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ARB vs OX vs E-Locker

ARB vs Ox vs E-Locker

  • Total voters
    25
MTBLAZER89

MTBLAZER89

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For a Dana 60 of course. Looking to go selectable in the front and dont know much about any of these. Of course the ARB name is huge, but don't hear about Ox much. I read some negative stuff but it was all 2006 2007 era. Price is pretty similar on all of them.. Reliability and functionality is my main concern here.
 
A full spool is selectable, you've got a switch on each hub and is about as reliable as it gets.
 
obijuan said:
A full spool is selectable, you've got a switch on each hub and is about as reliable as it gets.
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Im welded right now and with our tight jeep size tree lined trails it really is not all that convenient. I end up leaving both in after about an hour and then turning just plain sucks and getting the hubs locked and unlocked isn't always as simple as a turn of the dial on the trail. I also discovered running one hub open is worse than being open. The tire i need to spin always seems to be the one with the hub unlocked :doah:

38377k5 said:
ARB, without question. I've been around tons of all three and ARB is where it's at.
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Noted! I was hoping you would post up. Care to elaborate? :waytogo:
 
MTBLAZER89 said:
Noted! I was hoping you would post up. Care to elaborate? :waytogo:
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ARB's mostly get a bad reputation from people installing them wrong: being too rough with the seal at the diff or routing air lines where they will eventually rub through or melt on something. Routing the air lines is kinda like routing brake lines, don't put them in harm's way :whistle:

Really I've had lots of experience with ARB long before I worked for ORD, always had good results. I've wheeled with people for close to a decade that didn't have to even pull a diff cover in that time period (wheeled often).

OX's I've only seen on the trail a few times and never anyone in my group but I definitely saw the typical "cable out of adjustment, locker won't lock/unlock" deal. That company went out of business (bankruptcy or something along that line) and came back possibly under new owners. No clue if they are better or not.

Electric lockers seem to be good in OEM applications, but Eaton especially seems to have struggled with strength and engagement issues. They also have undergone design changes and I'm unsure of how their current product rates.

*I bought a D60 front Eaton E-locker when they first came out in '05-06 or so, they sent me one. It was in the correct box, with the correct part number, for a Chevy D60 but the locker was 30 spline. They check on it, right part number on the box etc. but then said they didn't actually produce a 35 spline D60 locker yet. I called every week for a few months and then just got my money back and got a Detroit. Wish I had a selectable but glad I don't have on of the first design E-lockers. Again, I know they've improved the design*


Yukon makes air lockers too, they are similar to early ARB designs.


And for the record we deal in all of the above but ARB is our choice.
 
I vote arb as well...if I ever plan to change out my Detroit up front, that's what I'll go with...$$$ wasn't the issue when I locked my axles, I wasn't too familiar with the product...having the ability to unlock the front is always a bonus...
 
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ill be in the market for an ARB soon for the tons im picking up this weekend. Tell me where you find the best price on one and experiences with em when your done if you dont mind.
 
I vote ox. I know some guys that use them and they all had a period of time when they had to mess with their cables a bit. But after that period of time, it seems solid as a rock.

They do suffer the same issue as any selectable though if you are bound up under certain situations they won't lock, this usually only happens when you are new to the locker.

ARBs rock too.

If I was going electric I would run the Ected from Auburn, they had some teething problems but I have put in 2 and no problems at all with either one. both on Jeeps with front 60s and 40" tires
 
The new d60 elocker has worked ok for me, but I haven't used it all that much. It hasn't failed at all, but I did have trouble unlocking it a couple times trying to get over an obstacle while steering. The magnet retainer is also a little flimsy looking but has held up ok.

The arb has given me no trouble and everything on it appeared well designed when I installed it(no weak looking brackets)
 
I like the E-locker since you can easily fix the actuating wires out on the trail if it gets ripped off.
It happened me a wile back, but all I had to do was strip the wires some, twist them together, and isolate it with some duct tape.
It's hard to do that with an air line...

And it still works, so I havent bothered to fix it properly yet...:whistle:

I was a little suspicious regarding the design at first, since in theory it seems like it would disengage for a fraction of a turn
when you change the direction between forward and reverse.
But I haven't notived it in real life, I don't think it will disengage as long as it's under load...:dunno:
I've done a lot of rocking back and forth under throttle with the diff engaged, and if it would have disengaged,
I think something would have broke when it re-engaged again...

BUT if I already had onboard air, I think I would have choosen the ARB instead.
Mostly because of it's reputation.
 
I didnt vote because i myself am trying to sort this out myself. But my views on these three's are as follows...

ARB - overwhelming positive feedback from users. the darling of the selectable community. in fact i have yet to hear anything negative from anyone who uses it. but i dont have an onboard compressor or air tank, and would have to buy and install one, as well as the air lines to make the ARB work. to me, this falls into the overall price of installation. which makes it significantly more expensive than the other two for me. and adds complication, which i see as a bad thing. mostly cuz im lazy.

OX - bad reviews from the previous design, not alot of market penetration, which usually is a bad thing. but is mechanical, which i like, has a cable operation, and a backup screw in plug to lock the diff in case the cable fails. the new design is supposed to be much better, there is a review i found online where some jeep guys tested the new ones out in moab and thought they worked just fine. but thats the only review ive seen on the new ones. so as of right now, they are an untested, unknown element.

Elocker - not my first choice, simply because it flys in the face of my build. i want everything mechanical, and simple, and reliable. i have yet to see many electronics outside of solid state components that i was willing to have much faith in.

just my rather unedumacated 2 cents. :popcorn:
 
have yet to see many electronics outside of solid state components that i was willing to have much faith in.
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Just to clarify, an electromagnet is as close to solid state as it gets. That's the only electronic item in the diff. All the other electronics are a simple relay and a toggle switch which the arb also uses.
 
bp71k5 said:
Just to clarify, an electromagnet is as close to solid state as it gets. That's the only electronic item in the diff. All the other electronics are a simple relay and a toggle switch which the arb also uses.
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switches and wiring are what i was talking about. i mean yeah, circuit boards and modules are the worst, but for instance, with my 6.2, if i have the engine running, and for some reason loose electricity, the engine will keep running. i can keep driving it no problem, if im back in the woods and want to work my locker, that elocker is now no longer working. with a mechanical unit, im still good to go. the front axles also are the first thing to go underwater in a crossing, s im not sure i want electrical bits under water. if i can avoid it.

like i said, probably unjustifiable fears, but fears i have non-the less.
 
You could activate an ARB with a bicycle pump...
 
Also, if you loose your electrical system, your 6.2L will die immediately -- It requires power to keep the fuel cut off solenoid open.
 
Russell said:
Also, if you loose your electrical system, your 6.2L will die immediately -- It requires power to keep the fuel cut off solenoid open.
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... damn.... thats contrary to everything i had been told... wonder if i can modify that to a mechanical linkage instead, like an old choke nob or somethin in the dash, lable it a fuel cut off switch or something.... :whistle:
 
K5dreamer said:
... damn.... thats contrary to everything i had been told... wonder if i can modify that to a mechanical linkage instead, like an old choke nob or somethin in the dash, lable it a fuel cut off switch or something.... :whistle:
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If are really worried about losing your entire electrical system (and not just electrically Amish) there are a million other things that are more likely to happen in a 20 year old truck. All four tires could go flat. ;)
 
bp71k5 said:
If are really worried about losing your entire electrical system (and not just electrically Amish) there are a million other things that are more likely to happen in a 20 year old truck. All four tires could go flat. ;)
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True Dat...

If you want to give yourself an ulcer, sit down sometime and make a list of all the single points-of-failure on a truck. There are so many ways to become stranded it becomes almost pointless to try to cover them all with contingency plans. The best you can do is pack a few common spares, and do the important maintenance checks before you leave the driveway.


:usaflag:
 
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