New Eaton E-Locker Thoughts?
#1
JK Enthusiast
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New Eaton E-Locker Thoughts?
I have been doing some reading about selectable lockers the last few weeks and would like to hear some feedback from you guys. I know that ARB makes a product that a lot of people are really happy with. I think the other major selectable product is the Eaton E-locker. The E-Locker appeals to me specifically for being simple, with seemingly less sitting between it working and not working. What I have read is that between these two products the ARB is a studier product due to it being a 4 pinion design while the Eaton was a 2 pinion design for the Dana 44. At SEMA 2013 Eaton announced it had upgraded the D44 locker to also be 4 pinion.
For those of you that bought the ARB over the Eaton due to the pinion design, if you were to do it again would you now consider the Eaton? Being a more simple setup (just power) as opposed to air lines and a compressor isn't that something to be taken into account as well? (I have a portable compressor so OBA isn't important to me.)
Price also being a factor it looks like the ARB about $1050 per and Eaton is about $850. You would also need the add ons for the ARB to get it working. I'm thinking it would be $600 ish or so more to go with a F/R ARB setup just looking a advertised online pricing and not accounting for sales. Is the ARB worth the extra cost.
I guess I'm not really looking for "I have X and it works great..." but more some thoughts on durability between the two. Are they on a level playing ground now with this re design or will we need to wait and see how these new lockers work in practical application before you can say they are level?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcm4dbUaQN8
EDIT TO ADD: Here is a post I made to reference the correct part number for the new 30 spline D44 E-Locker.
For those of you that bought the ARB over the Eaton due to the pinion design, if you were to do it again would you now consider the Eaton? Being a more simple setup (just power) as opposed to air lines and a compressor isn't that something to be taken into account as well? (I have a portable compressor so OBA isn't important to me.)
Price also being a factor it looks like the ARB about $1050 per and Eaton is about $850. You would also need the add ons for the ARB to get it working. I'm thinking it would be $600 ish or so more to go with a F/R ARB setup just looking a advertised online pricing and not accounting for sales. Is the ARB worth the extra cost.
I guess I'm not really looking for "I have X and it works great..." but more some thoughts on durability between the two. Are they on a level playing ground now with this re design or will we need to wait and see how these new lockers work in practical application before you can say they are level?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcm4dbUaQN8
EDIT TO ADD: Here is a post I made to reference the correct part number for the new 30 spline D44 E-Locker.
Last edited by Black2013JK; 06-05-2014 at 06:20 AM.
#3
JK Junkie
I was planning on going Eaton in the front and ARB in the rear for exactly the reasons you stated. When they came out with the 4 pinion rear, that made my life easier as now I don't have to add a compressor or worry about air lines. When I regear it's Eaton front and rear. I know that doesn't help you much but at least you know someone else is thinking the same as you.
#4
I to have gone back and forth on this subject, my jeep is going in shop tomorrow for regear 4:56s , ARB in rear.I decided just to put a true trac in front.didn't want to spend a whole lot on the D30.sleeve & gusset upgrade axles D30.I'll put a select locker up front when I go to a D44.
#6
I wanted to go with E lockers at first, I started obsessing about this crap so decided to try the ARB. The reason Iam doing the D30 like Iam is if I put a E locker or ARB in, when I change to a D44 can't reuse that locker. Diff axle spline right correct me if wrong. After all Iam new at this stuff....
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I to have gone back and forth on this subject, my jeep is going in shop tomorrow for regear 4:56s , ARB in rear.I decided just to put a true trac in front.didn't want to spend a whole lot on the D30.sleeve & gusset upgrade axles D30.I'll put a select locker up front when I go to a D44.
I wanted to go with E lockers at first, I started obsessing about this crap so decided to try the ARB. The reason Iam doing the D30 like Iam is if I put a E locker or ARB in, when I change to a D44 can't reuse that locker. Diff axle spline right correct me if wrong. After all Iam new at this stuff....
Maybe I misread it, but -- You don't want to dump a lot of money into your front d30, so you are doing gears, a truetrac, sleeves, gussets, and alloy shafts? Or just a truetrac and nothing else?
When you change to a front d44 (factory rubi 44, PR44, Tera44), you won't be reusing any of that. (with the possible exception of the outer shafts, if you happen to keep the stock outers and add just the alloy inners?). The stock 32sp outer shafts are the same on both the d30 and d44, and they use the same knuckles and brakes. Inner shafts, joints, gears, carrier/locker/truetrac, all different.
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#8
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For those of you that bought the ARB over the Eaton due to the pinion design, if you were to do it again would you now consider the Eaton?
And as far as the old 2-pin version goes, I have read a lot of posts on here from people who have them, and I don't recall seeing a single post of a failure. Same goes for the yukon zip, there was a lot of speculation when they came out, but I haven't seen them blowing up either.
#10
I have sitting on my work bench right now 2 eaton elockers and 4.88s and will be installing them this coming weekend!! I've had the elocker before and it never gave me a single problem so I had no problem choosing them again!!