does any one use these I was wondering... later on I thought I would put in a complete air system with dual compressors and adding air lockers.....
Or would that be a waste of time and money?

 

We had ARB air lockers in our TJ for 12 years with a few problems but some design changes have taken care of most of them.

You will have to decide what gear ratios you want to end up with so you won't have to change lockers later when you decide to get lower gears.

You have to install a small air pump to work the lockers and can use it for tires, also. No real need for 2 compressors that I can see.

You didn't tell us what axles you have or gear ratios which might help.

We had a D44 and D30 axle in the TJ.

Good luck.

 

pretty much what he said

i have arb front and rear and love em. only minor problems so far in 2 years such as loose wiring and bad filter.

only reason i could see 2 compressors is to keep one small comp dedicated for the lockers and one comp for tires and tools. tis is something i am considering to have 2. if i run my arb comp all day for the lockers, then it wants to shut down too quickly when airing up my 37's. at end of day or i might try an onboard air tank first instead of running 2 comp. tank will be chaper way to go for now

 

do air lockers need a constant flow of compressed air to work?
or do they just get a burst of air to engage and then another burst of air in the other direction to disengage?

 

i wouldnt call it a constant flow but more of a constant pressure to engage the locker then when pressure is released, then the locker disengages.

now maybe i have a small leak on mine but my compressor has to kick on and off to maintain that pressure, but that is when i use it for literally the entire day.

but the arb compresoor is kinda small even not running lockers to fill up 4 37in tires from 12-15 psi to 30 psi and above.. i feel alot of it has to do wth patience, if u have the time and patience to wait for a compressor to cool down then the one should be fine.

my experience is when the comp is not used all day for lockers then my tire fill up goes smooth very only a few times to stop and cool off, but if it is used for the lockers, then the comp is constantly shutting down to cool off and then ends up taking well over an hour to fill all 4 tires, this is why i considering either trying the air tank option or another compressor for tires and tools only which i still would get a tank if i get a 2nd comp.

 

i see


and if i were you id opt for the aux tank

are the compressors serpentine belt powered or electric?

id still say aux tank and let the compressor run constantly and fill the tank as you run,

 

mine is electric, thats why i have to let it cool down so much, but if u go the serp belt route, thats a whole dif ballgame. also i forgot to mention, my compresor in under the hood so that might have some affect on the heat issue. when i get the tank im relocating the comp. all in all very happy wth what i have, im just always looking for better ways and more effecient ways to do things

i agree wth u on the tank part and letting it run, thats why i want to try that option first.

but to the originall question, the air lockers work great and have no regrets on buying them. besides regearing, this was one of the best mods i have. i think alot will be up to the individual person, like i stated before, it takes patience sometimes and just like many products people ask about, it depends on how they offroad and how often. there are pros and cons to each option we have.

if it werent for money id have the serp belt setup and 2 5 gal aux tanks to run tools and air up tires and the electric arb comp for just the lockers.

 

right now my jeep is bone stock I plan on in the future putting better axles in her.
I think they are 30 in the rear and 20 in front right now. not sure what the ratio is.

As for the compressors I was thinkig duel pumps one for airing tires / backup and the other for the lockers.

 

FWIW, I have the OX Locker in the front of my ZJ and engage it with their air cylinder. I have it plumbed into the CO2 tank and it works great. IMO, the OX is a stronger locker and no possibility of an internal air leak. No compressor to buy or maintain and a tank will fill my 33s about 16 times. $20 for a refill.

 

We've had great success with ARBs. While there can be issues, 99.9% of the time they are installer caused. Their compressors are maginally designed for airing up tires. Personally, I'm too impatient to wait that long to air up. Like Crasher says, Co2 will also work but I find it isn't always the best bet. Once you're out of air- you're out. Over my years of wheeling I've filled tires dozens of times for guys with Co2 tanks.

I feel the best option is to run an ARB compressor AND an engine driven compressor.