WTB Cheapest Auto locker?

[2car]

Yeah I know how wonderful ARBs are. Who has the best price on Landcruiser auto-lockers ie Lock right etc?

TIA

Ben

[Area54]

Prolly 4wd systems, even though they are a lokka.

[Leprecaun]

How bad are the Lokkas, the new ones work ok ????

[fatassgq]

beside what people (armchair experts) say, don't put em in the rear. That is the recomendation from 4wd systems and me who has experience with both.
They work good in the front.
They work in the rear also but obviously will get more abuse and may piss you off with handling differences cause they are always there on/off when driving on the road etc.

I got one in the front and it is great. No dramas at all and never hear a click or anything. Some occasions the steering gets a little tight but just back of a bit and it does its job well.

Lot cheaper too by the time you factor in compressor & install etc. And don't give me that shit about having a compressor to pump tyres cause fuked if I want to sit around for half a day waiting to pump up 4 35's. The ARb compressor is only good for lockers.
Make sure you install properly or get someone who can.

[Nev62]

beside what people (armchair experts) say, don't put em in the rear. That is the recomendation from 4wd systems and me who has experience with both.

I was going to use one in the rear of my raider cause cannot afford air lockers.

Is what your saying true for all auto lockers????

Does this mean without air, us cash strapped guys are buggered

[spazbot]

no you can still use one, it just means your driving style will have to be altered until you get used to having it lock up under power round corners etc etc,

[chimpboy]

I was going to use one in the rear of my raider cause cannot afford air lockers.

Is what your saying true for all auto lockers????

Does this mean without air, us cash strapped guys are buggered

Can you get an LSD? Best poor man's option front and rear if available and of good quality.

Jason

[Ruggers]

theres a guy on ebay that keeps trying to sell auto locka for toyota's new one for 500 bucks

[antt]

i got a lockright in the back of mine, after a few weeks i wanted to take it out cause it was giving me the sh*ts, but now i'm that used to it, its fine.

[droopypete]

I was going to use one in the rear of my raider cause cannot afford air lockers.

Is what your saying true for all auto lockers????

Does this mean without air, us cash strapped guys are buggered

Can you get an LSD? Best poor man's option front and rear if available and of good quality.

Jason

The best poor mans option is to weld the rear! there are no handeling suprises as it is locked all the time, it is as cheap as chips but tire wear may be an issue for you

[chimpboy]

The best poor mans option is to weld the rear! there are no handeling suprises as it is locked all the time, it is as cheap as chips but tire wear may be an issue for you

A mate of mine welded the rear diff of his rig and it's DEFINITELY not something I'd recommend on a vehicle that is ever used anywhere except off-road. It's embarrassing as all hell, noisy, and attracts attention - not in a good way.

I am pretty sure that if he had the choice he'd put it back the way it was.

Still, YMMV.

Edit: in fact, I'd sooner weld the front since at least then you can disengage it!

Jason

[davejb]

Mate has got the 4wd Systems Locka front and rear
The rear unit is in a LSD centre and works well
The front is in an open centre and dosent release all the time properly,
can make turning corners off road a PITA
The Locka to suit the LSD centre was cheaper. He was told by 4WD systems that the LSD unit works better and they were right
I know 3 guys who have had trouble with them in the front, not releasing.
They have all been installed with correct clearances and with new pins
The units work, but a Detriot or ARB is a better buy long term
If you calculate in the cost of the new pin + locka and anything else that you find worn when you pull it apart the price is not that different
Ask around see what others say

Dave

[Nev62]

He was told by 4WD systems that the LSD unit works better and they were right

Sent them an email 3 days ago and they could not be bothered to reply

[davejb]

I think you will find that stock may be an issue with them, has been the case when guys I know have been trying for yotas.
They even said at 1 point there was a waiting list

Dave

[droopypete]

The best poor mans option is to weld the rear! there are no handeling suprises as it is locked all the time, it is as cheap as chips but tire wear may be an issue for you

A mate of mine welded the rear diff of his rig and it's DEFINITELY not something I'd recommend on a vehicle that is ever used anywhere except off-road. It's embarrassing as all hell, noisy, and attracts attention - not in a good way.

I am pretty sure that if he had the choice he'd put it back the way it was.

Still, YMMV.

Edit: in fact, I'd sooner weld the front since at least then you can disengage it!

Jason

Jason I drove around with a welded rear for 2 years, and the only time it made any noise was at very slow speed on a smooth surface, over 20 Ks you do not know it is welded, unless it is wet and then you HAVE to adjust your driving style compared to an open diff, (as you have to with an auto locker) but as it is predictable (unlike an auto locker) there are no surpises half way through the round-about.

