which lockers????

I'm looking at lockers for my 11 JK, I have the 2dr sport with the Rubi suspension. This will be done in stages. I would like recommendations, pros cons. Not doing rock crawling (if that at all makes a difference), but there will be lots of mud, trees, ruts and the odd big rocks etc (bush whacking and trails.)

I would like bullet proof. e.g. (an air compressor failure or cut line). No bull shit, straight forward, cost really isn't an issue.

Is there any animal out there? Please educate me.

Cheers,

I cannot give you a great answer, just a noobie myself, but I am going with ARB air lockers front and rear WHEN my stock rubicon lockers and or axles fail... they will I'm sure.

I really just wanted to say, NICE BIKE!!

good luck, you will surely get a wide range of valuable opinions on here..

ARB is top of the line they are pretty sweet and the air lines will be fine if placed right!

I feel that ARB is the best out there for lockers. Some will disagree but to each their own. I have a 2011 sport as well. When I did my regear I added a ARB to the rear but left the front open because of the Dana 30. I want to limit my gears from breaking


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cozdude said:

I feel that ARB is the best out there for lockers. Some will disagree but to each their own. I have a 2011 sport as well. When I did my regear I added a ARB to the rear but left the front open because of the Dana 30. I want to limit my gears from breaking


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You didn't have to re-gear though did you? The 5.13's were for the bigger tires etc?

machinegunmedic said:

You didn't have to re-gear though did you? The 5.13's were for the bigger tires etc?

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I did the 5.13's cause I plan on getting 37's and a pr44 in the future. It was easier to add the locker and regear at the same time since they were already in there. No sense in adding the locker then regearing at separate times.


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Hey machinegunmedic, what do you mean by bushwacking? If you are afraid of air lines and electrical wires and cables, you could always go with a Detroit in the rear.Possibly not the best choice on the street but hard to beat on the trail.

This debate of "which locker is best" will always be a debate...it's like on the SRT8 forum, "which cold air intake is best"...

My opinion is buy what locker you feel comfortable with, buy one you can afford...When you're on the trails nobody cares what's inside your diffs., you need lockers....buy one of the several offered and rock on! Everybody has had different experiences with different products. Stop by your local off road shop and ask the owner or head technician what he thinks works best and what he has seen fail coming in for repairs.

dahreno said:

Hey machinegunmedic, what do you mean by bushwacking? If you are afraid of air lines and electrical wires and cables, you could always go with a Detroit in the rear.Possibly not the best choice on the street but hard to beat on the trail.

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I keep seeing people say the the Detroit lockers aren't the best on the street but are really strong. I have them on the Jeep I bought last November but how are they not the best for the street? I haven't seen anyone explain why. Just wondering.

TNuggs13 said:

I keep seeing people say the the Detroit lockers aren't the best on the street but are really strong. I have them on the Jeep I bought last November but how are they not the best for the street? I haven't seen anyone explain why. Just wondering.

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My experience with Detroit lockers started in the late eighties in an 83 Toyota 4x4 PU. It is still in that truck today (possibly the best part left). I can't think of the words to explain how great Detroits work but, I no longer recommend them. 25 years later selectable lockers are the way to go. On road ice and trailer towing are two times when a Detroit is not the ticket. By now you probably learned how to control the engagement and disengagement with throttle control. That learning curve is part of why people don't like them on the street.

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ARB is hands down the best locker. If you don't want air lines though, get an Eaton electric.

cozdude said:

I did the 5.13's cause I plan on getting 37's and a pr44 in the future. It was easier to add the locker and regear at the same time since they were already in there. No sense in adding the locker then regearing at separate times.


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How is it for DD with 5.13 and 35's? I'm also going to do 37's, but thinking about doing the gears first then wheels a few months later.

nv14jk said:

My experience with Detroit lockers started in the late eighties in an 83 Toyota 4x4 PU. It is still in that truck today (possibly the best part left). I can't think of the words to explain how great Detroits work but, I no longer recommend them. 25 years later selectable lockers are the way to go. On road ice and trailer towing are two times when a Detroit is not the ticket. By now you probably learned how to control the engagement and disengagement with throttle control. That learning curve is part of why people don't like them on the street.

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Ah! Ok. I get it now. Thanks.

suicideking said:

ARB is hands down the best locker. If you don't want air lines though, get an Eaton electric.



How is it for DD with 5.13 and 35's? I'm also going to do 37's, but thinking about doing the gears first then wheels a few months later.

