Could someone explain the difference to me?

[Skipholiday]

here is a quote from a good article Deerlope linked me to..
How a differential locker works...

With a standard open differential (found in 4WD vehicles).... If one of the four wheels loses traction, lets say the right rear, the rear differential senses this as less resistance and makes that wheel spin. A spinning wheel does not move the vehicle. The other wheel on the same axle (on firm ground with plenty of traction) gets the same amount of torque as the spinning wheel. Not much. Both wheels together do not produce enough torque to move the car. A differential always distributes torque equally. The amount of torque generated at the wheel with the least traction determines how much the other wheel will get - the same amount of very little. Little torque because traction is low at the spinning wheel.

Should the right rear wheel have lost traction due to a height difference on the trail or some slippery situation as snow or mud, the left front wheel will also lose traction and spin even though the ground under the front axle is level. This diagonal wheel spin is very common. So, the right rear and left front wheels are spinning. Bottom line...YOU ARE STUCK!

(This is what the RTV has)
Limited Slip Differentials, the name says it all, they limit wheel slip. They do not prevent wheel slip. They only limit wheel slip. Traction is lost later than without limited slip. Looked at another way, you will be stuck a little later. Traction will be lost when more torque is needed to move the car. Limited slip creates additional resistance and allows for a higher torque value to be produced at the wheel with less resistance. Even though LSD is a help in light duty situations it truly doesn't do anything when the offroading goes beyond a standard flat dirt road.

Fancy names like Trac-Loc are not differential locks - they are disguises for limited slip differentials.

(This is what true 4 wheel drive vehicles have)
Differential Lockers or diff locks are the only cure for the known shortcoming of differentials sometimes not distributing enough torque to the wheels as described above. Diff locks disable the differential's ability to sense resistance. By disabling (locking) the differential it is forced to send equal amounts of torque to the left and to the right wheel. This guarantees that any wheel with traction will receive torque to move the car.


Diff locks will make the difference between STUCK and still DRIVING.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

your stuck if you don't have the right tires and driver.lol if my hpx with limited slip can spin them 27"589's caked with mud and sling chunks the size of softballs off thats plenty of enough force to move the utv.sorry skip your getting the wrong info.i have never been stuck because of the lack of a locking front diferential.when i pulled the rhino out the other day i was on dry ground in 4low and i dug 4 ruts or should i say 4 holes the hpx was hoping up and down but it was digging 4 holes the way your putting it is if i disconnect my rear axle i should be able to hold back a limited slip front utv with just the front pulling and useing my own body wieght and thats just not the case unless you wanna try standing in front of my hpx i'll disconnect the rear drive to prove it to you.i think it's time to give the 3 wheel drive thoery a break. i go most places with my hpx in 2 wheel drive and a rarely use the 4x4 mode get better tires and you would be amazed at what you can go through. it's funny how the true 4 wheel drive utv's and 4 wheelers call me with thir cell phones from the woods to come with my 3 wheel drive utv to come pull them out . whats even funnier is i have to go through the same stuff they just got stuck in to get to them . now i'm sure a true 4 wheel drive utv is nice but don't go around putting down all others like they are junk because they have l.s.d. that lsd utv might be pulling you out of a hole one day .

 

[Skipholiday]

sorry skip your getting the wrong info.

What info is wrong? Please quote something I stated that is incorrect..
The information I posted was from a link that Deerlope sent me via pm.
Here is the exact link.
I'm glad your hpx does so well. My 05 hpx was fun, but it didn't go the places that my 06 hpx would.
And my 06 xuv goes places my 06 hpx wouldn't.
The rear end hanging down lower than the axle in the rear kept me off many trails with the 05.

Every ones riding conditions and styles aren't the same.
We do more than mud ride. We hit the hills and the rocks.

Show some video's of your hpx doing something difficult..

