arb, detroit or ox

[texbud02]

i've got a '00 tj and its my daily driver but i want it to be bad ass on the trails also so i want to get lockers and axles and gears and everything...i just want some opinions on lockers? thanks for your opinions!

[xjbeerwagon]

I don't know about the arb. I like the detroit. I hate the ox...was not impressed with the quality at all. I've installed a few and none of them seemed to fit into the housing right...and setting up the gears was impossible. It wasn't my jeep so I ended up just leaving them as good as I could get them...if it was mine I woulda sent em back. Have you thought about an E-locker?

[Mikkofin]

One vote for ARB. Selectable is always good in a DD.

[97TjZack]

I'm actually leaning towards Ox. I heard all the issues they have had are resolved and everything is working great for them. I like the idea of no air lines to break and no compressor needed. They also come with a nice diff guard to protect the locker. ARB is proven time and time again, but I think I like the Ox better.

[Nordic1]

ARB... and VERY newb tech

[UCTJ]

ARB... and VERY newb tech


If you want your heep to drive as stock as possible, get the ARB its totally transparent on road, works great off. And just so you dont get flamed in the future try hangin out in the newbie jeep section or do lots of reading about question like this. Good luck.

[85GAJEEPCJ7]

I don't know about the arb. I like the detroit. I hate the ox...was not impressed with the quality at all. I've installed a few and none of them seemed to fit into the housing right...and setting up the gears was impossible. It wasn't my jeep so I ended up just leaving them as good as I could get them...if it was mine I woulda sent em back. Have you thought about an E-locker?


I just swapped my Detroits for my OX's in my 60's. Why could you not set the gears up right. We had no problems installing and on my last one for my D-44 no issues with them performing.

OX's are very nice and beefy. They run on the road just like stock since they are open when not engaged and not a limited slip.

I have never run the ARB but I have run detroits and OX's. If you want selectable then I would go with OX. If not, go with the Detroits.

[Benzz0]

ARB has been around along time...very dependabel when setup correctly

Only real downfall is air leaks...but if setup correctly it is a moot point. Unless your air compressor gives out.

Detroit - non-selctable unless you go eTrac (electric)

OX - some people hate them some love them...it's a cable actuation locker that IF not setup correctly liek the ARB will give you problems...

ALL of them are $$$$$ but the detroit (non eTrac) will be the cheapest

[xjbeerwagon]

I just swapped my Detroits for my OX's in my 60's. Why could you not set the gears up right. We had no problems installing and on my last one for my D-44 no issues with them performing.

OX's are very nice and beefy. They run on the road just like stock since they are open when not engaged and not a limited slip.

I have never run the ARB but I have run detroits and OX's. If you want selectable then I would go with OX. If not, go with the Detroits.

I agree OX's are very nice and beefy. I liked the idea of the cable accuator...they seem very simple and reliable to me which is a good thing. I installed some of them when they first came...a few posts above this one the guy said they had some issues in the beggining that had been worked out now. The ones I installed it seemed like the carrier wasn't machined true or something.

[ElDirector]

I've had both an ARB and an OX in the front of my CJ. I definately prefer the OX. While the ARB is plenty strong and well made, there are too many things to go wrong (air lines, switches, relays, compressors, etc...).

The OX is beafy, and only has one cable/lever to ever have a problem. They used to be hard to adjust, but mine went together pretty easy. No probs setting up the gears, either. Pull the lever and you are locked....

A selectable (of any kind) in the front lets you unlock for tight turns, instead of making 10-point turns. I've also seen auto-lockers cause axle shafts joints, hubs, etc... to break when the locker engages/disengages while on the throttle and fighting for traction. Both the ARB and OX are more of a spool when locked (no differentiation), so cause less shock to the drivetrain.

If you have the $$$, go selectable.... Just my $0.02....

