Vehicle drive unit assembly

A rear drive unit (RDU) for a vehicle, the RDU comprising:

• a planetary gear set;
• a locking differential disposed directly adjacent the planetary gear set;
• an input shaft configured to selectively transfer torque to the locking differential through the planetary gear set;
• a shift collar and a sleeve disposed around the shift collar, the sleeve being configured to move the shift collar between a first position and a second position;
• and
• a spring disposed between the shift collar and the sleeve, the spring configured to compress as the sleeve moves from the second position to a third position.

A rear drive unit (RDU) for a vehicle, the RDU comprising:

• a planetary gear set;
• a locking differential disposed directly adjacent the planetary gear set;
• an input shaft configured to selectively transfer torque to the locking differential through the planetary gear set;
• a shift collar and a sleeve disposed around the shift collar, the sleeve being configured to move the shift collar between a first position and a second position, wherein the planetary gear set includes a planetary cage configured to house a sun gear and at least one planetary gear, and wherein the locking differential includes a differential housing configured to house a side gear, and wherein, in the first position, the shift collar is configured to transfer torque to the side gear through the differential housing.