Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2018 17:21:07 -0800
Reply-To: stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Locking differential
In-Reply-To: <CAHTkEuK_ccbj_H9YXKi6-iyVhCw6M1iDYDWv09CfZU0=A4GrJA@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
You can get out of some slippery situations in a 2WD Vanagon by using the handbrake. Keep the button pushed in and you can pull up and stop one wheel from spinning. It really can work! I used this trick for years, but I did have studded tires all around.
I also read as many of the Vanagon travel blogs as I can find so I can live vicariously, and ran across a good example of getting though adverse snow conditions. These folks have a Syncro and used four Maxtrax devices to get over some very difficult terrain. Scroll almost to the bottom of this blog post to see them in use in Alaska on the Dalton Highway: http://charlottamiles.com/blog/?cat=21
Maxtrax is also Australian: https://us.maxtrax.com.au/ Aussies had new Vanagons well into the '90's and have a lot of Outback to explore!
Stuart
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Don Hanson
Sent: Tuesday, January 2, 2018 4:21 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Locking differential
I saw some winch drums on the front and rear wheels of a rig in baja...Guy said that they always got him out...some way you connect fronts to rears...? Sold in Australia, I think. 2 wd vanagons are really poor for traction, but the popular remedies cost a bunch.. I thought I'd look for something like those Aussie thingies....
.Only bad thing my van does...get stuck, and I drove 2 wd pickups for 20 odd wyoming winters ...all better by a lot than my Vanagon.. traction wise.
On Jan 2, 2018 2:56 PM, "Alistair Bell" <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
> Got stuck on the flat in similar snow. Very hard crust and about a
> foot or more of soft loose cold snow below. Locker and mod aggressive
> vc didn’t get me further forward. Got backed out finally.
>
> Maybe chains on the front would have helped but the crust acted like
> chocks.
>
> Alistair
>
> > On Jan 2, 2018, at 10:53 AM, Mark McCulley <mark.mcculley@GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
> >
> > I also have Nokian WRG's 215/60/16 and got quite a bit of experience
> > with them on snow and ice this past 2 weeks in Montana. They were
> > really good
> on
> > hard ice and moderately deep snow (4" or so). However in deeper wet
> > snow
> (>
> > 6") I encountered some problems. There were several times when
> > enough
> snow
> > was pushed in front of the tires that the van could not climb over
> > and
> got
> > stuck. I had to dig out in front of the tires to get moving again.
> Locking
> > diff and granny low did not help. I did not try airing down the tires.
> Got
> > stuck going uphill as well as downhill (driveway). The weather
> > situation was 10" or so of powder, that developed a wind-slab crust,
> > then got wet
> and
> > consolidated when temperature went above freezing for a while. Glad
> > I
> had a
> > shovel!
> >
> > https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipO-IyI4DPWtobAfb2gBFtf8gQecpfyy
> > sg
> 9gydlG
> > https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNOl3uAVHihRA5Lov8irvNYL6
> iOYapH7_-lY2PD
> >
> > -Mark
> >
> > On Mon, Jan 1, 2018 at 9:39 PM, Stephen Edwards
> > <chibicyclist@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Thank you Dennis and David.
> >>
> >> What are the other options exactly? I didn’t know there was more
> >> than
> one!
> >>
> >> As to the tires, I have new 15” wheels from Van-Cafe with Nokian
> >> WRG’s, which right now are doing quite well in the Chicago snow
> >> (we’re getting
> hit
> >> with sub zero temps, and I mean sub zero Fahrenheit - brrrrrr). I
> >> don’t really want to go any knobbier if I can help it.
> >>
> >> Steve.
> >>
> >>> David Boan wrote:
> >>
> >>> I had my transaxle rebuilt a few years ago at German Transaxle,
> >>> and did
> >> the "super-differential" upgrade. I dont tow anything, but notice
> improved
> >> traction when climbing on steep forest service roads, and on snow
> >> and
> ice.
> >> I dont have any hard numbers, just my impression.
> >>
> >>
> >>> On Jan 1, 2018, at 11:07 PM, Dennis Haynes
> >>> <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> If willing to go for that kind of coin you may want to look at one
> >>> of
> >> the other limited slip differential options. That would offer
> >> something more useful than just locking the rear at low speeds and
> >> extreme conditions. I would also ask what you are using for tires?
> >> Without
> traction
> >> sufficient for the task you could just end up with 2 tires spinning
> sinking
> >> you into the sand even faster. The Syncro lockers are robust but
> >> they do take a little tricking to get them locked when needed.
> >> Engage at low
> speed
> >> while swerving gently side to side to get the fingers to line up
> >> and
> slide
> >> in before you get stuck. Some side to side is sometimes needed to
> >> get
> them
> >> to unlock.
> >>>
> >>> Dennis
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf
> >> Of Stephen Edwards
> >>> Sent: Monday, January 1, 2018 11:38 PM
> >>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >>> Subject: Locking differential
> >>>
> >>> Vanagon list:
> >>>
> >>> What’s the verdict on lockers? I have an 88 GL with a Subie
> >>> installed
> >> and occasionally need to pull a boat out of the water. The place
> >> where
> I go
> >> has a sandy beach and the rear wheels get stuck every time. I need
> >> a rebuilt tranny anyway, but I’m told that adding a locking diff
> >> will add
> >> $1500 to the cost. Is it worth it? And aside from the cost - are
> >> there
> any
> >> other downsides to having one?
> >>>
> >>> Steve, in Chicago.
> >>
>