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It's really good actually. The 5.13's are a little much for highway drive (in my opinion) but otherwise they are great all the way around! 37's are no time soon so I will have to deal with it


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Thank you for all your replies. The Jeep is a DD, and there is obviously lots of snow and ice up here and yes I tow a trailer. However I'm five min in any direction to some excellent trails. Some proven and some not. If we are bushwacking I can't see 5-10 ft in front of me for the trees.

Therefore I heard that lines whether electric or air are the weak points, for some lockers.

Skip

machinegunmedic said:

Thank you for all your replies. The Jeep is a DD, and there is obviously lots of snow and ice up here and yes I tow a trailer. However I'm five min in any direction to some excellent trails. Some proven and some not. If we are bushwacking I can't see 5-10 ft in front of me for the trees.

Therefore I heard that lines whether electric or air are the weak points, for some lockers.

Skip

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I have to agree the lines end up being the weakest. I have seen airline pop or come disconnected a few time and that's not always an easy fix if you are in a tough situation but overall they are better and a better choice

Dont want to start a new thread, but is there a locker on the market which is of good quality for the occasional wheeler that can DIRECTLY replace the OEM lockers AND still work with the OEM switchgear?

I also had a question and don't want to start a new thread..as it pertains. In my old Toyota Tacoma I use to have the lockable hubs that locked the front axle. Do they sell this type of set up for jeeps as well? Or is this kind of an old technology? They seemed really bomb proof and probably a cheap alternative to adding a locker system? And if I remember correctly the rear was always locked? What system would that be compared too these days for the JK? Any thoughts?

NFRs2000NYC said:

Dont want to start a new thread, but is there a locker on the market which is of good quality for the occasional wheeler that can DIRECTLY replace the OEM lockers AND still work with the OEM switchgear?

Click to expand...

I'm sure you could wire any E locker on the market to work with the factory switches.


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ARB is a good choice, but there are other diff choices you can consider. First of all, you need a selectable locker in a JK axle. The ESC (Electronic Stability Control) system does not work well with automatic lockers, like the Detroit, and other ltd-slip devices.

I have a JK with a Detroit locker. The device works excellent off road, but you WILL get lots of ESC events, and kicked into limp mode with any automatic (non-selectable) device. Without a selectable locker, you will need to remember to hit the ESC button EVERY time you start the car. Trust me, you will forget, and find yourself in limp mode frequently.

The other selectable locker choices are the Eaton E-locker, and the OX Locker. I do not recommend ANY of the imported Chinese knockoff diff’s that are advertised. You get what you pay for, and even less on imported knockoff products.

Eaton just released a new and improved E-locker for the 44’s. E-Lockers use electric actuation. Can’t vouch for it yet, but looks promising. The older E-lockers had 2 spider gears, and we felt our customers needed more. Therefore we have not recommended them in the past. Dynatrac seriously stands behind our warranty, and advocates for our customers. We do not want to get stuck in the middle of a diff warranty dispute, and will only work with partners that take their warranties as serious as we do.

The OX device is very strong and easily rivals the ARB durability. It is made in USA, whereas the ARB is not. It can be had with electric actuation. We are getting good feedback from customers using this device. OX also has versions for our ProRock line of axles. The device includes their special diff cover, since that is where the connection takes place.

We have had very good success with ARB, and also have a good relationship with them. I have never had them decline any of the very few warranty claims through Dynatrac. We have installed thousands of ARB’s.

All selectable lockers have some kind of line, be it wire or airline. Properly routing the line is mission critical, and it amazes me how little thinking some folks put into this task. Every car is different. You have to think about all the ways the axle moves and anticipate interference with branches, rock, mud, etc. This is more easily achieved with wire than an airline, because of the size and flexibility of wire. Wire is also less susceptible to melting, but will melt and short out if it contacts exhaust system parts. Both wire and airline can be cut or chaffed into failure.

DYNATRAC+"I have a JK with a Detroit locker. The device works excellent off road, but you WILL get lots of ESC events, and kicked into limp mode with any automatic (non-selectable) device. Without a selectable locker, you will need to remember to hit the ESC button EVERY time you start the car. Trust me, you will forget, and find yourself in limp mode frequently." I know you probably can't recomend it but doing the Hokey Pokey or installing the kill switch would solve this? and to clarify- does one method ot the other affect the ABS? as for OX being made in US thats what I like to hear! I'll be going with 1 in the front- debating still between detroit in rear tho... :beer: