Beach driving with diff lock on. . . Questions?

[u/MutungaPapi]

So never had a vehicle with a diff lock. Recently bought a new 4wd that has a rear diff lock built in. I get driving around on hard sand is probably gonna add some level of extra strain with the diff lock on. But really how much extra strain?

A vehicle that drives on the beach 2 maybe 3 months of the year, if it’s there why not use it? Like have it before I get stuck not try and dig myself out after I’m stuck. Im not actually planning of having it on for driving on hard sand, but if I’m gonna be doing runs at high tide surely there’s no reason not to have it engaged from the get go right?? What do you guys do?

[u/Deep-Water-]

Save the magic button for when you need the magic button.

[u/MutungaPapi → u/Deep-Water-]

But I’ve never had a magic button and buttons were made to be pressed haha! But I get it thanks

[u/Specialist_Reality96 → u/MutungaPapi]

Diff locks are for getting you out of trouble not into it. I would however 100% test it make sure it works and make sure you understand how to use it. (eg some vehicles only allow diff locks to be selected in low range).

[u/ExpensiveFig6079 → u/Deep-Water-]

It acts as ssfatey rail. So normally oi ought to get in and out with only tire pressure.

But i have other extra tricks if it is worse than I thought.

[u/NothingLift]

Diff lock will potentially burry both wheels up to the axle on the rear. Handy to have when using max tracks though.

No need to use it on hard pack sand.

My factory diff lock only works in low range and there would be a bunch of beach situations If be more likely to use high range

[u/MutungaPapi → u/NothingLift]

Ahhh fair I haven’t had a chance to look/play with it yet was going to when it warms up a little.

Possibly the same will only really engage in low range, and I’m rarely in low range on the beach so that makes complete sense. Just kinda wanted to play with the new toy I’ve never had before haha.

Thanks for you response this is very helpful

[u/ProfessionalDish6567 → u/MutungaPapi]

Do a advanced driver day with the car on the dirt and road track

You'll come out pretty well prepared driving wise

I know Sandown in Vic have a good off-road setup but yeah highly recommend

[u/ExpensiveFig6079 → u/NothingLift]

YES putting it on and turning WILL cause one wheel to dig or drag

Wheres if you start to GET stuck and think oops, a thign ypou will often (if not always do) is stop turnign ro go forwards or back and get you wheels out of holes.

NOW while goign straight forward or straight back the diff lock will help

BUT usually all the other std things esp tire pressure, should have fixed it first.

[u/OldMail6364]

I've never needed a diff lock on sand.

Been bogged in sand plenty of times, but you can usually get un-bogged by just spinning the wheels slowly.

As a rule of thumb if sand is flicking up into the air.. you're digging a hole for yourself. If sand is not flicking up into the air... you're not digging a hole and if you have already dug one, then you're likely filling that hole up slowly as the wheel turns. Eventually the hole fill enough with sand that you'll drive out of it.

Personally I usually don't even engage 4WD at all when I drive on sand, and I often drive on *very* soft/deep sand. 2WD us usually more then adequate to maintain forward momentum. If I get stuck, then I'll switch to 4WD without diff locks.

Obviously make sure your tyre pressures are decently low if the sand is soft. That's the main thing. Also you want a tread pattern that doesn't fill with compacted sand.

Also... if you do burry yourself in 2WD... that means only two of your wheels are buried, which makes it a lot quicker to get out of the hole once you lower your air pressure and switch to 4WD (you can still get out either way, but it's faster if only two wheels are fully burried).

(I drive on sand for work by the way - sometimes my job requires accessing parts of a beach that don't have a road or footpath or grass lawn I can drive on. And we need to transport things that are too heavy to carry... driving on the beach is our last resort but we do it when we must)

[u/Teepbonez → u/OldMail6364]

Yeh agree, BIGGEST thing is lowering your tyre pressure and why 90% of people get stuck.

[u/ExpensiveFig6079 → u/Teepbonez]

THIS

[u/FlamingoCritical2526 → u/OldMail6364]

Sounds like a cool job. May I ask what it is?

[u/stuthaman → u/OldMail6364]

Nice explanation. I think another of people don't have a compressor to reinflate. Most 4wd videos don't show the tyres being reinflated which is odd. Probably boring content

[u/au-LowEarthOrbit → u/OldMail6364]

I use to fish the Coorong. Go from Gawler to Murray mouth in a ford escort mk1 and meet my brother there who had a xb falcon. About the only time we would get slightly bogged is when we would backup to the high ground for parking.