My logic was this, I was strapped for cash and couldn't afford an air locker at the time, and as I ultimatly wanted an air locker, spending money on an auto locker was wasting money, so I welded the rear and waited till I could afford the "real deal" I now have air lockers front and rear and I love them, but I would have a welded rear tomorrow if I had to.
These are my personal experiences not anecdotes from a mate, it worked for me, it may not for you, but Ben needs to know every angle to make an informed decision, I hope this helps him.
Peter.

[chimpboy]

These are my personal experiences not anecdotes from a mate, it worked for me, it may not for you, but Ben needs to know every angle to make an informed decision, I hope this helps him.

For sure - everyone's got a different set of needs.

I wonder if it depends on the weight of the vehicle because my mate's vitara with a welded diff can't turn corners without the rear tyres going EEP! EEP! EEP!

We were at a servo letting our tyres down for off-roading a few weeks ago and when he was driving around it was full-on; a constant EEP! EEP! on the smooth concrete.

It sounded like he had Flipper in the back. EEP! EEP! Very loud - EVERYONE takes a look and wonders what's wrong with it.

One problem is that when a cop hears it, it will make him look at everything else that's fishy about the car.

Maybe a heavier vehicle makes less noise because the tyres are pinned down harder. Dunno. It would be interesting to get feedback from everyone with a welded rear.

Jason

ps I love my LSD

[bogged]

Sent them an email 3 days ago and they could not be bothered to reply

I sent them several about 18 mths ago, still waiting for reply

If thats their service ram it up their arse.

[Guy]

These are my personal experiences not anecdotes from a mate, it worked for me, it may not for you, but Ben needs to know every angle to make an informed decision, I hope this helps him.

For sure - everyone's got a different set of needs.

I wonder if it depends on the weight of the vehicle because my mate's vitara with a welded diff can't turn corners without the rear tyres going EEP! EEP! EEP!

We were at a servo letting our tyres down for off-roading a few weeks ago and when he was driving around it was full-on; a constant EEP! EEP! on the smooth concrete.

It sounded like he had Flipper in the back. EEP! EEP! Very loud - EVERYONE takes a look and wonders what's wrong with it.

One problem is that when a cop hears it, it will make him look at everything else that's fishy about the car.

Maybe a heavier vehicle makes less noise because the tyres are pinned down harder. Dunno. It would be interesting to get feedback from everyone with a welded rear.

Jason

ps I love my LSD

I have the same LSD in my patrol but most likey newer .. compared o a locker it's crap .. I will take my welded rear (especially with big rubber) any day .. even over a well setup auto locker .. My 35s barely maje a noise at 4 psi on dry blacktop .. Its way way way more predictable .. I would say the auto locker on lil rubber (31's) was fawkin scary at 100Kph .. less scary than 35's with a spool at the same speed ..

I am sure mr Suzuki Viagra (guessing here) (if he ever has an auto locker which will make exactly the same noises .. I can tell you as I have had both) will say tje welded rear cost 10 times less and is less of a PITA ..




I am putting words in his mouth (your mate) .. but this has been my experiance ..

Guy

[Beastmavster]

I have the same LSD in my patrol but most likey newer .. compared o a locker it's crap .. I will take my welded rear (especially with big rubber) any day .. even over a well setup auto locker .. My 35s barely maje a noise at 4 psi on dry blacktop .. Its way way way more predictable .. I would say the auto locker on lil rubber (31's) was fawkin scary at 100Kph .. less scary than 35's with a spool at the same speed ..

I am sure mr Suzuki Viagra (guessing here) (if he ever has an auto locker which will make exactly the same noises .. I can tell you as I have had both) will say tje welded rear cost 10 times less and is less of a PITA ..


I am putting words in his mouth (your mate) .. but this has been my experiance ..

Guy

Yeah I have the CIG. The problem could be different to what you and many of the other Zook people face, due to the differences in the Vitara versus Sierra. It may be due to the different wheelbase or track, suspension config, rim offset, camber, tyres (31" BFG muddies on 15x8"s normally about 17psi on road), final drive etc etc.

There's so many small variables.

I dunno. It could even be due to the different ashphalt they use on the roads up here due to the heat.

Luckily I don't drive it that much on the road, but it sure has a greater impact than just under 20kph. It's incredibly noisy and very embarrasing when you go around the CBD and particularly car parks.

For instance the car can be heard going around a corner at low speed from the other side of our housing estate.... maybe a kilometer away. Not the best way to avoid attention from Mr Plod.

Even at ultra low speed (eg under 5kph) it still happens, and you can't drive around every corner at that speed anyway.

And the increase in tyre wear rates is MASSIVE.

All in all, if I was to do it again on one of my cars, I wouldn't unless it was a $200 sierra or something similar. The improvement offroad was enormous, and I'm still glad I did it, because I've learnt a lot about what you can achieve with a locker.

