What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

best selectable locker

Tucker Snowcats use ARB’s in Dana 80 rearends

In that application they were very troublesome, if the temps got down to about -30 or colder the two O-rings inside would fail and bypass air . This would in turn pressure the diff case and would come out the vent until it plugged with ice and then the axle seals would fail.

It’s also a proprietary o-ring that you can only get from ARB and was very hard to get because the Dana 80 was not a super common application for them.

And of course the lines and fittings , it’s all metric which can be a pain in the ass to source . Other than from ARB . I have a 200ft spool of it now that was able to get on Amazon.

But with that said My ARB’s have been pretty great I have one in a Rockwell axle , and one in my 98 Dodge
 
yellowK20 said:
Tucker Snowcats use ARB’s in Dana 80 rearends

In that application they were very troublesome, if the temps got down to about -30 or colder the two O-rings inside would fail and bypass air . This would in turn pressure the diff case and would come out the vent until it plugged with ice and then the axle seals would fail.

It’s also a proprietary o-ring that you can only get from ARB and was very hard to get because the Dana 80 was not a super common application for them.

And of course the lines and fittings , it’s all metric which can be a pain in the ass to source . Other than from ARB . I have a 200ft spool of it now that was able to get on Amazon.

But with that said My ARB’s have been pretty great I have one in a Rockwell axle , and one in my 98 Dodge
Click to expand...
1-Stay away from -30’s. Check. :pimp:
 
I planned on ox because of the ease of locking/unlocking it if your air or electric actuation fails.
Hearing that arb has an "air to unlock" version makes me think about going that way maybe.
Never heard of the clearance issue with the OX diff cover until this thread either.
 
Since I’m coming from a Spartan, which basically feels locked all the time, I’m really thinking about just ordering the “normally locked” ARB.

But when I say that I feel funny. It’s like “why not just weld the Spartan together”? Feels like I’m losing the utility (and spent money) of an air locker by going “normally locked”. Kinda why it’s suggested as competition only.

Is there any problem with running an air locker (pressured) for extended periods of time? In reality, it would be forced unlocked for a whole trail until the fun starts. Like Hell’s Revenge, where having an unlocked front would be really nice.
 
No problem running an air locker as long as you want.

AFAIK there isn't an ARB that defaults to lock, I think that was a Yukon thing and only for a couple applications?
 
I have an Eaton E-locker in my front D60.
One advantage over the others is that it's easy to fix a ripped off wiring on the trail,
I've fixed it once with just a knife and some duct tape.

But with that said, I would probably get a Ox-locker, if I bought one now.

The E-locker has a design that allows the diff to unlock when changing direction.
At least in theory.
I'm not sure if it really does it as long as torque is applied...
But if I need to rock the truck back and forth to get loose while the diff is locked,
I try to be careful just in case...
 
Had an elocker in my d60 and it failed. It was never abused, at some point it just wouldn’t engage. Coil was replaced, still wouldn’t engage squarly, the armature would cock to one side and bind. Worst part was Eaton would do nothing except sell me another one. Had a Detroit in the rear 14b, didn’t like it when driving on snow covered roads.
Once the Eaton failed, went to ARB’s on both ends. I really like the ability to choose which end or both. Kind of like being single vs married.
 
JT88K5 said:
Had an elocker in my d60 and it failed. It was never abused, at some point it just wouldn’t engage. Coil was replaced, still wouldn’t engage squarly, the armature would cock to one side and bind. Worst part was Eaton would do nothing except sell me another one. Had a Detroit in the rear 14b, didn’t like it when driving on snow covered roads.
Once the Eaton failed, went to ARB’s on both ends. I really like the ability to choose which end or both. Kind of like being single vs married.
Click to expand...
heard early e-locker unit had bugs .

i swapped a nice 14ff GOV-LOC out for a detroit and HATED it on the street for snow driving .
 
I have a decent gov loc in my 14b now. And really like it. But I plan to abuse the snot out of my truck, so figured Detroit was the way to go. :dunno:
My truck won't be a daily driver though either, so Detroit would probably be fine for the little bit of on road in snow it'll do.

There shouldn't be any issue with an OX clearing if you have high steer right...?
 
@shady i had a strong built 400sbc and 4.10 gears with a set of 38" cut TSL tires and never 1 time had a problem with my good working GOV-LOC unit in the 14ff rear . there my go to unit for the cheep and street friendly . but also snow / mud / dirt roads no problems .
 
I'm not positive about mine actually currently.
My current setup is a .040" over big cammed 454/465/3:73/35"s. I recently did a full power mega burnout (alcohol may have been involved :whistle: ) and it posi'd for about 20-30 feet, then turned into a one legger for another 30 or so before I let up. I never noticed a change during the burnout. Seen the marks later.
Not sure if it was a fluke or I hurt something without realizing it. :dunno:

I've always heard the 14b ones were pretty stout.
 
I have a spartan in my front dodge 60, nary an issue in the 5 years I’ve had it although 4x4 on snowy roads can wake you up in the morning
 
I vote ARB hands down. I'm happy with the abuse it takes and the fact it turns off for icy roads makes it that much better.
 
shady said:
Detroit would probably be fine for the little bit of on road in snow it'll do
Click to expand...
I had a first gen K5 with a detroit in the rear, I swapped ends at about 35mph a couple of times.
Had my wife with me the second time, she refused to ride in it with snow on the ground afterwords until I swapped it out.
Yeah, no fun.
 
How would it be any different than a clutch type posi in the snow?with a slick surface you'd think they'd be the same :dunno: . I love RWDs with a posi in the snow.
 
shady said:
I'm not positive about mine actually currently.
My current setup is a .040" over big cammed 454/465/3:73/35"s. I recently did a full power mega burnout (alcohol may have been involved :whistle: ) and it posi'd for about 20-30 feet, then turned into a one legger for another 30 or so before I let up. I never noticed a change during the burnout. Seen the marks later.
Not sure if it was a fluke or I hurt something without realizing it. :dunno:

I've always heard the 14b ones were pretty stout.
Click to expand...
A gov-lock is designed to unlock once the differential gets up to a certain speed. The locking part has a weight that swings out due to centrifugal force. But some users report that it doesn't unlock as long as you keep a load on it, so :dunno:

s-l640.jpg


Part of what made me give up on the gov-lock is that it refused to lock in reverse - at least most of the time. This became a real issue out on muddy trails by myself, so I sold it and put in the e-locker. With 150lb wheel/tires I was always nervous spinning a tire while the gov-lock engaged. But I do agree if snow is the main use they work great. Would love to compare a tru-trac, but never had one.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom