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Lockers

Lockers, what type do you have?

  • Air locker

    Votes: 3 11.1%

  • selectable

    Votes: 6 22.2%

  • just grinding gears

    Votes: 9 33.3%

  • I'm naked, and trapped in a locker.

    Votes: 10 37.0%
  • Total voters
    27
  • Poll closed .
hammermachine

hammermachine

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Planning out my K5 parts wish list. What lockers would you recommend? Air, selectable, other?

I got stuck dicking around with a huge snowbank and I want to plan for the future.
 
ARB's are selectable using air pressure. They're expensive and less reliable than mechanical lockers.

Detroits are cheaper and more reliable but are less street friendly.

Lunchbox lockers are the cheapest but are the weakest.
 
If it's available for your axle, cost meaning nothing, I'd go for the Eaton E-locker.

Last I had heard/read, reliability is a non-issue with them, and the ONLY complaints I seem to hear about the ARB's is the air system or lines. I like the electrical aspect of the e-locker.

Then again, if you could use the selectables with a traction control system, they'd be the best. It's not a big deal to flip a switch or push a button I guess, but non-selectable stuff is always there right when you need it, without having to act to engage it.

Mostly street driven I'd think a selectable to be the easiest on you for driving comfort. Mainly or all off-road, locked. Your application is the most important aspect of this decision IMO.
 
No, not so much for reliability of the mechanism, just the air issue. Maybe it's the same for both, as long as you keep the wires/lines safe, it's not an issue. All the ARB issues I hear is related to the air mechanism, not it's strength.

Of course, electrical keeps one less component out of the equation for possible failure, an air pump. That's a small detail, but nonetheless one more thing that could possibly go wrong.

All the stories I read about are on Pirate. It could very well be installation issues. Maybe Land Cruiser ownerrs are a different type of people than some Chevy folks. :) No offense, but Chev's sure end up with a lot of bad wiring throughout their life lol.
 
I seem to be always yanking on the ARB guys regardless of which issues there having, id never get one. I say full detroit locker there pretty reliable.
 
Detroit is by far the best imho. Sure arb's are nice in that they are selectable, but as other have stated, the electrical components and the air lines increase the risk of failure. The number one question youll hear from people with arb's is: "hey....are both tires spinning?":doah:

Detroits are simple, and have built a reputation of being pretty much bulletproof....and reliability seems to be a non issue. I have a detroit in my 14ff and love it. People say street manners of detroits suck....but a lot of them havent even driven a detroit on the street. Sure as with any auto locker there are some small quirks...but nothing major. I daily drove my truck with a detroit rear for 2+ years on crowded city streets and it was no problem. Drive with it for a week and you learn how it reacts so you can react. I feel completley confident driving my detroit anywhere around town...and am even more confident offroad. Not to mention the detroit is much cheaper than an arb and all the air lines and tank it requires.
-Harrison
 
Lockright in front D60. So far its awesome... 35" swampers. :D

Dunno if I'd run one in a 10b. The case isn't very stout. Even the D44 open case looks beefier - but dunno if those small axle joints can take it.
 
dyeager535 said:
If it's available for your axle, cost meaning nothing, I'd go for the Eaton E-locker.

Last I had heard/read, reliability is a non-issue with them, and the ONLY complaints I seem to hear about the ARB's is the air system or lines. I like the electrical aspect of the e-locker.

Then again, if you could use the selectables with a traction control system, they'd be the best. It's not a big deal to flip a switch or push a button I guess, but non-selectable stuff is always there right when you need it, without having to act to engage it.

Mostly street driven I'd think a selectable to be the easiest on you for driving comfort. Mainly or all off-road, locked. Your application is the most important aspect of this decision IMO.
Click to expand...
I've got a pair of E-Lockers. I've only wheeled on em once, but they worked as advertised :D. ARB's suffer mostly from piss-poor installs. The only other questionable aspect of the ARB is the use of O-rings as seals on a rotating shaft. O-rings aren't intended for this purpose, and I doubt they will ever have a long life under such use. ARB should really redesign their air feed to use thin shaft seals rather than o-rings... As for the solenoids, there are air toggle switches designed specifically for ARBs to eliminate all the air solenoids and switches. That leaves the compressor as the only electrical component, and if you carry a small emergency CO2 cylinder you can even get around a compresor failure. Still, thats a lot of extra BS needed for the ARB, whereas the E-locker simply needs 12V to the electromagnet and it works.

