another ARB vs OEM locker issue

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mason said:
Judging by the people who gave a definite nod to one versus the other, it looks like ARBs won out by 9 to 4 (C-Dan gave a nod to both, depending on the tire size). I didn't know the opinions would be that skewed, but it does give me a good starting point. Thanks, all.

--Eddie
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1. Neither one is better enough or worse enough to make someone switch.
2. 9/10 times people will always defend what they've got.
 
I've got ARB's front and rear in my 80. They are great although I get some oil blow by on one of them when releasing pressure. No biggie. I think that the electric lockers are cool, but I don't like the idea of having more electronics underwater. The ARB's are plenty strong, really quick, and have yet to let me down. The weren't cheap though. :doh: But they are worth the price.
 
How long have the ARB lockers been around? What I'm really wondering is how many people have had trouble-free ARBs for 8-10 years? OEMs have no problems (minus potential sticking) making it to this age. How do the ARBs compare?
 
Is it just me, or am I missing something? Factory lockers have two light modes, one to tell you they are activated (blinking), and one to tell you they have engaged (solid). ARB lockers have only one mode- activated. Nothing tells you they are engaged. How do you know they don't take just as long for the cogs to align? As soon as one of your tires rotates faster than the other, the cogs are going to align in either setup. Are people just happy because they don't know if they're locked or not?

I'm not suggesting factory lockers are any better, just questioning everyone who states that the ARB's engage 'immediately'. Unless I've got it wrong, the mechanics of the sliding splined collars are essentially the same. If they don't align, they can't engage. One axle must turn at a different pace to allow the locker to engage, no?

-Spike
 
Spike,
ARB's have more splines and they really are "instant" on/off. It's a real plus on the trail, imo. You can tell they are on b/c the switch is lighted or you can wire an indicator light. Very simple.

OEM is good b/c it's stock. You have $3000 that can go elsewhere.
ARB is good b/c it allows someone to lock their open diff rig.

There is no conflicting interest there. As long as they function, both will serve their purpose.

Chuck Norris doesn't need lockers. Contrary to popular belief, The Gatekeeper was not dynamited. Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked it when he couldn't get his Dodge Ram through.
 
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come on you blokes , just admit that the Aussie
































arb



































Come on you blokes just admit that the Aussie ARB air locker is better then any thing else ever designed.Even anything American or Japenese.There really is no better design.BIG FULLSTOP.
 
FirstToy said:
Spike,
ARB's have more splines and they really are "instant" on/off. It's a real plus on the trail, imo. You can tell they are on b/c the switch is lighted or you can wire an indicator light. Very simple.

OEM is good b/c it's stock. You have $3000 that can go elsewhere.
ARB is good b/c it allows someone to lock their open diff rig.

There is no conflicting interest there. As long as they function, both will serve their purpose.

Chuck Norris doesn't need lockers. Contrary to popular belief, The Gatekeeper was not dynamited. Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked it when he couldn't get his Dodge Ram through.
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Agreed. Excellent response. Spike....you'd just have to drive a ARB rig to know. These suckers are instant on/off. Since locking the 100 the OEM's on the 80 drive me nuts. (Though there's no air canister bolt to keep tight every year. :D
 
bah!

when it comes down to it...lockers are lockers.




Does anyone know of a person who has installed ARB lockers on a rig that already had OEM lockers because ARB is soooooo superior?



Get the nicest rig with the lowest miles for the best price after you factor in the parts and labor cost for the ARB install.

If you do the ARB, you might as well regear whilst you're in there.
 
FirstToy said:
Chuck Norris doesn't need lockers. Contrary to popular belief, The Gatekeeper was not dynamited. Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked it when he couldn't get his Dodge Ram through.
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LOL!......:grinpimp:
 
NorCalDoug said:
...Does anyone know of a person who has installed ARB lockers on a rig that already had OEM lockers because ARB is soooooo superior?....
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Yes, but the case I know of the owner had continual problems with his solenoid and wanted to ditch the whole setup. He planned a re-gear (4.56's) so rather than pull his 3rds apart, he sold them complete (I think Ferg got one of them?) and he installed ARB's using core 3rd members from us. This guy didn't do it out of fear of breaking, rather reliablity (in his opinion)

Ask Jared Borg (NW-Sickboy)if he still likes OEM lockers... his bill to fix his last OEM locker situation damn near could have bought ARB's (it would have easily covered the cost of a rear ARB) :D

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=61283&highlight=borg
 
sleeoffroad said:
Depends on what tire size and what you are going to do with the truck. Hardcore 37" tires I would take the ARB's given everything else is the same. Search for thread on twisted splines on rear axle.
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I couldn't agree more... There comes a point where the OEM stuff is just a fuse, a very expensive fuse at that. IMHO building a truck is all about minimizing the risks, and making your "fuses" cheap and easy to fix on the trail... an OEM locker is neither. ;)
 
The OEM lockers in my 97 FZJ are very tempermental, and they have been this way since 50,000 miles. I now have 160,000. They take too long to engage, if they do at all. I have a buddy with a Jeep and ARBs and it is crazy how fast (relative to the speed the OEM lockers engauge) they lock. And they always lock, if installed correctly. I also don;t like the spline twisting aspect of the OEM. But that is in a very extreme situation with large tires. The OEM locker in my 01' Taco is also tempermental, but not as bad as the FZJ. It seems that with OEM you wait / hope they engage when you are in a hairy situation, but with the ARBs they almost always engage. OEM is nice, but if I were adding lockers I would use ARBs.
 
I must be lucky. My rear locker has over 255,000 miles on it, and performs flawlessly. I opened the cover to manually engage it so I could remove my axle shafts (this was before the electrics were hooked up- I added factory lockers to my rig) and it was immaculate, the white lithium grease looked brand new. I was skeptical that it had ever been used, it was so clean. The rest of the axle was disgusting- no grease in the bearings, seals shot, outside caked with dried grease and dirt. Absolutely no evidence it had ever been looked at, let alone opened and maintained.
My front locker is trouble-free as well, but I would expect that since it has about 70,000 on it.
I'm of the opinion that you take the factory setup if you can get it, and that the ARB's may be slightly superior but not enough to consider replacing a working factory system. I was able to get 2 complete locked axles and all the related hardware shipped from Texas for $1500, so I went that route. If faced with two identicle Cruisers except for the locker system, I'd probably buy the cheaper one. Maybe a $500 nod to the ARB if it were recently installed and under some kind of installation warantee.

-Spike
 
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