auto locker Differnces

[Pathfinder]

I am wanting to get an autolocker for my rear diff. From what I can tell there are three different options.

Aussie locker
Powertrax (lockright)
detroit locker

I understand the clutch option for driveability however I am wonder whether going with an aussie locker for 275 is a bad decision. I mean the old addage "you get what you pay for".

Question: Am I getting a subpar product by going with the aussie or should I think of going with the more expensive options by detroit or lockright?

I searched and does not appear to have been covered.

Any help would be apperciated.

 

[sdog]

i have wheeled with several dudes with aussies, they worked well. I don't have any negative stories about them, thats good, right?

 

[RedTacoma]

I am wanting to get an autolocker for my rear diff. From what I can tell there are three different options.

Aussie locker
Powertrax (lockright)
detroit locker

I understand the clutch option for driveability however I am wonder whether going with an aussie locker for 275 is a bad decision. I mean the old addage "you get what you pay for".

Question: Am I getting a subpar product by going with the aussie or should I think of going with the more expensive options by detroit or lockright?

I searched and does not appear to have been covered.

Any help would be apperciated.

Question is what you gonna do with the truck? Is that street mostly or you get one tire in the air frequently?
All three lockers are good when offroading
Aussie locker
Powertrax (lockright)
are pretty much the same thing

Detroit is a little different supposed to be smoother dont know, I never had one but people who upgraded from lockright are happy with it. You can not go wrong with any. However, for maximum street drivability I would look for Limited Slip instead. Or better yet get e-lockers ultimate luxury

 

[Lka1988]

Aussie locker is nice, especially for the money. I've got one in my truck, works flawlessly.

 

[Pathfinder]

the truck will be used for the beach and expedition driving. Being that people have talked about the different kinds of lockers in seperate forums however a comparision has ever been done led me to believe they were the same however I wanted to ask.

I am leaning towards the aussie b/c of price however if I am getting junk then would consider the other two options. I would love ARB's however the cost per 3rd member is pretty high. This will have to be wish that I wll probally never get.

 

[cool breeze]

I love my Aussie! Works and performs flawless like Lane said, once its in you forget its there 99% of the time. Off pavement it has yet to fail me with some pretty hard wheeling too

 

[80t0ylc]

the truck will be used for the beach and expedition driving. Being that people have talked about the different kinds of lockers in seperate forums however a comparision has ever been done led me to believe they were the same however I wanted to ask.

I am leaning towards the aussie b/c of price however if I am getting junk then would consider the other two options. I would love ARB's however the cost per 3rd member is pretty high. This will have to be wish that I wll probally never get.

For your use you should be fine with the Aussie. They hold up well with occasional use, like your describe your needs. Detroits are more for the hard core, rock crawlers or mud boggers who don't have or want selectable lockers, but want extreme durability. They're more heavily built and definetly more $, 'cause, like you said in OP - you get what you pay for.

 

[solidfrontaxle]

I disagree that you get what you pay for in this situation.

First I want to mention that the Powertrax unit and the Lockright unit (also made by powertrax) are different.

Also there are also two different detroit lockers. Detroit makes a lunchbox locker called the EZ Locker, and they make a locker that replaces the whole carrier.

So you have 5 main lockers to choose from, plus some limited slips with clutches or gears, but I don't count those since they aren't a true locker.
I don't have experience with all, but here's what I know about the autolockers:
1. Lockright - klunky, sometimes violently pops or unlocks, sometimes breaks.
2. Powertrax - improved, quiter, less klunky version of the lockright (may be stronger, not sure).
3. Aussie - redesigned lockright, quieter, very smooth, much stronger
4. EZ Locker - I don't know anything about it, but guess its a close copy of a lockright.
5. Detroit - big, expensive, very clunky, but very strong unit that replaces your carrier, which on a toyota is not a weak point unlike some domestic vehicles. Also known to self destruct if you break an axle.

I believe a detroit is pointless in a toyota axle. There is no point in replacing the carrier since many things will break before it does. A lunchbox locker will be fine.

I have an aussie in two of my vehicles. My 55 is heavy enough in the rear (just like an 80) that it unlocks smoothly around every curve. I never know its even in there unless I do a slow turn in a parking lot and I can hear some light clicking coming from the rear end. I suspect that any of the lunchbox lockers will be fine in an 80 and unlock reliably. I am a huge proponent of the aussie however because it was designed by some of the same guys who designed the lockright. They took the original design and improved the simplicity, strength, and reliability. The powertrax unit is also a lockright improvement, and is probably on par with the aussie, but the aussie is much less expensive.

There are some great threads on Pirate that aussie took part in, standing behind their product and explaining tons of tech info. Their tech and customer service is excellent. That, and the fact that I've heard of many people unhappy with their lockers, but never anyone whos had a problem with aussie. The aussie is becoming the most common autolocker in toyotas for a reason.

I think the "get what you pay for" thing doesn't apply here whatsoever, but of course thats just my opinion.

 

[80t0ylc]

I disagree that you get what you pay for in this situation.....
I believe a detroit is pointless in a toyota axle. There is no point in replacing the carrier since many things will break before it does. A lunchbox locker will be fine....
I think the "get what you pay for" thing doesn't apply here whatsoever, but of course thats just my opinion.

So anyone that's put a Detroit Locker in their Toyota, for durability reasons, has wasted their money, according to you?

