Hojack
♠️Project Snowball❄️
IH8MUD
Lockers worth the money (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Pepperana
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Sounds like your truck is well thought out, and an excellent platform. I just believe that if you continue with quality parts that are well thought out, like the lockers you speak of, there is nothing foolish in that investment. They print money every day, up to you how to earn and spend it but when you earn it, you deserve to enjoy it responsibly imo. There is nothing irresponsible about spending money on a solid investment vehicle that you can use for fun and family time.
And on top of the cheesy rant, you will like the lockers if you get out and use them. Have fun!
And on top of the cheesy rant, you will like the lockers if you get out and use them. Have fun!
Hojack
♠️Project Snowball❄️
I think the bigger question is lockers in the front or rear...
Front seem like they would help pull the 60 while rears would push it. Fronts better to hill climb, rears better on snowy roads.
Front seem like they would help pull the 60 while rears would push it. Fronts better to hill climb, rears better on snowy roads.
I would just do both at the same time. Buy once cry once. Never worry about it again.
Are lockers worth the money? Yes
Do you need lockers? No
Do you need lockers? No
Not exactly the same since it was an 80 series, but my daughhter and I took her 80 with e-lockers to Drummond Island MI for some wheeling/camping and her rear e-locker wouldn't engage. Climbing some tough rock wall we had to stack rocks a bit mainly because of the non-working rear. No biggie but in that situation, both would have been nice.
Lockers or winch and new turbo? In Africa? I would say winch and turbo. If u get stuck without lockers the chances of breaking drivetrain components are slim which is nice. Just make sure u have a pullpal and snatchblock and all that stuff. I would probably lean toward warns air compressor winch. Then u get a air compressor too with the winch. Run it to a auxiliary tank so u have some reserve air.
I would add a rear locker. You will get more benefit from it than doing just the front.
If money isn’t an option do them both at once. But otherwise do the rear and then when you need to do brake work/inner axle seals do the front.
As others have indicated, buy the best quality you can with anything truck/recovery.
That said, what ever money you spend will be worth every dang penny when your stuck and you have to pull the trick (lockers/winch/traction devices) in your bag out that will get you out of that situation.
If you look up the rocky road, muddy track, sandy beach and think “I could get stuck, i’m Not sure.” vs. “That looks F’n rad, let’s go.” Don’t buy the lockers, get a proper recovery set up and then put the rest $$$ into the gas tank and take it for a rip.
If you find yourself thinking, I’m more of the “let’s go crowd” get the locker/s and your got one more trick for when you have that moment of experiential learning that “It didn’t look that deep.”
If you drive remote and solo. You need more tricks in the bag. And also, to not have those experiential learning moments by yourself. This is because there is no better person to remind you of that moment when you drove on the beach and got stuck as hell, just as the tide was coming in, than the guy who is frantically digging out your rear wheels to get you out.
If money isn’t an option do them both at once. But otherwise do the rear and then when you need to do brake work/inner axle seals do the front.
As others have indicated, buy the best quality you can with anything truck/recovery.
That said, what ever money you spend will be worth every dang penny when your stuck and you have to pull the trick (lockers/winch/traction devices) in your bag out that will get you out of that situation.
If you look up the rocky road, muddy track, sandy beach and think “I could get stuck, i’m Not sure.” vs. “That looks F’n rad, let’s go.” Don’t buy the lockers, get a proper recovery set up and then put the rest $$$ into the gas tank and take it for a rip.
If you find yourself thinking, I’m more of the “let’s go crowd” get the locker/s and your got one more trick for when you have that moment of experiential learning that “It didn’t look that deep.”
If you drive remote and solo. You need more tricks in the bag. And also, to not have those experiential learning moments by yourself. This is because there is no better person to remind you of that moment when you drove on the beach and got stuck as hell, just as the tide was coming in, than the guy who is frantically digging out your rear wheels to get you out.
CaptClose
SILVER Star
I’ve been on a lot of trails with many 40’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. I’ve had the benefit of experiencing in real time, the difference between locked and unlocked trucks. Identical in every way with the only exception being locked or not.
Lockers were the difference between going forward or going back several times. Even on trails that you wouldn’t have thought lockers would be that beneficial.
The only time we used the winch last summer in Colorado, was to pull the guy without lockers up the trail.
Land Cruisers are great off road vehicles, but having lockers makes them almost unstoppable.
Absolutely.... Get the lockers.
Lockers were the difference between going forward or going back several times. Even on trails that you wouldn’t have thought lockers would be that beneficial.
