lockers

[bails85]

what are ur guys takes on lockers. i called 4 west and a few other other 4 wheel drive stores and they all suggest detroit lockers. i know alot of u guys run air lockers. what is the difference between mechanical and air lockers. i have a friend who has a detroit ez locker for my 8.8 for sale for a good price but i dont know much about them. just wanted to get a few opinions. i dont want to buy a lunchbox locker.

[mrchips]

Detroit is a great locker, strong with no need of any special fluids to maintain.
It would depend on what axle you want to install.
It would be connected all the time and in certain situations on trails, having to make multi point turns a locker that you can disconnect especially in the front makes it allot easier.
If I was to do it I would have a Detroit in the rear and a switchable locker in the front.

[Jeeperator]

I have been doing alot of research on this lately and I have found post of people complaning about the ez locker not being made as good as aussies lockright and spartan. Arb's are very expensive and imo there is too nuch to go wrong leaky lines and fittings bad solenoids and air pumps is just asking for trouble and I have seen them fail in others jeeps more than once. If I had to do it all over again I would put a real detroit in the rear than an electric auburn ected locker. I am currently buiding a dana 30 high pinion with a spartan locker for the front.Hopfully it all goes well.

[aw12345]

It's all what you like, I like my ARB's has worked very well for me, Detroit's are good lockers same goes for the Ox lockers. I bought another pair of ARB's for my second Jeep. Have driven a couple of Jeep's with detroits in them and yes they work well but don't like their street manners.

[Double AA]

I think you mean automatic and selectable lockers. Automatic lockers are just that. The locker senses when to lock or unlock. The biggest issue you hear about the Detroit is it'll unlock when you coast coming into a corner and then lock when you apply the throttle. At that point the vehicle tries to go straight. The shorter the wheelbase the more pronounced the feeling is. It takes a short time to get used to the manners of a Detroit and then you'll never think about it again. I think driving on ice is a bigger issue, but living in SoCal we don't have to worry about it

I've run ARB's for ten years without a single failure. I've never heard anyone that had ARB's complain about them. Whether you have an air line, electrical line or cable, as long as it's installed properly there won't be a problem.

[dirtman13]

I agree with mrchips on the front. I ran an Assuie in the front of my Dana 30 and while it is a great lunchbox locker it sucked when it came to turning in tight situations. I then went to Ox and I loved it. No issues other then a adjustment on the cable after it was in for a while. I really like the ability to turn the locker on and off from the comfort of the seat. My new axles will both be running ARB's(Ox does not make a 14 bolt locker). I have seen a few issues on the trail with the ARB but nothing that would make me not want to run them. Get it installed right and you should have no problems.

[snydercj7]

If you plan on driving the Jeep on the street you might want to think about a selectable locker. The detroit can be a little rough on the street as Double AA stated.

[kirkandsylvia]

I agree with the post up stairs---^ I have the Lock Right locker, which is very similar to the Detroit E-Z locker in my Xj and my 76 cherokee. The Xj...not so good, the 76 cherokee...very good. The one in my Xj doesnt unlock like it suppose to on the streets and I'm not sure if it's because T&J installed incorrectly or if that is just characteristic of the Xj and that locker. My 76 works like a champ and for the price of a non-selectable locker, it works for my pocket book. Havent had a problem on the trails yet, but I have been told that they are a weak link in extreme crawling.

[inVERt'D]

An old saying in motorsports is "The faster you want to go, the more money you have to blow." Bottom line for Jeeps is the tricker you want your setup to be, the more it's going to cost you.

FWIW, I like my Aussies. For the money I love em.

If money hadn't been an issue, I probably would have gone with ARB lockers cuz they're strong and selectable, and cuz I can be compulsive. "It's gonna be cool! He..he..hehe...fire! fire!"

Installation can cost a lot too. Shops have quoted me $700.00 an axle for ARBs because they say they're a PITA to align. So for rough figures, lets say $700 for parts and $700 for labor X 2 = $2,800. I have about $600.00 invested in my Aussies, which I was able to install myself with no prior diff experience. That's a $2,200 difference. For that money, you can find a good (possibly new) Atlas 2 with which you can select front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or 4-wheel drive and get a heck of a crawl ratio. So it would be kind of like having a selectable locker, except different. (Looks like that's where my rig is going, btw.) Should mitigate any maneuverability issues, and you won't have to tie up a bunch of money in little axles--save that for the Hi 9s and such.

[bails85]

thanks for all the in put guys but isnt aussie and lockrite the same thing? didnt the aussie guy go to lockrite? i thought i heard that somewhere. and is aussie a selectable locker? im not sure what i want because i have never owned a rig with lockers in it. i will drive the jeep on the street. i dont mind an auto locker but i dont want it to eat my tires and all that. whats is the best way to go for the money? hp30 and 8.8?

[inVERt'D]

The Aussie Locker, like all "lunchbox" style lockers, is automatic, not selectable. You don't have to worry about them eating up your tires, but if you have one in the rear you will have to watch your throttle around corners. No biggie really.

Not that this is really all that relevant, but (since you asked) this is the story as I understand it. I read (somewhere else) that Bill Cole was one of two founders of whatever company originally developed the Lock-Rite. Bill Cole told me himself that he used to work for Richmond Gear (who now owns Lock-Rite). Since he founded Torque Masters, which is basically Aussie Lockers. Don't remember exactly, but he said the Aussie Locker had like 20 or 30 specific improvements in design and materials as compared to the Lock-Rite. No, I did not ask him to enumerate all of them (but I was tempted).

[RAT]

We need a sticky thread on this subject. There must be 20 threads about this on here. A sticky would be gooood...

[inVERt'D]

I almost said to use the search for stuff like this, but I didn't want to be too piratish. Nevertheless, you're right. Maybe someone can compile the definitive MJR Guide to Locker Facts, Opinions, Anecdotes, & Useless Trivia?

[OU812]

I think I tend to be the pain in the a$$ to say go search for it. But honestly, I don't really like our search feature. It is so hard to find what you are looking for and if you guess wrong you have to wait 60 seconds to try again. It’s hard to find what you are looking for. I usually Google what I am looking for and find it in MJR faster than I can search for it here. Maybe I am doing it wrong.

[Jeeperator]

The Aussie Locker, like all "lunchbox" style lockers, is automatic, not selectable. You don't have to worry about them eating up your tires, but if you have one in the rear you will have to watch your throttle around corners. No biggie really.

Not that this is really all that relevant, but (since you asked) this is the story as I understand it. I read (somewhere else) that Bill Cole was one of two founders of whatever company originally developed the Lock-Rite. Bill Cole told me himself that he used to work for Richmond Gear (who now owns Lock-Rite). Since he founded Torque Masters, which is basically Aussie Lockers. Don't remember exactly, but he said the Aussie Locker had like 20 or 30 specific improvements in design and materials as compared to the Lock-Rite. No, I did not ask him to enumerate all of them (but I was tempted).

The new kid on the block is spartan locker made by USA standard gear which is the same basic design as an aussie and lockright. Its supposed to be easier to install and has bigger diameter pins with internal springs. I recently bought one for my d30hp. I have nothing but good reviews about them but I will let you guys know how it works when I install it in my new dana 30 hp. By the way I have a auburn electric locker in the rear do you really think turning sharp with an automatic lunchbox locker will be an issue as long as the rear is unlocked.