Lunchbox Locker Comparison!

In this video I compare design features of LockRight, Aussie, Spartan, and Torq "lunchbox" automatic lockers before installing one of them in the High Pinion Dana 30 in the front of my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited LJ.
This is a follow-up to the video covering the failure in the installation of the Lock-Right. • Powertrax Lockright do...
Sources for some info presented in this video:
www.motortrend.com/how-to/154...
www.torqmasters.com/about_us
lokka.com/faq/

[@tsmith578]

Great video, thank you very much. Been checking out some information about lunch box lockers for for a Dana 30. And you have the best video I have seen so far.

[@johnossendorf9979]

In 95 I installed a Lock-Right in my 93 2wd Toyota pickup, no lift, 195/75-R14 snow tires. It was impressive where it would go for an otherwise stock 2wd ! The Lock-Right was the best modification I ever made to any vehicle I ever owned.

[@davidshettlesworth1442]

Thank you for this very informative video on the different lockers. It was exactly what I needed to know. Carry On Sir!

[@danielsmith5351]

Thanks for this video. I found it very informative. Most videos just show one locker. Therefore one perspective. Ive been looking at buying a locker and I believe the Torq locker to be the most advanced. And love those Coopers. I wont run anything else anymore but Coopers or Mastercraft which is made by Cooper. My entire family runs Coopers now.

[@freedomin4low344]

I agree! And on the tires, I had actually been set on KM3's but when I went to buy them they were an 8 week backorder. I went with the Coopers and am 100% satisfied.

[@March1966]

Very informative video. I have a Yukon Gear Grizzly locker in my 2015 Willys front diff and am very happy with it.

[@jayarmstrong3848]

After watching your video I bought a Yukon/ US Gear SPARTAN for my DANA 60 35 spline and I’m running 46” tires. Upgrading to large joints and shafts. When the locker breaks I’ll weld it

[@peterbedington4414]

Good comparison and instruction. Thanks.

[@ChrisWilliams-pu8pj]

Great video!

[@adamketterl]

Great information! Thank you! I work at a shop and have been wasting so much time shimming a lock right to try and make it work! It is a Dana 30 front axle on a '97 Wrangler. I had it shimmed to .152" exactly between couplers with .005" to .006" clearance between the spacers and the cross shaft. It wouldn't release! Aaaaaaahhhhhhh! I removed .005" shim on each side and it still won't release(Not supposed to use shims on it BTW). Like you, I am able to release it with the aid of a screwdriver. Lock Right tech support tried to help, but he seemed stumped. I won't ever try to install a Lock Right again! This thing is eating my lunch!

[@paulhuthmann8824]

ive got an aussie and the spring has never fallen out. mine is going strong with a good beating

[@sultanheart]

Lokka in the front of my pathfinder R50 more than 5 years with Zero isuues.. best mod i have done..

[@trappster48]

How are tight turns and general highway use

[@thomasleclair7418]

,,,,,,,,Thanks for a concise rundown.................

[@FirstLightAdv]

I have the lokka great design!

[@bigrich7026]

Ran a powertrax in a Tacoma. Worked well. Longtravel set up. Would do three wheel motion cornering hard laying 2 rubber strips out the back.

[@DinkAround]

I have the TorQ I'm the front and it's pretty awesome. Also have one for the rear but have not made that comment to running both just yet. With the windows up I can't hear the front, but I enjoy the sound. Nice review 👍

[@freedomin4low344]

I'm running 85W140 oil, the HP Dana 30 cover is extra thick, and I have the Warn diff skid plate; between all that I don't hear it even with the windows open. Looking forward to some slow wheeling with doors off to see if I finally hear it there. I don't think I'm hardcore enough to run an auto locker in the rear. I like the selectability of the E-Locker back there.

[@flatheadfletch]

Well done

[@rickyn1858]

awesome review showing the differences between the lockers. now that its been installed how does torq compare to the lockrite?

[@freedomin4low344]

Since the LockRight failed the spin test, I never drove with it installed. The Torq though, operates as expected. I get an occasional pop in tight parking lot turns but it doesn't feel harsh or anything, and I don't even hear the clicking from inside the Jeep. Very happy on road. Still finishing up some details of the build before I take it offroad, but I'm hoping to in the next few weeks.

[@lol123321123321]

Power Trac no-slip is a lunch box locker and it's the only one on the market with synchros. It's a real locker, not limited slip but it handles road driving soooo much better than all the other locker brands.

