Aussie Locker Review in an Overlanding Vehicle

On this episode of Coddiwomple Overland we review the Aussie Locker by Torqmasters Industries. This could be the best overland vehicle upgrade possible.

[@Jboost412]

Exactly why I choose Aussie lockers every time…no switches air lines compressors electronics nothing extra to fail when your out in the middle of nowhere simple is always the best….I’m not knocking on anyone who uses air lockers or any other style but for us the Aussie lockers have always worked as well as any other locker just with minimal things to fail on the trail…have fun wheelin & be safe!!

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We love our Aussie locker.

[@christopherooijkaas1985]

Thanks for the review, i was on the fence about this upgrade till now. Defiantly gonna do the upgrade.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We really like ours

[@RedlineGodzilla]

Yesss man! Got a torq-master on my jl and it’s ridiculously good upgrade for the price. You simply can’t beat it!

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

I agree!

[@teamgrc1771]

Which rear axle do have in your jl? M200 or M220

[@RedlineGodzilla]

@@teamgrc1771 tbh no clue, my locker is in the front.

[@11bravo79]

@@RedlineGodzilla is yours a sport? Stock axles? I’m considering getting one for mine.

[@RedlineGodzilla]

@@11bravo79 yes, stock axles, sport.

[@bennie873]

Another great review

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

Thanks!

[@tylerdubois9020]

Power-right makes the no-slip automatic locker that uses a 'synchro' type design that is a lot quieter than the Aussie. Not sure if one is heavier duty. I run an Aussie in the rear of my 04 WJ Grand Cherokee and a no-slip in the front (I have selec-trac). Definetly a great upgrade.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

Thanks for the input.

[@Slimpickins71]

Exvellent video as always. I was hoping you would do a follow up video. Thinking of getting one for the front diff on my jk

[@tylerdubois9020]

Look into powertrax no-slip. I'm running an Aussie in the rear and a no-slip in the front of my WJ. Only issue I have is when I go from 4 hi back to 2wd it sometimes doesn't kick out. Another issue was when beach driving going back onto pavement it wouldn't dis-engage until I re-inflated tires from 15PSI back up to 33psi. Keep in mind if you drive your Jeep in snow that it is a whole different animal with lockers, front or rear or both.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

If you are having an issue with a locker going from 4wd to 2wd then its probably your front one.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We have spent some time on the beach and other Sand too and have never had any issues with our unlocking.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

As long as you drive conservatively in the snow, traction with the Aussie is incredible. Pressure the loud pedal and when they break loose, they both break loose.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

Thank you. I have heard of people having auto lockers in the front but have no personal experience with it. I would be interested to know how well they work

[@Sheerahboom87]

looking at the introduction of your videos seeing your rig on mad is a dope men! never experience that before ever.Im one of your fans now looking forward on more of your vlogs .

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

Welcome aboard!

[@Garagepointzero]

I am glad u had good luck from your I hated mine and went with ox

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We have had great results. Thank you for watching!

[@csgofordummies1239]

What did you hate? Considering this option since 8.2s have became so expensive in the last 12 months

[@Garagepointzero]

Mine stopped working after about 400 miles made really loud banging sounds and when running the road it would lock and unlock.

[@troywilliams1420]

As I am getting close to my (early) retirement, I am planning many adventures of my own and I truly appreciate the videos posted by Bill and Deb. I love their "tread lightly" approach to protect the environment and their vehicles. My approach to off-roading is to use my Jeep as a vehicle to get me to the beautiful places. Anyhow, I do have one question about the dash-mount they are using for their camera. I've noticed they must be using something as a gimbal head to keep the camera steady, as in allowing movement with the vehicle. If you'll notice the view of the landscape never seems to change while the vehicle itself is rocking due to the uneven terrain... So I'm curious what they are using as I love the smooth videos, not the jerky motion of the entire frame with a fixed-mount camera... Perhaps someone could give me a hint? Thank you so much, Bill & Deb - and please continue to take us along on your adventures.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

Thank you so much for watching! Sorry we are just now getting back to you. We do use a fixed mount for our Go Pro. It is a Hero 7 Black and has incredible image stabilization.

[@troywilliams1420]

@@CoddiwompleOverland Thank you so much. I'll be purchasing one for my adventures which will start this fall. 😁

[@Chandler7157]

That clicking is what gets to me, it makes me think the edges of the locker where it locks in would wear out very quick. But the idea of having a locker that automatically locks is very appealing.. even though I don't offroad my jeep as much as i'd like to, but does see snow. How has the lockers been having them for two years now and can you also get a set for the rear axle as well?

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We put almost 70,000 miles on it since the install and have had no problems at all. Ours is in the rear. I know i doesn’t work in the rear for some models though

[@bennapier9260]

My concern has always been locking when you don't want it to. Like in a sharp curve and upsetting the Jeep. Especially when it's wet.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We have over 15,000 miles on it in every type of weather. We have never had it actually unpredictably or upset the vehicle.

[@tylerdubois9020]

I have an aussie locker in my rear Dana 44a in my WJ. Never had issues thus for (few months in) with it not unlocking when turning, as long as you aren't giving it a lot of throttle. Pretty easy driving with it. Make sure you keep tire pressures even and inflated (depending on tire size, i run 33psi).

[@bennapier9260]

Yeah. I've seen where people say what y'all did. And some complain about them locking in corners and causing problems. With my luck. I'd be in the second group

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

The only time that we have had them lock in a turn was if we were accelarating hard and it senses slip, then it will lock. But it releases as soon as its not sending slip under power

[@CHEESEBURGERRC]

How does it handle on the freeway? My main concern with getting one of these is finding myself sideways at 70 mph!

