Watch out if you ever see a guy dressed up as a Rubicon locker.
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Does anyone know who made the 03-06 Rubicon lockers?
- Thread starter Modoc Guy
- Start date
Watch out if you ever see a guy dressed up as a Rubicon locker.
OP
I have Eaton's front and rear Dana 30/Dana 44 . I got a great deal when someone I know ordered the wrong part numbers for his Jeep. I have never regretted it. Easy install and wire with no maintenance to speak of. If I had a gripe it would be that they are a little slow to disengage. The tire needs to rotate about 180 degrees before they unlock. Never been a big deal on the trail just something I have noticed. 4 years and no issues for me so far.
How far the tire turns has nothing to do with when they unlock. They are just like every other actuated locking clutch style locker. The actuation to lock or move the locking clutch to engage its other half has to overcome disengagement springs that push the two halves apart when it is unlocked. The disengagement springs have to be weaker than the engagement force or it won't be able to stay locked. So, when you unlock, the clutch teeth can not have any pressure on them from differentiation or one side turning faster than the other. That means they won't have enough pressure to push the two sides apart until a neutral state and zero pressure is achieved. That could be from 0 degrees of tire rotation to miles if you kept going in a circle.
If you want to know, simply jack up one side, lock it, turn the tire until it locks, hold the tire against the clutches with the pressure of one finger pulling on a tire lug. Have someone hit the switch to unlock. The tire won't move because the locker can't unlock with pressure on it.
You will be waiting forever. I've fixed my post. The image of you showing up at my house after midnight all made up and hoping to get lucky was giving me nightmares.
that's the key.
It seems between Eaton and ARB they are both reliable enough that there's no reason to choose one over the other beyond personal preference. I personally am much more comfortable diagnosing electrical issues than chasing air leaks, and I didn't have an existing air source on the Jeep, so I went with Eaton. If I'd had air already, I might have gone with ARB. I do find it funny how as a forum collectively we're so concerned with how a Factor 55 link doesn't eliminate a possible failure point in a winch line, but we don't blink an eye when comparing a simple electrical circuit to effectively the same circuit plus a solenoid valve, an air pump, and air lines.
Well, that is a fairly bullshit comparison. Adding a few additional circuits to a vehicle that is rife with circuits critical to its operation is nowhere near the same as something where being a fuck up can seriously damage you, your rig, or innocent bystanders.
The number one rule of vehicle mods is NOT add no additional circuits that will stop proper function. The number one rule of rigging is to minimize the number of failure points or connections. That and anyone that believes this is a good way to do anything recovery related is an idiot.
Just to be clear, I don't disagree with the sentiment at all when it comes to rigging. that photo you posted literally made me squirm in my chair. I've been hit in the forehead by a piece of copper jacket from a 9mm round coming back from a steel target at 15 yards. That was a small fraction the weight of any piece of metal used in rigging and it rung my bell and bled like a stuck pig.
I just take the philosophy of not adding unnecessary complexity to areas beyond just life-or-death because I don't like non-value added work. If Eaton had a demonstrable track record of poor reliability then obviously the extra complexity (including the install time and cost) of the ARB system would make sense, but since that's not the case I can't think of a single thing I would have gained from it, other than if I just had a personal preference for ARB. And that's a perfectly fine reason. I'm not trying to sell anybody on Eaton, just explaining the thought process I went through when I chose mine.
That all makes sense.
I probably should have phrased it "They seem to be slow to unlock".
OP
Well thanks guys for telling me about your experiences. I'm definitely leaning toward the Eatons. Especially since I do want an onboard air pump, but just to air up with.
And Blaine's mention of competent wiring so you won't compromise essential systems is worth noting. I owned too many old cars with wiring that was butchered by some hack trying to install this and that.
And Blaine's mention of competent wiring so you won't compromise essential systems is worth noting. I owned too many old cars with wiring that was butchered by some hack trying to install this and that.
I was joking about this exchange:
FML, I tossed it in the trash last week. I completely forgot
Has anyone tried the G2 core 44 axles yet? I need to re-gear and to add a locker on the front. And don’t really have a reliable shop in my area. Plus my Dana 30 brackets are rusted out and need replaced. They seem to be priced pretty good.