The only time we used the winch last summer in Colorado, was to pull the guy without lockers up the trail.
Land Cruisers are great off road vehicles, but having lockers makes them almost unstoppable.
Absolutely.... Get the lockers.
Are lockers worth the money? You bet. Do you need them? Absolutely not.
But if you can only get one then winch winch winch. If I was travelling solo, I would take a working winch over a front drive shaft.
My experience is the opposite of many replies above. That doesn't mean their experience isn't equally valid, but take it all, especially my stuff, with a grain of salt.
I started going out in the woods and getting stuck in 1978. I have been in a lot of situations where the lockers weren't enough, I have yet to find myself in a situation where a winch was not enough. I can imagine some, but I have never encountered one first hand.
I have been stuck in Africa a few times, in Land Cruisers with lockers. Deep mud is not impressed by lockers, and they're useless if you get high centered. Thank God we had winches.
I have done a few hundred desert trips in the UAE, you get stuck less often in the sand if you have lockers, but you still get stuck. Then you want a winch. I know people I trust who say that Max Trax are great in that application, but I don't know, I don't have any. I would never recommend a single car trip out there, but I would feel better solo in the dunes with Max Trax than solo in the dunes with lockers.
Thirty years driving in the more damp and wooded environment of the SouthEastern US (where we have a lot more trees to winch to). I winched a lot of trucks with lockers. I have also had a tire over the edge of a cliff, (the access road to Tellico) but for me, it was the winch that saved the day. Would a locker have worked then? I don't think so. I was sideways and off-camber. A locker would have made it worse. winch winch winch.
If you can afford it, a commercial anchor like a pullpal or deadman takes care of 99% of the "nothing to winch to" scenarios. (Avoid the smittybuilt and ARB versions, they are useless.) If you can't afford a Pull Pal, then a shovel and a spare tire will work in sand, mud, or dirt. It sucks, and there is some technique and trial and error to it, but burying a spare will get you out. It sucks so bad that you might do what I did, and run out and buy a Pull-Pal. But it works. Then you might get lazy and leave the Pull-Pal at home and have to bury the spare again. I guess that's how we learn.
A locker will often keep you from getting stuck in the first place, but so will picking a good line, airing down, left-foot braking, good throttle control, scouting dodgey obstacles, using your brain, etc.... But even with a locker you will eventually get stuck. When that happens, the winch is worth its weight in gold. A locker and good driving will save you a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, especially sweat. But you won't realize its limits until you find them first hand. then you will want a winch.
Dry rocks are about the only situation I can think of where a locker might get you through or out of something a winch can't. Simply because you can't bury a spare tire. You also have to get creative if you are stuck in a situation where you need to go backwards. But even these can usually be overcome with some ingenuity.
But if you can only get one then winch winch winch. If I was travelling solo, I would take a working winch over a front drive shaft.
My experience is the opposite of many replies above. That doesn't mean their experience isn't equally valid, but take it all, especially my stuff, with a grain of salt.
I started going out in the woods and getting stuck in 1978. I have been in a lot of situations where the lockers weren't enough, I have yet to find myself in a situation where a winch was not enough. I can imagine some, but I have never encountered one first hand.
I have been stuck in Africa a few times, in Land Cruisers with lockers. Deep mud is not impressed by lockers, and they're useless if you get high centered. Thank God we had winches.
I have done a few hundred desert trips in the UAE, you get stuck less often in the sand if you have lockers, but you still get stuck. Then you want a winch. I know people I trust who say that Max Trax are great in that application, but I don't know, I don't have any. I would never recommend a single car trip out there, but I would feel better solo in the dunes with Max Trax than solo in the dunes with lockers.
Thirty years driving in the more damp and wooded environment of the SouthEastern US (where we have a lot more trees to winch to). I winched a lot of trucks with lockers. I have also had a tire over the edge of a cliff, (the access road to Tellico) but for me, it was the winch that saved the day. Would a locker have worked then? I don't think so. I was sideways and off-camber. A locker would have made it worse. winch winch winch.
If you can afford it, a commercial anchor like a pullpal or deadman takes care of 99% of the "nothing to winch to" scenarios. (Avoid the smittybuilt and ARB versions, they are useless.) If you can't afford a Pull Pal, then a shovel and a spare tire will work in sand, mud, or dirt. It sucks, and there is some technique and trial and error to it, but burying a spare will get you out. It sucks so bad that you might do what I did, and run out and buy a Pull-Pal. But it works. Then you might get lazy and leave the Pull-Pal at home and have to bury the spare again. I guess that's how we learn.
