trooper diff. compatibility

[pbkid]

ok, so im sure it has been discussed at some point in time like everything has...
and yes i did search and the closest i found was the 'the 12 bolt aussie locker is available' by LDUB thread...

however, my question is, would lockers and gearing for a trooper work the same for our VX diff??

i ASSUME that it wouldnt or many more of the 'hardcore' guys would have lockers and 'teragears' by now...but i figured i would ask

looking into locking my rear diff before moab... but there is a wide range of lockers available for a trooper but not a whole lot specifically for the VX...

oh, and dub, did you ever get your locker put in and finished??

did you use our diff or did you have to order a different diff?? (why cant locker go in our diff?) the locker itself isnt all that expensive, and i wouldnt mind paying someone to put it in for me, but i dont understand why we cant use our diff?? (thats what i have gotten from what i have read)

[ZEUS]

OK, the diff can be described as a bunch of bits that work together inside the housing of an axle. In our case, we have a 3rd member that carries the ring and pinion gears, bearings, and the "differential" which in our case is a limited slip differential. Locked, selectable, Limited slip, and open are the terms used to describe what type of diff or carrier an axle assembly has. Being that we have an LSD in the rear means the ring gear bolts directly to it. If you were to order an ARB (model RD85), it would replace the LSD,and the ring gear would then bolt to the ARB instead. This means you would have to shim and adjust your gears so that they mesh correctly again. If you were to order a "lunchbox" style locker (Aussie Locker) you would also need to find an open carrier/diff to use in your stock axle housing. You end up swapping out the spider gears in that carrier and you replace them with the locker instead. If you already had a 3rd member set up with the 4.30 gear ratio AND an open carrier you would not have to adjust the gears to mesh correctly unless you just didn't trust them as is. The point is you didn't have to remove the ring gear or the carrier from the assembly to use the locker. So you can spend $400 on an Aussie Locker and another whatever for an open carrier and have all that swapped into your axle housing. Or you can spend $800+ on an ARB and have the same adjustments performed for the same amount and then spend some extra change for switches and compressor. Disclaimer: Just my understanding!

[WiSDoM]

that was a good explanation.

[Ascinder]

Or you can just open up your case, weld it all up and run a "Lincoln locker". No so selectable, but practically free and very effective on the trails.

[ZEUS]

A lincoln locker works by using an open diff and welding the spider gears together using your Lincoln brand welder. I have never heard of someone using an LSD to accomplish this but that is not to say it is impossible. But it is full of parts, so I wouldn't recommend it. Some axles have aftermarket spools available which is the lightest diff you can get, no moving parts, no extra weight, just a collar that splines the axle shafts together and has a flange to bolt the ring gear to. Simple and cheap but only available for a few axles.

[pbkid]

ok, so....

it seems like the ARB stuff is very expensive, but in the end you end up spending the same for ARB as you would an 'aussie' locker because you need to buy the extra 3rd member? and the ARB can be 'turned on and off' in a way?

all in all, your looking at what? about 1200-1500 depending on how much the shop charges to put it in??