Lockers

[Desurfaced]

I'm getting my jeep regeared to 5.13s soon, and am thinking about getting lockers as well. The shop I'm taking it to says that putting lockers on the dana 30 isn't a good idea because the gears in it are weaker.

Is this accurate? Is having rear a rear locker good enough? If so, should I go air or electric? Also, are 5.13s the right move for a 4.0, 5sp, with 35s? Thanks

 

[MikeE024]

I'm getting my jeep regeared to 5.13s soon, and am thinking about getting lockers as well. The shop I'm taking it to says that putting lockers on the dana 30 isn't a good idea because the gears in it are weaker.

Is this accurate? Is having rear a rear locker good enough? If so, should I go air or electric? Also, are 5.13s the right move for a 4.0, 5sp, with 35s? Thanks

The Dana 30 (front) is fine for a regear and lockers. Do you have a Dana 35 or Dana 44 in the rear?

I’m a big fan of my selectable Eaton lockers.

 

[Desurfaced]

The Dana 30 (front) is fine for a regear and lockers.

Do you have a Dana 35 or Dana 44 in the rear?

Thanks, and Dana 44 in the rear

 

[MikeE024]

Thanks, and Dana 44 in the rear

You should be good then. Maybe they were thinking Dana 35 and will retract their statement.

If not, I’d be at least a little concerned. You could have a mess on your hands if you have problems and they decide to wrongly blame it on your Dana 30.

I edited in my locker choice above as well.

 

[Desurfaced]

You should be good then. Maybe they were thinking Dana 35 and will retract their statement.

If not, I’d be at least a little concerned. You could have a mess on your hands if you have problems and they decide to wrongly blame it on your Dana 30.

I edited in my locker choice above as well.

The shop has a ton of good reviews, and was recommended to me by 3 people local to me. So I don't think they're incompetent.

I will call around and see what other shops say however. The warranty thing has crossed my mind which is why I'm hesitant on just sending it, which is why I made the post. Main reason I'm using a shop is for the peace of mind.

 

[97TJNM]

Dana 30/44 are both fine for lockers. Just not a 35. I have air lockers, and they are awesome, but if I was doing it again, I think I'd go with electric lockers and have a dedicated air pump for airing up tires instead of having one system to do both airing up tires and engaging lockers.

Not that I have any issues with the air lockers, they work great. And not that I have any experience with e-lockers, either, but I'd like to give them a try.

Basically, I don't think you can go wrong with either option.

 

[Msams89]

Curious what shop. I’m in Cincinnati.

 

[Desurfaced]

Dana 30/44 are both fine for lockers. Just not a 35. I have air lockers, and they are awesome, but if I was doing it again, I think I'd go with electric lockers and have a dedicated air pump for airing up tires instead of having one system to do both airing up tires and engaging lockers.

Not that I have any issues with the air lockers, they work great. And not that I have any experience with e-lockers, either, but I'd like to give them a try.

Basically, I don't think you can go wrong with either option.

Thanks, I looked into them both a little bit. Wasn't sure if there was any major differences between the two. Appreciate it!

 

[Desurfaced]

Curious what shop. I’m in Cincinnati.

Offroad and overland unlimited in Georgetown kentucky, open to other suggestions if you've got them. I got recommended cinci driveline, but I don't have time to pull the axles myself at the moment

 

[Msams89]

Check out HighLift Off-Road. Haven’t bought from them yet but likely where I’ll end up. Great guys to talk to.

 

[Desurfaced]

Check out HighLift Off-Road. Haven’t bought from them yet but likely where I’ll end up. Great guys to talk to.

I'll call em tomorrow, get some prices and see what they say. Thanks buddy

 

[MikeE024]

but if I was doing it again, I think I'd go with electric lockers and have a dedicated air pump for airing up tires instead of having one system to do both airing up tires and engaging lockers.

This is exactly my setup and I’ve been happy with it. I don’t fear going with ARB lockers, but I liked the ability to eliminate air lines as a possible fail point, and I don’t have to run my ARB for anything other than airing up tires.

That said, I really like the safety slider on the Eaton switches and the looks more than other options.

 

[MikeE024]

Curious what shop. I’m in Cincinnati.

Check out HighLift Off-Road. Haven’t bought from them yet but likely where I’ll end up. Great guys to talk to.

More proof that Cincinnati is in Kentucky.

 

[D's Jeep Wrld]

Let me just drop drop my 2 cents here, Skip to the 3rd paragraph for the summary
I have a Lunchbox locker on my front axle due to me not having time to wait for a selectable (Plus its about 1k for one) and amazon had a sale and Amazon being amazon i got free overnight shipping (Cause amazon prime) and it made it in time for an event and so far about 32K miles on it and counting and about 100 miles of rocks on it ? if that makes sense ? Its been great!

CONS: But for the money (at the time,close to 2 years ago) i paid 130 bucks for it and i love it! However....When your in tight technical trails i really wish that i could have a selectable locker at times since it locks up under load/Or when your on the gas(its the lockers normal nature) and welp...whenever you gotta back up and go foward a few times and You can't just simply put it back in 2wd due to what your jeep is on It kinda tends to suck and the "peer pressure" kinda hits when a crowd is watching . You gotta be set on a line and go for it!