[HsOffRoad]

I do not understand why everyone loves to complicate things and add possiblilty for breakage to their vehicles by running selectable lockers. If it were up to me, selectable lockers wouldn't exist. Everyone I know who runs an ARB has issues with either the compressor, the lines, or the internal seals leaking. Don't know anyone personally who runs an OX, but to me it really dosen't matter... here's why:

Why would you ever want to disengage your front locker? Everyone gripes about steering, but front locker equipped vehicles steer better than open diffed vehicles if you know how to drive. Cut the wheel & hit the gas in a locked & locked vehicle and it will practically pivot on it's own axis. Perhaps you might want to disengage the locker for high speed operation in snow, but how fast should you really be driving on snow covered roads in 4wd with mud tires? Then there's cost, and the whole fact that you have to remember to turn your front locker off & on all the time. Otherwise, you have a spool in your front axle which has no ability to releive steess on front axle parts. Who wants to deal with that?

For a non-steering rear axle, I'd weld or spool it. First off, it's much more predictable and linear than an automatic locker which can engage or disengage in the middle of a corner. You sure can't beat the price, and it's really not as bad as everyone makes it out to be... even on swb vehicles. My daily driver Bronco II is welded in the rear with a lock right up front, and no less than 5 of my friends have street driven vehicles with welded or spooled rear axles. Use some discretion with the throttle in the rain (read - know how to drive), and don't let non-driving individuals operate your 4wd, and you will be fine. You do get some increased tire wear and chirping in tight turns, but an automatic locker isn't much better.

You can't really spool or weld a steering axle without creating ridiculous stress on the axleshafts & steering u-joints due to the exaggerated differences in the arcs the inside & outside tires have to follow due to steering in turns. This makes an automatic locker a necessary evil in a steering axle, because it allows the shafts to release their built up stresses every time you let off of the gas. If you are running some seriously beefy parts in a lightweight rig you might be able to get away with spooling a steering axle, but definitely not for the average vehicle.

That means, for me, the only choice is spooled or welded for non steer axles, and detroit or lock-right for steering axles (depending on proposed application, use, costs and such). There's nothing really wrong with running an automatic locker in a non-steering axle, but handling wise I prefer the predictableness of the spool, as well as the cost and simplistic lack of moving parts to break.

Either way, I avoid selectable lockers entirely. They are another nifty gadget for your grocery getter... right alongside the air suspension that raises & lowers ride height at the touch of a button, & the on board tire inflator/deflator. The whole... "Hey, check this out - this thing's a serious off-road machine... look what happens when I hit this button" deal is great for impressing your BMW driving friends. But in real off road situations, you want your stuff to work, every time, without having to think about it.

Hans

[MellowYellow]

It is funny how many replies there are to this person's first post for question that is purely opinion and preference. We don’t even know what type of wheeling he/she likes.
I’m assuming by the screen name he lives in Texas. It is a 2000TJ. Does it have stock axles? Based on his tone, I’d say yes. Nobody has even suggested that he step away from the Dana35 (if that’s what he has). What size tires is he going to run? Does he run in the sand? Rocks? Mud? Has he been off road before? Has he thought of buying a used built hp44 from a Ford? It might be a good idea to swap in a bigger rear axle for this “bad ass” dd/trail rig.
Gears, well what size tire? 2.5L or 4L? Lift?

Here’s my opinion:
I drive 4-5 hours to the trail. The trails are almost always rock crawling.
I had an ARB in the front/Detroit rear for about 10 years in a CJ. There were times when I forgot to turn off the front ARB and thought why won't this thing turn...oh yeah - pssst. Ok off we go. I do agree it is nice to not think about it, but the money difference is only a few hundred bucks. My new axles will be ARB front and rear.
My rear Detroit was evil in the snow without the Jeep in 4wd. Once I was in 4wd it was very stable.

[resqme]

If it's a daily driver, I would go ARB. Used them for years...if theyare set up right and installed cleanly (no kluged air lines and jacked up wiring), they are very reliable.

I've got 8 years and 10 years respectivley on mine and they haven't broken and work great.

[resqme]

If it's a daily driver, I would go ARB. Used them for years...if they are set up right and installed cleanly (no kluged air lines and jacked up wiring), they are very reliable.

I've got 8 years and 10 years respectivley on mine and they haven't broken and work great.