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We never had an issue. We had 52,000 miles on the Aussie Locker. It only locks up when it senses slippage with acceleration.

[@stuntguy6351]

Does it ever engage taking corners on pavement i have one in the front but not sure if i want to do the rear aswell

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We have never had an issue with it.

[@jayceeleon]

Could I install this locker on my 2wd Jeep jku 2010 only rear 44 dana

[@jayceeleon]

I also have 37s with 5.13 gears

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

Should be able to. I would check with Torq Masters to make sure.

[@mattruth6287]

Did y’all just lock the rear with this? Does it click/ratchet in 2wd on the highway? I want a locker that I never need on my daily driver that doesn’t do anything rough except on the weekends. Still liking this product?

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We still love the Aussie Locker. It does click/ratchet in two during tight turns. But it's not overly loud at all. We do have a front locker but it is an elocker

[@johnbricker3592]

I've been very seriously considering this for my 2011 Jeep Sahara JKU. I'm already on a 3" lift and 35" BFG KM3s. My question is, how does it behave on pavement? This is my daily as well, and even though I work from home, I do still cruise around town, and of course to and from the trails (we are in columbus, ohio, currently exploring the KAT about once a month)

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

This thing works great on the payment. You don't even know it is there except for the click of the ratchet in a tight turn. If your windows are up you don't hear that. You won't be disappointed

[@tylerdubois9020]

In Snow you may notice it fish-tailing a lot. Other than that just drive slowly in turns, almost like riding a motorcycle (brake before turn, then smooth throttle through the turn), and it will be fine. Easy to install, and you can't beat the price.

[@rottdogsparky]

Any chance an installation video?

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp_bmGihg9edrNE

[@andyh9772]

One question: What is the Name of the Color from your Wrangler. It is very nice. I dont know in this Color is available in Europe.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

It is called Mango Tango. I believe it was only available for a couple years. Thanks for watching!

[@sms_overland3153]

Do you have the lunch box in the front as well? I was thinking about doing the rear and the front on the 4Runner.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

We have an e-locker in the front

[@sms_overland3153]

@@CoddiwompleOverland Perfect! I was also considering that!

[@dad3562]

Would you ever do both front and rear? How’s it been working for you since it’s been about a year now?

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

They are available for a front diff. I personally would not use one in the front. I think it would cause to much torque steer when in 4 wheel drive. We have about 30 thousand miles on the Aussie locker and still love it.

[@dad3562]

@@CoddiwompleOverland that’s awesome! Definitely getting one!

[@OverlandGeneration]

I prefer selectable or even limited slip... I hate all the racket they make...

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

Yea, I could see that but the little bit of noise isn't that bad to us.

[@NerjoeZenhue]

Did you consider the TrueTrac LSD?

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

I did not because it does not 100% lock and the price.

[@christopherpelayo3079]

Did you re gear when going to your 37s

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

Yes, we are running 5.13

[@JEEP-N-DIRT]

To ALL who read this. Lunch box locker is a great start if you have open diff's and at least a 44 axle. BUT, the life of this style locker is still a function of how you manage your power (the right foot). My first aussie locker was in my dana 35 C axle on my YJ. Ran it for years, and wheeled moderately but always used caution if I was having to "bump" over obstacles. That said, it finally exploded trying to slow roll (1 wheel up in the air) up a hill after 135k miles. If you overland, especially in a 4 door or heavier jeep, I highly recommend spending the extra 300 or so dollars (on top of the price for the aussie) and buy a full case locker like a detroit. Better peace of mind, and if you decide to upgrade to electric lockers, you can still sell it at a great price. Although I made it all those miles and trips without issue, I can honestly say that I was way too restrictive on my wheeling and used my winch more than I needed. If I had a detroit during that time, I could have used that winch time to actually be moving down the trail Lol!!. But if you're only option (from a budget perspective) is lunch box locker, then always carry your stock gearset in case the locker implodes, and hope that when it does (not if it does) that you're not on it hard so as to prevent damage to your ring and pinion. Can you wheel a long time with a lunch box locker, absolutely. Would you have better peace of mind knowing that you have a stout detroit in the rear, also absolutely. Just food for thought if you're overlanding (or wheeling) far from civilization, in the cold, or desert, or ??? On a related note, My 95 YJ now has a ford 8.8 in the rear will full case detroit. I also upgraded the front to single piece axle (CAD elimination) and installed an aussie . And it runs, drives great. Steering is a little heavier than previously, but nothing that's dangerous or weird feeling. On the opposite end of the spectrum, my 2018 JLU+R sport S model (as I call it) was built with Rubicon Axles including E lockers, 5 inch lift, and 37's and I'm spoiled with the E lockers. the JLU platform is so capable that I only have to activate lockers when I really need them so the road manners and tire life is really really great. God Bless you all, and stay safe. Hope to see you on the trail sometime. Overland videos like yours ( and the trip I took to Colorado's alpine loop on my BMW R1200 GS Adventure motorcycle) inspired me to buy the JLU+R (lol) and start traveling to those places with my wife and kids. You're trips here my home state of Georgia are very educating. I've taken notes and planning to travel those same areas soon.

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

Thanks for the input.

[@davidwhitehouse3243]

you are lucky that you can get a lot of stuff still made in USA, here in uk these days everything is made in china, even some british cars like jaguars & land rovers are made abroad as its cheaper to make them abroad & ship them back here, everything here says made in china on it these days.

[@byronbrasher8118]

work on YJ ?

[@CoddiwompleOverland]

I believe that they do make them for a YJ.