[@freedomin4low344]

I've read about the No Slip. I didn't have one to compare for this, and honestly never even considered it because I wasn't that concerned about the clicking so it didn't justify the complexity. I have to coast around a corner at idle with doors off to hear the Torq ratcheting, and even then only if there's no other vehicles around and there's a curb or a wall next to the road to bounce the sound back. It's very quiet.

[@123devinzz1]

ive had a no-slip in my tacoma for 8 years now and its been flawless the whole time. even as a daily driver its fine and completely silent. wouldn't hesitate to buy again

[@josuemartinezmtz]

Do they make one for the Jeep wrangler jk model Dana 30 up front ? I have a lunchbox locker don’t know the brand but is super noisy kinda embarrassing when trying to park

[@lol123321123321]

@@josuemartinezmtz the carrier is the same it should fit. The jk Dana 30 has a longer pinion shaft so the gears are different. Another option is full carrier locker like a Yukon grizzly or Detroit. They are automatic and stronger than the lunchbox lockers.

[@josuemartinezmtz]

@@lol123321123321 like the duratrac ? I heard good things about it What would be the main difference from a regular lunchbox locker like torqlocker and the Detroit duratrac ?

[@HarleyRunner]

After you had a locked diff. The whole 4x4 world starts to make sense.

[@sergiobustamante8587]

Thx for the vid! The torq def looks like the most advanced design. My only concern is the side load on the spring when it is unlocked. I would suspect that would cause fatigue on the spring and wear it out prematurely, not sure if that is unique to the torq design or if the other locker springs see a similar loading when unlocked….

[@freedomin4low344]

Nice observation - the torque is unique in that regard - the other lockers don't deflect the spring laterally. I don't *think* it'll be an issue but time will tell.

[@heartsky]

Installed a LockRight in my XJ and it became a tank, nearly unstoppable. Occasionally it would make a loud thunk on the street, which is normal I'm told.

[@cerberus45]

Good video, thanks for sharing. I see its been a year now, how has the Torq locker behaved? Any issues with springs and would you recommend it?

[@freedomin4low344]

absolutely no issues, wish I had installed it earlier. Still don't notice it in 2WD except for a very occasional pop...I think it may even be smoother now than when it was new. Next time I install a lunchbox locker it will 100% be another Torq.

[@dolphbade]

awesome vid and review man. This is the best comprehensive breakdown and examples of how these things work... AAAAND how to make sure they work right! lots of people complain about them not unlocking and now it makes sense why that might have been the case for them - incorrect gap between drivers. Ive watched this vid about 4-5 times now and I think I understand 😆. So my question is: it sounds like the only way to make sure you install the correct locker (has correct spacing) is to order your first choice locker and install in the carrier and measure the gap? thanks for the vids man. Im in the market for some new tires and was looking at the stt pros as well. would be cool to hear your thoughts on them as well. Im in california so see a lot of snow in the winter and if you have much use in the snow would be cool to hear how they stack up against other tires in the snow. -Christian

[@freedomin4low344]

thanks for the comment! my original suspicion was that the LockRight I got was out of spec and their service just wasn't interested in entertaining that possibility, but I've heard from a handful of people that had the same experience so now I wonder if their spec is just too loose for a subset of lockers that are at the other end of Dana's tolerances. Your thought isn't off-base, because there may be carriers that are better suited for a LockRight while others are better suited for for Torq or Aussie. Philosophically I like the design of the Torq because the "pins" are part of the driver and inherently can't get sideways and bind up, and I think this makes for smoother operation, so if I were to do it again I would try Torq first, and if it was too tight, I'd try a LockRight. I have no complaints about the Coopers from a performance standpoint. It took a return trip but I did get them balanced well, they've stayed balanced, they've worn evenly, and though they're louder than they were when new, they're still far from the loudest mud tire I've heard. I haven't been able to confirm with a measurement but I believe they may be wider at the tread with a more squared shoulder than some competitors with a more rounded profile like a KM3. From a traction standpoint that would be beneficial but in my case I seem to get less steering angle before they contact the arm on my sway bar, compared to other tires on otherwise similar suspension/axle/wheel backspacing.

[@dolphbade]

@@freedomin4low344 got ya.. I'm super bummed I can't find a torq locker for my 1998 ram 1500 9.25 rear end. It's just the lockright and a nitro gear unit as far as I can find. Eaton makes an auto locker (Detroit - but not "Detroit truetrac") that comes with the whole carrier. but I hear they are the weakest of the bunch for my diff because they have to remove too much material on the carrier to make it fit.. not sure if that's accurate. But here's the big issue I just found out- I have a factory LSD and would have to get an open diff carrier for any auto locker to work 😆 so dang... I think it is just going to be a selectable locker makes the most sense. I have had selectable before.. and would prefer the auto lockers because they are always locked in straight line as far as I can tell and I like that, not having to engage and disengage all the time...

