40 series diff lockers (1 Viewer)

[MarzBj42LX]

Hi everyone,
I’m located in Victoria - Australia Ive got a bj42 Lx that I’ve set up as my touring/camping car and I’m thinking about getting diff locks installed. The ones I’m currently looking at are ARB air lockers for the front and back. Has anyone got any advice or suggestions or personal experience.

Also anyone from Victoria know of a 40series car club.

 

[1911]

Hi everyone,
I’m located in Victoria - Australia Ive got a bj42 Lx that I’ve set up as my touring/camping car and I’m thinking about getting diff locks installed. The ones I’m currently looking at are ARB air lockers for the front and back. Has anyone got any advice or suggestions or personal experience.

Also anyone from Victoria know of a 40series car club.

I have ARB air lockers front and rear, have had them for 13-14 years now. They have never failed me and still work great. Some folks don't like them, complain about air leaks and etc., but I am not one of them. Install the air bulkhead carefully and use the heavy-duty air line that ARB sells.

 

[charliemeyer007]

I would love to have them. Install them correctly and they are about issue free as you can get. Be sure and try them out on a steep side hill while you have other rigs along.

 

[B y r o n]

Have had mine since 2013/2014, installed myself. I did complete axle rebuilds when I did mine. This included new gear sets, bearings and seals. Evaluate the parts you're working with and follow installation instructions. A field service manual will lay out the disassembly/assembly for you. Think about where you want to mount the switches. I built a panel to also hold the rocker switches for my fog, driving and backup lights mounted under the dash. If you have the option, think about using solid instead of crush sleeve on the pinion.

 

[archie73]

If you’re going to be using the truck in non technical ways a lot, then the arb or harrop is the way to go. Being able to turn them off for normal driving is great. A little spendy, but you get a transparent mode.

Some people prefer the simplicity of lunchbox lockers. They have different road manners, but some just adjust their style of driving. They’re significantly cheaper.

I had my rear locker installed into the third member and installed that myself. When the time came, I did the front myself. I’m probably a 3 banana mechanic and it was doable. It’s kinda tedious and took a better part of a weekend to set up and install. You gotta weigh the value your time against the cost of someone else doing it.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Always use the rear locker first as needed. The front will bind up steering a bit, will make the steering wheel feel heavy.
Never back up a steep hill with front locker engaged and turn the steering wheel. If you are backing up, keep it straight.
As soon as you turn the wheel and load up all that vehicle weight on the front birfield, you will hear a resounding popping
explosion as a birfield explodes! I ran ARB's with 38.5" TSL tires for 5 years, they were flawless. Never had issues.
But I always carried spare birfield's when wheeling hard.

 

[pb4ugo]

I think it really depends on how you're going to drive it. If you currently like the handling of an open diff on the street you're going to want a selectable locker in the rear like an ARB. A locker engaged all the time in the rear, like as a Detroit, will effect how it handles in certain situations. An ARB or selectable locker in the frt is a no brainer. Use it when you need it. I wheel on tight trails so an open frt diff allows for better cornering and control. A locked frt diff will push in the turns and wont turn as tight. I ran lunchbox lockers for yrs in the rear. They are obnoxious, violent, cheap and effective, and greatly effects handling. Then I installed a Detroit and it rarely reminds me it's there and works perfectly.

 

[mrboatman]

I have ARB,s front & rear they work great. I did have to replace the air lines due to leaks. I’ve had them for about 10 years now

 

[jim land]

Arb front and lockright powertrax in rear, 35" tire and V8 , troubles free for 21yrs now , but i think about selectable in the rear some day

 

[jim land]

With a locked front , it is better to use chromo axle shaft and birfield , i use rcv but other are good too

 

[plink01]

I use a Lokka in the rear and have the front unlocked.
I spend most of my time in the Vic high country, on average I probably go away two weekends every month.

I love the Lokka. I feel it's fine on road. It bangs every now and then on road in real tight carparks, but off road it turns the car into a tractor.

It is cheap as hell and super easy to install.
I do generally medium to hard tracks in the High Country, and I'm generally solo. I have never needed a front locker. The winch is there if I need it. I feel the front locker will only allow me to go to places I probably shouldn't be going anyway, especially considering I'm solo!

If I was to ever install a front I would probably go air locker, even though I seem to have a lot of dramas with them in my 80 series.
I don't know any 40 clubs but OCKA do a few 40 meet ups every year if you want to spend a weekend with a bunch of other 40 series weirdo's!