Would you buy an ARB locker for your IFS, or would you hold out and do a SAS with ARB, and save from having to spend the money twice? Also, do you think they'll be a huge price difference if it was a DIY on either setup?

Chris

 

You can always sell the IFS ARB or even the complete third if you gear it 4.88 or 5.29.

Waiting until you do a SAS is kind of a loaded question. When are you planning to do it? Do you need it? How much time do you spend off-road vs on road? Making this rig a "trail rig"? Are you prepared for the vehicle downtime to do it? Do you have the facility to do the swap? The tools? Prepared for costs?

As far installing an ARB yourself, I'm assuming you mean install an already setup third with ARB, not attempting to set up the gears yourself (the ARB requires the gears to be setup again - not a lunchbox locker like the lockright) Installing the third doesn't require special tools (or specialized knowledge), but setting up gears does.

My vote is for the IFS ARB - wheel the wizz out of it and sell the third when you do a SAS.

Just my .02.

 

Do you need a front locker now?

Are you planning to regear?

It is only practical if you are regearing, just adding the front locker and staying with stock gears is not worth it in my opinion.

I am guessing the swap is a couple years out, but I think there is a lot of wheeling that can be done without a solid axle or a rear locker.

Like Mike said, it really is only worth something if you regear it and then you can sell.

 

Do they have ARB's for an IFS diff now? For the longest time ARB was saying they weren't gonna make one.

 

They make one, the RD90.

I have one in my 95.

For me, it was time to regear because I had added 33's. I was adding a rear ARB and wanted to do something as long as I had the front opened up. I was at the stage where I needed a locker, did not want an auto locker, and had a line on the first 10 RD90's that made it here.

 

The SAS would be after I have the vehicle paid off or there abouts. The ARB locker up front could go in within the next 6 months if I wanted. The wheeling I've been doing could benefit from the occasional use of a front locker, for sure. After I get all my protection completed, it will help out a lot with some of the trails I plan to run. If I guy a complete third, is it a pretty straight forward install?

Chris

 

Swapping thirds is straight forward enough. Heavy little buggers though.

I think you will be much more pleased by the piece of mind offered by the armor versus the occassional use of a spooled front end.

 

I loved my ARB locked IFS. In my opinion, just do it. You will get much of the money you put into it back when you sell the front diff at SAS time. The front locker will put your rig into a completely different class than just the rear locked rigs. Hill climbs that used to be marginal for you, will suddenly become cake walks.

Just ask around here for those who wheeled with me when I had mine and what a difference it made

The only tricky part about the install is setting the lash. You need a special gauge to get that right. If you have never done gears before, have someone else do it.

 

I suggest hold off till you do the SAS... Sure, you can sell the 3rd off when you do the SAS, but you will loose $$ on the labor portion of it.. But it depends on who does the arb install (I charge $150 per 8" third).

 

That doesn't sounds bad to me. Is that for the front or the rear? I'm doing the front only, since I already have the E-locker in the rear.

Chris

 

I will have to agree w/ crash 'cuz that's what I'm planning on doing. Gonna just live w/ my POS front Tru-Trac 'til the swap happens.

 

I agree with crash too. I wasn't locked at all until the truck went in my garage for the swap. Came out with a SA, locked F/R, crawler, and a winch. Spend that money on truck payments or saving up for the swap. No need to throw money away...

 

On the other hand, maybe you find out that locked front and rear allows you to do all the wheeling that you want to do, and decide not to need to go SAS? Are you finding yourself getting stuck alot only locked rear at the moment?

 

Most of my wheeling consist of rock crawling. Most of it is low speeds of course, and Having all four tires grabbing would definitely help for sure. I'm not necessarily getting stuck, but sometimes instead of taking the slightly easier bypass (after trying the hardest line), I think a front locker could drastically help.

Chris

 

If most of your wheeling is rock crawling, I think that bumpers and sliders will help you take more aggressive lines as well.

As far as the time thing, I think that if you are regearing and plan to keep IFS for a while, then it makes sense. If you are dead set on swapping, then it would be foolish yto keep stock gears and pop open a diff just for the locker.

 

Chris -

I say you wheel the crap out of the IFS until its so beat up its practical for you to get a D44 with locker. if you feel you will never get to that point, go ahead and get the ARB for the IFS and regear while youre in there.

 

Yeah, I think I'm going to get the ARB locker for my IFS, regear to 5.29's at the same time since I'm getting rid of my S/C, and then once I get my company car, I'm going to SAS it and sell the third from the IFS.

Chris

 

I would go with the SAS, but the problem lies in not having the space nor time to do one. I could pay someone around here to do it...maybe...but I really don't trust anyone around here to do work on the yota. I don't think anyone around here has ever done an SAS on a 3rd gen, well not many people have though from what I read on the boards. Now if I could find someone that has done it, be it here or 1000 miles from here...hell I'd just leave the rig with them for a while until they could get it done.......

 

I'd do neither. If I want SAS or bought an SA truck i'd throw in an electric locker or something cheaper like a Lock Right. Air lockers are just too rediculously expensive for me to even consider, even if I was rich. I like making cheap parts that are easy to install work as well or better than expensive parts that are hard to install or that you have to pay someone to install.

 

I think do the ARB in your IFS. I am very impressed by the guys that I have seen wheel their locked IFS rigs (watch the CO4RJ video). There aren't many places that locked (and protected) IFS rigs can't go with nice sheet metal.