sounds like someones wife told him no when he wanted arbs

  Maybe.  They're often wiser!! 
   I see no reason to spend the money for an ARB for the rear.  We've had lockrites on the rear of our Sami & Sidekick for a few years now and have had no trouble with them!  Nor has anyone in our group.  As for the noises, don't be scared!!  I like the clicking as it lets me know all is working as it should, or not.  Little jerky with tight turns in parking lots, but ya get used to it. On the road, they're actually pretty predictable, I think.  Like any other mod, you get accustomed to how it reacts on the street and drive accordingly.  Drives a little different, and more noticeable on a manual transmission, but predictable.  Maybe an ARB if you drive a lot in snow and ice, but we don't get much here. 
   As for the front, we just installed a lockrite on the front of the Sami but have only wheeled it once so the jury is still out there.  But I've about convinced myself to go with an ARB in the front of the Kick.  It IS hard to spend and justify the money though, when the ARB (without the compressor) is more than I gave for the Kick!

I was lucky and picked up my ARB for 500 with 5.12 gears.  Technically it came with an axel as well, but I already had two of those in the shop so I tend to not count them anymore. 

If you keep your eye out, you can find used ones from when someone finally does an axel swap.  I did the Spool in the rear and a Detroit EZ up front for cost savings originally.  Sadly, I should have spent the extra 50 bucks at the time and bought a Lockright.

Hands down, selectible lockers are the SHIT !!!!!! for the simple reason of...... lockrights are ALWAYS putting extra stress on the entire drivetrain. The selectible ONLY puts added stress on the drive train when you need the traction. PERIOD !!
I personaly will never turn back. anyone considering an ARB needs to drive a rig with one, it WILL change your mind
My new rig has one in the back and will soon have one in the front.(i'll use the lockright for practice welding or something)
jason

we determined that the reason i snapped all 4 axles is the lock-rites let go when they were needed.  never again. arbs only. the ones that say they cost to much shouldn't even comment.  believe me if they had them they would brag about them and how great they are....

                                                       Ross

Thank you all for chiming in with your experiences. I appreciate why some of you would rather see me purchase ARB's (I wish I could afford them). I still have armour, recovery equipment, bumpers, lift kits, bigger tires, larger powerplant, power steering, etc to purchase. Unfortunately, I just can't spend that kind of money for lockers at this time.


~J~

Thank you all for chiming in with your experiences. I appreciate why some of you would rather see me purchase ARB's (I wish I could afford them). I still have armour, recovery equipment, bumpers, lift kits, bigger tires, larger powerplant, power steering, etc to purchase. Unfortunately, I just can't spend that kind of money for lockers at this time.


~J~

nobody can fault you for that.

i've been saving up for them. i just was hoping 5.83 gears would have been available by now. i've also got a pair of calmini's hd rear axel shafts sitting in my closet. bit by bit over time works for me.

Y'all might hate me for this, but....

If I wanted to spend $1000 instead of $200 for things like lockers - I'd just get a Landcrusher. The beauty of a Samurai (to me) is that they are good innexpensive offroaders. If I'm going to spend $8000+ on a rig, it's not going to be on a $500 body.


~J~

No reason to hate..   but if you go to the original post, original question.. he is NOT debating between ARB and Lock-rites..


Also, I understand your limited budget, no biggie, but a Samurai with even just a $750 ARB in the rear is NOT an $8000 rig, and it is more capable that you might imagine, the plus is that a measly little $750 will buy you INCREDIBLE versatility.  Lock-rites are cheap.. yeah... just that too.. CHEAP.  Sure, they work, but ideal?  FAR FROM IT.... that is all I was saying.   

I would prefer a FREE WELDING JOB aka: Lincoln Locker  to a Lock Right.. that is just me.. hell, I run a $100 spool, it's not like I am loaded and have ARB's front and rear... YET... but the point is.. at this stage, if you can afford ARB, then GO ARB!

That's all.. I understand your stance, but if you are that cheap, why bother with a Lockrite, when you can weld'em up for free??   Works just a good, and is WAY more predictable..

I thought welded means that the axles are locked all the time, and this puts LOTS of stress on the drivetrain / wheels.

~J~

a welded dif would be locked 100% of the time. But like quaddawg said it will be much more predictable. You wont the lockrite clicking. And plus with the welded rear it will kick ass off- road. I would weld the diff rather than get a lockrite myself.

Just to make things clear, it's not the "clicking" around turns that bothers me, that is fine.

It's the sudden engage and disengage that causes the twitchyness at speed ON road.

Also, at slow speeds in parking lots when the driveline winds up and unloads.. I am telling you that  BANG   and CLANK   can't be good.. it just can't!


Have any of you driven a rig with  REAL  Detroit lockers?  you know full carrier lockers?  They are seamless, and after looking at the way they work, those little spider replacement lockers just don't seam right.. I mean the sidegears and the toothed portion of the lockers don't even match up..  It is just SO half ass, I can't bring myself to put one in the rear.

NOW, I might be use one up front.. off road only stuff.. but in the rear, I feel much better about having a spool, or welded gears, a full locker (which isn't made for our rigs, yet..prolly never)  OR, in the BEST case...  and ARB.

If I were swapping axles, I would just use a full detroit, if I couldn't afford an ARB. But, they can run from $350-500 too... so at that point, the cost is closer to an ARB..

What's a spool? And, I thought spools were only available for Trackicks?

~J~

I actually run a mini-spool,  it replaces the spiders and the side gear, as well as the pinion block.

A full spool replaces the whole carrier, the ring bolts right to it, not made for our applications, but made for just about every other axle, common in drag racing and drifting and such, light, strong, nearly bullet proof.. but, like I said, no one makes one for zuks that I know of.

Welding does the same thing as a mini spool, yeah they are locked full time, wears your tires and is hard on axles, but I haven't broken one on the street......yet...lol  I have broken an axle in a fullsize with a full spool, but I was farting around and deserved it, it was about 20 years ago though... on a Dodge...

The Minispool I use was actually made for a samurai, but fits the trackick too, got it from Randy's Ring and Pinion.

Read up on the other lockers available for the more popular axles.. the lockrites, and ez-lockers are looked down on by almost every hard-core off roader, since they were invented.. I know, cause I used to roll with a lot of guys like that.  A full locker, like a Detroit, is a true posi and works much better than the lockrite type of locker.

Folks messing with Suzukis sometimes forget that the other full size carrier replacing lockers... like the one pictured below, is really much much better than a lockrite style,  these are tried and true, and sworn by, by TONS of offroaders..  I sure wish someone would make one for our trucks... They are available used for about the same price as a lockrite..

Here are mini-spools and  a full spool to give you an idea.

Thoose are some good pics 

Thanks, I steal pictures well... LOFL!!

While we are at it,  here are some more

Read the file names to keep them straight.

The full locker above is actually for a Ford 9 inch, NASCAR style...

Here are some more.

A govlock  which is good, and  a Powertrax No-slip, which I put below a Detroit, but above a Lockrite or ezlocker.. it fits inside a carrier, but doesn't have backlash, so the drive line can't wind up and unload.. plus it doesn't click OR bang.. lol

and finally, a true Detroit GM application, the most common type of locker seen in off road and racing apps.. The TrueTrac..

Once again, this doesn't pertain to us, unless we use swapped axles.. as they are NOT made for us.. sure wish they would.. Lockrites are only being recommended because they don't make GOOD lockers for us (Except ARB...) I guarantee noone would debate this if they did... hands down.