Topic: locker opinion: ARB vs Eaton Harrop e-locker

[Willard]

No need to mess with any of that. One clip and the seals come right out. replace the two seals reinstall the clip. poof!
magic! all done!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but all the ARB's I have installed have a collar that rides on the carrier. So you must remove the carrier and slide the collar off to remove the seals from inside the collar. If this is the case then carrier pre load must be reset. Last FJ40 I set up had the collar......6 years and still no leaks. My 44 has the collar as well. 3 years and still no leaks. My dads FJ 20 years same ARB and no leaks. MC built diff of coarse lol


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[SqWADoosh]

Axle shafts?    Does that mean you have to replace your axle shafts if you retrofit the Toyota e-locker in a standard 8" axle?

In the rear yes. Axle shafts must be from a 90 to 95 4runner. Housing must be from 86-89 pickup or 4runner.

[:)bestgen4runner]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but all the ARB's I have installed have a collar that rides on the carrier. So you must remove the carrier and slide the collar off to remove the seals from inside the collar. If this is the case then carrier pre load must be reset. Last FJ40 I set up had the collar......6 years and still no leaks. My 44 has the collar as well. 3 years and still no leaks. My dads FJ 20 years same ARB and no leaks. MC built diff of coarse lol


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Magic! I love Arb! Check it out.

[:)bestgen4runner]

In the rear yes. Axle shafts must be from a 90 to 95 4runner. Housing must be from 86-89 pickup or 4runner.

That blows. I might have to rethink My rear diff now and Myles's.

[SqWADoosh]

That blows. I might have to rethink My rear diff now and Myles's.

They are cheap and readily available.

[Willard]

Ok maybe that is the new style. The last one I installed 6 years ago the o ring case was clamped/retained by the spanner. And for all other than Toyota type it is retained by the housing not a clip.


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[:)bestgen4runner]

They are cheap and readily available.

Both of our trucks have new bearings and seals all pressed and new on the axles.

[4Ruinned]

Hahaha, this turned into another ARB vs Toyota E-locker thread. I'm sorry OP, I contributed to it.

[daniresch]

Pretty sure most people are unaware of Harrop. Looks like they are asking $1600-1800 for just the locker? I have no experience with this company or their product.

[Rockcrawlintoy]

. All the people talking about ARB issues holding them up on the trail has me scared  I also dont like the idea of listening to a compressor buzz all the time when the rear is engaged. It would be a lot simpler to just go with ARB front and rear though.

why would the compressor be buzzing all the time? The locker doesn't require the compressor to run all the time. I ran my arb for 12 years in the front until I needed to replace the seals. Took a few hours and 10 bucks.

[toyodaaddict]

why would the compressor be buzzing all the time? The locker doesn't require the compressor to run all the time. I ran my arb for 12 years in the front until I needed to replace the seals. Took a few hours and 10 bucks.

As I understand it should only make noise when engaging/disengaging.  I was just referencing what I've seen people complaining about when things arnt working right. I'm counting on our ARB's  working smooth and quiet  I picked up ARB's test gauge so I can be sure everything is air tight from the start

[Rockcrawlintoy]

As I understand it should only make noise when engaging/disengaging.  I was just referencing what I've seen people complaining about when things arnt working right. I'm counting on our ARB's  working smooth and quiet  I picked up ARB's test gauge so I can be sure everything is air tight from the start

You can run a small air tank and the compressor won't turn on much at all or run it on CO2 and it is silent all the time.

[toyodaaddict]

You can run a small air tank and the compressor won't turn on much at all or run it on CO2 and it is silent all the time.

We have the small CKSA12 compressors, I'm thinking I can't use them with a tank, lousy because I have a nice 2.5gal tank sitting around  . I should probably put em up for sale while there still in the boxes and get the bigger compressor. I do have a co2 setup so that is an option.

 Isn't it correct though that the only time the compressor should make noise is when engaging/disengaging the locker?

[Willard]

The compressor will run to engage and the solenoid relieves the pressure when dis engaging.


