Air locker vs Electronic

Hey guys, this is less about which is better and more about what I want to install from a standpoint of simplicity.


Anyone have pics of their onboard air and where it's mounted? I understand air lockers should in theory be better but I'm concerned about it taking up too much room in the rig. I like to keep my rear seats folded down.



So if you have pics or cool solutions for your air lockers let me know.



ALSO are the switches that CONTROL the air lockers pneumatic as well or is that electric and ONLY locker pneumatic.


Thanks!

I have a small single cylinder ARB compressor that is placed in the space behind the rear quarter interior trim panel. near the stock spare tire mount. it fits fine, does not over heat. and is completely hiden behind the panel. I use this for my rear ARB locker and for tire inflation. Consider for off roading you NEED to air down the tires, and thus NEED to air them back up eventually, so a compressor is a NEED even without lockers.

A friend of mime pit his larger ARB compressor in the engine bay. I prefer the cooler, more water protected interior.

see my pump here...
https://www.cherokeetalk.com/forum/f8/arb-pump-mount-73737/

the switches are electric which in turn open or close a solenoid valve for the air supply. this saves the hassle of routing hoses to the dash area, and thus less sources for leaks because the runs of the hoses is less complex,and shorter. also electric switches and their wires can be smaller, so easier to find a place to mount them.

So, you need an air pump anyway, so why not use it to power the lockers too? of course I am sure there are good electric controlled lockers too, even cable operated ones too.

now the compressors are noisy, but in a tight system, leakage should be minimal, and the compressor will stay off for 15, 30 minutes with locker on, then maybe cycle on for ten to 20 seconds or so to but when off roading the engine noise and such pretty much masks it. the only time the compressor is long is then filling tires, but we are out of the vehicle, engine running to keep battery charge up, so you dont notice the noise as a problem. so dont worry about interior noise is my take on interior mounting, it just has not been an issue for us having the compressor inside the XJ cabin area.

Wow I REALLY like that mount, but how is it secured? through the wheel well and the sheet metal where it contacts the plastic panel? I'd love to see what kind of bracket you came up with too.



As far as noise I'm not really concerned It'll only be on when I'm offroading and I don't care about noise then.

ive had both, arb & e locker, they both work fine but for simplicity i prefer the e locker. no comp. to fail, no air lines to leak or break. been thru both those problems.

I've installed all three(you forgot OX), they all have their +/-'s. I like my ARB because you air to do other things also.

BTW, ARB lockers are operated by a electric switch thru a air solenoid.

To get the advantage of an air locker without the hassle of mounting and maintaining an on-board compressor system, I opted to use a small CO2 paintball bottle. I have no regrets at all about going this route. It works perfectly. Here’s a write up, with some pictures.

https://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1140375

@greenz where does your air intake go? snorkel? Also I assume that ARB piece is made specifically for being in the engine bay? no issues with humidity, heat, dirt?


@nimrod thats actually pretty genius but is it a pain to have to refill it? how many times can you use it before you need a refill? do you bring a spare canister with you off road? Edit- read the whole thread =P I kind of like that. And i can stick it behind drivers quarter trim with a couple of big hose clamps and a strip of rubber. Although I see why you put it in the cubby. quick access to swap it. I think I'd spend the time undoing a few screws just to hide it if I went that way.

xCWolf said:

@greenz where does your air intake go? snorkel? Also I assume that ARB piece is made specifically for being in the engine bay? no issues with humidity, heat, dirt?

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That looks like it might be a Thor Cowl Intake, sold by vendor Trailhead Offoad, or something similar that draws air though the space under the windshield and behind the firewall.

xCWolf said:

@greenz where does your air intake go? snorkel? Also I assume that ARB piece is made specifically for being in the engine bay? no issues with humidity, heat, dirt?


@nimrod thats actually pretty genius but is it a pain to have to refill it? how many times can you use it before you need a refill? do you bring a spare canister with you off road? Edit- read the whole thread =P I kind of like that. And i can stick it behind drivers quarter trim with a couple of big hose clamps and a strip of rubber. Although I see why you put it in the cubby. quick access to swap it. I think I'd spend the time undoing a few screws just to hide it if I went that way.

Click to expand...

Nimrod is correct. It's a Thor Cowl Intake.



No problem with water, rain, snow, heat, or dirt. Been installed for two years now. No problems what so ever.


I made the mounting bracket for it. Fits in the same holes as the air box.


The only problem with my install is that it takes time and tools to cram it all in there. Not a plug-n-play setup.

xCWolf said:

Wow I REALLY like that mount, but how is it secured? through the wheel well and the sheet metal where it contacts the plastic panel? I'd love to see what kind of bracket you came up with too.



As far as noise I'm not really concerned It'll only be on when I'm offroading and I don't care about noise then.

Click to expand...

The mount bracket is that supplied with the compressor. it is bolted thru the wheel well with nuts. when the bracket strap is loosened, the compressor can be slipped out for easy service, as the tank does tend to collect water so periodic draining is needed same for all compressor tanks. nothing is mounted to the plastic trim panel.

I am thinking of adding an inline dryer to absorb water from the tank. this may be beneficial to the arb locker too, by keeping moist air out of the diff.

I am pretty sure this compressor is not sold anymore, old design.

See 3rd image on link..

http://bronco.tophersworld.com/writeup_sas_rear_axle.htm

I dont think the new design arb compressors have that handy bracket anymore, so to remove them for service I think you will need to undo all the bolts and nuts thru the wheel well to remove the compressor for service. Sometimes the older design is better!

But even still, the new compressor may still fit there., but wont be as quick to remove for service.

srb531 said:

ive had both, arb & e locker, they both work fine but for simplicity i prefer the e locker. no comp. to fail, no air lines to leak or break. been thru both those problems.

Click to expand...

This has always been my thinking, as well. That said, I ran a lunchbox and a Yukon (like a Detroit with better machining) so that nothing could fail. Talk about simple.

I have an air locker in the front (Rubicon Dana 44) and an Eaton E-locker in the rear. The E-Locker was much easier to install and not near as complicated has having an air compressor and running air lines.