Auburn Ected VS. Eaton E-Locker

[justin_502]

I would ask the guys on here who know about gears and lockers, like jeeperjohn cleanrc and rawbrown. Im sure these guys at one point put in all of the above. Thats the opinion that would count for me. If going 35s or bigger I wouldent get the ected. Im on 4.56s and 33s and it is good for what I do. Miller, John bull and trails like that. I got a daily driver so im not going major trails like the hammers. what kind of trails are you going to be doing?

 

[bigdaddyjlove]

I've got a Detroit in my XJ and an Ected in my TJ. Whith the Ected locked, I can't tell the difference. So far I have not been able to make the ected slip, and I'm running a stroker and a manual tranny in front of it.

 

[PapaGeno21]

I have had an aussie in the front D30 in the snow and If I ever was to lock my front again I would never go lunchbox.

In the snow the thing barely wants to turn. I also had Baja claws which are a bucket of fail so who knows.

I would however go ARB front and rear if I had the money. I had ARB in the rear of my other jeep and it was AWESOME.

 

[ausi02]

I have had an aussie in the front D30 in the snow and If I ever was to lock my front again I would never go lunchbox.

In the snow the thing barely wants to turn. I also had Baja claws which are a bucket of fail so who knows.

I would however go ARB front and rear if I had the money. I had ARB in the rear of my other jeep and it was AWESOME.

I'm glad you mentioned this because I was just about to ask how the Aussie does in the snow. Its that bad huh? Guess there is never a good cheap solution

 

[hot_rod_hooligans]

nevermind

 

[jcroffroad]

I would not put an Etched in my diff if it was given to me for free! GARBAGE! We have seen first hand how crappy these things are and had first hand experience with one blowing up the spiders gears and the guys at Alburn were less then helpful!

We have also seen the Eaton locker break too. IMHO, the only selectable locker that is good is an ARB. We only recommend ARB's at our shop now because of the two less then enjoyable dealings with both.

 

[Frank Z]

Safe to say that there is no perfect choice to satisfy all of us. The OP will have to continue to do his homework and choose the option that he feels is best for his wheelin terrain and DD needs. Best of luck to ya.:cheers:

 

[jcroffroad]

Just another note on the Etched, the guy NEVER wheeled it. It broke on the street and the only time it was ever locked in was when we tested it. It lasted about 7 months then BOOM!

 

[ehall]

There's a guy with an LJ in our local club that has ECTED front and rear. He locked them up for some stump-crawling poser shots, and they wouldn't unlock. I'm a little leery about them after that. OTOH everything has problems sometime, so that's not enough to write them off.

 

[XJfire75]

OK Ive been researching these options too.

Sounds like the Elocker is a better choice for off roading to me...

And on the ARBs dont you need alot more than just the locking diff? Air and all that?


I dont want to run a auto locker on my DD/weekend wheeler and I want to do the front first. I will be regearing to 4:56s soon and might as well do it all at once.

Dont mean to hijack but I need some opinions as well...

 

[emr1101]

naw your good. but yea, arb is a lot more expensive, and yes you need lines and a compressor. Ill probably run an aussie up front, but as for the rear there is no way im getting an auto locker for that. I may still run the Auburn Ected though not sure. How often do their spring packs wear out?

 

[Just Differentials]

We have found the Ected to be a decent unit. It is not fully mechanically locked, but close to. They are generally reliable and easy to install. If you intend to do a heavy duty diff cover, the Ox locker is another good option. They are really durable, and include a heavy duty cover. ARB's are good too, I run one, but they have their quirks. In fact the "air locker" actually uses more electrical components than an "electric locker".

 

[techno1154]

The ECTED in my D44 works flawless for the 5 months I have driven it, 95% highway and 5% offroad. I have never had problems with it locking or unlocking. I do not have a front drive shaft;... 3.55 gears up front and 4.10 out back. I had one instance when I had one rear wheel in the air and could not move. I flipped the switch the to enguage the ECTED and it came through for me pulling the XJ/axle off the rock that it was on. Yea, it may not be a full locker but for what I do on 31" tires, it is all I want.

About it not unlocking;... Auburn did mention that it sometimes happen and what to do to get it to unlock. Their theory of magnets are true. They do remain magnatized after the power is disconnected.

I like the idea of an ARB but not the price after you include the compressor and air lines. Then you still have the electrical portion of the compressor to maintain. When I regear the D30, I will go the Eaton E-Locker route. I need the full selectable locker up front without the price and frustration of the added ancillary equipment associated with other selectable lckers.

 

[techno1154]

The ECTED in my D44 works flawless for the 5 months I have driven it, 95% highway and 5% offroad. I have never had problems with it locking or unlocking. I do not have a front drive shaft;... 3.55 gears up front and 4.10 out back. I had one instance when I had one rear wheel in the air and could not move. I flipped the switch the to enguage the ECTED and it came through for me pulling the XJ/axle off the rock that it was on. Yea, it may not be a full locker but for what I do on 31" tires, it is all I want.

About it not unlocking;... Auburn did mention that it sometimes happen and what to do to get it to unlock. Their theory of magnets are true. They do remain magnatized after the power is disconnected.

I like the idea of an ARB but not the price after you include the compressor and air lines. Then you still have the electrical portion of the compressor to maintain. When I regear the D30, I will go the Eaton E-Locker route. I need the full selectable locker up front without the price and frustration of the added ancillary equipment associated with other selectable lockers.

 

[goodburbon]

We have found the Ected to be a decent unit. It is not fully mechanically locked, but close to. They are generally reliable and easy to install. If you intend to do a heavy duty diff cover, the Ox locker is another good option. They are really durable, and include a heavy duty cover. ARB's are good too, I run one, but they have their quirks. In fact the "air locker" actually uses more electrical components than an "electric locker".

Reduce the Electronics associated with ARB... http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3NB19

:cheers:

 

[Hammered]

is the OX locker any better / worse than the E locker.

I know the ox is running about 800 bucks...