Use that diff-lock

[atalarico]

I just want to give three cheers for having a diff-lock on my 97 Limited.

I went up a pretty tame 4WD road this past weekend out here in Colorado called Halfmoon Creek. TrailDamage.com - Halfmoon Creek

We skipped the harder fork on the road because really we were just looking for some nice dispersed camping (which we definitely found), and to get close to a nearby trailhead to climb Mt. Massive.

There's this eroded and exposed culvert pipe with some pretty solid potholes/steps before it. Hikers were coming down, obviously exhausted from the long slog up Mt. Massive, right as I was getting ready to tackle the crux of the culvert. I waved them through, but they were confused and just sort of stepped off to the side...like...right onto the line I was hoping to take. I said screw it, and just went for it in 4lo...and right into the damn potholes and started spinning.

I remembered to hit the magical RR DIFF LOCK button that collects dust most of the time...and just crawled right out like it was nothing. So...three cheers for diff locks! I don't want to start assuming it will get me out of everything, but it's nice to know it's a great backup when the going gets tough.

Where were you when you first needed that magical switch?

 

[mckennar]

Big Bear (CA). The wife and I had just spent about 4hrs between 4hi and 4lo on the back side of some ski resort on and off marked trails, when I finally made it back to what resembled a road (fire break) and followed it to where the USGS topo quad and google satellite shot said it should intersect with another road that lead to pavement and eventually our hotel.

We get there and pass a bunch of confused looking mountain bikers and hikers, only to find a large (locked) metal gate and some boulders blocking the logical "go around" points. Turning around meant at least 2 hours in the opposite direction. So I recon'd a very steep / rocky path between a few trees that were *barely* wide enough for the truck (had to fold the mirrors, said good bye to the factory running boards) then asked my wife to "hold my beverage and watch this."

4lo, diff lock, trans in "d" and it just idled its way up over and around the gate. Didn't even spin a tire. Scared the hell out of some folks as I plowed over some scrub brush coming out of the ravine and onto the trailhead access road. Both factory running boards were toast, though. These things are freaking mountain goats.

 

[atalarico]

Big Bear (CA). The wife and I had just spent about 4hrs between 4hi and 4lo on the back side of some ski resort on and off marked trails, when I finally made it back to what resembled a road (fire break) and followed it to where the USGS topo quad and google satellite shot said it should intersect with another road that lead to pavement and eventually our hotel.

We get there and pass a bunch of confused looking mountain bikers and hikers, only to find a large (locked) metal gate and some boulders blocking the logical "go around" points. Turning around meant at least 2 hours in the opposite direction. So I recon'd a very steep / rocky path between a few trees that were *barely* wide enough for the truck (had to fold the mirrors, said good bye to the factory running boards) then asked my wife to "hold my beverage and watch this."

4lo, diff lock, trans in "d" and it just idled its way up over and around the gate. Didn't even spin a tire. Scared the hell out of some folks as I plowed over some scrub brush coming out of the ravine and onto the trailhead access road. Both factory running boards were toast, though. These things are freaking mountain goats.

That is AWESOME! Yes, of course we should "stay the trail", but something tells me this was a desperate time calling for desperate measures. I was half expecting that you were about to say that you attached a chain to the gate and opened it up!

I had a locked gate situation too up on Pike's Peak road. Me and my climbing partner had a minor epic climbing a couloir there, and were a lot later than planned. We had no idea they locked the gate early in the Spring. I looked every which way to try and get around that damn thing, but they had obviously thought of that. Glad to see someone has come out victorious when faced with gates!

 

[mckennar]

Glad to see someone has come out victorious when faced with gates!

For every victory, there are a dozen defeats.

I do not make it a policy to break trail when faced with an insurmountable obstacle, but this was different. What I disliked about the gate being locked on us at Big Bear (earlier post) is that according to the park service website, that gate was supposed to be open until 1hr after sunset from March thru December. It was daylight, in April.

The on-and-off trail shenanigans for the previous 4 hours were all on double track. Some portions of it more uh... "marked" than others.

Edit: so how did you surmount your locked gate situation? Call park rangers or camp out until the gate was unlocked?

 

[atalarico]

For every victory, there are a dozen defeats.

I do not make it a policy to break trail when faced with an insurmountable obstacle, but this was different. What I disliked about the gate being locked on us at Big Bear (earlier post) is that according to the park service website, that gate was supposed to be open until 1hr after sunset from March thru December. It was daylight, in April.

The on-and-off trail shenanigans for the previous 4 hours were all on double track. Some portions of it more uh... "marked" than others.

Yeah, I have the same feelings about those types of things. If something says it's "supposed" to be a certain way, and it's not, I feel that justifies what I need to do!

