Air vs Electric locker

BigNorm

Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2024
Location
Minden, NV
Quick question. Why do so many hard core wheelers use an air locker vs electric. Air seems like there is more that can go wrong. Please enlighten me.
 
If installed correctly no more and no less to go wrong with either.

I think there are more air locker choices on the market compared to electric.

A wire can get destroyed just as easy as an air line.

what’s attractive to me :
is the ability to unlock, compared to spool.
Ability to not self destruct when an axle breaks and the locker unlocks under load and causes a rapid unscheduled disassembly (Detroit/grizzly etc)

I think cable locker is superior to both, and I have neither. I have spool/now Detroit, and lock-right.

If I had choice, it would an air locker that unlocks under psi, and fails to locked position without air.
 
Mechanical seems the most simple and robust, but for some reason the original Ox Lockers never caught on like I thought they would. Electric is a heck of a lot easier to rig something up if you rip a wire, and all vehicles already have an electrical system, so that seems like the best option for you high rollers.
 
I went with a grizzly locker in the rear and a spartan up front.
 
I run ARB's both front and rear. The new OX lockers are also a good choice and those can be cable, air or electric. The proprietary dif cover does turn off many to them though.
 
Mac5005 said:
If I had choice, it would an air locker that unlocks under psi, and fails to locked position without air.
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Yukon Zip locker competition version. If they would have made that for a dana 44, I would have bought one. Now since I've destroyed my ARB, I'm running JK axles with elockers.
 
cranbiz said:
I run ARB's both front and rear. The new OX lockers are also a good choice and those can be cable, air or electric. The proprietary dif cover does turn off many to them though.
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They sounded like a great idea when they first came out. Then I saw you Had to buy the Diff cover, where the shifter was installed. My take on that was, what happens when you bash a Rock? No thanks. And the Cover was Not part of the $1000 price of the locker. Was the cable, another cost? I've run two different Detroits, in rear diffs for years, with 0 problems! Still running one. But I went with the E-Locker, in the front, for steering reasons. Also, years back ARB had problems with the Air engagement. Or maybe it was more of a Installer problem. And you Had to have an ample compressor. Just My reasons for what I have.
 
I install a ton of selectable lockers each month. In the last month, I've installed 4 ARBs, 2 Eaton e-lockers and an Ox. Test drove a JK E-locker install just yesterday.
Air lockers are great. But you absolutely have to know what you're doing on the install or you will have issues. If you don't have enough carrier preload, you'll leak at the seal housing. To do this properly, the installer needs to have a housing spreader and the knowledge to use it correctly.
E-lockers are easier to install (just like a conventional locker/carrier) but have proven to not be as resilient as other options.
Ox Lockers are my favorite personally. They are very well built and install like a conventional locker as well. But, and this is a huge but, the shifting mechanism is extremely prone to physical damage. Whether you shift via cable, air conversion or electric conversion, the actuator is on the OUTSIDE of the diff cover.
 
rodney eppes said:
They sounded like a great idea when they first came out. Then I saw you Had to buy the Diff cover, where the shifter was installed. My take on that was, what happens when you bash a Rock? No thanks. And the Cover was Not part of the $1000 price of the locker. Was the cable, another cost? I've run two different Detroits, in rear diffs for years, with 0 problems! Still running one. But I went with the E-Locker, in the front, for steering reasons. Also, years back ARB had problems with the Air engagement. Or maybe it was more of a Installer problem. And you Had to have an ample compressor. Just My reasons for what I have.
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Want to say I paid $1200-1250 diff cover is "included" generally the shifter is extra cost I think $135 for air actuator. Wasn't to far off from other selectable lockers.

Jody Treadway said:
I install a ton of selectable lockers each month. In the last month, I've installed 4 ARBs, 2 Eaton e-lockers and an Ox. Test drove a JK E-locker install just yesterday.
Air lockers are great. But you absolutely have to know what you're doing on the install or you will have issues. If you don't have enough carrier preload, you'll leak at the seal housing. To do this properly, the installer needs to have a housing spreader and the knowledge to use it correctly.
E-lockers are easier to install (just like a conventional locker/carrier) but have proven to not be as resilient as other options.
Ox Lockers are my favorite personally. They are very well built and install like a conventional locker as well. But, and this is a huge but, the shifting mechanism is extremely prone to physical damage. Whether you shift via cable, air conversion or electric conversion, the actuator is on the OUTSIDE of the diff cover.
Click to expand...