Time will tell how strong and reliable the E-locker is, but from what I have learned they seem to be reliable to a fault. The only issues people have is when they engage the locker during wheelspin, which is a big no-no with any selectable, and they damaged the pins. Apparently Eaton warrantied them anyways :bow: You also have to be careful when going from forward to reverse with the locker engaged, since the mechanism will disengage and then re-engage when the carrier reverses direction. If you reverse direction and hammer the throttle you will end up causing it to re-engage under a high RPM wheelspin condition. Eaton doesn't mention this as a problem, probably because it happens within only 240 degrees of carrier rotation and they figure there won't be a lot of RPM difference between the case and gear when it re-engages. Still, I ease into it when reversing direction until the tires turn a revolution or two, and then I will give it the throttle if need be :D
 
anytime I have been on a trail with guys running ARB's somebody id always having an issue with one not locking in. I'd go full detriot "just set it and forget it"
 
resurrected_jimmy said:
I'd go full detriot "just set it and forget it"
Click to expand...

that is what i did... detroitz front and back.. LOVEM!!! no street issues... on corners just push the clutch in or coast and no locking or anything.. it is funny when I had my first unloading of the detroit..... WHHHHA BANG!!! when I left a traffic light.. my bro and I looked at each other... :haha:
 
Personally I think the only way the e-locker could be improved is if it was a limited slip (clutch style) when it was not "locked". (and of course, integration with traction control:))

I know someone else already makes this, but the e-locker is the only electric selectable I've read about that is well designed from most all aspects. Junk hanging off the housing, weak solenoids, etc all seem to be problems with other electronic lockers.
 
The detroit electrac was the one that was the limited slip/electric locker. Tractech, the same company that makes the detroit locker (and who is now owned by Eaton), does not make the electrac anymore.
 
Hmmm...since they now own the company, perhaps they will integrate that portion of the design. I'll just sit back and wait. :)
 
dyeager535 said:
Hmmm...since they now own the company, perhaps they will integrate that portion of the design. I'll just sit back and wait. :)
Click to expand...

My guess is that Eaton felt that their design was better and rather than compete with its own product they decided to axe the electrac.
 
jms said:
Reliability issues of ARB lockers are a myth that goes around in the Chevy community.
Click to expand...

ummm, no. Watsons ARB malfunctioned during TTC... and his is not the only failure in that lockers history by far. Additionally, I seriously doubt that it was a "piss poor install" on Watsons part. His rig was dialed in for that comp and everything professionally installed (he owns a shop right?!?!) Not sure how you get that its a "myth" out of that.

I have detroits front and rear on my rig... and have never had a malfunction in either end. Works for me. If I was going to change anything, I'd probably put a yukon full spool in the rear because I don't street drive this rig anymore... other than that, its perfect.

j
 
jms said:
Reliability issues of ARB lockers are a myth that goes around in the Chevy community.
Click to expand...

I agree with jekbrown. I have seen lots of ARBs not work on the trails in a ton of different rigs. I have personally installed 2 and they have both worked flawlessly since the day they were put in.

Having said that, I am very happy with my 2 detroits and was/am not willing to run an ARB in mine.
 
The auburn ected is just like the e-locker but it a limited slip while it is not engaged.I ran one in my tahoe for a little over a year and i hated it. I had a lot of trouble getting it to engage. It would randomly engage make a horrible sound, this ruined electric lockers for me. I running arb's front and rear and so far i havent had any trouble and i love them, but i havent running them that long. If my truck wasnt a DD on 38's I would have just ran detroits and called it a day.
 
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