1) Serviceable Front Drive shaft
2) CDL
3) Good Off-Road Tires (I also live in Arizona and the rocks out in the desert are sometimes like razor blades...)
4) Lockers & HD Shafts

 

This is a newbie's question but wouldn't the CDL and Lockers be the same thing?

 

The CDL (Center Diff Lock) is for the transfer case; locking the front & rear drive shafts.

Lockers like an ARB or Detroit locker, lock a single differential to prevent the tires from turning at a different speed. So for example, if one wheel is off the ground, and one is on a rock, a locker would spin both tires, the one with and without traction at the same speed. Without a locker, the tire with the least amount of traction gets the power.

In short low traction situations, the Discos traction control does well applying the brake to the slipping tire to transfer power to the other side, however I have been in numerous situations where the low traction situation has overheated my brakes and forced my three best friends to make an appearance - turning off traction control. And traction control seems to turn off at the worse possible times.

I like lockers (I had front & rear lockers on my jeep) because it makes certain off road situations more predictable. You only need traction on one wheel to keep you moving so you're not bumping, jumping, and slamming over obstacles. Lockers allow you to just gently climb obstacles with a lot of confidence.

If you're rock climbing, where one and two wheels often find themselves off the ground, LOCKERS are a must. Otherwise, they're just a nice peace of mind and I find them easier on the vehicle (assuming your not heavy on the skinny pedal when locked up).

 

I dont think he needs to add lockers to his truck cause he said he was not going to be doing any serious off-roading or rock crawling. These vehicles are very capable stock but there is a tendency for owners to overlook that when they add all that expensive extensive aftermarket off road gear. The guy wants to go camping, and **** like that so advising him to blow his money on lockers is a bit absurd.

There will be other important things he will have to invest his money on with his Disco. If hes got our Rover V8, known for ticking, blown head gaskets and eventually engine failure then he will need to invest in those things. The 3 amigos, wiper motors, water leaks, etc. If Land Rover thought our vehicles needed lockers they would have installed them factory. Ill go on a limb here and bet that not even the Camel Trophy Land Rovers were fitted with any type of lockers and know they are legendary! Dont think G4 Rovers had them either. Do not underestimate the capabilities of a well maintained Land Rover.

 

But depending on the mileage on your truck I would advise these things:

1) Check your tie rods/track rods, if bad replace. Terrafirma and Britpart sell affordable tie rod HD kits with everything you need and they have a zinc coating on them

2) Check your steering damper. Again an inexpensive part offered by TerraFirma.

3) Check all your bushings. If you've got over 100K on your truck then they might be wearing and and starting to fail.

4) Invest in a new crankshaft position sensor and some die-electric sealant. Your factory sensor WILL **** the bed soon and if you plan on doing any light water crossing in your truck or take it to the car wash for that matter, you risk finnishing it off. When you replace it invest in a pair of super long needle noise pliers (will make your life so much easier) and apply the die-electric sealant in the electrical terminals before connecting it. Doing so will make your sensor resistant to water entry in the future.

5) Change out all your fluids: your diffs, transfer case, get a transmission flush and replace the filter etc. Your old fluids will start breaking down and lose the lubricating properties, so you want to ensure your lubs are keeping all the mechanical gears lubed before doing any off-roading.

6) If your using the stock thermostat then you are strongly advised to replace it as it will reduce your engine tempatures. I do believe that engine temps actually increase while off-roading and these engines already have problems with overheating as it is. Buy a grey 180 Thermostate from Rovers North $89? and easy to install.

7) Check your brakes and lines make sure they have enough thickness left. If your doing any steep hill climbs or desending a steep slope, you will want to have good breaks!

8) If you plan on driving through narrow trails and between large rocks and trees, then you will want to think about rock sliders to protect your door panels and front and rear light guards to protect your lights from swinging branches.

 

@TRIARII - I don't disagree with your assessment of not 'needing' a locker. And I certainly agree with your list of suggestions.

