on budget, want to lock the rear but i dont want to just weld it up. so does anyone run LockRight Lockers? how good are they? any opinions?
I know of several people who have them in the back of their rigs and they seem pleased with them. I've never personally seen one damaged; but I have broken several Samurai axleshafts driven by a lock-rite.
Just throwin' it out there...but I'm not a fan of the lock rite in the rear of a Samurai (other vehicles it is OK in). I have run them in the back of several different Samurais, a Ford Ranger, jeep cherokee and a Toyota Pickup. It was by far the most noticeable in the Samurai (assuming because of the light weight and short wheelbase). Any sharp corner under power resulted in a bang and a jerk to the outside of the corner. It just seemed to lock up with unnecessary harshness. I also feel that they put rather large shock loads on the axles; often times in the rocks, it would allow most of a complete turn of the tire before locking up, allowing the tire and drivetrain momentum to build up before locking in the "stuck" side. I broke several Samurai axles this way in a rig I owned a while back. People may boo and hiss at this; but I really prefer trail tough's mini spool in the rear of a Samurai, daily driven or not. The light weight allows the inside tire to slip freely on the pavement, it is predictable, smooth, reliable, and tough. Best of all, it is cheap. I've had one in 2 (soon to be 3) different Samurai's that I have owned.
Here is what I recommend (this is what I have done on two of my own personal Samurais, and I will be doing to a friend's sami next month). It allows you to test out the lock rite in the rear of your rig to see if you can live with it, with the potential for easy future upgrades:
Buy and install the lock-rite in the rear of your Samurai now. Later on, when you decide to lock up the front axle (after a power steering upgrade or whatever), buy a mini-spool and a set of 26 spline rock assault axle shafts. Move the rear 3rd member from your sami (containing the lock-rite), up to the front and install the 26 spline shafts (they will slide right into the lock-rite's side gears). Take the mini-spool and install it in the 3rd member you removed from the front, and then bolt that 3rd member into your rear axle. You now have a rear axle with a spool, a front axle with a lock-rite and chromoly shafts. This prevents having to buy something twice, and lets you experience the lock-rite vs. the spool in your own rig...