2013 Rubicon Gears, Axels, and buttons...

Hey, don't want to sound like a noob here, but don't want to be stupid either, or have my 21yr old tell what to do. I'd rather hear it from the experts, or from those who have a Rubicon.

Are there some good rules of thumb when to use the Rubicon rear lockers only, and when to use rear and front?

In my TJ, I never had lockers at all, so I don't want to do something that would cause damage internally. Just looking for some good sound advice when to use it, or not to. Safe way to engage, and dis-engage, or can you do it incorrectly? Like I've said, I owned a TJ for 15 years, and I plan to get my money's worth out of the Rubicon offroad.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

John

I'm no expert, but generally I will turn on the rear locker when I am approaching a section I think I might need them. You want to turn them on preferrably when stopped and on level ground or as level as possible. When not sure, turn on the rear and leave it on until you're done with a hard section.

I only turn on the front for extreme stuff where I might be at a weird angle and need the front traction. I won't turn it on if I'm going to need to steer much. I find that even on the hardest trails, I will only turn on the front a couple times per day.

I don't have a Rubi, I have an ARB in the rear and Rubi D44 front. When I turn on the rear, I tend to leave it on until I'm going to stop and wait for people to catch up, or until I'm going to turn off the Jeep. Since it will disengage anyway when I turn off the motor, I will stop, turn off the locker first, then turn off the compressor, then turn off the Jeep. Of course, I forget to do this sometimes and just turn off the Jeep. When I hear the compressor release, that's my reminder to turn everything off before I start the Jeep again.

I've talked to a few guys that essentially leave the rear locker on all the time when off road.

I've got a 2013 JKUR too. Like mentioned above I use the rears more often so I dont limit turning ability. However, with the stock rubi lockers I haven't noticed any issue turning them on stopped, moving or otherwise. The systen (correct me if I'm wrong) is designed to handle it and engages when safe... just like the sway bar discos.

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I'll leave my rear locker on from the time I get to the trail head to the time I'm done with the trail for some of the trails on Moab, I will also turn it on when I'm in 4 Low. you don't have to stopped to turn them on, but I wouldn't try and turn them on at ove 10Mph. Shouldn't be going over 20Mph in 4 Low anyways. Like others have said. I don't use my front lock much. Mostly for climbing up thinking that I feel like I could use front traction for, and then turn it off when I'm past that part. The sway bar will re hook if you go over 20Mph.

Thanks for the advice

See, I'm learning a couple things already. I appreciate everyones comments, they all seem pretty consistant and logical.

John

Just be careful in slippery off camber situations, locked up, and applying some throttle. You can side slip really easy.

If your are locked in off camber slick spots (mud, snow, ice) it can actually cause you to slide sideways.

The lockers prevent tight maneuvers, so you'll want to unlock to make a sharp turns.

You risk breaking parts when hitting high rpm's while locked. Just remember lockers are for crawling and you'll be fine. I often wheel with just the rear locked. It's a rare occasion to lock the front, only on really challenging rocks/trails.