M180 locker install

[P&PJeep]

Newbie here so forgive me if this is posted in the wrong place or others have posted the same topic, which I cannot find.

Purchased my first jeep 1 year ago, 2020 JLU and immediately installed a 2" Mopar Lift and 315 tires. Did Fins & Things and Top of the World that hooked me and looking for more. Currently looking at rehearing to 456 or 488 and installing ARB lockers. Has anyone installed a locker on the M186 front axle? Getting conflicting responses from the shops I have discussed this with. Some say no issue, others say if done upgrade the axles and others say not to do it. I have the M220 rear and all shops say there is no issue here.

What is your opinion/experience with installing a locker in the M186? Thank you for helping a Newbie learn.

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[Onward4x4]

Lots of people look at the M186 as too flimsy to be worth the price of putting in lockers. They believe that they aren't worth it since they likely will break soon. One thin you can do is to strengthen them with a set of truss (Artec makes a great set for the M186 JLU Sahara and Sports) and then go from there. Some other folks think that the M186 are perfectly fine for traveling and dirt roads and such so long as you don't start climbing rocks--in which case they will likely bend. So... that's where a judgment call is in order. But, look into Artec0-that may be your solution. I hope this helps.

 

[Yondu_JLU]

Honestly I'd just save up for a set of Rubi take-offs. Lockers, 4.10 gears, wider by about 1.5".....by the time you buy the gears, install the gears, buy the truss, install the truss, buy the locker, install the locker......you're looking at well over the price of admission for a set of D44s with all of that installed already.

 

[P&PJeep]

Lots of people look at the M186 as too flimsy to be worth the price of putting in lockers. They believe that they aren't worth it since they likely will break soon. One thin you can do is to strengthen them with a set of truss (Artec makes a great set for the M186 JLU Sahara and Sports) and then go from there. Some other folks think that the M186 are perfectly fine for traveling and dirt roads and such so long as you don't start climbing rocks--in which case they will likely bend. So... that's where a judgment call is in order. But, look into Artec0-that may be your solution. I hope this helps.

Thank you

 

[Odyssey USA]

Edited from previous post to give more specifics on timeline.

Opinion only with no experience yet. Only observation. JL LIFE OFFROAD on YouTube wheeled their Sport very hard doing rock crawling, specifically, for a long time. They put 4.56 gears and after 37’s for a while... chromoly shafts in it which held up fine until they bent the axle (again, same wall thickness as Rubicon). The lower gears put more strain on the diff.

Recap: They went from 33’s to 35’s to 37’s. They checked the front shafts after 37’s, find the splines twisting, so they installed chromoly U joint shafts. Later they suspect they bent the axle due to a tube seal leak that won’t fix. They crawl hard, they bounce, they hit the gas.

Check out their trips and decide for yourself but I think you’ll be fine if you upgrade the shafts or even go RCV’s. It’s not the axles tubes that are the weaker link(same as the Rubicon M220/44), it’s the factory shafts and then I’d say the Pinion but I think those are upgraded over the previous “30” too.

 

[P&PJeep]

Honestly I'd just save up for a set of Rubi take-offs. Lockers, 4.10 gears, wider by about 1.5".....by the time you buy the gears, install the gears, buy the truss, install the truss, buy the locker, install the locker......you're looking at well over the price of admission for a set of D44s with all of that installed already.

Looking but can't find a set close to NV

 

[Yondu_JLU]

Looking but can't find a set close to NV

As DadJokes said, it's really all about how you wheel too. You CAN put 37s on a D30/M186....heck you CAN even run 40s on it (see Revkit "40s on a 30"). But as you go up in tire size, the life expectancy for all of your suspension and drivetrain components goes way down, as does the drivability.

 

[Yondu_JLU]

Looking but can't find a set close to NV

Check out Facebook marketplace, or go onto a site like tank customs or rubitrux. Bound to have some take-offs for sale from previous builds.

 

[Odyssey USA]

With just gears and chromoly shafts, I personally think you can go a long time with no breakage. You could be the outlier and really thrash them so they might then break sooner than later.

