Posted by Dan Shockley on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 at 11:17PM :
In Reply to: Re: So who wants an air locker for their Power Wagon?? posted by bruce in CO on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 at 10:59PM :
I am not a big fan of the Lock Right and feel that overall, the ARB locker is a superior animal. First of all, the ARB differential replaces the entire differential - creating a much stronger diff. Second of all, the ability to have complete control of the locker's behavior through a switch gives you - in my opinion - the best of both worlds - full locked traction when needed and full open operation when not. Given that most of our trucks are not equipped with power steering and are driven on the street with tires not known for the greatest wear characteristics, I feel that this is an upgrade worth the difference. In addition, the behavior of an automatic locker can cause premature axle shaft failure as the differential engages harshly. This is avoided by the smooth (no load) engagement of the air locker. Axleshaft breakage has not shown to be a huge deal on the Power Wagons, but as short axle shafts become harder to find, this could be a good benifit.
However, I also recognize that it is not for everyone. Some people will choose to run the air locker only in the front end to avoid the adverse steering affects. And then there will be those people that never really needed a locker to begin with.
Overall, I think that the ARB locker is better. Is it worth the difference - well I guess that is what I am trying to figure out.
Have a great day,
Dan
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