 

[solidfrontaxle]

If you're happy with it and it gives you peace of mind I wouldn't say its wasted. I've went and bought plenty of things against the advice of others because I felt better about it being overbuilt, including both of my landcruisers. I admit a case can be made for the detroit and there is something cool about being solid and overbuilt. So maybe you do get what you pay for: pay more than you need to and you get something stronger than it needs to be. (Again, this is only my opinion based on my own observations and experiences. Yours might be more extensive and possibly if not probably more valid)

 

[Tools R Us]

I haven't owned one, but the Aussie lockers that I have helped install and wheeled with have worked very well. The whole point to "lunch box" type lockers is relatively inexpensive and easy to install. If I were to spend the $$ for a full carrier type locker it would be the ARB, not that much more $$ than the Detroit and selectable, IMHO a huge advantage.

 

[80t0ylc]

........ If I were to spend the $$ for a full carrier type locker it would be the ARB, not that much more $$ than the Detroit and selectable, IMHO a huge advantage.

I agree. The 80 is a perfect vehicle for selectable lockers and I believe that is one reason why Mr. T eventually made elockers an available factory option. Yes you can put an auto locker in an 80, but here again, how you use your rig (plus your pocketbook) will determine what you use. Running open 3rd members presently, I'm often tempted to just throw an Aussie in the rear for off road performance. It's prolly the best bang for the buck for improving your vehicles off road ability. My .02.

 

[Vitesse_6]

Ive had a Lock Right in mine for a few years, Been quite happy, Ive seen quite a bit of Moab and surrounding areas, Catching air at the sand dunes, Flat towing my FJ40.
Yup, Couldnt be happier

 

[alkaline747trio]

Aussie locker is the best bang for the buck of all choices of lockers, not just auto lockers. It is the best 'lunch box' locker you can buy....that isn't opinion, it is fact. How? Well the original creators of the Lock Right split up some time ago because one (maybe more) of them thought their current design had enough flaws in it that an updated (better metallurgy, fewer parts) locker be used. Powertrax didn't want to do all that, so he (them) left the company and went to work for Torq-Masters releasing the Aussie locker. The Aussie locker has half as many small parts and takes half the time to install in a FF, and a third the time to install on a SF.

The Full Detroit is a great choice, but for that kind of money it would be dumb not to buy an ARB....and the Full Detroit isn't as strong as the OEM carrier nor the ARB. Plus the way a Full Detroit works, there is a greater shock-load when it engages than a 'lunch box' locker does.

Aussie or ARB are the only smart choices....let your wallet decide.

 

[Pathfinder]

Aussie locker is the best bang for the buck of all choices of lockers, not just auto lockers. It is the best 'lunch box' locker you can buy....that isn't opinion, it is fact. How? Well the original creators of the Lock Right split up some time ago because one (maybe more) of them thought their current design had enough flaws in it that an updated (better metallurgy, fewer parts) locker be used. Powertrax didn't want to do all that, so he (them) left the company and went to work for Torq-Masters releasing the Aussie locker. The Aussie locker has half as many small parts and takes half the time to install in a FF, and a third the time to install on a SF.

The Full Detroit is a great choice, but for that kind of money it would be dumb not to buy an ARB....and the Full Detroit isn't as strong as the OEM carrier nor the ARB. Plus the way a Full Detroit works, there is a greater shock-load when it engages than a 'lunch box' locker does.

Aussie or ARB are the only smart choices....let your wallet decide.

This is a good history. This helps me alot. They all seamed the same however the price was all over the board. Full ARB's would be nice however i cannot justify it for the back at this price.

I am looking foward to having full traction at both wheels.

 

[number057]

I got Powertrax in both of my Yotas, (fj40, and 80's) and have instaled 5 more in customers rig all 80's not a problem at all, we all use the truck's as daily drivers , it gets some time to get used to the "felling" of the locker but it is as reliable as it gets, no fuses, no hose faliure, no wires, no special fluids, 1 hour instal time at most, not to mention the price ,and is there when you need it , some times you are allready on the ditch and forgot to "activate " the locker , not with these puppys!.
They work great here in Colombia South America Terrain!!

 

[Pin_Head]

The Powertrax Lockright, Detroit EZ and Aussie locker are like peas in a pod. Although they have enough minor differences to make their parts non-interchangeable, they operate the same way and have the same number of parts. The Powertrax No Slip is a Lockright with synchronizer rings that is supposed to make the driver-couple engagement and disengagement smoother.

 

[Letsgomoreplaces]

Sorta true

The detroit EZ locker was discontinued a couple years back. Although they appeared similar to the actual Lock Right, the metal was not good, and they had a near 100% failure rate. We actually stopped carrying them long before they got discontinued. For this reason we dont use the knockoff lunchbox lockers. The Lock Rights just seem to hold up quite well considering its a lunchbox type.
Also the Powertrax No-Slip (also produced by richmond) is similar, but has synchro ring to give smoother operation. They cost a bit more but If your not going with a selectable locker, I think they are worth the extra cost over a standard lock right.

The Powertrax Lockright, Detroit EZ and Aussie locker are like peas in a pod. Although they have enough minor differences to make their parts non-interchangeable, they operate the same way and have the same number of parts. The Powertrax No Slip is a Lockright with synchronizer rings that is supposed to make the driver-couple engagement and disengagement smoother.

 

[akarilo]

Everybody over thinks this mod; I did as well. Have had all sorts of lockers in the past, including Aussie's F/R on the 62. Long story short, buy one, install it, forget about it. It's probably better than the others you mentioned anyway. Good luck on your decision; oh wait, you shouldn't have one anymore

 

[Riad]

60K+ miles so far and going strong on my Aussie. Mostly on road driving so far; occasional wheeling. That's why I forget I have locker in the rear. Only time I remember is when I press the CDL switch; I get two lockers engaged by pressing one button ; that within itself is a great advantage . It's priceless.