 

[zeebo56]

I have a JLU Sport. I did 4.88s last weekend on 35s. I also installed a torq master mechanical lunchbox locker in the front d30. I am currently breaking in the gears but plan to do a little offroading this weekend after 500 miles (going to remove diff covers and inspect and change fluid).

For me that was around $1200 and I did the install myself which was a little bit of a pain in the butt. Hopefully it holds out. I am hoping it lasts for a while and if/when needed I can upgrade the shafts.

Does the set of truss help out with the shafts from getting twisted as well? If it helps beef up the axle seems like a well spent $100

 

[CptFloridaMan]

Edited from previous post to give more specifics on timeline.

Opinion only with no experience yet. Only observation. JL LIFE OFFROAD on YouTube wheeled their Sport very hard doing rock crawling, specifically, for a long time. They put 4.56 gears and after 37’s for a while... chromoly shafts in it which held up fine until they bent the axle (again, same wall thickness as Rubicon). The lower gears put more strain on the diff.

Recap: They went from 33’s to 35’s to 37’s. They checked the front shafts after 37’s, find the splines twisting, so they installed chromoly U joint shafts. Later they suspect they bent the axle due to a tube seal leak that won’t fix. They crawl hard, they bounce, they hit the gas.

Check out their trips and decide for yourself but I think you’ll be fine if you upgrade the shafts or even go RCV’s. It’s not the axles tubes that are the weaker link(same as the Rubicon M220/44), it’s the factory shafts and then I’d say the Pinion but I think those are upgraded over the previous “30” too.

When they put out the updates, I’m surprised the m186 lasted as long as it did on Mistys jeep. What I gathered from the video was the m186 was plenty strong for most people assuming you don’t drive like they do. And assuming you don’t want to go larger than 37s on the m186. Knowing the tube thickness is the same, wouldn’t that technically mean the narrow axles can hold up a little better to bending? Where a truss and c gussets would be plenty in my mind to beef up the stockers.

For my jeep I’m going to slowly add to the axles, lockers, and gears, truss eventually.

 

[word302]

With just gears and chromoly shafts, I personally think you can go a long time with no breakage. You could be the outlier and really thrash them so they might then break sooner than later.

There have been quite a bit of bends/cracks around the FAD on the front axles from people running 35s and up. No way I'd run 37s on a D30 without a truss and after that much effort you may as well find a Rubi takeoff.

 

[word302]

I have a JLU Sport. I did 4.88s last weekend on 35s. I also installed a torq master mechanical lunchbox locker in the front d30. I am currently breaking in the gears but plan to do a little offroading this weekend after 500 miles (going to remove diff covers and inspect and change fluid).

For me that was around $1200 and I did the install myself which was a little bit of a pain in the butt. Hopefully it holds out. I am hoping it lasts for a while and if/when needed I can upgrade the shafts.

Does the set of truss help out with the shafts from getting twisted as well? If it helps beef up the axle seems like a well spent $100

The truss doesn't do anything for the shafts, it only strengthens the housing. You need someone very familiar with welding on an axle to install the truss without warping the tubes. Unless you're capable of this type of work yourself it gets pretty cost prohibitive when compared to the cost of Rubi takeoffs or even aftermarket tons.

 

[Odyssey USA]

There have been quite a bit of bends/cracks around the FAD on the front axles from people running 35s and up. No way I'd run 37s on a D30 without a truss and after that much effort you may as well find a Rubi takeoff.

Agree. I may not have said it but I thought it was implied that I thought the 37’s didn’t help the axle and may have contributed to the early death. Also, just running 37’s, to me, just encourages keeping up with the pack and hammering it might be more tempting. All that extra weight swinging around on the ends of any stock axle, Rubi or not, it’s a matter of time more than likely.

And it’s not the same old “30” anymore. It’s better but I don’t know how much better.

 

[Odyssey USA]

The truss doesn't do anything for the shafts, it only strengthens the housing. You need someone very familiar with welding on an axle to install the truss without warping the tubes. Unless you're capable of this type of work yourself it gets pretty cost prohibitive when compared to the cost of Rubi takeoffs or even aftermarket tons.

Yeah, I wouldn’t bother getting into that. Time to go big or go home.

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