). MTs would help.
 
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