When to lock CDL

**ozscott** · 9th May 2018, 04:45 AM

I have done quite a lot of beach driving over the years including towing. Initially my D2 did not have CDL. As good as it was it was better again with CDL retrofitted. I always engage it on the beach, even hard sand, and drop tyre pressures. I would never wait until I'm in trouble and then lock. With the D2 bogging down and then deciding to lock the centre diff isn't going to be much help and if you are towing chances are you are well stuck and need to break out the shovel and drop the tyres down to silly levels just to get out and then have to pump them up (but not to road pressures) before moving on. Now throw in an incoming tide and holding up your mates and it's just not a good idea IMHO.

There is also more vehicle sympathy in having CDL locked in soft sand or hard sand where soft bits will be encountered versus the likely prospect of one wheel spinning like a top with CD open.

Cheers

**tact** · 9th May 2018, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by 1nando

Tact; i suggest you place your vehcile in a situation where one wheel is up of the ground. Leave centre diff unlocked and release the clutch slowly in 1st and tell me what happens. The opposite axle will not have power transfered to it unless the TC cuts in and even then its assuming that axle has the wheel with least resistance.

[...]

We say the same thing about this... one wheel up means no drive when the centre diff is unlocked. (I don't have TC btw)....
(how about you jack up one wheel on the front axle, and one wheel on the rear axle, and tell me how well your "true 4x4" moves... you already know the answer)

None of the above relates at all to driving down a hardpacked dirt (or loose gravel) road at some respectable speed with the CDL unlocked. In that circumstance I rarely have a wheel off the deck. Not sure how you drive?

Glad you feel safer knowing that you'd need to raise one front AND one rear with the CDL locked. Whereas dolts like me will be in dire trouble if we dared to raise just one, any ONE, wheel off the deck.... (I manage to cope with the terrible risk of an unlocked CDL - by reflecting carefully on how many times I have been driving down a dirt road with a wheel in the air...)

In that circumstance: i.e. all wheels present and accounted for on the deck, CDL unlocked... all 4 wheels do get drive. Hence the moniker "full time 4wd". All wheels can travel different distances without any transmission wind up because of diffs present and open - front, centre and rear. And the side benefit - no increase in tendency to understeer as happens with CDL locked.

(Yes - if I raised up one wheel off the deck all that changes and drive to the remaining 3 wheels drops to zero - but you have to just take my word for it.... I personally don't raise wheels from the deck when tootling down a dirt road.)

I also do not agree that the skid pan exploits in the video has anything to do with how a full time 4wd will behave with the centre diff unlocked.

That video features a part time 4wd vehicle - first in 2wd mode (it can only drive the rear wheels), then in 4wd mode. Patently not an apples to apples comparison to an all wheel drive: first with CDL unlocked, then locked.

**B.S.F.** · 9th May 2018, 10:15 AM

Driving a Defender off the bitumen seems to be very complicated. I don't think I'd ever get the hang of it. I better stick to driving a series L/R.
.W.

**weeds** · 9th May 2018, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by B.S.F.

Driving a Defender off the bitumen seems to be very complicated. I don't think I'd ever get the hang of it. I better stick to driving a series L/R.
.W.

Yeah it’s complicated........might sell mine.

**jackdef90** · 9th May 2018, 11:35 AM

This is why I stopped looking at this site. The pointless duscussions just drive me mad. Go and fist fight each other and be done with it

**pop058** · 9th May 2018, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by jackdef90

This is why I stopped looking at this site. The pointless duscussions just drive me mad. Go and fist fight each other and be done with it

Yet here "we" are

**ozscott** · 9th May 2018, 05:43 PM

Its just robust debate. Many of us enter the fray at times. We would all sit round a fire and have a laugh I'm sure.

Cheers

**rangieman** · 9th May 2018, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by weeds

Yeah it’s complicated........might sell mine.

Seem`s that way

**trout1105** · 9th May 2018, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by jackdef90

This is why I stopped looking at this site. The pointless duscussions just drive me mad. Go and fist fight each other and be done with it

You may find the discussion "Pointless" and you have every right to think what you like on this matter But many here Do think that how the CDL is used on their landrovers IS worth discussing so your negativity isn't adding anything useful to the discussion at all.

As for starting a "Fist Fight" over this well I think that is a silly notion, None of us here want to start a third world war over ANY subject matter being discussed on the forum.
It may be that we have differing opinions on a range of subjects from time to time and that is a GOOD thing because many of us won't just accept things just because someone says it is 'Kosher" and follow along like Sheep, Isn't that one of the reasons why we own a Landrover in the first place

**rangieman** · 9th May 2018, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by ozscott

Its just robust debate. Many of us enter the fray at times. We would all sit round a fire and have a laugh I'm sure.

Cheers

And a Beer or 3

Thread: When to lock CDL

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