Best Locking Differentials for a stock PIG?

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Best? ARB
 
Best for what?

Impressing people with the Psst noise and fancy switches? ARB. Nice to be able to unlock on the road, but I see failures constantly on them. I mean constantly. Air lines, seals, switches, compressors, bad help line info. They are cool if you got the $2k to get them installed and don't wheel enough to care about the problems.

Working flawlessly every time while wheeling and simple enough that anybody could install them? Lunchbox. I hear good things about Spartan. I like Lockrite. Downsides are banging on turns on the road.

I run factory 80 electrics in my 55. two rears. The electrics are a pain so I run Ox cable actuators. I wish I would have just put lockrights in way back when.
 
I have ARB front and rear and they work but I don't think I'd buy them again. They went in about ten years ago and there weren't the choices there are now.

Although I've never had a problem with the differential mechanisms I've had three times of the lines breaking from getting caught by something. The problem is that you can't do tight bends in the line or it'll kink or break and because they can't bend tight it's not really possible to give them the protection they should have by running them close onto steel parts. I used to tell myself that someday I'd make the lines up using brake line but the silly ARB fittings would need another solution. It's the air supply system that makes ARB lockers suck, IMO.

The compressor gets all sluggish if it gets down to freezing and that's about as cold as it normally gets here. Probably worse in colder temperatures than I see, but I can't say that for sure.
 
Stay with the mechanical lockers lunch box type or Detroit. The (Aussie lockers brand) are made in the USA and are $300ish per axle. I have had a lot of trouble with my ARB's
 
Gumby said:
Best for what?

Impressing people with the Psst noise and fancy switches? ARB. Nice to be able to unlock on the road, but I see failures constantly on them. I mean constantly. Air lines, seals, switches, compressors, bad help line info. They are cool if you got the $2k to get them installed and don't wheel enough to care about the problems.
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I have wheeled an ARB in my buggy for 13 years with not even one hiccup. Most of the issues you list are do to poor installs.

Detroits can break when an axle breaks. I ran them for a year or 2 until I had one break. I then replaced that with a spool (off road only).

I think locker choice comes down to how are you really going to use it and budget.
 
honk said:
Although I've never had a problem with the differential mechanisms I've had three times of the lines breaking from getting caught by something. The problem is that you can't do tight bends in the line or it'll kink or break and because they can't bend tight it's not really possible to give them the protection they should have by running them close onto steel parts. I used to tell myself that someday I'd make the lines up using brake line but the silly ARB fittings would need another solution. It's the air supply system that makes ARB lockers suck, IMO.
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Again these issues are do to poor install and routing. I ditch that crap blue line and run stainless steal braided lines. I run the small ARB compressor and also have a C02 tank for backup (have never had to use it).
 
Gumby said:
I run factory 80 electrics in my 55. two rears. The electrics are a pain so I run Ox cable actuators. I wish I would have just put lockrights in way back when.
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I have a lockright in one rig and electrics in the one I drive the most. I would never buy a lunchbox style again. The electrical part is not too hard to get right and fairly easy to troubleshoot on the trail, though I have never had to do so.

I have a plan to greatly simplify the electrical for the aftermarket. The circuit will cost sub-$50 for a dual-locker setup and not involve anything more than screwing wires into terminals and a switch. We'll see how time permits during the coming year.
 
Latest one I had someone ask for help about was a 200 that was backing oil up the air lines. ARB said 200s dont have diff breathers and that was the reason. :rolleyes:

I'm also not a big fan of having to pay that much for a product that comes with junk parts that have to be substituted for out of the box.

You typically don't get problems that can be blamed on installation with lunchboxes because the carrier doesn't have to come out. With an ARB you have to pull the carrier and re-set up the whole diff again. That's a skill a lot of people don't have. Less and less mechanics have it as well as there are just not a lot of diff failures out in the real world. I know of people that ship their thirds cross country to have them set up by gurus any more.

and maybe you don't see as many problems in AZ because of the weather and type of wheeling out there. In the midwest i see it a lot.
 
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Fast Eddy said:
I have a lockright in one rig and electrics in the one I drive the most. I would never buy a lunchbox style again. The electrical part is not too hard to get right and fairly easy to troubleshoot on the trail, though I have never had to do so.
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I've wheeled with electrics in my 80 a lot and they were just not reliable as a lunchbox. The contacts in the actuator are just not a great design IMO. With the cables I can feel them go in. I'm not in an obstacle with people yelling at me that Im unlocked, and then backing and turning and generally dicking around trying to get the locker to engage. A lunchbox is always there.
 
I don't disagree much. If I wasn't driving to the trailhead a spool would be just the ticket in the rear.

I can hear mine unlocking. I don't have 'locked' indicators wired in yet. On Rubicon, I lock the rear once and unlock it at the end, pretty much. I don't find locking to be the problem in the front, rather unlocking. It's hard to steer with it locked.
 
You might want to look at Trail Tamer's Harrop Electric Locker sold by Ward Harris & Georg Esterer. Especially if you want selectable lockers.
 
Yeah Gumby, but...I put an Aussielocker in my '65 rear axle. It worked good whenever off pavement but drove me nuts with all it's clanking, ticking, and what all racket driving the truck on pavement. I'm gonna' get that truck going pretty soon and it's on my list to change out the locker.

I'd not like to have to be explaining noises to some clueless kid with cruiser stars in his eyes who comes looking to buy the thing. Reminds me of bad CV joints in a Subaru, especially in reverse.
 
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Another vote for ARB.
I have been using ARB for over 20 years in various rigs, from daily drivers, trail rigs, hard core rock crawlers to desert racing trucks that see more abuse than most people could concieve possible. I have never had 1 single issue. Ever!
Now I do have a race coming up next month and I hope I didn't jinx myself :)

My neck was a bit stiff after this but the ARBs were fine
 
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Really only three choices

1. Cable Lockers from a 60 series
2. E-Lockers and convert them to cable actuators
3. ARB - I have had good luck with the ones I have delt with


Dyno
 
Dynosoar said:
1. Cable Lockers from a 60 series
2. E-Lockers and convert them to cable actuators
3. ARB - I have had good luck with the ones I have delt with
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Cable lockers were available when they built the 80-series. Why not use them? Toyota is smart and had to warranty their work. They were in production for a long time on a bunch of different product lines.

The e-lockers are more reliable than people give them credit for and they're not hard to work on.
 
Best comes down to your price. If not a DD, you can do the front and rear with a lunch box locker for the price of just an uninstalled ARB.
 
slickrock said:
Best comes down to your price.
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Great point! I have four e-locker thirds and I never paid more than $500 or so. :) You also need the e-locker shafts though. I've got an extra one for an '80-series if anyone needs one.
 
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