[@freedomin4low344]

@@dolphbade based on how mine behaves in the front axle (when in 4wd) I wouldn't want an auto in the rear anyway. John Currie has a great video about why they run selectable rear and auto in front on their race vehicles.

[@dolphbade]

@@freedomin4low344 ah.. so is it... based on how cumbersome it is when the front one locks up in dirt, makes you think that if you had one full-time in the rear on pavement it be a huge pain in the ass?

[@freedomin4low344]

@@dolphbade yes sir. If it's loaded at all it wants to lock up and is much more resistant to unlocking. Also, if you trace out the paths of the rear tires vs the front in a sharp turn, you see that the rear axle actually needs to differentiate quite a bit more than the front, so a locked rear wants to understeer even worse than a locked front. Less of a deal on mud or loose dirt or gravel but it sucks on slickrock or pavement. I could see running a rear auto locker on a trail only rig in the east, but I'd want the selectable for anything street driven or wheeled on grippy rocks out west.

[@chevas91187]

For my tj jeep what you recomend

[@alexmichels1884]

I have a lock right and mine works perfectly

[@Mohamedseddek]

👍

[@yagzozcelep5235]

hello, I am going to produce a differential lock for my vehicle, no company has produced it, I watched your videos of the locks put into the differential carrier, you compared 3 locks and you shared a list of measurements. What and where does the DRIVER OD and TOOTH ID and TOOTH CROSS SECTION (in^2) you wrote in that list show? can you tell me

[@freedomin4low344]

Driver OD is the outer diameter of the cam gear/driver, and tooth ID is the diameter across the driver to the inner edges of the teeth. I don't even remember what I was doing with cross section or what plane I was even measuring it in. None of the tooth profiles seemed to be unique enough to pay much attention to the difference.

[@freeidaho-videos]

Torq is clearly the best choice. Huge bosses transfer power not 4 small pins.

[@rifleman7313]

Would it be a remotely good idea if someone used selectable (air,electric) lockers on the front axle and either detroit or grizzly lockers in the rear axle? Since the front axle could easily be converted to an open differential with the simple push of a button, and technically, the rear axle would not be a spool or locked all of the time. Thanks

[@freedomin4low344]

I find having the rear locked has a larger impact on my ability to turn, so if I could only have one end be selectable, I'd put the selectable in the rear.

[@paulthain6135]

You didn't do a Detroit locker just wondering what your opinion is on those thanks for the article

[@freedomin4low344]

never used one personally and I didn't address them in my video because it's a full case locker, requiring a backlash setup in your gears, and I was going for an easy install and much lower priced lunchbox locker. Detroits are generally thought of as the gold standard in automatic lockers, but in most circumstances I'd probably just spring for an E-Locker over the Detroit, simply because the jump in price and installation complexity between the two is very small, and I like being able to turn it on and off.

[@josuemartinezmtz]

How noisy is it ? Is it loud that’s noticeable? I have one installed but don’t know the brand it came with my Jeep jk already installed, but it’s super loud even in 2wd even with some music I can still hear it

[@freedomin4low344]

This one is not loud at all. I get an occasional audible pop when turning tight like in a parking lot. Otherwise the only way I can hear the ratcheting is if I'm running doorless and happen to be turning while I pass something like a wall or a big brick mailbox that bounces the sound back at me.

[@joevo3]

Hi... From all this 3 products, which is the less noisy.. tq

[@freedomin4low344]

I've only run the Torq but I'm happy with the noise level. I only hear it ratchet if I idle around a residential street corner with the windows off. If I'm off idle, the fan drowns it out, windows block it, and if I'm not in a neighborhood there's no curbs or mailboxes to reflect the sound back at me. I do have the occasional pop as I round a corner which is more audible, but that's just an auto locker thing.

[@joevo3]

@@freedomin4low344 Thanks for the info brother... 👍 👍👍👍👍

[@swampypolitics9574]

Does anyone know if there is a n auto locker for a 99 2wd ranger?

[@freedomin4low344]

I'd only know to check the websites of Torq, Powertrax, and Spartan. I know the earlier Ranger TTB suspension used Dana centers so I would suspect so, but I don't know what they were doing by 99 with the IFS.

[@Agent.K.]