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[blackdiamond]

I feel left out of these conversations with my rear Detroit locker. It's the cheapest and really has no expected failure mechanism. I need to get a late model wheeler to find out if I would really follow through with a Detroit locker in the rear, but I think I would. I would be open to a selectable in the front for sure, but not in anything like mine (or even less street driven) where the where the Aussie has performed flawlessly.

[Gnarly4X]

....my rear Detroit locker. It's the cheapest and really has no expected failure mechanism

Some years back I witnessed a practically brand new Detroit locker in the rear end of Scout basically explode during the rear axle snapping on a nasty obstacle during a rockcrawling event in Las Cruces, NM.

Gnarls.

[Snowtoy]

Isn't it correct though that the only time the compressor should make noise is when engaging/disengaging the locker?

The ARB comp runs to turn them on, but with it mounted in the engine bay, you shouldn't hear it above the engine noise.

If you run a small tank, you shouldn't hear the comp come on more than once or twice an hour.  I run a Superflow MV50 with a tank made out of 3" tube about 10" long, takes less than a minute to fill, and is good for about 10 engagements before it cycles on again to fill the tank from 80psi to 100psi. 

[blackdiamond]

Some years back I witnessed a practically brand new Detroit locker in the rear end of Scout basically explode during the rear axle snapping on a nasty obstacle during a rockcrawling event in Las Cruces, NM.

Gnarls.

There's always a few examples of everything breaking. I'll risk it with something that broke during a rock crawling competition. I was aware that Detroits did often break in the front of Toyota's when an axle broke. It was a big part of why I didn't have a Detroit in the front.

[OOPS]

Little story about the ARB that is in the rear of my rig. It is in a v-6 carrier and use to be in the front. I was on 4-dice attempting WH-1 when I snapped a rear axle. We decided to turn around and head back out. Now I only have 3-wheel drive and we did the water crossing. At the time I was running a Birfield Eliminator kit from Redline (before Bobby Long) which was made with Currie alloy and I think the u-joints were 760X that I had been beating on for about 4 years. On the way up the rock garden all heck let loose in the front-end. On inspection I noticed both locking hubs were cracked and broken. So now I have 1-wheel drive with some strapping and winching and help from another rig we got out, loaded on the trailer and home.

When I took it apart, both hubs were trash, both U-joints were trash and the ring and pinion had 4 teeth, all from shock load. I took the diff over to River City Diff. (Gearman on PBB) with new gear and told Shawn to pull the ARB apart and see if there was any damage, which there was none.

I am still running that ARB in the rear and all that happened at least 12 years ago!!

This is why I like ARB's.

Picture is what the redline kit looked like

[blackdiamond]

OOPS - What do you know about people adding more fasteners to ARBs?  I'd swear that at some point in the past they had an issue with the cases/housing coming apart and the solution for some was to double the number of bolts holding it together...

[:)bestgen4runner]

Good story!
That has me sold. I'm going Arb in the rear axle now.
Anyone need an ELocker 3rd. I have two forsale.

[Willard]

OOPS - What do you know about people adding more fasteners to ARBs?  I'd swear that at some point in the past they had an issue with the cases/housing coming apart and the solution for some was to double the number of bolts holding it together...

They no longer have the 3 piece case design. One solid unit now.


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[Gnarly4X]

There's always a few examples of everything breaking. I'll risk it with something that broke during a rock crawling competition. I was aware that Detroits did often break in the front of Toyota's when an axle broke. It was a big part of why I didn't have a Detroit in the front.

I don’t know where the most current hot design or list of parts for minimizing trail breaks is, but I remember many hours of discussion on what parts to make or buy that were stronger to avoid, prevent, or minimize drive-line failure on the trail.

Starting with the clutch & pressure plate down to the tires and rims and everything in between.  It seemed like a stronger part was installed “here” and that simply transferred the energy and forces to some weaker part in the chain and it would break “there”.

So designing in a "fuse" was discussed.  Something that could break, but a more reasonable fix on the trail and less cost.

