Four Wheeler Magazine covers 4x4 Trucks, SUVs, & Off Road Vehicles
Subscribe Four Wheeler Magazine today for only $10.00! Link to Four Wheeler Magazine Facebook Fan Page Sign up today at Four Wheeler for your personal car space

Locking Differentials Explained

The Ins and Outs

Photography by Trenton McGee
128 9702 Lock 01 Z

If you've read any off-road magazine, you've heard the term locking differential. And, you've probably heard people endlessly praise the benefits of lockers off-road and bemoan their drawbacks on-road. The one thing you probably haven't heard is how these mysterious traction-aiding devices work. We poured over diagrams and studied all the internal pieces until we had a full understanding of how these things are put together. Now, we'll break the silence and reveal the inner workings of these technical marvels so you too can understand how lockers work.

128 9702 Lock 02 Z

In this article, we'll scrutinize the three most popular aftermarket lockers--the Detroit Locker, the ARB Air Locker, and the Lock-Right. 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers in Burbank, California, was kind enough to let us raid their shelves and tear apart an example of the Detroit Locker and ARB Air Locker so we could photograph the insides of each. Both of these lockers are available through 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers, or the lockers can be ordered directly from the manufacturers.

Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!

*Please enter your username

*Please enter your password

*Please enter your comments
Comments:
Not Registered?Signup Here
(1024 character limit)
Four Wheeler