Manually operated lockers?

[Paddletrucker]

You guys may know of this company. I only know it as belonging to a family of companies that has a lot of products in the trucking industry. I had no idea they made lockers. A buddy of mine told me they made lockers. I had no idea. I may be all wet, here, but I think that I like the idea of them being manually locked. No air system needed. No electrical connections.

Anybody ever hear of this? I haven't yet seen these on the forums.

http://www.ox-usa.com/ox/Products/Lockers/tabid/429/Default.aspx

[4.3LXJ]

Yes, OX lockers are popular. The plus side has things like selectable, a must in my book and they seem reasonably strong and you get a nice heavy duty diff cover. The down side is that there is a cable to mess with and mount in the cabin. Personally, I like a nice clean driving area and this would be a problem for me to solve before I would want one.

[bigjim350]

The OX locker is nice. Just to expinsive for me. My buddy bought one for his TJ and you have to buy the cable seprate, and its pricey

[xj4life2]

Ox's are very popular, however, hard to get and hard to get parts for, and like all selectable lockers they requre seasonal maintenance and basic up keep. Pricewise they run in the same range as the e locker or the ARB. For my money if I was in the market for a selectable locker I would go with the ARB.

[4.3LXJ]

X2, but then again I already did that

[Metlic53]

i plan on getting an eaton e locker one of these days, i don't really wanna mess with the air compressor and lines, i'd rather just have a hot wire and ground wire for the locker, thats just my opinion though, i don't like things cluttered.

[xj4life2]

i plan on getting an eaton e locker one of these days, i don't really wanna mess with the air compressor and lines, i'd rather just have a hot wire and ground wire for the locker, thats just my opinion though, i don't like things cluttered.

The only issue with the e lockers is they are highly susceptible to water and snow. This may not be an issue where you are but here we have to take that into consideration.

[4.3LXJ]

Hey Mark, what happens with the water? They quit or something?

[Mudderoy]

If I understand correctly the ected is a limited slip. Why would I want to spend $$$ for a locker that doesn't?

[Metlic53]

If I understand correctly the ected is a limited slip. Why would I want to spend $$$ for a locker that doesn't?

i wasn't talking about the ected. i was talking about the eaton e locker. two totally different things.

[xj4life2]

Hey Mark, what happens with the water? They quit or something?

Yes the have a habit of stopping when wet, cold , frozen ect ect once the wires thaw or dry out they will work again though, ya know once your home lol lol

They act kinda like the ford and chevy transfer case motors that are mounted down under, they are great till ya need em

[4.3LXJ]

That is good to know, glad I spent the money on ARBs

[jeepxj95]

glad im looking into the tru trac for the 8.25

[Mudderoy]

i wasn't talking about the ected. i was talking about the eaton e locker. two totally different things.

Ahhh cool, good. I'll look at that one now. Thanks.

[bigjim350]

If I understand correctly the ected is a limited slip. Why would I want to spend $$$ for a locker that doesn't?

The ected is a limited slip when disengaged and locked when engaged.

[saar]

OX are known here too, I have a friend with it on an XJ, he is very satisfied.
Saar

[OrangeXJ]

What Jim said I have one it's locked or limit slip it's nice with the lock rite in the rear the times I had to lock the front I don't have to now.

[LizardRunner]

The top lockers out on the race courses are ARB, followed closely by OX, and Eaton E-locker. Spools are on most of the dedicated machines. I personally like all three but will most likely use ARB or the eaton E-locker. The down side is that I will have to replace my rear end. All I've found for the 8.25 are LSD's. On the other hand, since my rig won't be raced or doing major rock crawls, LSD's just might handle my needs, it's still up in the air.

