looking to purchase a ez locker ... any input on this?? its used at the desert and also a commuter to work once a week.
The Detroit EZ locker is no longer made, but the Lock Right by Richmond Gear is equivalent. I would observe a few considerations:
1) The situation where I most often lose traction is while climbing, when weight is mostly on the rear axle. I put my EZ Locker there. I've commuted 100+miles/day on the freeway for several weeks with the rear locker, when necessary.
2) Installed in the front differential, you can drive normally in 2WD (with the hubs unlocked), but when locked in 4WD, you can have a hard time steering. Some folks use a twin-stick transfer-case shifter to quickly shift into 2WD in that situation. Power steering can help and sure makes parallel parking easier for a daily driver. The Samurai's 22-spline front axles are weaker than the rears. You might want to consider TrailTough's 26-spline double-tough front axles. Lockers can be hard on axles, mostly with larger tires.
3) The full-time auto locker locks and unlocks according to road conditions. When installed in the rear, the axles will occasionally wind-up and then release with a loud BANG! that can be disconcerting. The locker can cause some rear-end torque steer, especially while cornering, if you're on and off the gas. You'll learn how to apply throttle to minimize this quirky behavior. I've read that it gets a lot worse on ice and snow, but here in the So. Cal. desert there's none of that.
4) It's reasonable to put one in each axle. I'd choose the rear first.
5) There's a new auto-locker on the market, some discussion at
http://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuki-jimny-sierra-samurai-forum/48072-locker.html#6 You can search around for discussion and comparisons between 'em. TrailTough (and others) sell them.