What sold me was a thread I saw years ago where the guy broke his, took it apart and fixed it with some crap he got from the hardware store. I'm sure you know the new air shift is all internal so you just have to worry about the airline going in. The older air and to retrofit an older diff cover with air, it's got that big cylinder thing on the outside. Air just seemed easier all around to me as far as setup and repair if needed. That being said, first vehicle I've ever had with lockers, best money I ever spent I believe 😀
 
250krawler said:
Want to say I paid $1200-1250 diff cover is "included" generally the shifter is extra cost I think $135 for air actuator. Wasn't to far off from other selectable lockers.



What sold me was a thread I saw years ago where the guy broke his, took it apart and fixed it with some crap he got from the hardware store. I'm sure you know the new air shift is all internal so you just have to worry about the airline going in. The older air and to retrofit an older diff cover with air, it's got that big cylinder thing on the outside. Air just seemed easier all around to me as far as setup and repair if needed. That being said, first vehicle I've ever had with lockers, best money I ever spent I believe 😀
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Yup. At least with an ARB or Zip, the airline is on top of the housing. Much better protected.
 
250krawler said:
Every electric locker I've seen is limited slip or locked while all others are open or locked. I prefer the latter open then locked when needed. Fwiw I have OX's front and rear and couldn't be happier, air locked and have a mechanical device you can screw in to lock them incase your air fails.
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I'm going on 10 years of flawless operation with Eaton electric front and rear in my TJ. They are most definitely open or locked with no limited slip. When they are off, and a tire gets off the ground, you realize it fast as you're not going anywhere. It's so wild to get flexed and just stop. Push one, or both buttons and it's easy as pie to idle out of it.

I hardly EVER start a trail with the easy buttons pushed. I generally wait till all of my talent is extinguished till I give up and push at least one button. Then after the obstacle I turn it right back off.
 
CasterTroy said:
I'm going on 10 years of flawless operation with Eaton electric front and rear in my TJ. They are most definitely open or locked with no limited slip. When they are off, and a tire gets off the ground, you realize it fast as you're not going anywhere. It's so wild to get flexed and just stop. Push one, or both buttons and it's easy as pie to idle out of it.

I hardly EVER start a trail with the easy buttons pushed. I generally wait till all of my talent is extinguished till I give up and push at least one button. Then after the obstacle I turn it right back off.
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I stand corrected, pretty sure one of them was. Maybe the auburn if they're even still around?
 
250krawler said:
I stand corrected, pretty sure one of them was. Maybe the auburn if they're even still around?
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Auburn Ected. I love always wanted one for that reason. Limited slip is good enough for a lot of things, especially DD use.
 
CasterTroy said:
I hardly EVER start a trail with the easy buttons pushed. I generally wait till all of my talent is extinguished till I give up and push at least one button. Then after the obstacle I turn it right back off.
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same, but really that just means its almost always on ;-)

Back to OP's question...
A lot of people like to just follow a recipe given to them. If you're a pro installer there's safety in having it pre-established, if you're a DIY home guy there's more confidence in having a thing you can buy that comes w/ good instuctions. There's just more aftermarket options for air than electric. Almost all OE options are electric, so a large % of the electric installs are conversions from take-off's of another vehicle. This means that (a) you're not working with warranteed parts and (b) you're probably following some random dude's explanation of how to do it. This requires a little more confidence in youself.

Add on top of that that some people are just scared about wiring and electricity. IMO compressed air is way scarier, but my profession is all about current flow and fancy electronic stuff so I'm not one to talk.

I'm running an e-locker swapped from a 97 4runner in an older '80s 8" carrier. Love it, but did not enjoy the wiring part. That is 100% my own fault bc at the time I was a cheap and didn't just buy the matching OE switch bc I couldn't find one and refuse to pay full dealer price and was being stupid. Damn I wish theri was an e-locker option for the Toy front IFS carrier but the TruTrac hasn't been awful.
 
I had a Toyota elocker and flogged that thing mercilessly for almost 10yrs with no issues, and worked evreytime, despite the internet constantly telling me they were made out of glass and didn't work. I loved that locker. I have wheeled with people with Eaton's and it turned me off to them as the electric connector that went into the diff seemed pretty weak and was an issue they were always messing with. I would love a selectable, but I'm also pretty cheap so it's lunch box lockers for me, they do work every time though.
 
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