[xjpirate]

i have been looking and the OX is going to be my choice when i can put together some scratch. yes they are on the expensive side and you do have to mount a cable shifter, but if you buy an arb, you will be running airlines and a switch, or with e locker still running wires and a switch , so whats the difference, to all you micro managers? i get it, everyone in the world thinks the arb is god's gift to wheeling, but its no different than any other option for a selectable, there are pros and cons to everything, i like the idea of the OX just because there are less things to malfunction, as far as wiring and airlines, sorry everyone needed to vent about all these people i talk to with one way street mentality:crazy:

[LizardRunner]

I hear ya Josh,I really like the OX set up, it would be the easiest to do a repair on the trails since it's a cable setup and I don't have a problem with the extra shift knobs, I have plenty of space for those with the standard tranny. While I like the ARB unit, I am not really crazy about the air line setup, I can just see me putting a hole in the line unless I run it through conduit. Then there's the compressor, it would just be extra weight unless I rig up oba to also run the ARB units. I much prefer simple cause simple breaks down less.

[Mudderoy]

I really like the idea of the OX locker. I mean its a freaking cable and lever to engage/disengage. How much simpler and positive control could that be?

The only problem is the lever placement and they don't make one for the C8.25.

Price might be as well, never got that far looking at them.

[xjpirate]

poly performance sells a pretty sweet mounting plate for a tj, and from the looks of it, you would probably be able to rig into the xj also

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/images/D/600_DSC03137-400.jpg

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/OX-Locker-Shifter-Mounting-Bracket-for-Jeep-TJ-p-20213.html

[Mudderoy]

poly performance sells a pretty sweet mounting plate for a tj, and from the looks of it, you would probably be able to rig into the xj also

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/images/D/600_DSC03137-400.jpg

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/OX-Locker-Shifter-Mounting-Bracket-for-Jeep-TJ-p-20213.html

Oooo that is neat! :thanx:

[Paddletrucker]

The reason I was originally drawn to the OX lockers after I initially heard about them was the simplicity. I may have a contaminated opinion, though. I deal with an air system every day of my life. My semi, which I depend on to make my living with, has an air system just like they all do. Sure, it's cool to be able to use air tools away from the shop. Yes, the air system is the best way to stop a tractor/trailer.

BUT......Chasing air leaks is a pain. Those little plastic lines get brittle in the winter. They're NOT tough when it comes to debris from the road. I hate to think about air lines and the things that could happen on a trail. Condensation in the lines is always a big maintenance issue for me. Ignore the moisture problem, ESPECIALLY in the winter, and you have major issues to deal with. It's just one more system to deal with. One more belt or gear to drive one more component that can fail. MOre weight. More complexity. More space used. More maintenance. That all said, it's still a good system. Sometimes, though, I dream of the freedom of NOT having to monitor an air system.

THen there's the other side. ARB is an established and popular brand. OX? Not so much. I am one of many very unhappy customers of one of their sister companies, Idlebuster. Idlebuster was an auxiliary power unit made for big rigs. They promised a system that would keep your cab super cool in the summer and super warm in the winter. AC power for all appliances and comforts of home. That's right. A refrigerator, TV, microwave, coffee maker, electric grill and cook top! Oh, man. All those things I'd kiss goodbye when I'd leave for a trip. You ever try living without those things? Ever try sleeping without heat or A/C? They offered a solution. A super quiet running Kubota diesel engine that would run all night on a gallon of diesel. With all the idling restrictions around the country, and the big engine burning a gallon an hour of 5.00/gallon diesel (in 2007-8), it seemed to be a no brainer to give Idlebuster/OX brands 7500 smackers to install an APU. Expensive? Yes. BUT...there are idling restrictions where I was trucking at the time. I am required by law to take a 10 hour break after 14 hours on duty. You ever try to get some quality sleep in your car in the drive way at noon on a 95 degree day without the engine running??? IT SUCKS!! In fact, I felt it was a hazard to my health, and a hazard to the health of all the motorists I came in contact with after suffering through a miserable mandatory 10 hour "rest break" in a 100+ degree cab.

