Aussie locker longevity update (1 Viewer)

[tonyota]

Currently swaping diff gears in my 60.
Had to disassemble the Aussie locker in the rear to pull the third member. And I'm pleased to report after nearly 3 years & somewhere around 20K miles of daily driving & some hard off road action, the Aussie is showing almost no signs of wear!
It all came back apart with no problems & looked basically like it did when it was put in.
Just thought I'd post this up for those who , like me , wonder how it's holding up since they make some interesting noises at times
And by the way, they work great on the road & off

 

[cody c]

i run one in the rear of my 60, i dont do alot of km's as its not a daily driver but it has worked without complaint so far and its been in there about 6 years.

 

[DavidAW]

Good to hear. I'm still getting used to mine after a month.

I'm still trying to figure out if I'm getting normal behavior on the road. I seem to have some days when I dont even notice the ratcheting, then others when I feel like the Aussies are yanking my whole drivetrain around.

Whats your experience?

Thanks
Dave

 

[tonyota]

Good to hear. I'm still getting used to mine after a month.

I'm still trying to figure out if I'm getting normal behavior on the road. I seem to have some days when I dont even notice the ratcheting, then others when I feel like the Aussies are yanking my whole drivetrain around.

Whats your experience?

Thanks
Dave

Pretty much same as yours...Get used to it, soon you won't even notice anymore...sometimes it seems like the rear is going to come out of the truck sideways, then other times it will be no different than it was stock.

My favorite is when someone is checking out your rig & you pull away & it pops like an axle just broke....gotta love that...

 

[DavidAW]

Thanks, that makes me feel a better.

Yeah I've been expecting someone to tell me that I have serious problems after listening to me park.

 

[RockDoc]

So far mine's only been in 2 days, but it's been pretty much transparent. My tolerances are nice and tight (0.006" and 0.008" on either side of the cross shaft), and I think I've read that makes a difference for how it behaves.

 

[tonyota]

It's a must to have the tolerances set right...not only voids warranty, but won't work properly.

 

[wngrog]

Just installed mine this weekend. It is my 3rd. It works great...small amount of ratchet is all.

 

[Freewheel]

Make sure your tires are inflated equally - my aussie gets grumpy when they're one or 2 psi different.

The amount of noise they make can be pretty frightening, the only thing I've heard like it was when a tooth broke off the diff in my old blazer and shot halfway through the diff cover...

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I'm thinking about buying one, but after seeing one of my wheeling buddies split a carrier due to a blown lock-right, I'm nervous about buying a lunchbox locker. How hard do you guys wheel? Cody c has got to thrash his pretty well.

 

[alkaline747trio]

Not in a 60, but in an 80 I wheel mine hard with 11.00r16 Michelins, 28.5x11 Boggers, or 37x14 IROKs. I also daily drive the thing and have been rear Aussie locked for 2+ years now (~25k). Locker looks like it did the day I put it in, consistently ratchets and doesn't bang around....likes the thicker gear oil anyways.

You wont break an Aussie, and if you do...I'm pretty sure they've got a kickass million mile warranty. Aussie locker was created by someone who left Lock-right because they wouldn't listen to him about doing a revision. Aussie lockers have 1/2 as many pins and springs and more contact area on the lockers gears.

 

[Yspen]

Same experience here :
Replaced sideshaft seals last week . Inspected Aussie locker and cannot see any wear after 20 000km .
Used to use 80w90 but filled diff with 85w140 this time and it seems even quieter - not that noticed the clicking before .

 

[Ducks]

No problems here. I've had it for two years and 20,000 miles. The tolerances are where they should be and the tires are properly inflated. I recently put an Aussie in the front. I'm not sure I like it there and will probably get an ARB for the front when money is available. With the Aussie in the front I can't make tight turns on switchbacks without backing up.

 

[tonyota]

I've got Aussies in both ends. I wheel pretty darn hard & have had no problems. I do find it hard to make tight turns, but only on hard pack.
I also run the 85-140 gear lube

 

[wngrog]

Man, don't worry about breaking a carrier on a Cruiser 3rd. That must have been a freak accident. I have broken every part of a Cruiser axle and have never put a dent in a carrier.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Man, don't worry about breaking a carrier on a Cruiser 3rd. That must have been a freak accident. I have broken every part of a Cruiser axle and have never put a dent in a carrier.

It may have been a freak accident, but it was on a SUA truck running 35's so I figure I might as well play it safe rather than sorry since I'm going to DD 35's. Granted if I blew a carrier on a FF rear nothing would happen except chewing everything up, but at least my tire wouldn't slide out. It was wierd, stock axle shafts and a Lock Right powered by the 2F, nothing special, but when the center pin broke it blew through the carrier. He wasn't even running a rock garden or anything, just accelerating up a moderately steep hill.

 

[wngrog]

It may have been a freak accident, but it was on a SUA truck running 35's so I figure I might as well play it safe rather than sorry since I'm going to DD 35's. Granted if I blew a carrier on a FF rear nothing would happen except chewing everything up, but at least my tire wouldn't slide out. It was wierd, stock axle shafts and a Lock Right powered by the 2F, nothing special, but when the center pin broke it blew through the carrier. He wasn't even running a rock garden or anything, just accelerating up a moderately steep hill.

Damage like that is almost always due to cumulative wear and tear. That is like the one you hear...."I broke that Birfield backing off the trailer!" Chances are, it was just ready to go.

Back to the carrier, I would not at all worry about it.

 

[Godwin]

It may have been a freak accident, but it was on a SUA truck running 35's so I figure I might as well play it safe rather than sorry since I'm going to DD 35's. Granted if I blew a carrier on a FF rear nothing would happen except chewing everything up, but at least my tire wouldn't slide out. It was wierd, stock axle shafts and a Lock Right powered by the 2F, nothing special, but when the center pin broke it blew through the carrier. He wasn't even running a rock garden or anything, just accelerating up a moderately steep hill.

Could be the center pin bolt backed out allowing the center pin to shift and trash the carrier. IOW assembly error when installing the LR.

 

[Godwin]

I've put about 80k miles on a LR that is in a 40 with 35s and 40k miles on an Aussie in a 60. Been running the 85-140 gear oil with both. No problems to report with either.