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P500 Who wants a diff. Lock ?

Dp5hunter

Dp5hunter

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I bugged them on facebook through messenger, it took a few days but they said they are working on it and it would be a few months...
It will be awesome to make these P500s even more bad ass then they already are.;)
 
JWB

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I bugged them on facebook through messenger, it took a few days but they said they are working on it and it would be a few months...
Well..... I'm glad to hear they're working on it, but very disappointed about the 'few more months' thing, after being told in mid August that it would be about six weeks for the first prototype. Who knows, they might be testing one now.....
 
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Dp5hunter

Dp5hunter

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Well..... I'm glad to hear they're working on it, but very disappointed about the 'few more months' thing, after being told in mid August that it would be about six weeks for the first prototype. Who knows, they might be testing one now.....
I (we) hope so anyway.
 
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Chooglin

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Received a reply from them tonight.
Screenshot 2017 10 23 21 39 42

I am just happy they are still working on it and it looks like we will be getting one in the near future!
 
luckymike

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Great that they're moving forward with this.these things take time though.last thing you want to do is release something that isn't fully tested.can't wait!
 
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SLP82

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@SLP82 , do you still think the steering would be hard after reading their description of the racheting design?

"The TORQ Locker™ never technically disengages, but it does allow for wheel spin differentiation so you can turn and steer the vehicle. The Locker achieves wheel speed differentiation through ratcheting. A slight audible click maybe noticeable at low speeds, this is an indication of the locker ratcheting."

View attachment 56743

Mine allows the same ratcheting but again it's only when torque is NOT applied. The lockers purpose is to provide 100% traction through turning both wheels at the same speed. It is impossible for it to determine if you are getting stuck, or turning. Both of those scenarios would be wheel slippage. It doesn't have a brain to differentiate between the two scenarios. When torque is applied (throttle) and you are in 4wd, it will lock up. You can change your driving habits slightly to avoid this during turns by either coasting through the turn with no throttle or simply putting it in 2wd. If you have it in 4wd and throttle through a turn, it will lock and you will feel some resistance in the steering. The amount of resistance will be based on how loose the ground is. If it's sloppy mud you probably won't notice. If it's loose sand you won't notice much either. Hard pack dirt you will notice more. Rock or pavement it will fight you big time. But why have 4wd on while on rock or pavement?
 
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SLP82

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Yes, with qualifications.

The problems with this type of system is that the rear wheels do not follow the front wheels.
On a wide turn the difference in turn radius is small, the impact will be minimal and likely unnoticeable.
However, in 4wd on a high traction surface and a tight radius the steering wheel will noticeably fight you.
The front diff is connected to the rear with a solid shaft - no center differential.
Also the rear tires do not track the same as the front.

So, we can assume one front tire is 'ratcheting' and we discount it from consideration - this assumes we are coasting (power off).
Of the remaining 3 tires, the inside front will be on a larger radius than the inside rear.
But all three tires are turning at the same speed.
The net result is the front tire wants to straighten out and you get to fight the steering wheel.

In 2WD there should be little to no impact.

Dose all this mean I'm not interested?
Hell no.
Let me know when they are available so I can send my money in!
Lee is correct
 
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SLP82

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We have a 2wd lever on the dash..I don't recall using it but it might be cheaper than power steering. I would be fine with just using 4wd when I need 4wd.

I couldn't agree more. If you are riding in 2wd, you are going to save a little gas, put a little less wear and tear on other components, and actually use your brain a little. When you come either to a steep loose climb, or a mud hole, just swap to 4wd. I do 70% of my wheeling in my Tacoma in 2wd. Simply shift to 4wd when needed.
 
Redrocket

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Chooglin

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Still confused on comment of locked up during power based on their reported slippage/racheting for wheel speed difference, as it works either in forward or reverse. Trying to understand the effect that if power is applied, then the racheting does not work, unless if there is a binding force on the drive piece that is greater than the ratchet override. Maybe it depends on the spring strenght. Agree with the resistence of one front wheel linked to the back shaft in either case. Thanks for the prior replies.
Pretty sure the purpose of the springs, is to keep the locker disengaged while in two wheel drive. This will separate the left and right front axles from each other !............someone correct me if I'm wrong!
 
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Bastardchild

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Yes, one wheel can overrun the other in a turn, which means that the outside wheel will be able to turn faster, but if power is applied in a turn, the inside wheel will be pulling (when in 4wd) and trying to pull the wheels back to straight forward, or conversely, if in a mixed traction situation or traversing obstacles where one front wheel has good traction, and the other is on a low traction surface, or in the air, the wheel with good traction is going to try to rip the steering wheel toward the side with the least traction. I expect that this is why Torq-masters recommends against installing in a machine without power steering. When a manufacturer recommends against installing their own product in a specific situation, there's usually a real good reason for it. If you want a locker, install the power steering first. I'm convinced this is a safety issue first, but may have a big impact on the 'fun-factor' as well. It's gonna take a fair amount of effort and $$ to install the locker, and it would really suck to find out after the install that using 4wd makes driving the machine miserable, or worse yet, unsafe, without power steering. Maybe one of the guys with a p700 with a locker and no power steering (if there is such a thing) could give us some feedback on this aspect of a front locker??
Just reading through this a little more. My wife has the p7-4 with no power steering and she has never complained about it being hard to steer when its in full lock.
 
Mudder

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Interesting video of a different unit, but shows the newer improved design at 3 minutes in. Prior comments make sense now, pictures worth a thousand words to me.
 
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JWB

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Just reading through this a little more. My wife has the p7-4 with no power steering and she has never complained about it being hard to steer when its in full lock.
Very glad to hear that! Thanks for the info. I have power steering on my P500 so this is really good news cuz the locker may be barely noticeable, and not a big deal to the guys without p.s.. Most of my riding is with 4wd engaged, so the locker will be in play most of the time. Most of all, I just want to get the damn thing installed.
 
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Bastardchild

Bastardchild

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Jwb, no prob. Yes im very excited about this too! I was actually contemplating cracking my front diff open and welding spider gears 'lincoln locker' style and just dealing with hard steering, or get power steering to compensate for the hard steering that the lincoln locker created. Im sure a lincoln locker would result in broken front cv axles a little more often also. Now that ive read this post through i think ill pass on the lincoln locker lol
 
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