Locker comparissons

binch · January 20, 2020, 10:50 PM

Quote from: Red90 on January 20, 2020, 08:43 AM
I'm coming up on 14 years and 100000 km on the Detroit locker in my 90. I've seen zero downsides to it and can't find any reason to want to go to a manual locker.

I can second that thought. In fact....I think it was John that set me on to the Detroit locker. I like it a lot too! Only down side I think I see maybe premature wear on the rear tires. But I do regular front to back rotations so it all comes out in the wash. I like the idea of the true track in the front. A simple tap of the brake peddle and they kick in. No muss, no fuss. They are just there. I like that simplicity. Ashcroft has a similar locker for the truetrac type. It's in Orville's (now belongs to John C.) disco 11. I was asking him why it was doing so well in the slippery sections of the Alexander Mackenzie trail and he told me "it's the Ashcroft lockers you got me to put in the front and the back!?!?" Seems I forgot all about those LOL ;D

Red90 · January 21, 2020, 08:44 AM

If you are buying a new manual locker for a Rover style differential, then the Ashcroft air locker makes the most sense. It was purposely designed to get rid of the parts of the ARB that fail.

What someone should build is a manually lockable Torsen.

headdamage · January 21, 2020, 09:12 AM

I thought Ashcroft originally said they would have a manually lockable version of the ATB diff? Don't see it on their site.

Not sure if I'd buy Ashcroft again after my bad LT77 that they will not replace. The time based warrenty expired before I fitted the box which turned out to be faulty. Bad 1st 2nd synchro and/or set up.

Edit...
Just heard back from Ashcrofts. They will cover the parts to repair it but I'll need to find a shop over here to do the work. Does anyone in Alberta work on the LT77? I know a place in Victoria but that is a shipping issue.

I think they might repair it if I shipped it back to the UK but I'm guessing that might be expensive. Anyone know a good shipping option for returning it to Ashcrofts?

binch · January 21, 2020, 09:58 PM

Sorry to hear you had bad luck with your LT77.....We've had very good luck from them so far. Another place to look at is David Beaumont 4x4 up in Hull, uk. They are the gearbox place in the north to go to...just not as well known.

Matt H · January 22, 2020, 01:50 PM

Never had anything go wrong with an ARB. If I do I'd like to think ARB parts are more widely available than a TJM or Ashcroft. I've run them front and rear with stock axle shafts and CVs in the Rangie for years. They are predictable in as much as when you turn them on, they are on. Full lock like a spool or no differential at all. I'm not left wondering what's going on with the offside wheels. They are all turning the same speed under power, under engine braking and when coasting. When off, they are off. Fully open. Handy for tight maneuvers.

You do need to adapt your approach to driving and how you set yourself up for any given obstacle but that is true of anything I drive off road. My full open diff 110, ARB locked Rangie, stock 4wheel traction controlled 04 D2 and the terrain response in the LR4.

Years ago I wheeled a full sized Chevy truck. I put a Detroit in the rear 14 bolt and found it to be a bit of a handful in the wet on the street and if you had to make a tight turn near the top of a steep climb on the trail it wasn't the best. But as with anything else, the more seat time I had with it the more I learned to drive to play on it's strengths and minimize the weaknesses. It never failed on me though and I never broke an axle.....but that was a Corp 14bolt and they are hard to break.

Got to say, the terrain response on the LR4 is the most active of all the various systems I've ever tried. I never really know what the heck is going on!

Each to his own. I don't really think one system is significantly better than the other in the hands of the right driver.

headdamage · January 22, 2020, 02:07 PM

I swore off Detroits for years after one outing with a ford pickup that had one, it was terrible on any sort of side slope. However, like I've said I've seen John's in action for years now and I've another friend with one and it seems they loose most of their quirks in a full time 4x4 compared to a part time.

Red90 · January 22, 2020, 04:04 PM

Yep. Don't knock until you try it. There is no bad behaviour. You can't tell it is there. It does not reduce the turning radius. It does not cause the back end to slide sideways.

Red90 · January 23, 2020, 07:30 AM

Quote from: Matt H on January 22, 2020, 01:50 PMNever had anything go wrong with an ARB. If I do I'd like to think ARB parts are more widely available than a TJM or Ashcroft.

The Ashcroft air lockers are around 1/3 lower cost than an ARB. Even when I lived in Australia 20 years ago, nobody in the Land Rover clubs suggested using ARBs. There are better options there at the same price point. Everyone used Maxidrives. With the lower cost and better design of the Ashcroft, it makes the most sense if you are buying a new manual locker for a Rover axle.