Tractor Sizing How important is rear diff lock on CUT?

[LD1]

Split brakes ain't gonna help there 80% of the time either.

Never said it would.

I use split brakes in place of a locker for those odd times. Like only one tire hung up (or in the air). And it works just as well as a locker. But I use brakes far more to keep the tractor in a straight line when rear blading on an angle. A locker wont do that.

I'll go you one better: Hitch those two tractors tail-to-tail and see which one makes it to their end of the field first. I bet it's the one using the locker...

I am betting it will be a stale mate. Two identical tractors, with even footing and traction (not one tire on ice other on pavement; rather similar between the two rears), and I doubt either one will move the other.

Done it several times with different equipment and vehicles. Most notably, I had a 85 dodge w350 power wagon. 33x12.50 mud tires and posi front AND rear. Chained to my brothers 89 F150 and street treads with open diffs. On a pretty hard packed gravel drive it was a stalemate.

Sure, I could pull alot harder than him. But not hard enough to overcome his dead weight back out of the two depressions he made when spinning tires.

It takes a pretty significant difference in equipment size or weight for it to not be a stalemate in my experience. Just because one may have more drawbar pulling power, doesnt mean its enough can overcome the other.

I think you guys are blowing this out of proportion. I am NOT saying that a locker isnt usefull. I am NOT saying that a locker doesnt increase pulling power. I am saying that in MY experience, the slight increase doesnt help me more times than it does. You guys are making it sound like hitting the locker and getting BOTH tires spinning suddenly increases traction by 2x's. But that just isnt the case in most circumstances. I think most of us here arent running big iron pulling 18' disc's. We are running small CUT's doing a variety of chores.

 

[McREBEL]

I'm not sure why folks are arguing over this....having both is best. Having just one or the other will always leave situations where you don't have the best tool for the job...even if you can still suffer by without it.

The bottom line is ^.

 

[DavesTractor]

No worries fellas. When you climb out of your tractor simulators I'll buy ya a beer.

Not sure I've ever had any real experience where traction is equal. One tire always seems to spin before the other. This equal traction sounds more in theory than real life. If ya got the engine turning only 1 wheel, that's 1wd in my book. But you can debate all u want.

More people on this thread seem to know the value of a locker from experience.

Flame on.

I have lockers front and rear on my Jeep. I can climb up an uneven step on a steep hill with no drama, while the unlocked guys are spinning and struggling. The unlocked guys will often resort to a little more speed to let momentum carry them over a hump, and consequently can get them selves into more trouble and more carnage. The lockers are so much better than open diffs that it is almost as if I am cheating.....

And a Jeep has a lot of axle articulation already, a tractor....not so much. It is when a tire is in the air that lockers are such a big help, and it is easy to lift a tire on a tractor.

Theory aside, a locker will get you out of a bind where an open diff will leave you spooling out the winch cable.

 

[SPYDERLK]

He means much of this is theory...i.e. like a simulator. Why? Because you're making up fictional conditions like "near equal" traction which isn't something you can know, and is only going to be true sometimes. That turns it into a theoretical argument....a simulation.

Yes, dragging a split brake will often get the job done, but it won't always get the job done, and simply isn't as effective at putting power to the ground as a locked differential. A diff lock won't help when you're turning, so split brakes are still a handy option.

When I've needed to use my diff lock, it was usually because traction wasn't anywhere near equal. It was also a heck of a lot easier to just step on the diff lock and not have to stop, disconnect the brake pedals, and then drag a brake while trying to get unstuck.

I'm not sure why folks are arguing over this....having both is best. Having just one or the other will always leave situations where you don't have the best tool for the job...even if you can still suffer by without it.

The bottom line is ^.

No. The "bottom" line under discussion is which of the features offers the most versatile capability. That both is better is a no brainer, whereas distinguishing which is capable of getting you through more situations requires that you get into lots of situations - so many that you are able to keep your brake pedals unlocked and reliably operate them together or selectively. When you do that you find the split brakes will do anything a rear locker will do, and then some - except getting ALL the power on the ground. Some is used by the applied brake. ... If youre rolling , braking a lesser traction wheel to assure that both wheels are working to their traction limits will get you max thrust but will require more engine power than the locker setup. If you need all your engine power the brakes are going to slow you down and use more fuel while one brake or the other is on. Brakes also wear out -- intermittent use only.

If you need to use one of the features long term it has to be the locker. It also had better be a task with lots of straight lines and not much sideslope.
larry

 

[ZR900MAN]

Can't believe there is 12 pages about a diff lock

 

[GManBart]

Can't believe there is 12 pages about a diff lock

Good thing the OP's question wasn't something like "R1 tires with split brakes versus R4 tires with locking differential, which is more useful?".....

 

[SPYDERLK]

Good thing the OP's question wasn't something like "R1 tires with split brakes versus R4 tires with locking differential, which is more useful?".....

That one has a clear answer.

 

[LD1]

Locker and r4s won't pull as well as r1s with split brakes. Even if you don't use the brakes.

 

[94BULLITT]

Locker and r4s won't pull as well as r1s with split brakes. Even if you don't use the brakes.

What if the tractor with the R4s is bigger

 

[AGRIMAN]

In the days before GPS and Auto-Steer, one trick to planting straight rows was to use the diff lock. Now, when it comes to planting around curves and keeping everything even and looking good is another trick.