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School me on lockers

bkjolly

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This is hypothetical at this point Brett. But doesn’t it always start that way? Lol. I’ve taken her off road 3 times now (not counting a few beach trips) and not tackled anything that I imagine would cause much distress to the stock components. But I pass those trails. And I see them. And I say to myself, “hmmmm...”.

OBA is something that I’ve considered doing anyway so it’s not a deal breaker. Just wanting to be edumacated so that I’ll know how to best scratch that itch down the line when the lure of level 5 trails becomes too hard to resist.

I love overbuilding things. I’m one of those who’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. And I don’t like to break something before I decide to upgrade it like sone guys do. I’ve broken an axle on the drag strip and had to do the Limp of Shame and gotten towed home. Should have upgraded.
I remember when I bought my first Jeep when I was 21. I was hypothetically going to leave it stock.
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I remember when I bought my first Jeep when I was 21. I was hypothetically going to leave it stock.
:LOL: I knew better than that. I had several thousand dollars of stuff before I even ordered it. My wife asked if my modding addiction on Jeeps would cost more or less than on cars. “Too early to tell” was my reply.
 

bkjolly

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:LOL: I knew better than that. I had several thousand dollars of stuff before I even ordered it. My wife asked if my modding addiction on Jeeps would cost more or less than on cars. “Too early to tell” was my reply.
That's an awesome and honest answer.
 

JimLee

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So back on topic, which is more consistently reliable, air or electronic? Is either inherently stronger?
Very debatable, you are going to get a lot of opinions and very little in the way of facts IMO. I like air, but that's me and I have absolutely nothing to back it up other than I have used it before successfully. Probably some comparison or review videos out there, but I take those with a grain of salt as well.
 

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bkjolly

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So back on topic, which is more consistently reliable, air or electronic? Is either inherently stronger?
My opinion is air. I don't think anyone can explain how great ARB lockers are as well as @Tech Tim did. It's his job to be educated on all the products so his endorsement goes a long way in my opinion.
 

rustyshakelford

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I agree arb is very simple but you have the complexity of the air lines and drilling into the diff. If buying already built axles that last is a moot point. Locker wiring is vulnerable too. I don’t think you could go wrong with either

Brett
 

Tech Tim

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I remember when I bought my first Jeep when I was 21. I was hypothetically going to leave it stock.
:LOL::LOL::LOL: ... Good one....


My wife asked if my modding addiction on Jeeps would cost more or less than on cars. “Too early to tell” was my reply.
That's a good one too, but we all know the answer to that question! :)


So back on topic, which is more consistently reliable, air or electronic? Is either inherently stronger?
ARB hands down period. The E-Locker has more parts and the clutch plates to wear out. Plus after you wear it out you gotta buy a complete replacement locker. The ARB can be rebuilt with parts from ARB in Seattle, WA.

I'm not saying the E-Lockers are bad, just not as good as the ARB.

***Disclaimer*** I am biased towards ARB. I worked for them for 9 years running their warranty and tech dept. for this side of the earth. I know them inside and out, what works and what doesn't. Have seen lots of ARBs break over those 9 years for many reasons and was involved in a lot of their product testing and development back in the day.

There are people out there with horror stories about ARB. Most are from:
1) Axles too small for the tires, power output and weight of the vehicle. (small axle=small ARB)
2) Improper installation.
3) Not keeping the oil and/or air clean. They're air seals, not mud seals.


My opinion is air. I don't think anyone can explain how great ARB lockers are as well as @Tech Tim did. It's his job to be educated on all the products so his endorsement goes a long way in my opinion.
Thanks for the kind words, we try to make sure people understand the WHY. It's easy to hype something to sell. A little harder to make sure we sell you what works for your application.
 

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Forgive the ignorance, but is it possible to run an ARB Air compressor for both locker and air fill? Does this require an auxiliary tank?
 

Tech Tim

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Tim, is Northridge including the parking break cable with the Dynatrac crate axles now?
If it is a semi-float, your stock brakes swap over.

If it's a full float, they include a small adapter piece to work with your stock cables.
 

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Chocolate Thunder

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:LOL::LOL::LOL: ... Good one....




That's a good one too, but we all know the answer to that question! :)




ARB hands down period. The E-Locker has more parts and the clutch plates to wear out. Plus after you wear it out you gotta buy a complete replacement locker. The ARB can be rebuilt with parts from ARB in Seattle, WA.

I'm not saying the E-Lockers are bad, just not as good as the ARB.

***Disclaimer*** I am biased towards ARB. I worked for them for 9 years running their warranty and tech dept. for this side of the earth. I know them inside and out, what works and what doesn't. Have seen lots of ARBs break over those 9 years for many reasons and was involved in a lot of their product testing and development back in the day.

There are people out there with horror stories about ARB. Most are from:
1) Axles too small for the tires, power output and weight of the vehicle. (small axle=small ARB)
2) Improper installation.
3) Not keeping the oil and/or air clean. They're air seals, not mud seals.




Thanks for the kind words, we try to make sure people understand the WHY. It's easy to hype something to sell. A little harder to make sure we sell you what works for your application.
I came here for advice, opinions, and insights and I’m not leaving disappointed. Thanks Tim! Guess where I’m likely to buy them from? Especially after you PM me that 30% off EVERYTHING, no restrictions code. ;)
 

Tech Tim

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Tech Tim

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Tech Tim

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I'm curious why Northridge doesn't sell the door off kit for the Rockslide Engineering Rock Sliders.
We've got them in stock, not sure why they're not on our website. Emailing the catalog team to get it rectified.

@bkjolly, thanks for asking!
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