Eaton/Harrop Electronic rear diff lock

[sclater29]

regarding speed of 30km/h on these units i would say if you were driving in a straight line you probably have no problems but find from legal points of view that they would theoreticaly limit it due to the less control of the vehicle that you would have i.e more traction less steering etc, if you want to be racing around i would think the diff lock shold be turned off to increase steering and alow the diffs to spin and not twist up. every time ive used/ seen lockers used it is when the track has deteriated and the standard 4wd system has failed i.e lifted wheel or one wheel spinning like clay so lock the locker in get out of that predicament and disengage it again.

as for wear and tear i think you will do more damage to you unit engadging at speeds above crawl and speeding around with it engadged twisting diffs up etc as opposed to opperating it 10-20 times in one day.

as for wires i also agree that a torn air line has the exact same effect as broken wires, the unit would be electro magnetic so you lose juice and the magnet would release i.e disengage the unit, i would cut the wires abobe diff housing instal some kind of plug so if the cable did get caught up it would just unplug the wires instead of tearing them apart, and even if you leave them stock its alot easier to twist the wires back together and put tape on it vs trying to make and airproof joint in arb system.

and proof of these units would be comparible to factory lockers such as in toyotas and jeep rubicons, some of the toughest cars out thier, when i go the locker option i think the e locker ticks more boxes for me than the air locker

[pootrol]

got mine fitted today. had the wiring ready to go for last 2 weeks but finally got around to getting the heavy bit put in. i must say its awesome feeling to spin the wheel then just push a button and drive out. no turning on comp then wait till it charges then turning on locker. just quiet and instant. the rest of it you know how much a locked rear helps. drove off the side of my round about to give it a crack. one thing i was a little disapointed with is the quality of fitting to bush the hole that comes through the diff pumpkin.

[toyboata]

i also got mine in last week. haven't given it a real test yet, I have tested it and felt how it goes, but at the same time i was not getting stuck without it...so the test will come once im stuck with one wheel spinning. Silent instant engagement is nice though......the only thing i will miss now though is the LSD for normal road driving, with my chip and the sprintbooster I find now im spinning one rear wheel on almost every takeoff due to the Eaton unit being open whereas with the LSD i had much better traction on the road....cant have the cake and eat it they say.

[Shaker]

As I've said before somewhere, they look very similar to ARB internally. At the end of the day it's electromagnet and it's copper windings sitting in hot conditions vs air pressure and blown o-ring seals. It will be interesting to see which one stands the test of time and which one is more expensive to repair should there be a failure.

I'd still buy one of these, but had already ordered the ARB one and need the on board compressor anyway for tyre inflation. One is tried and proven and the other one is still in the 'prove it' stage.

We have Hilux product testers for these now, so will be watching you

Shaker.

[Downunderlux]

Well Shaker

If you are looking for long term reliability then the electromagnetism is more likely to be more reliable copper wires do not normally fail. The problem with the air locker is that it relies on air pressure seals to work, and this is been proven to fail. Rubber or other type of seal deteriorate over time and usually when you don't want then to fail they do. !
I work in refrigeration industry and compressed air systems and looking at which system will be more reliably, i have put my money on the electronic E Locker.

[Rocket55]

I too have put the E locker in the rear and could not be happier with it . When you engage it there is a slight click from the switch in the dash and a pretty red LED that also comes on and that's it! Instantly and silently you are now locked up and going forward again

The big red alert notice you get in the pack says make sure you are going less than 5km/hr etc when engaging, but I was then told, as long as don't engage it under full load or if 1 wheel is spinning in the air, you'll be Ok. I've thrown it in a few times at about 60km/hr just before a dirt corner to allow for glorious sideways action on the way out

Apparently there are a couple of E Locker front diffs getting around in 2005+ luxs as a test and these should be released to the market shortly, if not already (haven't checked).

[ozeblue]

Am I right in thinking if you have front lockers fitted of any type and engage 4WD but NOT the lockers all you get is drive to the rear, or 2WD ?

[KTM525EXC]

Am I right in thinking if you have front lockers fitted of any type and engage 4WD but NOT the lockers all you get is drive to the rear, or 2WD ?

Hey mate,

nah when 4x4 is engaged you get equal drive to the front and rear. when the lockers are unlocked on uneven surfaces eg: lifting opposing wheels say rear left and right front then the 4x4 will become a 2wd because all the power goes to the spinning wheels that are in the air. With front and rear lockers engaged it will be a "true 4wd" because all 4 wheels will have equal drive.
I think your getting confussed with a center diff lock which is another story.

cheers Troy

[CrispyM]

Does anyone know if the front elocker is available yet?

[Jack S]

Does anyone know if the front elocker is available yet?

Have been around for months now man, there are a few blokes on here running them up front!

[CrispyM]

Thanks Jack!

[MADDOG]

Yep. I've got 'em front and rear.

[Rocket55]

Yep, me too Rate them highly

[mattwhite]

I hope it's ok to ask here as I didn't think it worthy of a separate topic. I did search with no luck too.
I've bought myself an air locker and am going to fit it myself. I'm a mechanic so no drama but I've never done a diff. The backlash seems easy enough to set up but am unsure about the carrier bearing preload. I'm not touching the pinion bearings as I've only done 60k. I've got new carrier bearings ready but do people bother using spring gauges or whatever or just by feel like an old wheel bearing. Any tips appreciated.
Matt

[Hellbound]

I hope it's ok to ask here as I didn't think it worthy of a separate topic. I did search with no luck too.
I've bought myself an air locker and am going to fit it myself. I'm a mechanic so no drama but I've never done a diff. The backlash seems easy enough to set up but am unsure about the carrier bearing preload. I'm not touching the pinion bearings as I've only done 60k. I've got new carrier bearings ready but do people bother using spring gauges or whatever or just by feel like an old wheel bearing. Any tips appreciated.
Matt

Deffinately something you dont wont to mess around with my friend, even if the lash and pre-load are slightly out the unit will fail or something else will wear out in no time. Altho its more money going out to get it done properly, atleast you can take it back if it goes bang!

[Andy02lux]

anyone reckon a 400rwhp hilux with a eaton e locker in the rear of a 4by hilux would work well on the willowbank dragstrip?

LSD is rooted and only spins 1 wheel. Need both spinning

[packeteer]

anyone reckon a 400rwhp hilux with a eaton e locker in the rear of a 4by hilux would work well on the willowbank dragstrip?

LSD is rooted and only spins 1 wheel. Need both spinning

or an auto locker (Yukon Grizzly is what I have)

[helmut79]

anyone reckon a 400rwhp hilux with a eaton e locker in the rear of a 4by hilux would work well on the willowbank dragstrip?

LSD is rooted and only spins 1 wheel. Need both spinning

Sounds awesome.

Post up some pix

[Qwerty]

I have a Harrop / eaton FRONT elocker from ironman sitting in my spare room.

Just waiting on the guy who I want to install it to stop being so damn busy and install it!

[fnqtech]

Not a hard install as long as you have a mag base DTI and a low reading torque wrench to accurately set it up (make sure you follow the setup procedure and torques). I installed mine as I had a drive pinion bearing fail. Bit of a bugger lying on your back in the driveway, but certainly not beyond someone with basic mechanical skills