ARB AIR LOCKER

[Wrightracing.net]

Hey guy's
I just picked up a ARB air locker used for $550.

I eventually, I want to upgrade the ttb axles from 30 to 35 spline and 1350 U-joints with F250 inner C's and hubs.

Also, does anyone know of a kit to convert the air actuator to a Electric servo actuator?

I have seen several people get air leaks on the trail and lost the use of the locker that day. If I have to keep it air actuated, I will probably plum it with hard line and steel braided line for the joints like we do with brakes lines on linked suspension.
We shall see.

David

[PaulW]

To worry abut air leaks seems to be pretty unlikely. On a previous rig I drove it 20 years and never had an air leak. I did have a pressure switch failure, but the local parts store in Moab had a replacement. That Jeep is still being driven several years after I sold it to my buddy here in Baja and he has no issues with air leaks.
I used plastic tubing over the ARB plastic line and used metal flex at placed that seem venerable. Routing was done carefully on top of suspension parts.
Proper installation will avoid any issues with leaks.

[Wrightracing.net]

Thanks Paul.
If I did run the air locker I probably run it like we do with brakes with flex at the Radius arms and joints. Then run hard lines to another Flex line right next to the air tank manifold and pressure switch and valve. I have a 200psi pump and air tank that is going to be plumbed the same way to keep things consistent and durable. I hope to use a Quick Air 2 Air pump I already have . I want to air up 37" tires as fast as possible, so I may need a second one or get another pump setup. Since the 20v impacts came out, we don't have to run air tools like in the Past, but I would like to be able when needed.

I had to jump on it when I saw it for sale. I want to make my 72 Bronco with the 86 chassis a Jack of all trades, Go Fast in Baja, Dunes and Basic rock crawling. The locker is nice in crawling but not needed in go fast stuff or snow stuff on the street. It would be nice to lock it in the dunes with paddles on all 4 tires and I am already running a Detroit Locker now. I have loved the Detroit auto Positive locking diff.

I just got a Holley Terminator X MPFI and Edlebrock Super Victor MPFI intake and 1000cc throttle body from Edlebrock.

I am wondering if I can run 42 PSI injectors on a stock 351w long block while I am waiting to finish the 427w. I want to reuse as much as I can without having to buy things twice. I just want the Full-size 72 Bronco out of the garage and driving, even if it is not Hi powered.

Thanks for the input. I trust you, Chris and Glen and run stuff by one of you when I'm in not sure.

Ramsey was my go to person for 25+ year's, I miss having him a couple doors down from mine or even the 2am calls for help on something. That was the curse of having a TIG welder and hydraulic powered tube bender

[PaulW]

On my 72 build I use two air pumps. The ARBs I bought came with the bonus small ARB compressor which is inadequate for tire airing, so I installed a Viair with tank beside the little compressor.
Just one way to do it.

[Wrightracing.net]

On my 72 build I use two air pumps. The ARBs I bought came with the bonus small ARB compressor which is inadequate for tire airing, so I installed a Viair with tank beside the little compressor.
Just one way to do it.

Thanks Paul
I did not get the compressor with the ARB diffential, but I have the quick air 2 I was planning to mount with a tank. But it is a bit slow. I got it to air up quad tires and worked for that, but airing up the Bronco tires was slow.

I am probably going to get one of those dual ARB pumps. What do you think of those? Are they worth it and durable?

Thanks

David

[PaulW]

David
ARBs are durable for every thing I have read, but I will say that about many others. THE main issue for compressors is heat and when you overheat them they loose lots of performance.

There have been major improvements in compressors these days. 100% of them are from China and seem to have excellent engineering which is quote comparable with ARB.
The dual ARB is off the chart on cost and they claim it is made in AU , but it is available direct from China for 1/4 the price.
Slow tire filling is the main drawback of the ARB and most all the existed stuff before the China ones came out.
Compressor flow in CFMs is usually quoted at zero back pressure and you have to get user performance for real flow rates.
The highest flow unit I can find is the Tozlazz which flows 11.65 @0psi or 7CFM at 30psi and a cost of $232 at Amazon
Compare with the dual ARB flows 6CFM at 0 back pressure. More real data is available for many compressors.

I do not recommend using a tire fill compressor for the ARB locker. The reason is you will need a pressure regulator and relief valve. Both of which are hard to find that will be reliable for an off road situation. Having said that - yes I have done it and so have others that did not complain. The baby single ARB locker compressor is easy to package and is what I recommend, but is no good at all for tire filling. That baby ARB must have been low cost to be included with my lockers.

[PaulW]

EDIT
Correct spelling is Tozalazz

[Wrightracing.net]

David

[Wrightracing.net]

David
ARBs are durable for every thing I have read, but I will say that about many others. THE main issue for compressors is heat and when you overheat them they loose lots of performance.

