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Aussie Lockers?? Anything Cheaper than ARB?

7K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  Jerry Bransford 
#1 ·
Hello Everyone..

In my quest to get the best bang for my buck with regards to lockers, I have heard a few good things about Aussie Lockers and I would love to get your opinions..

Here are my current plans:

ARB Air Lockers Front D35 and Rear D44
ALLOY USA "MAS GRANDE" 44 Axle kit
Superior Axle Overhaul kit (Front and Rear)
ALLOY USA RING AND PINION Set 4:56 (FRONT and Rear)
ARB CKMA12 Air Compressor w/ Tire Inflation kit

I would love to eliminate $1K+ here by avoiding ARB, but I really do not know what my best options will be..

I have a limited slip in the Rear, so should I keep the ARB "Open" design and Pay the $$$$ for it?

I have read that "Automatic" lockers can be a bear to drive on the street..

Thanks in advance for the help fellas!
 
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#2 ·
i have the PowerTrax in the front and rear of my cj. it is not my dd but i do drive it on road a lot. i never have a problem with them. the only time i know that they are there is when i have to make a sharp turn w/ wheel completely to one side or the other, i can hear the clicking noise from the diff, but other wise it is not noticeable. they are also great off road, i can just walk through anything. you can pick them up for about $300 and easily install them yourself.
 
#3 ·
When installed into the TJ's front axle, which is a Dana 30 and not a Dana 35 by the way, automatic lockers are barely noticeable when you're in 2wd. Automatic lockers like a Powertrax Lockright, Aussie, and EZ-Locker (not recommended) only make clicking noises when in 2wd but don't really affect steering. And if it was a Powertrax No-Slip automatic locker up front, you wouldn't notice it at all in 2wd.

In the rear, any of those lockers become much more noticeable and I personally wouldn't install any of them in a rear axle except perhaps for the Powertrax No-Slip.

If I had the $$$, I'd personally go with ARBs front and rear. But for my wheeling, I also like my currently installed Powertrax No-Slip locker up front and my Detroit Locker (both are automatic) in my rear Dana 44. I've had them both installed over 100K miles and they work fine for me. The only issue with a front automatic locker is when you're in 4x4, your steering radius is increased a tad so you have to sometimes make a 2 or 3-point turn when unlocked, it'd be a 1 or 2-point turn.

Jgano23, Powertrax makes two different lockers, the No-Slip and the Lockright. Which do you have?
 
#5 ·
Jerry,
You do not notice the Detroit (automatic) in the rear under normal road conditions?
 
#9 ·
Since you "do a ton of mountain driving in the snow", I would run nothing but a selectable (non-automatic) locker. That means either an ARB Air Locker, an Eaton E-Locker (electric), or an Ox Locker. Personally, I would go for them in that order. One of the mods on another forum I frequent REALLY likes his Eaton E-Locker and he wheels it enough that it must be a really good locker. If an ARB is too much $$$, I'd look into the Eaton E-Locker. :)

Jerry
 
#10 ·
Why the Ox in 3rd place? The others just superior or something that does not sit right with you about the Ox?
 
#12 ·
If you can afford the ARB's, then that would be a cool way to go. They'll come in handy. I'm running Lock-Rights front and rear and I like them, but I wish I could unlock my axles under conditions where I have to make extremely tight turns. Full case lockers are also stronger than your stock carriers.

I'd suggest Aussies over any of the other lunch box lockers and honestly, I think if you go with any lockers (not limited slips), you'll be happy no matter what. Its a night and day difference in performance.

As far as lunch box locker street manners go. They're ok. Once you learn how they react to different situations, then they're fairly predictable and you just adjust your driving style to deal with them. After awhile you don't even notice that you have them.
 
#13 ·
I run ARB's and I cann deff. say that you would not regret the decision in the least if you went that route. I had a detroit in the rear end of my old TJ but these ARB's are much better in my opinion. I love driving completley open ont he road.
 
#16 ·
Personally, I wouldn't pay extra for a front Dana 44 since in most commonly shipped configurations, it is really no stronger than the Dana 30 is. Certainly its ring & pinion gears and its center pumpkin housing is stronger but the rest of it isn't since it just uses Dana 30 components... u-joint, knuckle, axle tubes, outer axle shaft stub, inner/outer C's, etc.

And Mooseman, the ARB's air lines are perfectly reliable on the trail when they are installed and routed properly by an experienced ARB installer. Properly installed air lines don't leak, and the only real reason they might leak on the trail is if they weren't properly routed by a lazy installer and they got snagged. But if you think about it, do our brake lines get snagged? Nope, because they are routed properly.

And even if an air line did snag and snap, it's a 10 second repair with ARB's quick splice kit. But even those are rare, I've never actually known anyone in my group that seems to mainly run ARBs that ever had a single airline problem. :)
 
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