Lockers

I have an 03 SR5 I'm building as a DD and weekend wheeler. Looking for a good locker that is RELIABLE and easy going on the street. Looking for both front and rear.
Set up
235/85 Kevlars
Allpro non expo 3'' leafs
Eibach coils
5100's front set at zero
Rear 5100 series

 

Arb air lockers front and rear?

 

I'm in college lol. ARB is what I am looking at for the rear

 

With anything else you get what you pay for. My advice is waiting until you can afford something quality that you won't want to immediately replace post graduation with your fatter wallet. Just to clarify by no means am I saying that ARB is not a quality product. My advice has to do with cheaper options for the front. I think this applies to a lot of purchases in life. Until then stick with lockers that you put your textbooks in. haha

 

Do you smell that? It's the sound of ARB lockers in the morning...

The sound they make when they disengage is enough to make everyone green with envy!

I had a pair of ARB's in my Jeep. Best damn thing since sliced pizza & beer!

 

Well to make it more clear. I know ARB will be in the rear. What about the front? I can tackle the rear myself at work but don't dare touch the front. Im looking for longevity and reliable as the manufacture of the truck.

 

do you have manual hubs? if so you can go with a lunchbox locker up front.

 

Arb's are gonna be the most reliable. If I were you id spend the money and get an Arb for the front, its certainly not your only option for the front but certainly the most widely used. Then source a stock e locker for the rear, would be more than adequate for weekend wheeling. And let's not forget the cool factor of having on board air.

 

ARB for the front also....

Are you familiar with setting up ring & pinion gear setups? If you are not fully and professionally familiar with setting up ring/pinion gears in an axle, then you should take your truck to the professionals to have the ARB installed.

I'm not arguing the fact that you (or anyone else) can't install an ARB. If its not done properly, you could experience a lot of different issues which ultimately could destroy your ARB investment. And....in today's market, it looks like you can pay upwards of $900 for an ARB. Yikes!!

Just sayin....

 

I would put a lunchbox in the rear to save money and put the arb up front.

 

ASE Tech. I am doing a lot of research on what I want and need.

 

Pinching coins now will turn into spending coin later.

 

Get the ARB's front and rear, or don't do it. Don't make the same mistake I did. I ended up buying ARB's for the front and rear after buying auto lockers. You'll end up kicking yourself if you don't do it right the first time.

 

I agree, but there is nothing wrong with a lunchbox locker. If my truck didn't have the e-locker and had manual hubs in the front, I would run lunchbox's front and rear.

 

I'm not sure why people are so against lunchboxes, I would have no issue using them. And tons of jeep guys run Aussies and lock rights with zero issue. It's just a cheaper option.

 

Auto lockers are fine in the rear, once you learn how to drive on road with them. It's a bad idea in the front of a taco, even with manual hubs. You'll be snapping CV's like twigs. IFS isn't made for the kind of stress that a auto locker would put on it.

 

I had one in my ford and the clicking and noise that thing made when I was turning to allow one wheel to spun freely was annoying.

 

That is very true. Would make for constant costly repairs. I didn't even think about it. I know a few guys running lockrights out back and they say once you "learn" how to theres no issue.

 

What about eaton lockers?

 

This right here ^^^ There is no substitute for doing things right. OP, as you are an ASE certified tech you should understand that for sure. ANYTHING other than a selectable locker in the front is asking for potential trouble. When you are wheeling and the front steering is turned, even a small amount, the front wheels will want to move at slightly different speeds. The tighter you have the steering turned, the more the difference. Having a selectable locker allows you to disengage the locker, releasing that "bind" and then reengaging the locker to regain the traction. It does take a bit of driver skill to work an ARB, as my friend Dave can attest to. You can EASILY break a CV axle or worse. Now granted, a lot of people are running standard lockers in the front and not breaking things. But others ARE breaking things, and when something breaks, it costs money. If you want a low cost alternative to the ARB then you can look at Yukon's Zip Locker that is pretty much the same thing as an ARB, and they are made here in the US. You came asking for thoughts, and these are them: ARB or other selectable in the front, Yukon Gear Grizzly locker in the rear. Those are my suggestions.

A properly installed and lubricated locker should not ratchet that loud. I have ran rear lockers in many different trucks and when they started to click I would change the fluid and noise would be gone. Lockers require more maintenance than open or LSD differentials.