AND now I know not to do it again.

I'd either do an autolocker to the front or an LSD or Airlocker to the back as preference, then autolocker rear before CIG rear.

If you change your mind you can always flog one of those off.


My 2c worth.

[chimpboy]

I'd either do an autolocker to the front or an LSD or Airlocker to the back as preference, then autolocker rear before CIG rear.

If you change your mind you can always flog one of those off.

Or get ARB air lockers and flog yourself off...

[redzook]

you would not know mine was welded if i didnt tell you

dosent make a sound until the tyres are aired down

i have had it welded for almost 10000km and wear is only minimal compared to the front eg. 1 or 2mm more (mine is a daily driver)

[droopypete]

I have the same LSD in my patrol but most likey newer .. compared o a locker it's crap .. I will take my welded rear (especially with big rubber) any day .. even over a well setup auto locker .. My 35s barely maje a noise at 4 psi on dry blacktop .. Its way way way more predictable .. I would say the auto locker on lil rubber (31's) was fawkin scary at 100Kph .. less scary than 35's with a spool at the same speed ..

I am sure mr Suzuki Viagra (guessing here) (if he ever has an auto locker which will make exactly the same noises .. I can tell you as I have had both) will say tje welded rear cost 10 times less and is less of a PITA ..


I am putting words in his mouth (your mate) .. but this has been my experiance ..

Guy

Yeah I have the CIG. The problem could be different to what you and many of the other Zook people face, due to the differences in the Vitara versus Sierra. It may be due to the different wheelbase or track, suspension config, rim offset, camber, tyres (31" BFG muddies on 15x8"s normally about 17psi on road), final drive etc etc.

There's so many small variables.

I dunno. It could even be due to the different ashphalt they use on the roads up here due to the heat.

Luckily I don't drive it that much on the road, but it sure has a greater impact than just under 20kph. It's incredibly noisy and very embarrasing when you go around the CBD and particularly car parks.

For instance the car can be heard going around a corner at low speed from the other side of our housing estate.... maybe a kilometer away. Not the best way to avoid attention from Mr Plod.

Even at ultra low speed (eg under 5kph) it still happens, and you can't drive around every corner at that speed anyway.

And the increase in tyre wear rates is MASSIVE.

All in all, if I was to do it again on one of my cars, I wouldn't unless it was a $200 sierra or something similar. The improvement offroad was enormous, and I'm still glad I did it, because I've learnt a lot about what you can achieve with a locker.

AND now I know not to do it again.

I'd either do an autolocker to the front or an LSD or Airlocker to the back as preference, then autolocker rear before CIG rear.

If you change your mind you can always flog one of those off.


My 2c worth.

I have to agree there, every one is diferent.
One thing I have noticed is that tyre pressure plays a huge part in the amount of noise generated, my Sierra is as light as they come, and with open diffs I run about 15 psi on the road and find that ideal, when I had the CIG in the rear, I kept the pressure up around 22 psi in the rear, (to make it slip easier) and it seemed to work ok, tyre wear is a non issue in a car as light as a Sierra.
Also, my welded rear did 2 years of hard service in my Sierra, and it now resides in the rear of my fathers LWB W/T Sierra and is still very quiet (gear & bearing wise).

On a dirt road a solid rear is a delight to drive (welded, spool or air locker) but the reason I wanted airlockers was that sometimes you dont want the two wheels locked together, like when driving across a slipery off camber hill, if you have diff locks the car just slids sideways down the hill, where as if you had open diffs one wheel seems to hold on and the other drives, I have seen this on many occation.

My piont is, dont waste your money by buying an auto locker, instead put that money towards an air locker, you will be much happier in the end.

Peter.

[Brad]

I have been running Auto lockers in 4WD's for years and never had a problem with them.

I have twin Auto lockers in my last 6 Hilux's and I had 2 lockrights in my BJ42 then changed to ARB's as everyone said they were so much better. What a waste on money.

I currently have a Lokka in the rear on my Hilux and it is fine. Works well and hasn't caused me any problems. It is in an LSD centre.

Occasionally it chirps if I turn under power on the sealed road, but that is it.

If you aren't going to go entering comps and stuff and don't mind loosing a little in your turning circle then I would go an Auto Locker over an ARB anyday.

Why ?? They work and they are cheap.. simple. YOu can lock both ends cheaper than one ARB setup and you don't have to worry about air lines.

In my experience most people who bag Auto Lockers haven't had much to do with them and are bassing their opinoins on those of others. A lot of teh people I know who have had issues are the same people who blow up diffs, drown their trucks and break stuff no one else ever does ( polite way of saying they drive like ^%&%heads and don't show much respect for their trucks).