A locker will often keep you from getting stuck in the first place, but so will picking a good line, airing down, left-foot braking, good throttle control, scouting dodgey obstacles, using your brain, etc.... But even with a locker you will eventually get stuck. When that happens, the winch is worth its weight in gold. A locker and good driving will save you a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, especially sweat. But you won't realize its limits until you find them first hand. then you will want a winch.
Dry rocks are about the only situation I can think of where a locker might get you through or out of something a winch can't. Simply because you can't bury a spare tire. You also have to get creative if you are stuck in a situation where you need to go backwards. But even these can usually be overcome with some ingenuity.
Last edited:
I'll be the first blasphemer here and say I'd take an ARB air locker over a Toyota E-locker. The e-lockers require regular cycling to stay
reliable especially around moist environments. I've only bought two used axles over the years. Both had issues. The mechanisms were stuck
and needed to be disassembled and cleaned up. In one, the magnets in the motor had rusted to the armature winding and pulled loose
of the outer case. They are most reliable if you get in the habit of cycling them regularly to keep the mechanism working.
The other issue is the long delay in the actuation. Air lockers are instant,the e-locker takes time to engage. You can engage an air locker
in the middle of a precarious situation but the e-locker needs to be engaged well before you get to that spot. I've wheeled a lot
with a friend that has a well built Tacoma with an e-locker in the front and an ARB in the rear. He much prefers the ARB on the trail
You forgot to mention that along with the locker and winch you also need a nice roof rack
No argument on the ARB lockers being a great choice. Good point on the "excercising" of the lockers. It does make me take the alternate route through the woods to the house every so often to kick em' in. Not a terrible thing
Hojack
♠️Project Snowball❄️
Bite the bullet once and buy ARB air lockers. I am as my front axle is all torn apart now and am upgrading to the Chromoly axle shaft. Do it once... do it right. My 60 is a DD also. Don’t like the idea of lockers in front for icy/snowy highway driving when I don’t need both front wheels locked.
If the OP goes or lockers, with the full floater the PO has, he could run one of these https://www.harrop.com.au/shop/elocker-toyota-landcruiser-40-60-70-80 He is not stuck with ARB, with a FF there are other options unlike the North American vehicles.
I would still get a winch though.
I would still get a winch though.
Last edited:
If you can only afford 1 locker definitely put it in the back diff you will get way more use out of it compared to the front as for brand I’d stick with arb airlockers.
A winch is something that you may or may not use but when you do you will be glad that you did have it I personally love the warn 8274 highmounts
A winch is something that you may or may not use but when you do you will be glad that you did have it I personally love the warn 8274 highmounts
I agree 100%.
There is a saying. Lockers just get you 100 feet further into the hole before you get stuck.
With a winch you can just pull yourself that extra 100 feet.
Lockers will definitely give you an advantage. Especially in rock crawling where you often have very little weight on one wheel.
But if you can only afford one, get the winch.
Hojack
♠️Project Snowball❄️
I haven’t heard any mention of this air locker. Anybody heard or running the JTM pro locker? I’ve watched YouTube videos of the pros and cons of different lockers. The ARB look amazing and I’m sure they are but the seals go bad and the locker must be removed to replace the seals. Seems like a PITA. The JTM pro locker is a different design with no interior seals to go bad. It also has a limited lifetime warranty.
4WD Accessories - TJM Rear Bar - 4x4 Accessories | TJM Australia
As far as the ARB compressor goes, has anybody had issues with them? Read about a lot failing in a year or less. Alternative, Power Tank. No compressor to deal with maintenance issues. Just a tank of compressed CO2 gas. Pressurize your lockers or inflate your tires in a fraction of the time it takes your ARB compressor.
Off-Road
4WD Accessories - TJM Rear Bar - 4x4 Accessories | TJM Australia
As far as the ARB compressor goes, has anybody had issues with them? Read about a lot failing in a year or less. Alternative, Power Tank. No compressor to deal with maintenance issues. Just a tank of compressed CO2 gas. Pressurize your lockers or inflate your tires in a fraction of the time it takes your ARB compressor.
Off-Road
Have searched but can't find anyone who sells a mounting bracket/shelf to mount the ARB compressors under the hood for a FJ60 (and 80). Metal work is not a strong point. Any suggestions on a turnkey mounting solution mounting the compressor in the 60 without drilling holes in the fender?
CuCruiser
SILVER Star
TJM has to go into a FF axle. If I was going FF then I'd want an elocker, that is until I read this thread. Now I'm not so sure. Thats all I know.
Similar threads
