differentials

[Alk-3]

I was trying to get up a muddy hill the other day and found I could not climb it. During the ordeal I was watching the wheels and was surprised to see that only one wheel was spinning, and the others were just sitting there.
Can someone explain how the series 11A differentials work, and if there is some way to lock them so all 4 wheels turn all the time?
Thank you!
It's a '67 btw, and I have a 8274 for emergencies.

[LaneRover]

If it is in 4 wheel drive and everything is working then at least 2 wheels should be spinning as the front and rear axles get locked together when in 4 wheel drive which is why you shouldn't drive like that on the road.

These may sound like simpleton questions but did you put it in either 4 high or 4 low? If so do you have locking hubs and know that they were locked. I once only had one locked which totally makes that axle pretty useless.

You can get locking diffs for a series but they did not come that way.

Brent

[Eric W S]

If you don't have the owners manual, pick one up from our hosts. It goes over everything you should know about...

EwS

[thixon]

Alk-3,

Need clarification. Stock axles? Also, do you mean that one wheel on each axle spun in the mud while the other did not turn? If so, normal. Google "limited slip differential" for an explanation of how your axles work.

[KevinNY]

You can Google "Limited Slip Differential" to learn about how diffs work but what you have are plain old open diffs.

[Alk-3]

If it is in 4 wheel drive and everything is working then at least 2 wheels should be spinning as the front and rear axles get locked together when in 4 wheel drive which is why you shouldn't drive like that on the road.

These may sound like simpleton questions but did you put it in either 4 high or 4 low? If so do you have locking hubs and know that they were locked. I once only had one locked which totally makes that axle pretty useless.

You can get locking diffs for a series but they did not come that way.

Brent

I was in 4 wheel drive, low, and the front hubs were engaged.

[Alk-3]

Alk-3,

Need clarification. Stock axles? Also, do you mean that one wheel on each axle spun in the mud while the other did not turn? If so, normal. Google "limited slip differential" for an explanation of how your axles work.

I believe they are stock axles.
Thats exactly what I mean. if this is normal, then how are you supposed to get out of the mud? seems to me this is not a great set up for off road use.

[Alk-3]

You can Google "Limited Slip Differential" to learn about how diffs work but what you have are plain old open diffs.

That's even worse isn't it?

Is there any solution to this? I don't know much at all about differentials, but to me a locking set up would be the best wouldn't it? Like offering limited slip for on road, then when you need to, you can lock it up so you have full traction in slippery, or muddy conditions. Does this make sense?
Still a bit confused why they would use open diffs for off-road situations. Am I missing a benefit to this situation?

[Firemanshort]

I went to a driving school once. I 'knew' all about differentials before I went to the school. But, at the school, they gave us a prebuilt LEGO (advanced set) rolling chassis with front, rear, and center diffs. We played with them and rolled them all around in turns and straights first locking one diff and then other and so on. I learned a lot more.

Nothing teaches me more than getting my hands on it and actually watching it. It is an easy model to build if you got LEGOs banging around the house.

[Eric W S]

That's even worse isn't it??

No. It's stronger than an open diff, and still affords more traction than the open carrier.

Diffs are personal to the truck, driver and type of wheeling done.

You have a winch. You may not ever need locking diffs. You may not want them after pricing them out either. Google great basin rovers and decide if you want to invest in them or not.

[TSR53]

I went to a driving school once. I 'knew' all about differentials before I went to the school. But, at the school, they gave us a prebuilt LEGO (advanced set) rolling chassis with front, rear, and center diffs. We played with them and rolled them all around in turns and straights first locking one diff and then other and so on. I learned a lot more.

Nothing teaches me more than getting my hands on it and actually watching it. It is an easy model to build if you got LEGOs banging around the house.

Exactly!

(I stepped it up some from LEGOs...) I built two Tamiya TLT-1 Max climber Radio Control trucks for the 4x4 Center off-road school to help with illustrating this also. Each were identical except one had a locked front diff and locked center diff. The other one had both front and rear open diffs and only a limited slip center diff.

The Max Climber with a locked front and center diff works way better :-) .

http://c7716.r16.cf2.rackcdn.com/RN-Forum/users/TSR53/Tamiya-TLT-max-climber.jpg

These above kits, TLT-1 Max Climber and regular TLT-1 truck are discontinued from Tamiya. The second kit I built had to be sourced via eBay and imported from Hong Kong!

Tamiya does however have other kits that are readily available if you can handle the cost... These are way more detailed and much larger than the 1/18 scale TLT-1. These new released kits are 3-speeds with pins in the front and rear diffs that can be removed for locking and unlocking axles if needed.

Cs3tdc9gz6g

[NickDawson]

My buddies in the Rockies who spend summers rock crawling love axel lockers - but they are taking something that started life as a Toytoa FJ and endeing up with something that is really a custom built, diamond plate beasts built to roll around boulders.

In my off roading around the east coast, I always thought I'd be better off with a wench than than lockers, but thats just me. Usually when I had one wheel in the mud, they were all in the mud and a wench will let you pull sideways, not just forward and reverse.

[greenmeanie]

I always thought I'd be better off with a wench than than lockers, but thats just me.

I have to agree here. At least she can use the mobile to call a friend to come pull you out.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[TSR53]

Additional Tamiya radio control kits available are the CR-01 rock crawling units: Toyota FJ Cruiser, Unimog, CJ, and new Bronco. IIRC, these too can have pins for locking and unlocking diffs. Too bad they don't make a Defender...

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[NickDawson]

I have to agree here. At least she can use the mobile to call a friend to come pull you out.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

HEY O! :eek:
As I said before: "bad spellers of the world untie"

[Blueboy]

You have a winch.

agree with Eric on this one as well.

to some, a winch is just another traction aid.

lockers are nice and will get you either by the obstacle or just really, really stuck in which case a winch is your best friend.

off-highway driving with open diffs before going locked also makes for a better driver imho.

back to your one question - a vehicle that is locked frt and rear (assuming a center diff lock as well) will have greater traction as all 4 wheels will be receiving power.

[LaneRover]

When you say that you were looking at the wheels and only saw one spinning, is that because you could only see one side of the truck because you were driving? Or did you get out and have someone else drive so that you could see that only 1 of your 4 tires were spinning?

[Alk-3]

When you say that you were looking at the wheels and only saw one spinning, is that because you could only see one side of the truck because you were driving? Or did you get out and have someone else drive so that you could see that only 1 of your 4 tires were spinning?
just one front, and one rear. I was looking out the window, then asked my wife if her side was spinning.

[JimCT]

Learn to apply just a bit of brake when you have two wheels spinning, it will transfer some of the torque to those wheels.

[LaneRover]

just one front, and one rear. I was looking out the window, then asked my wife if her side was spinning.

Yup, thats all you get out of a stock Rover set-up.