But either way for what you'll pay for i'd say its worth the money even with its quirks And you got a great source of traction for cheap,Just take out your axle shafts(and the other parts to get to the shafts ) carrier and ring gear out, Take the spider gears out and plop in your nice new Spartan lunchbox locker and bam ! You got an auto locker no need for shims since you're using stock stuff and Putting it back in! But yeah once i actually build my rig, It'll actually have a real selectable locker !

 

[Desurfaced]

More proof that Cincinnati is in Kentucky.

Lmfao it may as well be i live like 20 minutes away from Cincinnati.

also a lot of the information I got on air vs electric seemed to be older info. Stuff like the e lockers don't kick in unless you get a full tire rotation in and what not. So this is helpful.

 

[mjonesjr84]

Dana 30/44 are both fine for lockers. Just not a 35. I have air lockers, and they are awesome, but if I was doing it again, I think I'd go with electric lockers and have a dedicated air pump for airing up tires instead of having one system to do both airing up tires and engaging lockers.

Not that I have any issues with the air lockers, they work great. And not that I have any experience with e-lockers, either, but I'd like to give them a try.

Basically, I don't think you can go wrong with either option.

I'd recommend the ARB rear and upgrade axle splines since the ARB has a 35-spline option. I think the Eaton is only 30-spline.

If you run the air line properly, it won't get damaged. If an air line is in a place to get damaged, an electric line will be as well for an e-locker.

 

[Desurfaced]

Let me just drop drop my 2 cents here, Skip to the 3rd paragraph for the summary
I have a Lunchbox locker on my front axle due to me not having time to wait for a selectable (Plus its about 1k for one) and amazon had a sale and Amazon being amazon i got free overnight shipping (Cause amazon prime) and it made it in time for an event and so far about 32K miles on it and counting and about 100 miles of rocks on it ? if that makes sense ? Its been great!

CONS: But for the money (at the time,close to 2 years ago) i paid 130 bucks for it and i love it! However....When your in tight technical trails i really wish that i could have a selectable locker at times since it locks up under load/Or when your on the gas(its the lockers normal nature) and welp...whenever you gotta back up and go foward a few times and You can't just simply put it back in 2wd due to what your jeep is on It kinda tends to suck and the "peer pressure" kinda hits when a crowd is watching . You gotta be set on a line and go for it!

But either way for what you'll pay for i'd say its worth the money even with its quirks And you got a great source of traction for cheap,Just take out your axle shafts(and the other parts to get to the shafts ) carrier and ring gear out, Take the spider gears out and plop in your nice new Spartan lunchbox locker and bam ! You got an auto locker no need for shims since you're using stock stuff and Putting it back in! But yeah once i actually build my rig, It'll actually have a real selectable locker !

I thought about going that route, I really did. I just didn't want to spend the money on it, install it, and wish I went with the selectable lockers later on down the road. Then I'd end up spending the money on e lockers anyways.

Plus, this is the last big purchase I am going to make to get my jeep where I want it to be. I've got the lift, big tires and long arm kit. After I regear and get lockers, it'll be mostly cosmetic stuff like flat fenders, lights, and probably about 1,236 rubber ducks to put on my dash

 

[MikeE024]

Lmfao it may as well be i live like 20 minutes away from Cincinnati.

We CLE fans like to tease Cinci fans just to enjoy watching their reactions.

also a lot of the information I got on air vs electric seemed to be older info. Stuff like the e lockers don't kick in unless you get a full tire rotation in and what not. So this is helpful.

That was the trouble I had as well. Lots of old info.

My Eatons are a 4-pinion setup (they have been for a while) and engage as fast as I’ve ever needed them to. I’m not a RockGod, but I’ve been in the rocks enough to know I didn’t mess up in my decision to go with Eaton selectables. If you can afford it, buy once cry once.

Many older post spoke on how ARBs never broke on them for two decades, but a newer post tipped the scales for me when it said that a plastic piece broke inside causing an air leak. Any of these companies can have issues due to a bad batch here and there, but I decided to not chance it and eliminate the air since I didn’t need it. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy them if Eaton’s weren’t available. I consider them options 1a and 1b.

 

[Apparition]

We CLE fans like to tease Cinci fans just to enjoy watching their reactions.



That was the trouble I had as well. Lots of old info.

My Eatons are a 4-pinion setup (they have been for a while) and engage as fast as I’ve ever needed them to. I’m not a RockGod, but I’ve been in the rocks enough to know I didn’t mess up in my decision to go with Eaton selectables. If you can afford it, buy once cry once.

Many older post spoke on how ARBs never broke on them for two decades, but a newer post tipped the scales for me when it said that a plastic piece broke inside causing an air leak. Any of these companies can have issues due to a bad batch here and there, but I decided to not chance it and eliminate the air since I didn’t need it. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy them if Eaton’s weren’t available. I consider them options 1a and 1b.

Even with blown bonded seals my ARBs always locked. Now fixed.

I’ve seen elockers not work.

Pluses and minuses either way.

 

[macleanflood]

I did a Super 30 and 35 with Eaton E-Lockers with Revolution axles. Highly recommend. I did 4.88s and wish I did 5.13s.

-Mac