At the end of the day, value for money is how I view 4WD bits and you can get much more grip for your $$$$ with AUto lockers than the overpriced ARB's.

[droopypete]

I have been running Auto lockers in 4WD's for years and never had a problem with them.

I have twin Auto lockers in my last 6 Hilux's and I had 2 lockrights in my BJ42 then changed to ARB's as everyone said they were so much better. What a waste on money.

I currently have a Lokka in the rear on my Hilux and it is fine. Works well and hasn't caused me any problems. It is in an LSD centre.

Occasionally it chirps if I turn under power on the sealed road, but that is it.

If you aren't going to go entering comps and stuff and don't mind loosing a little in your turning circle then I would go an Auto Locker over an ARB anyday.

Why ?? They work and they are cheap.. simple. YOu can lock both ends cheaper than one ARB setup and you don't have to worry about air lines.

In my experience most people who bag Auto Lockers haven't had much to do with them and are bassing their opinoins on those of others. A lot of the people I know who have had issues are the same people who blow up diffs, drown their trucks and break stuff no one else ever does ( polite way of saying they drive like ^%&%heads and don't show much respect for their trucks).

At the end of the day, value for money is how I view 4WD bits and you can get much more grip for your $$$$ with AUto lockers than the overpriced ARB's.

Brad, if value and grip were all you were after, surely you would weld it every time, as you can get much more grip for your $$$$ with a welded rear than the over priced AUto lockers (sorry mate I couldn't resist) , obviously you prefer auto's over ARB's, well and good, but in 2car's original post he knew about air lockers, but was interested in other options, that is why I suggested looking at welding the rear as cheaper option.
Peter.

[Brad]

you are correct that welding the rear would be cheaper and easier.

BUT ... I am sure that welding the diff centre is illegal in QLD.

I have read this somewhere and will try and find it again. It was going on about diff substitutions and stuff and mentioned that resticting the operation of a diff on a permanant basis was not allowed.

I will try and find it and if I do scan a copy and post it here.

I met a guy a few years back that had had his insurance claim turned down as they worked out that he had a welded diff centre and blamed the accident on it and so on. I can't substantiat this as I haven't seen him in a few years but that was what lead me to look it up as before that I had welded a few buggy diffs up as no lockers are avilible for them.

I am unsure where spools stand as a result of this but I am guessing they come under teh same banner as welding.

Anyway I will try and back this up before I say anymore, I can hear the comments being typed right now.... so maybe those people can find where it says you are allowed to make the diff non functional ....

[droopypete]

you are correct that welding the rear would be cheaper and easier.

BUT ... I am sure that welding the diff centre is illegal in QLD.

I have read this somewhere and will try and find it again. It was going on about diff substitutions and stuff and mentioned that resticting the operation of a diff on a permanant basis was not allowed.

I will try and find it and if I do scan a copy and post it here.

I met a guy a few years back that had had his insurance claim turned down as they worked out that he had a welded diff centre and blamed the accident on it and so on. I can't substantiat this as I haven't seen him in a few years but that was what lead me to look it up as before that I had welded a few buggy diffs up as no lockers are avilible for them.

I am unsure where spools stand as a result of this but I am guessing they come under the same banner as welding.

Anyway I will try and back this up before I say anymore, I can hear the comments being typed right now.... so maybe those people can find where it says you are allowed to make the diff non functional ....

I agree Brad, I would doubt the legality of a solid axle on the road but if we are playing with modified 4x4's you would have to agree that it is a fine line that we tread, keeping our cars 100% leagal (I drive a Z linked SPOA Sierra with a 1.6, 33" tyres, 6.1 tranfer, 5.125 diff gears and twin air lockers, so I know all about sticking out like a sore thumb )
Your mate sure got shafted by the insurance Co .
Peter.

[2car]

Hey thanks everyone. I'll give 4wd systems a go. I need a locker for the SOA axles I'm building. Already have a welded rear. When I get my York on board and a few pesos in my pocket, i'll put an ARB in the rear, and eventually in the the front too.

[Nev62]

Hey thanks everyone. I'll give 4wd systems a go.

IF you get a hold of them, ask when they are going to start replying to their emails

[chimpboy]

Hey thanks everyone. I'll give 4wd systems a go.

IF you get a hold of them, ask when they are going to start replying to their emails

Automotive stuff nearly never nets good answers via email; I think it's because the guys selling auto stuff are usually internet twits.

I rang 4WD Systems and ordered a snorkel, had it in my hands in Brisbane two days later.

Give them a call, I suspect you'll find that more effective.

Jason

[beefie]

I have just fitted lockrite to the rear of my MQ Patrol. I am very pleased with the end result everything works fine, only negative effect on the road is slight wandering through the gear changes. Still waiting on the front one to be delivered.

Beefie