Nice to follow that with this short video illustrating how one type of locking differential works to eliminate some of the disadvantages of an open differential.
So, one wheel starts spinning, and then, at a certain speed, it gets immediately locked into the other wheel which isn't moving at all? How does that not blow up the entire differential?
For manually operated lockers the axle shafts have to be moving at the same speed or with very little difference in speed to be engaged.
>Only engage the Eaton ELocker™ differential while the vehicle is stationary or operating at speeds of 3 mph
or less with minimal wheel slippage.
This specific locker (Eaton G80) is self-engaging up to a set speed which is intended to prevent this from happening, though it has been known to occur.
>The G80 can be very effective when used within its limitations. However its very design can lead it to failure. It requires a certain amount of speed difference between both rear wheels to operate. Basically more slip than you would ever encounter going around a turn, but it will not lock at speeds above roughly 20-30mph. This it where it earned the name "gov-lock". It has a speed governor that operates off centrifugal force inside to govern locking.
When it locks, it locks hard. Imagine one tire sitting still, and suddenly being launched to a speed of 20-25mph. That takes a great deal of force and puts a lot of strain on internals. They have a tendency to break with no warning.
With a hard-locking differential ("lockers", generally used off-road), engagement while one wheel is spinning is ill-advised. They're generally toggled on at low/zero speed by the operator in anticipation of a traction-loss situation.
Yup. And they typically have to be unlocked when not needed as it is almost impossible to turn with the rears locked. However, with pneumatic or electrical operation from the driver's seat this is pretty convenient.
The type of locker I'm more familiar with takes a different approach: the rear end is locked by default but unlocks when it needs to. e.g., going around a turn causes the outside tire to turn faster than the inside one, and the teeth in the locker are angled so the speed difference causes them to cam out and decouples one axle shaft from the diff, letting it spin independently while the inner axle shaft is under power.
I had that system in my Toyota pickup and even in 2WD, it was absolutely unstoppable offroad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCxqUJCZGNU