Locker thoughts...

[FJBen]

still building...and building and building...

saving money for 30 spline longs at the moment, hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I need to re-seal my front end anyways..

I have an ARB. I was going to put it in the rear axle and just run it like that for the year, but now I'm contemplating running it in the front and quicklocking the rear.

A few questions. It's my daily driver, it's on 37's I have a V8. Will a quicklock/aussie/lockwrong hold up?


Thoughts? what would you do?

A: ARB rear/open front cheapest option

B: ARB front/aussie-quicklok rear fully locked

 

[nuclearlemon]

i'd go option b. since you already have the expensive locker, you've got the worst part taken care of. the aussies are inexpensive and tough and you'll regret not having both. i know i do.

 

[Uncle Ben]

B.

 

[Shark Bait]

I've got an ARB in the front of my project. I bought an Aussie Locker for the rear, but after the ARB presentation I was considering ponying up the money for an ARB for the rear. Or maybe a Detroit. What's the best choice of the three for the rear?

 

[Uncle Ben]

I've got an ARB in the front of my project. I bought an Aussie Locker for the rear, but after the ARB presentation I was considering ponying up the money for an ARB for the rear. Or maybe a Detroit. What's the best choice of the three for the rear?

You know what my answer would be for a hard core rig! So I'll refrain...

 

[nuclearlemon]

I've got an ARB in the front of my project. I bought an Aussie Locker for the rear, but after the ARB presentation I was considering ponying up the money for an ARB for the rear. Or maybe a Detroit. What's the best choice of the three for the rear?

best, arb
second best and best for po' folk, aussie
m.o. take it or leave it

 

[Uncle Ben]

best, arb
second best and best for po' folk, aussie
m.o. take it or leave it

Geeze....I expect a different opinion but you struck out on the order of all three! IMNSHO

 

[Shark Bait]

I know what Kevin's alluding to. Put a Detroit in the rear. After listening to Chris Wood's presentation it sounds like an ARB is pretty darn strong. Would there be more risks with an ARB? I don't know. It might be nice to be open in the rear when you want to. If I go with a Detroit I should probably cryo the rear axles, or go with 4340's. Are 35" tires too much for an Aussie locker? Hmmm.

 

[Uncle Ben]

I know what Kevin's alluding to. Put a Detroit in the rear. After listening to Chris Wood's presentation it sounds like an ARB is pretty darn strong. Would there be more risks with an ARB? I don't know. It might be nice to be open in the rear when you want to. If I go with a Detroit I should probably cryo the rear axles, or go with 4340's. Are 35" tires too much for an Aussie locker? Hmmm.

Detroit's (real) and ARB's are both stronger than anything else in the entire housing. My vote for a Detroit in the rear of a hard core rig over an ARB is due to the fact that if it takes all wheels pulling to get you deep into a nasty trail then a possible failure of a compressor/fitting/piston/o-ring means you will be on a strap on the way out. I am a believer of Lock Rights also but they do wear out where a Detroit or ARB often will survive a few different vehicles! If the rig is more on the street than on the trail then ARB's start shining brighter! For the front, Detroit is still are king of traction and stregnth but there are times when they simply will not allow the vehicle to turn if 4 wd is needed (both front tires will slide sideways while they are both spinning).

If I was to buy or recommend a "Lunchbox" type of locker it would be LR all the way as they did the R&D and the knock off Aussie and Detroit No-spins simply cheated and created mass copies for big profit with no R&D overhead.

 

[corsair23]

My vote for a Detroit in the rear of a hard core rig over an ARB is due to the fact that if it takes all wheels pulling to get you deep into a nasty trail then a possible failure of a compressor/fitting/piston/o-ring means you will be on a strap on the way out.

Not to stir the pot too much but Chris showed us the "equipment" he/ARB recommends to have as spares, especially when not having the locker would mean leaving the vehicle or getting strapped out. You could fit it all in the glove box pretty much...Even if you went overkill and had a spare compressor on hand all of the parts would take up about as much room, maybe less, than say a birf.

That new compressor that basically can work upways, downways, sideways, under water, etc. was pretty impressive as well. Of course the list didn't include any of the internal locker parts but if the locker itself grenaded you'd have bigger problems to worry about

 

[Nay]

You'll hate a Detroit with a manual transmission (it's manual, right?) on a short wheelbase for road use. Never listen to a long wheebase guy with a slushbox about any automatic locker

ARB both ends. The cost is in the compressor, which you already have. I agree the potential for failure is there, but you drive it on the road so it all comes down to the best balance.

