Question about lockers

[brian4.2]

Sarah its a bummer what you are going thru with your 35. I was thinking of doing the same thing, but now I'm having second thoughts.
The question is do you use this jeep as a daily driver? Even if the install went Ok would you be able to drive around town? When you have non selectable lockers do you have to trailer to the offroad site or need selectable hubs?
I guess its a lot of questions but I want to upgrade to lockers,get rid of this vibration, drive it on the street and get a 10 cent cup of coffee.
It seems like going to selectable lockers is the way to go but lots of dough. I'm not hearing great results with the detroit electric locker. Is ARB the right way to do it? The only way?
Sorry about the rambling but I'm getting ready to start and it looks like a can of worms at the moment.

[Trailbst]

You can put a non-selectable locker in your Jeep and drive it everday. The majority of non-selectable lockers are engineered so that they disengage when cornering, so that you barely notice that they are their. My buddy drives his XJ with non-selectable lockers in the front and rear diffs, as a daily driver.

Erik

[goodtimes]

Air lockers are the schit. (E-lockers are cool too).

Really, you will be fine with non-selectable lockers. You will probably find you need to change your driving habits some. Driving in the snow can be interesting, and you won't want to do much accelerating through corners, but lockers are indeed very streetable.

Now for that 10 cent cup of coffee....good luck!

[sarah]

somehow i missed this thread sorry for the late response!

prior to me knowing much about the ez locker, and if it would have worked correctly when we got it in, i would say that i could have probably lived with the barking around corners and other pavement-related quirks.

but from what i've gathered from my completely horrible experience, i would NEVER get an ez again. now that i've seen what can go wrong with those (and of course absolutely i went through the worst experience possible), they scare the hell out of me. mine is my daily driver and even if it weren't - i wouldn't get another non-selectable locker.

[brian4.2]

No worries, I spent the day at the Off Road Show in Pomona. Lots of

Which locker was this that destructed? the Detroit Soft Locker or the Detroit Tru-Trac , I couldn't find EZ.

I am going to save some agrevation,and maybe in the long run some money and go with selectable lockers ARB.
Has anyone used superior gear and axle? Their stuff seemed to be more readily available and off the shelf than Currie.
The currie equipment was awesome but looked to be mostly custom built and proprietary. I wonder about getting parts after/durring a breakdown.

Also there was a very cool 24V mig welder running off a pair of batteries that was putting out enough power to weld 1/4" material with one pass.

Brian

[king4wd]

Lockers & durability

I've had no problems with my E-Z locker (also marketed as the Genuine Gear Quicklock). I've heard talk of shorter lifespan for drop-in autolockers like the E-Z and Lock-Rite. However, due to the experience I've had, I think tire size and engine torque have a lot to do with how long your locker lasts.
As far as street driving goes, autolockers take a little adjustment. Less throttle in turns, and smoother application/release of the pedals (clutch, brake and gas). Of course, selectable lockers (ARB, OX, and Detroits new electric) are the best on the street, but they're also the most expensive (about 3x, 4x or more if you have them installed). Hope this helps.

[rick]

A point of clarification - the main problem with the EZ Locker we put in Sarah's TJ was the fact that it was used . It already had some slightly worn edges when we installed it with the original cross shaft. If we had used a hardened heavy duty cross shaft instead of the used (although in fine shape in my opinion) one, it *might* have been ok or it might have done the same thing. The main beef I have with an EZ locker is the fact that it is possible to free wheel the locker. What I mean is that if, for whatever reason (wear, abuse, improper shims, etc), the clutch dogs spin against each other, the carrier can spin without turning the axles. Those of you with an automatic may want to think about this when parking on a grade (or a rock) without setting your parking brake... It is possible for the locker to turn, it's only mechanical force against the clutch that keeps things turning together, not positive engagement like a gear. There's nothing wrong with non-selectable lockers in daily drivers, I just don't like the lunch box variety... If you have any inclination to go with something selectable, save your money and do it right. If you want to keep things on a lower budget, there's nothing wrong with these if you are prepared to live with the quirks.

just my $0.02

[Chris_L]

I have had ARB's front and rear in both jeeps that I built. Only way to go IMO {if you can afford to go this route}. A selectable is great because you can turn it off when need be. There are times {Johnson Valley for instance} when the torque and stress of a spooled front axle along with 37's, is just too much for the steering componants and track bar. Being able to turn it off may save hours of trail breakage.

I have never had a problem with them not working. Install of air lines and wiring is the key. I ran the blue air lines inside of clear 3/8's tubing for extra protection.

[rollbar]

W/the ARB locker isn't that operated by air, & w/ any air product comes moisture right & w/the moisture comes often fluid changing. You also have "O" rings to worry about, air leaks etc.
I'm not saying it's all bad, just observing some of the things associated w/it.

Just a thought.

I have heard alot about the Aussie Locker @ www.offroadlockers.com
& their cheap but built good, around $200.00 a pop.

You can also find a write up @ www.pirate4x4.com

RollBar
P.S. I don't sell the Aussie Locker, just giving feed back.

[Guest]

Originally posted by brian4.2
The currie equipment was awesome but looked to be mostly custom built and proprietary. I wonder about getting parts after/durring a breakdown.

I've got a Currie built Ford 9-inch under each end of my Willys. The only thing proprietary about them is the actual length of the axle shafts and the housings themselves. All of the knuckles and brake parts are off the shelf items, and the the same is true of the third member parts. The knuckles and front brakes are standard Jeep parts (the knuckles are Dana 1/4 ton, and the front brakes are the same Ford Bendix used on CJ's). The rear drum brakes are late model Ford F-150 parts. The third member housings are good old fashioned nodular iron, and they are filled with a Detroit Locker in the rear, and a Detroit Tru-Trac in the front. If I should ever need a new axle shaft, I can call them with my original order number, and they can crank out a replacement (however, the likelyhood of my ever breaking a chrome-moly 31 spline axle shaft is nil. I think the hub fuses and drive shaft u-joints will go long before an axle shaft will). I've toyed with the idea of having a couple of axle shafts made, just in case; but until money begins to fly out of my rear end, I'll more than likely hold off on the purchase...