Back in my sand rail days, as power increased some guys were often smok’n clutch discs.  So they went to Feramic discs.  Well, the hook up was instant and wooopeeee… no more clutch slip!  So then the torque snapped the main shaft in the transaxle.  Ooooops… Now instead of a 20 minute R&R a clutch disc, they had a 2-hour transaxle R&R…. and instead of a $25 clutch disc, they had $250 repair to the transaxle.  Or sometimes….a ruined week end trip to the dunes.  A spare VW transaxle wasn’t typically one of “parts” guys carried in their spare parts kit.

So….. back to the drawing board.  Well, they ended up going to a 1700 lb pressure plate and back to the stock clutch disc.  That minimized the clutch slipping issue and avoided a major failure.

It’s inevitable that something is going to break. Even the most brilliant minds in NASCAR and NHRA, using the most advanced materials on Earth, designed and tested by top gun automotive engineers… poop still happens.

Testimonials seem to be a reasonably accurate way to gauge what works and what doesn’t. Almost everything has a trade-off, we each can decide what we want to trade-off.

At the end of the day it’s not always the best built machine that makes it to the finish line or end of the trail….it’s the best driver.

Gnarls.

[blackdiamond]

I don’t know where the most current hot design or list of parts for minimizing trail breaks is, but I remember many hours of discussion on what parts to make or buy that were stronger to avoid, prevent, or minimize drive-line failure on the trail.

Starting with the clutch & pressure plate down to the tires and rims and everything in between.  It seemed like a stronger part was installed “here” and that simply transferred the energy and forces to some weaker part in the chain and it would break “there”.

So designing in a "fuse" was discussed.  Something that could break, but a more reasonable fix on the trail and less cost.

Back in my sand rail days, as power increased some guys were often smok’n clutch discs.  So they went to Feramic discs.  Well, the hook up was instant and wooopeeee… no more clutch slip!  So then the torque snapped the main shaft in the transaxle.  Ooooops… Now instead of a 20 minute R&R a clutch disc, they had a 2-hour transaxle R&R…. and instead of a $25 clutch disc, they had $250 repair to the transaxle.  Or sometimes….a ruined week end trip to the dunes.  A spare VW transaxle wasn’t typically one of “parts” guys carried in their spare parts kit.

So….. back to the drawing board.  Well, they ended up going to a 1700 lb pressure plate and back to the stock clutch disc.  That minimized the clutch slipping issue and avoided a major failure.

It’s inevitable that something is going to break. Even the most brilliant minds in NASCAR and NHRA, using the most advanced materials on Earth, designed and tested by top gun automotive engineers… poop still happens.

Testimonials seem to be a reasonably accurate way to gauge what works and what doesn’t. Almost everything has a trade-off, we each can decide what we want to trade-off.

At the end of the day it’s not always the best built machine that makes it to the finish line or end of the trail….it’s the best driver.

Gnarls.

All true. I think my front R&P is likely my "weak link" based on what I have seen and I am OK with it. It isn't weak and can be bypassed if necessary in most cases.

[Jarhead]

Good story!
That has me sold. I'm going Arb in the rear axle now.
Anyone need an ELocker 3rd. I have two forsale.

Ill be interested if the price is right.


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[Jarhead]

All true. I think my front R&P is likely my "weak link" based on what I have seen and I am OK with it. It isn't weak and can be bypassed if necessary in most cases.

You could always run a hi pinion diff in the front.


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[blackdiamond]

You could always run a hi pinion diff in the front.


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I'm running 4.88 gears primarily because at the time there seemed to be a lot of 5.29 failures and almost none with the 4.88s.  I think the way gears are manufactured now in combination with the cryo treatment options have made the 5.29s a reliable choice, but I went with the lowest gears that I was confident in at the time.  If they are the "weak point" that doesn't mean that they are not strong enough for my needs.

[:)bestgen4runner]

Ill be interested if the price is right.


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I have them on Craigslist for $400 each

[OOPS]

OOPS - What do you know about people adding more fasteners to ARBs?  I'd swear that at some point in the past they had an issue with the cases/housing coming apart and the solution for some was to double the number of bolts holding it together...

That was on the first ARB's according to my Australian source!! I was also told if you had an early unit, if you sent it into them they would set you up with basically a new unit with more bolts on the housing!!