There have been major improvements in compressors these days. 100% of them are from China and seem to have excellent engineering which is quote comparable with ARB.
The dual ARB is off the chart on cost and they claim it is made in AU , but it is available direct from China for 1/4 the price.
Slow tire filling is the main drawback of the ARB and most all the existed stuff before the China ones came out.
Compressor flow in CFMs is usually quoted at zero back pressure and you have to get user performance for real flow rates.
The highest flow unit I can find is the Tozlazz which flows 11.65 @0psi or 7CFM at 30psi and a cost of $232 at Amazon
Compare with the dual ARB flows 6CFM at 0 back pressure. More real data is available for many compressors.

I do not recommend using a tire fill compressor for the ARB locker. The reason is you will need a pressure regulator and relief valve. Both of which are hard to find that will be reliable for an off road situation. Having said that - yes I have done it and so have others that did not complain. The baby single ARB locker compressor is easy to package and is what I recommend, but is no good at all for tire filling. That baby ARB must have been low cost to be included with my lockers.

Hey Paul
On the Tozalazz compressor, did you hard mount it with a tank or do the pack with battery clamps?

I am not sure where I am going to mount it yet. I want to keep it cool and out of the elements for a longer life span. But I would rather not have it in the cab of the Bronco. I am thinking of a compartment with a slide out shelf in the back to secure a trunk when I run top less. On my 72 Bronco, I will be running a tailgate handle with a lock on it, so the trunk storage would be locked with the tailgate. That area with sound deadening insulation should be good.

We shall see.



David

[AussieRod]

Years ago, I worked at ARB in Melbourne, making bullbars and tyre carriers for various vehicle types. On my breaks, I used to go watch the CNC's machining the pieces for the lockers. ALL the castings are from China. Almost all the other gear from ARB is sourced from China or Thailand.
It is important NOT to over-pressure the locker. Using more than the recommended pressure will blow the seals out of the actuator inside the diff housing. This is the most common cause of ARB locker failures from air leaks inside the housing. We watched a doco on a break at work one night about the problems and causes of locker failures, etc. The std compressor from ARB is only just adequate to operate the locker, so inflating tyres will cause it to overheat and fail. Definitely use a larger compressor if you plan to do tyre inflation, and run a regulator and water trap on the locker supply. Just my $0.02.

[PaulW]

Vehicle mounting is a major obstacle. Very unique for each rig. My VIAIR was mounted on the C cage at an angle on the new Jeep. Terrible install.
The heavy object must be horizontal. Any side load on the bolt mounts will fail. I will try for mounting on the rear inside fender. since it will be seeing mostly up/down shocks I am sure it will survive. Still working to see if it will fit. Otherwise I will just use it as a portable and just let it bounce around.

[PaulW]

Years ago, I worked at ARB in Melbourne, making bullbars and tyre carriers for various vehicle types. On my breaks, I used to go watch the CNC's machining the pieces for the lockers. ALL the castings are from China. Almost all the other gear from ARB is sourced from China or Thailand.
It is important NOT to over-pressure the locker. Using more than the recommended pressure will blow the seals out of the actuator inside the diff housing. This is the most common cause of ARB locker failures from air leaks inside the housing. We watched a doco on a break at work one night about the problems and causes of locker failures, etc. The std compressor from ARB is only just adequate to operate the locker, so inflating tyres will cause it to overheat and fail. Definitely use a larger compressor if you plan to do tyre inflation, and run a regulator and water trap on the locker supply. Just my $0.02.

== =
The baby ARB compressor needs no regulation due to its pressure switch and its capacity is just correct for the lockers. Correct pressure and negligible CFMs. Small enough to mount in lots of places. I mounted it in the engine compartment in both the 72 and the 06 Jeep. No such luck for the high flow units.
BTW, the latest offerings for lockers are all electrical function and are just a strong and reliable as the good old ARB. Every oem have their version of electric lockers and they do not break. Aftermarket has equal offerings.

[Wrightracing.net]

So my next question is, if you add two compressors, does it double the CFM output. Example, 7cfm at 30psi, withe two compressors would be 14cfm. Just wondering. If running a tank, I would think it would fill the air tank faster.

I currently have a Quick Air 2 in the portable metal box. It's not so quick to air up the RV tires or truck tires when aired down for sand.

I was also thinking of running air lines to air up multiple tires at a time on the Bronco to get equal pressure easier. I hate airing up tires, so the less time and effort, the better it is. I wish I could retrofit the Bronco with a Central Tire Inflation system that did not cost a arm and a leg and was durable.

Oh well.

David

[PaulW]

Imbest comments

So my next question is, if you add two compressors, does it double the CFM output. Example, 7cfm at 30psi, withe two compressors would be 14cfm. Just wondering. If running a tank, I would think it would fill the air tank faster.

yes 2 would be twice as fast as 1 for tire inflation
Tank is helps while walking from tire to tire and really good for use of air tools.