 

[Uncle Ben]

You'll hate a Detroit with a manual transmission (it's manual, right?) on a short wheelbase for road use. Never listen to a long wheebase guy with a slushbox about any automatic locker

ARB both ends. The cost is in the compressor, which you already have. I agree the potential for failure is there, but you drive it on the road so it all comes down to the best balance.

Sorry son,
Been wheeling,truck pulling and drag racing standards with lockers,spools and welded rears longer than you've been using wheels.

Love Dad....

 

[Red_Chili]

Sorry Dad, gotta rebel. ARB both ends. Best of both worlds! Especially for a multipurpose rig.
Don't do an auto locker on ice, d00d...

 

[Uncle Ben]

Sorry Dad, gotta rebel. ARB both ends. Best of both worlds! Especially for a multipurpose rig.
Don't do an auto locker on ice, d00d...

It's all good! Just be glad I'm only your Uncle! Besides who can argue about ARB's dependability? I know Neil's sure enjoyed his Runner in Moab this year....oh wait....

 

[nuclearlemon]

Geeze....I expect a different opinion but you struck out on the order of all three! IMNSHO

i'm just not impressed with the detroits. too much money, too hard to deal with on the trail, don't like the amount of backlash in them. i've beat on my two aussies and i got two for the price of one detroit.

i'd prefer to have the option of open both ends, but 650 for an arb vs. 250 for an aussie....well, the aussie's in my po' ass price range.

 

[Red_Chili]

It's all good! Just be glad I'm only your Uncle! Besides who can argue about ARB's dependability? I know Neil's sure enjoyed his Runner in Moab this year....oh wait....

I know I did...
I think Neil puts beer in his diffs, that may have something to do with it.
But seriously, have you ever seen a product that didn't have the occasional lemon?
My son ran a lunchbox locker and scared the peach pits out of himself on sidehills and especially in snow. Loves his elocker in the rear, ARB in the front!

 

[Nay]

Sorry son,
Been wheeling,truck pulling and drag racing standards with lockers,spools and welded rears longer than you've been using wheels.

Love Dad....

I know, I know...but you don't want your other boy running around in a 40 with a rear Detroit in those winter conditions now do you? Damn thing will be banging around and kicking out the rear every time he shifts around a corner.

I had one o' them Detroits once upon a time...loved it...but it was sittin' behind a slush and AWD in a Currie HP 9 and acted prettier n' a LSD in the worst winter stuff and perfect on the trail.

If she won't see extended winter use and you don't mind it clanging around, I dig the rear auto locker. If you like the skinny pedal on that V8 SWB yer gonna hate it

 

[Uncle Ben]

I know I did...
I think Neil puts beer in his diffs, that may have something to do with it.
But seriously, have you ever seen a product that didn't have the occasional lemon?
My son ran a lunchbox locker and scared the peach pits out of himself on sidehills and especially in snow. Loves his elocker in the rear, ARB in the front!

Since I have refrained I'll finish by my chart.

talking rear only
Trail beast = Detroit
trail with some street = Detroit or ARB
Street and trail = ARB or Detroit
Street with some trail = ARB

You can supplement a "lunchbox
locker (LL)" in my choices for Detroit if cost is an issue....however, LL's have so much inherent drive train slop that they can be harsh especially in shorter wheelbase standard trans setups. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it...out.

Fronts are a whole different ball game! But I will refrain...

 

[wesintl]

I know, I know...but you don't want your other boy running around in a 40 with a rear Detroit in those winter conditions now do you? Damn thing will be banging around and kicking out the rear every time he shifts around a corner.

i have a lockrite in the rear of my 70. SWB. it's fine you just need to adjust your driving habits a tad and engauge 4wd sooner in the snow. In 4wd mine rear locked is hardly noticable. I also had this lockrite in a 60. Mine doesn't bang around any corner either.

I don't like detroits personally. IMHO if your that hard core weld the rear. if not just about the same money can be spent on an arb sands compressor.

It was fun changing out that detroit on the trail eh UB

 

[FJBen]

Wow, didn't expect this much from the thread...

This rig is my daily driver year in/out

I'm a little worried about a few things, that is the quirky driving with the auto-locker. Maybe I'm just too much of a but I don't really like a crappy/quirky driving rig...even more so than it already is.

That probably answers my question right there. I should just stick the ARB in the rear axle, save money til I can put one in the front.

I have a torquey 350 and an SM420...not so smooth shift points I would hate to have it jumping sideways evertime I shift...especially on ice. My wife would amazingly hate it as well.