ARB air lockers???

gnel

Active member
I´m considering an ARB rear locker. Anybody got em? LIkes/dislikes. Worth the money?

Thanks for any replys!
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Like them in the rear axle. Prefer autolockers in the front, if the trucks front axle can handle it.

If an autolocker can't be used up front, I'd like an ARB or a Truetrac. Truetrac if you need more than an open diff while taking tight turns very often. Like muddy uphill switch backs. ARB if on the frozen planet of Hoth where an open front diff is best sometimes.

Almost always worth the money. But different rigs and terrain, require different setups.
 
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gnel

Active member
Thanks Buli. Rear is my only option as the front crown is welded not bolted to center. Other than an new oem rear e locker, ARB is my only option.
 
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badm0t0rfinger

Raptor Apologist.
I have an ARB in the rear of my Jeep, love it. Takes about 10 to 15 seconds for my air pump to "prime" then I can throw it on with a flick of a switch.
 

dvdswan

Member
I have ARBs front and rear. Well worth the money IMO. Most of the time I run open/open until I get to a tricky spot and lock the rear before attempting it. I've wired the front to use individually as well for the rare occasion of a front dig.

Key note: having a locker in the front axle does make it difficult to steer as the axle will want to go straight.
 
I have used Detroit Locker in the rear and ARB in the front on 2 vehicles including a SWB BJ40. With the caveat that 4wd MUST be used in snow and ice lest the rear end spin out. The Unimog has air lockers at both ends plus the center and works well also. M37 has auto lockers at both ends and works well with power steering.
 

deserteagle56

Adventurer
ARBs installed front and rear in my E350 back in 2009. Trouble free. Haven't needed them a lot but when I did I was sure glad I spent the money for they made all the difference in the world.
 

BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
Love em. I’ve had front and rear ARBs on my 60 for 15 years with no problems except for the small metal intake filters on the actuators tend to vibrate off and need to be replaced from time to time or a little locktite solves the issue. Good luck! 6FA8B59D-09EC-4E75-A138-34F581EA8B67.jpeg
 

pugslyyy

Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
I've had a number of different lockers over the years and still like ARB the best. It is hard to beat the selectability of an ARB. I have them in my E350 4x4 and am getting ready to put it in the front diff on our 2020 F350. I have Truetracs in my Range Rover, and they bark on tight turns when on pavement.
 

85_Ranger4x4

Well-known member
I want one in the front really bad...

So the locker weirdness can go away if I want it to... autolocker sounds ok but they still make things weird as long as the hubs are locked in.
 

gnel

Active member
Thanks for all the replys thus far! I had read a couple of bad reviews but those seemed to be bad instalation not product.
 
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Happy Joe

Apprentice Geezer
ARB's are my go-to locker; been using them (sometimes transferring them to the next vehicle) since the early '80's.. the only problem that I encountered was on the very early ones sometimes the plastic air tube developed a leak and had to be shortened by a quarter inch then re-installed, this has not been an issue on the newer generations.

Enjoy!
 

JPaul

Observer
I replaced my factory Eaton electronic lockers with ARB's. Did not like the bit of rotation backward and forwards that left the locker disengaged in the Eaton's. Still working on getting the ARB's hooked up so I have not been able to use them yet, but come April I'll be down in Moab for a week and should get the opportunity then.

I have mainly heard of good things about the ARB's. Sometimes the o-rings in the locker will leak, but usually not a bad job to replace them. I read somewhere that you should engage the lockers once a month or so to make sure everything is working and clear out the lines if any diff lube has gotten into them. But that shouldn't happen if the o-rings are good and your diff breather is working properly.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
 

BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
I replaced my factory Eaton electronic lockers with ARB's. Did not like the bit of rotation backward and forwards that left the locker disengaged in the Eaton's. Still working on getting the ARB's hooked up so I have not been able to use them yet, but come April I'll be down in Moab for a week and should get the opportunity then.

I have mainly heard of good things about the ARB's. Sometimes the o-rings in the locker will leak, but usually not a bad job to replace them. I read somewhere that you should engage the lockers once a month or so to make sure everything is working and clear out the lines if any diff lube has gotten into them. But that shouldn't happen if the o-rings are good and your diff breather is working properly.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

Agreed. Engaging them regularly will definitely help with longevity. I’ll activate mine on our gravel driveway (long driveway, lots of slippage) whenever I take it out. Seems to have helped the entire system keep functioning properly all these years.
 

MOguy

Explorer
I´m considering an ARB rear locker. Anybody got em? LIkes/dislikes. Worth the money?

Thanks for any replys!

I have had front and rear since 2001and I am very happy with them, except when I had to replace the front one. I had the old style one for the Dana 30. Apparently there was a design flaw and I happened to get one of them. Even with that strike against them I an very happy with the performance gains.

My son has an Eaton Electric locker and it works great. performance wise there is no difference. On the Eaton the stub coming out of the top of the diff and the wire seem much vulnerable and harder to replace then the fitting and air hose coming out of the ARB. Because of that I would choose ARB over the Eaton. ARB does have the additional compressor but it can serve other purposes if you get a compressor large/powerful enough.
 

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