Diff-locks, cheap old fashioned solution

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ed513

New Member
Posts
8
We all know the weakness of even the best 4x4 if it hasn't got diff-locks, stuck in a ditch with the opposite-side wheels churning air uselessly.
I remember helping on a farm, many years ago where the tractor had 2 adjacent brake pedals,one for LH rear, one for RH rear wheel. Normally, a bar across the pedals meant that they operated simultaneously. But if you ditched one side, you swung the bar away & stood on the pedal of the wheel which was in the air. Hey presto, all power went to the wheel in the ditch, the tractor hauled itself out easily. The best thing about this is that it's simple, also that it's self-cancelling. With a mechanical diff-lock, if you forget to release, you will quickly damage halfshafts etc. It's ironic that Landrovers, unlike most other vehicles, don't have a handbrake cable going to each individual rear brake drum. If they did, it would be easy to make a diy modification involving 2 handbrake levers in the cab ready to lock the offending wheel. I'm puzzled as to why they never incorporated this cheap, crude, but effective method of enhancing off road ability. Any ideas anyone?
 
The parking break works the same way, only you burn up the side that you are trying to get traction to. There is always the the weld up option... and a T-case can be modified for twin stick operation so you can move power from the rear axle to the front axle as needed. Its called power digs.
 
ed513 said:
It's ironic that Landrovers, unlike most other vehicles, don't have a handbrake cable going to each individual rear brake drum. If they did, it would be easy to make a diy modification involving 2 handbrake levers in the cab ready to lock the offending wheel. I'm puzzled as to why they never incorporated this cheap, crude, but effective method of enhancing off road ability. Any ideas anyone?
Click to expand...

Not so ironic for a Defender... handbrake operates the transmission, not the rear brakes ;)
 
Hi Greenjeepster,
On Landrovers the parking brake operates via the axle differentials, this means that you can't use it to bias power to left or right. You can operate the central diff-lock for most off-road situations,giving equal & fixed power fore & aft, but in the case of the vehicle losing traction to one complete side, i.e. ditching, you're relatively helpless without a diff-lock across the axle.
 
Same on older jeeps.....oh well...thats why we use twinsticks....but landys are all-wheel-drive so that is out too. (are the older ones as well) Who said it was the best 4x4 by far?
 
as you only got 4 posts you dunt speak to me unless ave spoked to you first and then only wiff yer head bowed and a large sum of money in yer hand
 
Ey up Slob did someone say something?

Anyhow a well known trick for getting unstuck in this situation is to apply the brakes which reduces the power to the wheels that are spinning and unsticks you. However I've tried this a few times and find it doesn't work!!
 
What you could do is fit sum sort of solenoid type valve to the brake pipe at each wheel. so you could shut off the brake to the wheels that got grip. then when you apply the anchors they will only stop the wheels that are spinning.

You would be able to do this without getting off your seat as well!
 
all these mods are fine for off road use. the trials flat cap brigade have used em for centuries.
but theres no way the MOT peeps will allow it on a legal road going car.

we had all sorts of probs, just with hydraulic handbrakes on the rally cars.
 
ormus said:
all these mods are fine for off road use. the trials flat cap brigade have used em for centuries.
but theres no way the MOT peeps will allow it on a legal road going car.

we had all sorts of probs, just with hydraulic handbrakes on the rally cars.
Click to expand...
Point taken. In order to satisfy MOT inspection, levers could be positioned out of normal driving reach, even to the point of having to leave the driver's seat to lock-on the wheel brake. This would be no great hardship, as the whole idea is that the system would be for occasional use when all else has failed to extract the ditched vehicle.
 
So what happens then? You get stuck, get out of the vehicle, lock the brakes of the spinning wheels, get back in the vehicle, then drive off? So what happens when the locked wheels get to an area that they can grip?
 
If your too cheap to buy lockers...than stay out of the ****ing ditch. What you don't have laws against drunk driving there? Be a friend, take a stand, call a cab...... Friends don't let friends drive drunk
 
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