lockers? what is the best for a decent price?
 

Looking to lock my 93 cherokee front and rear. What's the best for good price?

How long is a piece of string?

Need more info.

Who Knows ? Nobody !
 

I've been pulling my hair out trying to find the answer to this thread's question over the last few months. 2001 XJ sport, 241k on it.


Today I got the front locker.

I'm rebuilding the whole XJ a little at a time. I buy a worn out piece and rebuild it or have it redone. Extra trans and TC are in the shop now....

Anyway I have a '99 high pinion front axle to rebuild and swap-in. Yesterday I scored a Volvo diff with the G80 locker for $50. in a U pull it.

I'll install it in the HP axle during the overhaul and take plenty of pics. I'll try it out and report to the forum how it went together and how it works.

So far all we've seen is short stories about it being done and a non-conclusive video on you tube about it. They don't give any details on how it was done. I'll try to fill-in the missing info.

As for the rear....I don't have a lot of extra money to through at this jeep so I think I'm sold on the aussie locker. I don't like clicking and ratcheting but they say it gets quieter after it's been run awhile, I hope so.

Cheapest lokka the best to me arb but has a fat price tag.

First you have to decide what kind of locker you want, then discuss the best bang for the buck. Then you decide what size tires your going to run then what gears are required for that size then you buy the locker for that gear size.


For example I wanted the best full carrier Auto-Lockers that being Detroit Lockers.

I believe that all lunch boxes are created equal. I've been running Locka's for a year with no issues. Full carriers and selectables are a lot more money but can be worth the price depending on what you expect out of your rig. Auto lockers are just a good alternative to welding or a spool for those of us that drive these things down the road, but if you expect it to drive like stock when not locked you will want selectables.

Exactly what aka "dude" said.

I will be running for now a lokka up front and welded rear axle in back (bought the axle that way), but my rig is 90% trail rig, eventually I will be putting either a lokka in the rear or a Detroit.

If I had the money, I would be doing ARB's, OX's, Eaton Elocker, or some type of selectable locker... but I am a cheap broke bastard and will save my money for when some bigger axles goes in then do selectables.

I'm on stock axles with 33'a and a 3.5 lift. Cut fender You know the budget warrior. I plan on making it a trail rig eventually but right now it's my daily warrior and I just want it locked. Preferably selectable cause I drive through the city for work. Im just looking for something of good quality for reasonable budget price. 500 is about max what I can spend On them.

Lunchbox lockers will run you around 4-600 not including install if you don't do it yourself.

If you still have the stock rear axle you're going to want to swap it for at least a '97+ 8.25 to handle 33s locked. Lokka/Aussie makes a locker for less than $300.

Tires, Tires, Tires, Gears, Gears, Gears First! Before you buy the locker for the front you have to have the gear to fit the tire size. It will cost the same if you do both at the same time if you do them later the cost will double. Plus you will have to put a new carrier for the D30 if you change the gears (only) in it first for 3.73 up.


The 4x4 shop where I had my gears and lockers installed charged me $200 for each differential gear & locker $400 total labor for them.

yes figure out your ideal end height on what you want to do. Gear the axles and decide what you want to do. I have 6" long arm lift with 4.56 gears and eaton e-locker up front and the lockrite lunchbox locker in the rear. I have had great luck on the lunchbox locker super easy to install as well. I have had my lockrite in there for about 4 years now with no issues.

The least inexpensive locker is LOKKA, they are $437 for the Dana 30 and Chrysler 8.25 when bought together at their website. You can install them in your driveway fairly easy, you pull the axles shafts out 6", remove the side/spyder gears, put the lockers in.

In Front you will not notice them when you are not locked into 4x4, they lock under acceleration but in Back you will hear and feel it all the time going around corners and backing into spaces, in time you will get use to not accelerating but coasting around corners and it will not be as bad.

On the trail you will be 10x more capable, the only downfall is it will a little harder to steer (and a lot more capable of getting yourself into trouble of flipping it if your skill level is not up to par)

For $500 you can't even come close to buying a select-able locker like OX, ARB, Eaton E-locker, or similar, they start at $800 each and go up from there, plus add another $300-500 each to get them installed as the gears will need to be reset up to install them - At which point you might as well do your gears.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO LOCK YOUR JEEP I WOULD CHECK WHAT AXLES YOU HAVE FIRST - YOU WANT A DANA 30HP "HIGH PINION" up front which most jeeps before 1999 and older will have, and you want a 8.25 CHRYSLER IN BACK (preferably a 1997 and new 29 spline axle vs. 27) you definitely do not want to lock a rear DANA 35 unless you are ready to replace parts in it.... it might not blow... BUT a good chance it will. (Dana 30HP about $150 at Junkyard, 8.25 $100) PS: Being a 93 I think there is a slim chance you might have a Dana 44 in back - which would be GREAT!

So Gears and Select-able lockers, look at $2800-$3400 dollars to do front and back... then to protect your investment you want Alloy Axles so add another $800-$1000

Gears will make a huge improvement to your jeep, with 33's mostly street I would go 4.56, mostly trail 4.88.

If you plan on going bigger than 33's and certainly after 35's you need to start looking at bigger and stronger axles, so don't blow a lot of money on these axles if you plan on going bigger tires later.

Personally I would just do a LOKKA in front for $200 and call it a day, then start saving money for your long term goals, you will be amazed how much more capable your ride is with just the front locked, or buy them both but be prepared to put the spyder gears back in the rear if its a daily driver.

This topic is getting really old. It seems like everyday we have a new one pop up with the same title. Best locker...

PS: All lunch box lockers are NOT created equal, Some lock more smoothly and a bit more street friendlier by design (Lockrite) some come with a new stronger shaft (Spartan), some are made with a better steel (Aussie), some are cheaper (Lokka) my understanding is that the split between LOKKA and Aussie (its US distributor) was because LOKKA changed to using China Steel and manufacturing, so Aussie split with rights to the design and started manufacturing in the US - I COULD BE WRONG but I read this somewhere on the NET and we all know the NET is filled with 100% facts. LOL

I started looking at a more friendlier locker like Lockrite, but then the price gets close to a Detroit Locker, and since I can do my own gears I might as well go with the Detroit, for now I am welded in the back (90% trail rig and axle came that way but reversible) and a LOKKA upfront cause its CHEAP.