Hi folks,

I got invited by a friend to head out to the woods with him off-roading. He's got a lifted toyota 4x4 pick-up with all fancy lockers and mudders.

I only have the base model (without the rear diff. lockers). Would I still be ok? Or would I have problems when things go serious?

Thanks in advance.

 

It all depends on how serious stuff gets. He obviously has an advantage over you, but a good driver can make up for a lack of equipment. Yesterday at a Hummer event put on by the Portland, OR dealsership, I watched several H2s and H3 barely make it out of a little mud hole, while I rolled right through and up the other side with barely spinning a tire. They also had a section set up with holes stratigecly placed so that you will get a tire or two off the ground at the same time. Everyone needed to use thier locker, and the base and lux models without them just went around. I eventually did it in high range with just a little more speed and made it through without using the locker.
Go out and enjoy yourself with your friend. You should be ok

 

Linus is correct. You can take a base model off road and will be fine. There will be some obstacles you won't be able to do since you don't have a rear locker. However, you can still try them (thats why you have tow hooks on the front and rear). If you find yourself in a situation where the wheels are spinning just keep in low lock and the shifter in low 1 and not drive. Then apply some steady rpm's and the H3 should eventually walk right out of the situation. The advantage of a locker is that it locks the rear diff so you get the one tire grabbing and pushing the vehicle out a lot easier. If you plan to hang onto your base model for a while and want to off road with it more, upgrading the tires to a more aggressive off road pattern and up to 33 or 35" tirs will help a lot!

Also, you should have a spotter. Someone that will help you manuver through the course so you know what you can and cannot do. In addition, take off mud flaps, side steps just to be on the safe side. You need to have that ground clearance and with side steps will end up tearing them up.

Mike

 

I have a Locker question.

Supposedly I got the Base model with no added features. I was told that my H3 doesn't have a locking rear differential, but in the cabin, I have a button that "locks" the 4 wheel drive mode. I'm assuming that is only to switch from all-wheel-drive to 4-wheel drive?

Or, is that the magic button to "lock" the rear differential?

My Rodeo has a rear limited-slip differential. Is that the same as a locking differential? Do I, indeed, have a locking rear differential?

Help!

 

If you had the rear diff lockers you would have a button on the right, second in from the end, with a picture on it of a rear axle

 

Does it have a little padlock symbol on it?

 

I think it's a rear axle with an X in it, over the differential if I remember correctly.

 

Well, I guess that means I should invest in a good Winch

 

If you don't have the "Offroad" Pkg, you don't have a rear locker. You're correct about your "lock" button; it locks the center differential between the front and rear.

Limited-slip: when a rear wheel spins, a limited-slip diff sends all the torque to the opposite wheel. L/S is much better than an open diff but L&R are not positively locked like in a locker, and can be "confused" in some traction conditions. Not nearly as robust as a locker either. (Not to be confused with the ABS-controlled traction systems on most current 4x4s.)

Locker: A locking diff engages pins that physically lock the differential so L&R both must turn together.

You can do a lot of trail driving without a rear locker, but for serious 4x4ing and rock crawling, a rear locker is has become almost mandatory and front lockers are becoming common mods.

 

I wasnt sure if locking meant that the rear wheels locked after limited slip, or lock all the time. Thanks for the clarification! Now I know that I am indeed in need of a good winch to pull my pathetic non-locking rear end out of the mud!