Mine bangs hard like something exploded and the whole vehicle shakes. I guess it’s when it gets stuck between locked-unlocked like in 12:06 and then locks aggressively.

[@freedomin4low344]

They say an occasional pop is expected. Mine will do it when turning almost full lock, such as pulling into the driveway or a parking spot. I feel it but I'm not sure I would describe it the same way you have. How was the spacing between the two halves when you installed it?

[@shifthappens8475]

Mine did this too. It takes getting used too and it will get better as you break it in.

[@Agent.K.]

I removed it. After asking and searching I found many possible causes and I didn’t want to invest more time on it. The simplest answer from most manufacturers was that this type of locker is not suitable for full-time 4wd vehicles. Although it was awesome off-road, this car is a daily so I couldn’t keep it.

[@shifthappens8475]

@@Agent.K. that's a bummer to hear. Mine is in a rear axle 2wd daily. A car at that. I just hope it holds up for a while. If not then I'll just throw my spider gears back in or weld the locker like most do that I've seen.

[@lancemachicek306]

I’ve destroyed this on my buggy with 33 they work great until the springs get weak

[@FrancisoDoncona]

All this effort because the carrier was out of spec? Buy carrier shims or a lathe to make them. I have had a lock right since 1980 something I installed as a young adult in my 1979 cj7. Still working front and rear. The new Chrysler crap must be just that. Loved and love the GM th400 still bulletproof 43 years later. Remember I installed this as an inexperienced 20 something, why the issues with new vehicles, because they made them better before! No computers, no crumple zone frames, no crapaylytic converters, no o2 sensors all meant to fail. No power windows, not even real doors as the top is canvas, steel dash, steel heavy wall pipe roll cage, useless radio with single speaker, the way it should be. A quad you can use 24/7, on highway, carry passengers and your supplies, ac, tow with, can’t be dinged in the parking lot because of real knerf bars, three different tops, two sets of doors, pto onboard compressor, hydraulic winches f and r mounts, hell it’s 43 years old and still doing what it was made for putting a smile on my face. I will never let it go.

[@freedomin4low344]

Being that two other lockers, as well as the spider gears, were perfectly within spec in this carrier, I don't believe the problem was with the carrier. And lining up custom spacers to make it work sounds like way more effort than just getting a different locker.

[@blm148]

Unspeakable

[@outdora_explorer4705]

Just a fun fact.. the ‘SS’ in Aussie is pronounced ‘ZZ’ 🇦🇺 🍻

[@freedomin4low344]

Thanks! Just out of curiosity, where are you from? I've heard a hard "ss" more than "zz" but my part of the US is known for pronouncing things a bit differently 🤣🤣🤣

[@outdora_explorer4705]

@@freedomin4low344 haha, yeah I never hear the ‘SS’ used unless it’s on tv or KZbin from someone overseas. Otherwise it’s a solid ‘ZZ’.. like you’d say Ozzy for Ozzy Osborne I’m from South East Queensland 🇦🇺 Pretty much the middle of the East coast of Australia.

[@trustme7731]

Putting an auto locker on the steer axle of a street vehicle that has no manual hubs seems like a lot of unnecessary wear and tear on the locker during times when it otherwise serves no purpose. I've seen some manufacturers specifically say not to do this.

[@freedomin4low344]

No TJ came with manual hubs and there are thousands of them with a lunchbox in the front axle, yet almost all the complaints about them focus on operation at initial install and almost never from wearing out. Mine sees about 5k miles a year so even if it only lasted 30k I'll probably have another excuse to have it apart by then anyway...so I'm not worried about it.

[@TorqMastersIndustries]

There's little to no wear and tear on a front auto locker in 2wd - regardless of hubs

[@trustme7731]

​@@freedomin4low344 What I meant was the constant loud chattering, clicking, wheel hopping and tire scrubbing when turning. Other than these things, I like the simplicity.

[@trustme7731]

@@TorqMastersIndustries What I meant was the constant loud chattering, clicking, wheel hopping and tire scrubbing when turning. Other than these things, I like the simplicity.

[@freedomin4low344]

@@trustme7731 I don't know if those characteristics are widely overblown, or if the Torq is just very well behaved, but I don't have any of those issues. I'll get an occasional pop in the sharpest of turns, but it's once in a drive, and sometimes not at all. If it's unlocking and ratcheting as it's designed, all you should hear is when it's ratcheting, and even that I only hear with doors off, going around a corner in a residential area with no traffic, stereo off and cool conditions where my fan isn't on.