However, the, " If Land Rover thought our vehicles needed lockers..." argument is just silly. We're talking about a company that removed the CDL (for a few years) to cut costs! Land Rover doesn't design vehicles strictly with off-roading in mind; they design them for a much wider audience, most of them who will never take their trucks off asphalt.

I'm a big believer in being proactive and vigilant on maintenance, upgrading parts as they break (you should replace the front drive shaft BEFORE it breaks), and modify the truck as your driving skill (and bravery) increases...

 

While its true that in the last 5 years Land Rover has truly lost its way, still their vehicles, all of them are very capable stock. Are you going to deny that? And what is your comment on the Camel Trophy events where Rovers without lockers participated in some of the most grueling challenges? They did just fine. Factors that make a vehicle capable off-road are as follows:

1) AWD or temporary 4 wheel drive (I prefer AWD)
2) Ground Clearance
3) Strong axles, strong transfer case and strong transmissions
4) Clean underbody: the pumpkins, gas tank and other mechanical devices are tucked high up in the chassis and do not hang down where they would be more vulnerable to natural obstacles such as rocks etc
5) Electronic Traction Control and ABS
6) Visibility. Rovers tend to have excellent visibility all the way around, compared to the new Toyota FJ Cruiser which is cramped inside and has poor visibility due to smaller windows, large window pillers and many blind spots.
7) Appropriate wheels with reasonable amount of tread wall.


Those are the essentials and most modern Off-road capable vehicles have most of the above mentioned features. SOME vehicles come with a center diff lock or even front center and rear diff locks which dramatically improve the capabilities of the vehicle in more extreme off-road settings. So for this guy, I would agree that he should add the CDL to his truck seeing how it was intended for the truck anyways. His truck will be able to go off most any road as it is right now. He can go in sand, lose gravel, snow, mild water crossings, up and down steep hills, minor small boulder climbs etc. His truck, does not require lockers to perform basic off-roading. Land Rover still offers off-road lessons with their vehicles. They teach you how to use the stock factory equipped features of the vehicle to get you through all the obstacles successfully. Non use aftermarket lockers or lift kits, rock sliders or any of that gear.

To the original poster. Do your research, and determine for yourself what you need and what you think your vehicle needs in terms of modifications. But start with youtube videos. Research Land Rover driving schools. Watch a couple Camel Trophy videos and bare witness to stock Land Rovers kicking some serious *** off-road style. Yes they were fitted with Hell lights, special brush guards and radios, but no lift kits or lockers were installed. That was the point behind these vehicles in the first place. The cost it would require to buy lockers, and have them installed would be gand, and if your gonna do that level of extensive modding then you might as well go all the way. BUT if your looking to save money and still have a great time off-road then consider what Ive said above regarding what you should look at and replace. You dont need to be rich or spend $$$$$$ just to have fun off-road.

 

Keynsham Camels - Camel Trophy Land Rovers

 

I dont see lockers on that list of mods. But I was wrong then about the suspension, apparently they upgraded it to something unknown? Still most of the modifications used on Camel Trophy vehicles appears to be accessories based rather than vehicle overhaul. Under body skid plates, roll cages, gas burning heaters, electrical shut off switches, roof racks, extra buttons for lights and radio, flags, custom paint, winches, breahters etc. But no mention of them upgraded the diffs or doing any major changes to the mechanical layout of the vehicle.

My argument still stands that Land Rovers are very capable off-road in stock form. But if you have the $$$$$$ to blow on modifications then all the power to you some Landy owners have the ***** to take their stock Rover off road

 

A lot of the mods depends on the year you are talking.

And as far as I know you're right about no lockers, but they also had a vehicle full of able bodied men who could push, rock, shovel, place tracks, and help winch out of things. The different teams also helped each other through some situations in the videos when they needed.

I'm not trying to argue but if he's venturing off alone it would be nice to have the reassurance of front and rear lockers. I feel mine are very capable without lockers but I sure would like to have them when I'm back roading alone and see a tempting path.

No they aren't a top priority now, but I wouldn't hesitate if I had the funds.