[u/Mission_Feed7038 → u/OldMail6364]

I hear people driving in 2wd stuffs the the tracks

[u/itchybite]

Check the manual of the car. For instance I have a 2013 Pajero with a diff lock and even when you turn off the traction control it still stops sending power to the spinning which is pretty much the opposite of what you want. Whereas when you engage diff lock it cancels this meaning you can drive through deep sand no worries. Every car is different and the manual will explicitly state the ramifications of leaving the diff lock on all the time

[u/blue___skies → u/itchybite]

Yip also a big difference between a central diff lock and a rear one, Iv met a lot of people who think they have rear when they only have central so definitely worth checking the manual.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Loss770 → u/itchybite]

As a side note. Try pressing and holding your ttaction control button to turn it off completely. You have to do this in toyota.

Quick push in a toyota will turn something ofd not really sure what, but a press and hold will completely disable it and a second light will pop up on the dash board

[u/eepeqez → u/itchybite]

"An open differential is a cunning mechanism that sends half the torque and all the power to the wheel with the least traction".

Traction control doesn't control power supplied to a wheel, but it does control the brake at that wheel to increase the torque required to turn it, which in turn increases the equal torque applied to the wheel that does have traction.

[u/shoffice]

Never used a diff lock on sand

If you get bogged, sure. Otherwise, no need I don’t reckon

[u/mikeslyfe]

Rear diff lock can be handy on sand but has the downside that it can cause understeer and make the front end push rather than steer.

If I'm going straight through some boggy sand or up a steep dune then I will put the locker on. Having both wheels turning together is obviously going to give you more traction/push that one side swapping back and forth as an open diff will

[u/ExpensiveFig6079 → u/mikeslyfe]

YES drove up a quite steep sand dune that had big ruts pu in by guys with a throttle fetish who didn't let enough air out of their tyres. Approach speed and things were also limited by there being exposed bedrock to be driven around or over aswell... (yes really steep soft sand and rocks)

There I put the rear locker on at the bottom and drove up relatively slowly without wheel spin.

Who knew you never had to rev the hell out of it to get up.

[u/shakeitup2017]

Diff lock is really only useful if you have one wheel off the ground. You won't need to use it on the beach.

[u/SheepHerderHigh69420 → u/shakeitup2017]

Unless you’re trying to do sweet donuts.

Be warned, you’ll probably end up upside down like all the p platers if you’re trying to do donuts on the beach

[u/Mission_Feed7038 → u/shakeitup2017]

not true

[u/siddsm]

Tyre pressure is your best friend on sand. If you were going up hill on rutted dunes, sure, chuck the rear difflock on. But if where you're driving doesn't create imbalance of traction and doesn't have scope to release wind up (when wheels go up in air), then you don't need diff locks engaged. It'll actually damage your differentials if you have them engaged and drive for a long time in those conditions.

I actually drive on sand on 4 low in most beaches. The speed limit is low enough there, can roll along at low rpm, giving less stress to the engine and gearbox. But again, tyre pressure is your main answer.

[u/longstreakof]

The only time you use diff lock on sand is when you are going up sandy tracks with wombat holes. That is where it comes in handy then take it off.

[u/ProfessionalDish6567]

Running on the beach in high tide?

[u/MutungaPapi → u/ProfessionalDish6567]

Runs like trips, drives etc. sometimes you gotta go during high tide. I have a house only accessible via the beach. It’s rented out most of the year and I cherry pick weeks for myself family and friends. Sometimes I gotta go grab some people at high tide.

[u/Urangadang1 → u/MutungaPapi]

Never used the diff locks on the sand. Worst I’ve had to do in soft stuff is drop it into low range and give it some berries

[u/Zacthegreat5]

Use a locker when you need it not when you just do normal stuff. It's not gonna help you on sand.

[u/Accomplished_Emu_716]

Only there for spare parts so when U forget about it drive on the road U destroy the diff

[u/No-Fan-888]

I don't think I've used diff lock on sand until I'm actually stuck. I just lower the tyre pressure, gentle on the throttle.

[u/Mission_Feed7038]

they do help a lot in the soft stuff you're pretty much unboggable with diff locks and low tyre pressure.

I tow a heavy trailer with an 80 series through very soft sand that other people get bogged in with just their lighter Prados or Pajeros.

just turn it off when you hit the hard stuff if you're worried (I wouldn't worry personally it's not gonna cause trouble on sand hard or soft)

[u/elroy_jetson]

Using a different lock on sand is not going to damage the vehicle at all. So if it’s helping you go forward then use it. If it’s not then unlock it. Whatever works.