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

"""With a standard open differential (found in 4WD vehicles).... If one of the four wheels loses traction, lets say the right rear, the rear differential senses this as less resistance and makes that wheel spin. A spinning wheel does not move the vehicle. The other wheel on the same axle (on firm ground with plenty of traction) gets the same amount of torque as the spinning wheel. Not much. Both wheels together do not produce enough torque to move the car. A differential always distributes torque equally. The amount of torque generated at the wheel with the least traction determines how much the other wheel will get - the same amount of very little. Little torque because traction is low at the spinning wheel."""

there is your misguided proof i have been in plenty of mud hole where my front tires have drug the back through. what you posted is saying that they will not even produce enough tourque to move a car. thats wrong! you posted a videos of the xuv climbing a hill but cut out the video of it getting stuck on a little rut at the top.my hpx would have done that in 2 wheel drive.i showed you a picture with my hpx loaded it don't squatload the xuv or do you want me to put more weight in it for you? i shall get you a video of a good mud ride and prove it to you that lsd don't matter if you mave the right tires and know how to drive .

 

[Skipholiday]

LMAO now thats funny..

I never cut any video. All my vids are posted on my youtube site.
The one the 06 hpx getting stuck on the root is on the 2nd page.(They get moved as I add more..)

And it was stuck because of the rear diff guard catching the root.
Thats why I traded for something better.
I have four 4 wheel drive vehicles. 2 are true 4 wheel drive and 2 are lsd.

1st hand experience with both types proves to me which will go better.
Thats a no-brainer..

 

[Skipholiday]

i shall get you a video of a good mud ride and prove it to you that lsd don't matter if you mave the right tires and know how to drive .

Mud? Show it climbing some rocks or a steep muddy hill.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

i sure didn't see any rut big enough in that video to hang up on the rear end. it just looked like the rear tires was spinning and the video was cut off! if it was hung up on the rearend then why was it sliding to the side ??if it was hung up on the tranny it would have stayed put all he did was nose up to a root and spin the tires thats all and agian the right tires and driver would have takin that "little hill"easily them mud-lites are just for lite mudding.

 

[RollTideRam]

Tommy, he said it was stuck on a ROOT, Not Rut. They are different. Until you ride somewhere besides a mud hole, you will not understand what Skip is telling you. If you are happy with what you have, good. Other people ride others places that require additional traction. Not the same, but I have driven my Samurai stock with open diffs, then added a mini spool to the rear (3 wheel drive) then added a locker to the front. I can go more places now and I don't have to drive the snot out it to get up the same places now. JC

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

sorry i ment to say root. but what skip has posted is saying the front tires do not pull what so ever and that is not true.he keeps popping up with the 3 wheel drive thing and how you can't go no where with it and how it's not good for mud riding thats all not true. he is the one stating you can't make it in the places that a 4 wheel drive utv can go i say i can i do it all the time down here i don't do no rock climbing i mud ride he said them front tires don't pull thier weight THATS A LIE! if they didn't then when i would ride and the rear tires would spin and i stop moving forward then how come when i put it in 4x4 it starts moving again ??? how does it spins them big tires caked with mud??? that video of the xuv has stock tires on it so i don't think the mud is so slick of heavy otherwise it would be stuck just looks like water to me with a hard bottom. skip just seems to have a hang up on the 3 wheel thing. sometimes when i'm in the woods i have to unlock the rearend because it's to hard to turn i wouldn't want all 4 locked up that would be a nightmare. from now on i'll just ignore the 3 wheel drive coments being they don't mean nuthin .

 

[darkday]

Tommy they don't lock all the time only when there's slippage.

I always thought though that when one wheel slips all the torque goes to that one wheel?

I just don't know why this is still up for debate though. I'm not saying (and I don't think anyone is) that 3wd isn't good and will get you stuck instantly. But 4wd > 3wd. There's no question about that if you use simple logic.

4wd > 3wd > 2wd > 1wd. This would be a lot like me saying that 1wd is just as fine as 2wd in the snow. My car has an open diff and I drive through snow that is deeper then the ground clearance of my car. No problems. So what's the need of a locking rear? I don't see any need for it I mean if I can get through any snow I want to it seems a bit pointless doesn't it?

My logic falls a bit short wouldn't you say? Everyone knows if I had a locking rear of some sort I would be much better off and could get through even deeper stuff. Ice? Better pray to god you don't get a wheel on ice while the others are in snow. Can you believe I got stuck in 3 inches of snow the other day? I went off my driveway which was covered in ice but stopped with one wheel on it. Whoops so much for getting out of that one. Had to get the gator out, all because of 3 inches of snow...

/end rant.