P500 can you lock front diff by pressing the brake pedal

[Rustneversleeps]

I'm sure this has been ask before or maybe not.
I'm looking at buying the P5 but because of the front not having lockers leaning towards the P7
Can the front diff lock up if we apply a little brake while driving out of a mud hole..
And,with out installing a Torq locker is there any other front diff that would fit in the P5...

 

[maddmax]

I'm sure this has been ask before or maybe not.
I'm looking at buying the P5 but because of the front not having lockers leaning towards the P7
Can the front diff lock up if we apply a little brake while driving out of a mud hole..
And,with out installing a Torq locker is there any other front diff that would fit in the P5...

No

 

[Bastardchild]

I'm sure this has been ask before or maybe not.
I'm looking at buying the P5 but because of the front not having lockers leaning towards the P7
Can the front diff lock up if we apply a little brake while driving out of a mud hole..
And,with out installing a Torq locker is there any other front diff that would fit in the P5...

This is highly debated on the internet it seems. If you have it in 4x4 and only one front wheel is turning, you can jab the brake pedal while keeping your foot on the gas a few times and I would say 6 or 7 times out of 10 it will get the other front wheel turning also. This does not always work, but I have done this trick hundreds of times. Lots of times though it will only keep the front wheel pulling for maybe 4 or 5 revolutions before it stops pulling and you are back to 3wd again. Sometimes though, the 4 or 5 revolutions is all you need to get out of the sticky muddy situation youre in. However, dont let the lack of a 'true' locking front diff keep you from buying the P5. Torque masters has one available for purchase for around $430 for the P5 that a lot of members on here have installed and love. I actually still need to get mine, but until then the brake jabbing method gets me by.....sometimes..

 

[pFive]

Stopping all 4 wheels to try and get one to grab seems silly, so honda created the i4WD to do one wheel LOL.

 

[lee]

The brake trick kind of works with the limited slip front diff in the old ATVs (meaning the Honda ones - others I don’t know).
I do this on my old 2004 Rancher.
And it sort of works (especially if you hop off and pick the front up and lift it out of the rut).

But the p500 has a true open diff.
Just old school spider gears in there.
Some people say the brake trick works.
I say it doesn’t.

 

[Chooglin]

I'm sure this has been ask before or maybe not.
I'm looking at buying the P5 but because of the front not having lockers leaning towards the P7
Can the front diff lock up if we apply a little brake while driving out of a mud hole..
And,with out installing a Torq locker is there any other front diff that would fit in the P5...

Just curious, is there a reason you don't want to go with a Torq-locker ?

 

[Rustneversleeps]

Just curious, is there a reason you don't want to go with a Torq-locker ?

I guess it takes the time to install maybe after the 12 month warranty is up i do it...
I thought maybe we could take the rear diff and put it up front and have full lockers..lol
So is the front diff on the 420 rancher lock or is it limited slip would it fit..

 

[Chooglin]

I guess it takes the time to install maybe after the 12 month warranty is up i do it...
I thought maybe we could take the rear diff and put it up front and have full lockers..lol
So is the front diff on the 420 rancher lock or is it limited slip would it fit..

The pioneer 700 front diff will fit the 500 , the biggest issue with that is , the stubby cv axle on the passenger side of the 500 and the cost to convert it!

There have been several members on this forum that have looked into every possible way to get a front locker on the 500. There is a thread on the forum somewhere that discusses all of this. Right now Torq-Masters offers the best solution.

 

[Bastardchild]

Stopping all 4 wheels to try and get one to grab seems silly, so honda created the i4WD to do one wheel LOL.

The brake jabbing trick doesnt stop all 4 wheels. Both rear wheels and one front wheel will still be slinging mud in the air as you jab, jab, jab and then the other front wheel will start pulling. We have all talked about this before though, and if you are wanting to try this trick while you are going up the side of a steep mountain trail, I would recommend against it. That is the situation where it seems like it would be silly to try it. However, in the mud, which is my home away from home, I can tell you it works sometimes. It seems the time it doesnt work though is when you reeeeeeallly need it to work. I guess it will be a big debate forever.

 

[NTCPrezJB]

From the locker install vids, it seems that the difference between swapping out a diff and installing the locker is probably less than 30 minutes. I'd also guess in either case the warranty is voided or you are waiting for the warranty to expire before doing it.

 

[Rustneversleeps]

From the locker install vids, it seems that the difference between swapping out a diff and installing the locker is probably less than 30 minutes. I'd also guess in either case the warrantyya that right is voided or you are waiting for the warranty to expire before doing it.

I suppose the dealer doesn't have to know it not like torq locker going to break any thing,since most P5 owners have installed with out a problem..
I guess the 725.00 CDN,ya that right by the time it arrives that what it will cost me,and should be worth it..

 

[NTCPrezJB]

I suppose the dealer doesn't have to know it not like torq locker going to break any thing,since most P5 owners have installed with out a problem..
I guess the 725.00 CDN,ya that right by the time it arrives that what it will cost me,and should be worth it..

Definitely an expense for you. I've not been stuck yet so I haven't sprung for it either and I'm in USD. If I was using the winch often (so far only used once and that was pulling out someone else) or doing a lot of the loose climbs where I've seen video of the locker really shining then I'd probably be prompted to do it sooner than later. In the meantime it is a some day item for me personally.

 

[Mudder]

@JWB explained alot to me on the front differential, alot of good info and videos in this thread. P500 - Who wants a diff. Lock ? Installed the Torq Masters locker, no worries.

 

[DaddyDubbs]

I suppose the dealer doesn't have to know it not like torq locker going to break any thing,since most P5 owners have installed with out a problem..
I guess the 725.00 CDN,ya that right by the time it arrives that what it will cost me,and should be worth it..

Another possibility - If you know someone in Maine (perhaps even reaching out through this forum) have the Torq Locker shipped to their house, drive over, pick it up and declare at border.
A friend of mine from ON told me as much as he wanted to buy Canadian, on small but higher $ items he could drive to MI, declare at border and still save considerable money.
Also, when I lived in MI, I ran an online store and many of my border customers had boxes at a UPS type store that would accept packages in the states and had items shipped there.

 

[DG Rider]

The brake trick kind of works with the limited slip front diff in the old ATVs (meaning the Honda ones - others I don’t know).
I do this on my old 2004 Rancher.
And it sort of works (especially if you hop off and pick the front up and lift it out of the rut).

But the p500 has a true open diff.
Just old school spider gears in there.
Some people say the brake trick works.
I say it doesn’t.

^^^ This

 

[NitroxDiver]

I don’t t think they would be able to void your warranty over installing the locker. If you broke a front axle or diff housing they probably wouldn’t cover it but anything else should be fine.