Enter Idlebuster. A godsend. Save fuel. Be comfy and cool, or warm. Add money to your bottom line at the end of the year. Comply with regulations. SO, I bought one. What a mistake. The unit didn't do anything it promised. I found out later they launched the product sales before they actually had any on the road. I was a customer/ginea pig. They LIED about the testing they'd done. OX said there were dealers and installers all over the country. There were, but they couldn't get any parts or support from OX. The "Screw-bota" engine didn't burn a gallon all night. More like a gallon an hour. It burned really close to what my big Caterpillar does. Quiet? Hardly. Sounded like a lawn care company mounted to my frame rail behind my cab. Then, suddenly, while dealing with all of these problems, OX decided to axe Idlebuster. All of it's customers left in the cold, or heat, whatever the case. NO communication. No support from any other company. NO nothing. Not even an "I'm sorry" Just took my 7+ grand and disappear, leaving me with a 400lb boat anchor bolted to the frame of my semi.

So, while I like the idea of the simplicity. I can 245% believe Payless4X's point about hard to find parts. I'll bet support sucks, too. Right? I'm leary of them, in spite of being really intrigued by the product.

Really scared of the OX company and brand. See xjpirate? I can rant, too. Still though, if I could just get a hold of one of the systems. I'll bet I can find parts away from OX. Also, OX has been established longer than Idlebuster's existence. I'm almost willing to buy one of their set ups. At the worst, I could adapt an air system to the locking mechanism if things went too far south, right? Oh man, this Jeep stuff is killing me.

[xjpirate]

you have good points about the customer service side of things, which i cannot dispute as someone who has not had to deal with this company personally yet, my hope with the locker is that it will perform great and there will never be a need to return/ replace parts and hopefully i am right, i really enjoy the simplicity in the locker so i guess we will see how it goes
wasn't trying to rant, but my brain just started exploding ". . .and another thing!!!!'' uncontrollably:out:

[4.3LXJ]

i have been looking and the OX is going to be my choice when i can put together some scratch. yes they are on the expensive side and you do have to mount a cable shifter, but if you buy an arb, you will be running airlines and a switch, or with e locker still running wires and a switch , so whats the difference, to all you micro managers? i get it, everyone in the world thinks the arb is god's gift to wheeling, but its no different than any other option for a selectable, there are pros and cons to everything, i like the idea of the OX just because there are less things to malfunction, as far as wiring and airlines, sorry everyone needed to vent about all these people i talk to with one way street mentality:crazy:


I hear ya Josh,I really like the OX set up, it would be the easiest to do a repair on the trails since it's a cable setup and I don't have a problem with the extra shift knobs, I have plenty of space for those with the standard tranny. While I like the ARB unit, I am not really crazy about the air line setup, I can just see me putting a hole in the line unless I run it through conduit. Then there's the compressor, it would just be extra weight unless I rig up oba to also run the ARB units. I much prefer simple cause simple breaks down less.

I hear what you guys are saying about air lines. My plan is to run steel brake lines with brake hoses on the flexible areas. But seriously, the air lines dropping down to the diff is no more vulnerable than our brake lines.

[4.3LXJ]

Nate

They did the same thing with the locker. Advertised it for months before making the first one. There were even rumors they were out of business and then they showed up.

[xj4life2]

I hear what you guys are saying about air lines. My plan is to run steel brake lines with brake hoses on the flexible areas. But seriously, the air lines dropping down to the diff is no more vulnerable than our brake lines.

X2 and just to add to this ARB does make a steel (type) bulkhead kit for this type of issue. But its real easy to fab something up

[Paddletrucker]

On the other end, at least with Idlebuster, I found out they had suspended operations a long time before they admitted it. They kept promising me they'd fix my APU, and at the same time they were not supporting their installers/dealers, telling them the real deal.

Finally, one of the dealers I had dealt with and had a good relationship told me the story when I went into their shop.

I'd still like the lockers, though. First, I need to do axle upgrades, I guess.

When I posted about the lockers, I'd hoped I'd hear that customer service was excellent and parts availability wasn't a problem.

I just really like the simplicity. It may sway me that direction even still.