I currently have a Quick Air 2 in the portable metal box. It's not so quick to air up the RV tires or truck tires when aired down for sand.

I was also thinking of running air lines to air up multiple tires at a time on the Bronco to get equal pressure easier. I hate airing up tires, so the less time and effort, the better it is. I wish I could retrofit the Bronco with a Central Tire Inflation system that did not cost a arm and a leg and was durable.

Several companies sell a 4 tire setup.. takes more time to hook it all up, but still probably faster than one at a time.

Oh well.

David

Answers to all your comments/questions can be found from real users on the amazon questions ad reviews.
That is how I got info for my comments.
PaulW

[Wrightracing.net]

I like hearing different people opinion on subjects. And, I Have no life or anything better to do while I am laid up with a bad back. Otherwise I would be working on the Bronco.

Thanks for chiming in on the subject. I tend to jump around Facebook and forum's for knowledge on a ton of different things.

I even want to make my own Powder coating oven and I have got a bunch of great ideas from one of the groups on Facebook. I have a single oven that was in my kitchen, but since I am remodeling the kitchen, I will start with that for small parts, but I have a big metal network cabinet I plan to transplant the guts from two ovens, I see them for free or really cheap online. I should be able to powder coat bigger stuff then.

Stuff to ponder when stuck at home.

David

[Wrightracing.net]

Imbest comments

So my next question is, if you add two compressors, does it double the CFM output. Example, 7cfm at 30psi, withe two compressors would be 14cfm. Just wondering. If running a tank, I would think it would fill the air tank faster.

yes 2 would be twice as fast as 1 for tire inflation
Tank is helps while walking from tire to tire and really good for use of air tools.

I currently have a Quick Air 2 in the portable metal box. It's not so quick to air up the RV tires or truck tires when aired down for sand.

I was also thinking of running air lines to air up multiple tires at a time on the Bronco to get equal pressure easier. I hate airing up tires, so the less time and effort, the better it is. I wish I could retrofit the Bronco with a Central Tire Inflation system that did not cost a arm and a leg and was durable.

Several companies sell a 4 tire setup.. takes more time to hook it all up, but still probably faster than one at a time.

Oh well.

David

Answers to all your comments/questions can be found from real users on the amazon questions ad reviews.
That is how I got info for my comments.
PaulW

Hey Paul
One more question.
If I run two compressors into a single line, does it double the cf to 14 or does it not work that way?

The other thing is to run a 5gal tank and two compressors, what would the cf look like at 150psi top pressure. I do assume the dual compressors would refill the tank faster.

I would like to air up all 4 tires at once quicker.

David

[PaulW]

You are correct with two compressors and get double the CFM and half the time to fill the tank.
Way overkill with two compressors.
My old 440P compressor doing one at a time was slower than my partner doing 4 at a time with a twin ARB. Not a significant difference and he only waited a short time for me. Takes time to connect 4 compared to doing one at a time. More hose to untangle with 4 at a time. Higher cost for 4 at a time.
The same thing happens with deflating. One at a time or hook up the 4 setup and do all 4 at once. Same disadvantages as inflating.
Bottom line is 4 at a time is complex with more failure points for more money and small time advantage if at all.

The whole inflation deal changes with the single compressor with higher compressor flow.
My 440P VIAIR 3cfm @ 0psi, Twin ARB 6.1cfm @ 0psi, Tozlazz 11.6cfm 0psi

BTW did I mention I used to have a CO2 tank and using it I was always faster than anyone in a large group at the Jeep safari. There is no electric compressor that is as fast as a CO2 setup. And it is much less costly. The reason I do not have CO2 now is because the 20 Lb tank is too big to package in my new rig. Another disadvantage of CO2 is the hassle of getting the tank refilled in Baja. It usually takes over a week for a refill due to shipping the bottle to Mexicali. In the US the 20 lb tank can be exchanged at any weld supply place for around $20.

[Wrightracing.net]

David

[Wrightracing.net]

I did find a 12v compressor that boasts At 40 PSI, users can expect ~8.9 CFM and at 80 PSI this drops to 5.2 CFM. It is by Sherpa 4x4. I also like that it has a 100% duty cycle @ 80psi.

Since it shuts off at 90 psi, it would be safe for the seals. I may be wrong, but I think it would only need a silinoid valve to run a line to an ARB Air locker.

The drawback is a $699 price tag. But you get free shipping in the US.


https://sherpa4x4.com/products/sherpa-1 ... or-big-air

David

[mobil1syn]

https://irate4x4.com/threads/is-the-non ... eak.394527 some good discussion here about them.

just like brake lines, air line routing is key to reliability. people get lazy and thats where the failures come in. the new arbs come with a banjo fitting options, get that and they you can use a -3an banjo and run a stainless line close to the housing.