Did your wife take any good pictures of the...adventure?

 

[codyHTX]

my first and only diff lock use is pretty lame compared to those stories... but here it is

needed to power wash mildew off the north side of my house, 8' ladder wouldn't reach the high points so i decided it was a genius move to ratchet strap it to the top of my roof rack! the roommate (pictured) and i rigged/checked thoroughly before I climbed up...

anyway the side of the house has about 4-5" of river rock sprawled along it, and once both driver side tires were on the rock 4lo wasnt getting me anywhere. pushed the magic button and effortlessly idled backward into position! my neighbors think I'm weird.

 

[sn0wrunner]

:doh:

 

[atalarico]

my first and only diff lock use is pretty lame compared to those stories... but here it is

needed to power wash mildew off the north side of my house, 8' ladder wouldn't reach the high points so i decided it was a genius move to ratchet strap it to the top of my roof rack! the roommate (pictured) and i rigged/checked thoroughly before I climbed up...

anyway the side of the house has about 4-5" of river rock sprawled along it, and once both driver side tires were on the rock 4lo wasnt getting me anywhere. pushed the magic button and effortlessly idled backward into position! my neighbors think I'm weird.

I don't care what the haters say, that is awesome too! The picture makes it too.

 

[mckennar]

Did your wife take any good pictures of the...adventure?

She took photos of the scenery but not of the gate bypass operation.

I found the trailhead road on street view. You can see where the gate latches (it's open in the street view photo) and where we had to drive up to get around.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.227...vxIr1OHl5wHa66gAbA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

You can kind of see the gate far up the road in the street view. It's open. You can also see the "operating off of marked trails prohibited" sign. Wish they'd posted this where we entered the trail. (here https://www.google.com/maps/@34.235...4!1s1jsf2L4GjCJfDg_tMkoAiw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)

 

[truman3]

my first and only diff lock use is pretty lame compared to those stories... but here it is



needed to power wash mildew off the north side of my house, 8' ladder wouldn't reach the high points so i decided it was a genius move to ratchet strap it to the top of my roof rack! the roommate (pictured) and i rigged/checked thoroughly before I climbed up...



anyway the side of the house has about 4-5" of river rock sprawled along it, and once both driver side tires were on the rock 4lo wasnt getting me anywhere. pushed the magic button and effortlessly idled backward into position! my neighbors think I'm weird.

[MENTION=127657]codyHTX[/MENTION] - Are you who I used to see between 7:45-8:15 on Louetta near Kuykendahl almost every morning??? That thing looks familiar!


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[PWD4R]

I used it first when my rear suspension was blown to shit and we were in some steep hills that I didn't trust because I was bouncing around so I used it to prevent from needing to try twice.


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[Unner]

my first and only diff lock use is pretty lame compared to those stories... but here it is

needed to power wash mildew off the north side of my house, 8' ladder wouldn't reach the high points so i decided it was a genius move to ratchet strap it to the top of my roof rack! the roommate (pictured) and i rigged/checked thoroughly before I climbed up...

anyway the side of the house has about 4-5" of river rock sprawled along it, and once both driver side tires were on the rock 4lo wasnt getting me anywhere. pushed the magic button and effortlessly idled backward into position! my neighbors think I'm weird.

They think you're weird for being innovative? Sound like they're the weird ones... I used my roofrack to trim the top of some tall shrubs next to a customers very steep driveway where I couldn't get a ladder to sit correctly.

 

[alittleoff]

My wife and I went on a test drive with the salesman and we drove to some local hills. I knew of some rutted half steep trails in the area. We start to head up in 2WD, lost traction, climbed a little more in 4hi. Then down to 4lo, and then locked. We got to the top and turned around. About half way down, I put it in reverse and back up the hill in 4lo lock.
Also this was in a '98 Limited with 75,000 miles that we did buy in 2002.
The salesman said it was the best test drive that he had had in a while.

Steve

 

[codyHTX]

[MENTION=127657]codyHTX[/MENTION] - Are you who I used to see between 7:45-8:15 on Louetta near Kuykendahl almost every morning??? That thing looks familiar!


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nope, it ain't me! My typical mornings in Houston I would be spotted heading out I10 West to the energy corridor around 6:30

 

[drcharlton]

I've never gotten to use mine yet...want to.

 

[Greatvoid]

The extent of using mine, so far, was to prove it worked.

...it didn't, at first. Guess the PO hadn't used it in years and years. Cycled it a few times and it slowly began engaging faster. Got half a mind to crack the diff and feed it fresh lube. We'll see how it feels about locking up after a weekly cycle over the next month or so.