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ARB Air Lockers are now better built and better backed than ever before. With our state-of-the-art two piece design available right across the range, forged gears for the ultimate in strength and durability, and an industry leading five year warranty.

The Requirement:

Many people believe that a 4WD and traction go hand in hand… you can’t have one without the other. However, your vehicle’s standard (or open) differential is designed to allow each wheel to turn independently, thus eliminating binding during turns.

Off road, this becomes a major burden as engine power will take the path of least resistance, which occurs at the wheels with little or no traction. Newer vehicles with limited slip differentials may offer some improvement, but more often you’ll find the slipping is not ‘limited’ enough to maintain forward progress.

Automatic locking differentials also have their disadvantages. Aside from being noisy when disengaging, they can also upset the on-highway driving characteristics of your vehicle.

The Solution:

Created to provide 100% traction on demand, without sacrificing any of your vehicle’s highway driving performance, ARB Air Lockers employ a 12 volt air compressor designed to activate (and deactivate) a solid and durable locking mechanism inside the differential.

This gives you the traction you need, when you need it, all at the flick of a switch, and all within the safety and comfort of the driver’s seat. The advantage of the ARB Air Locker lies in the pneumatically operated locking system inside the differential.

When activated, the Air Locker prevents the differential gears from rotating and therefore prevents the axle shafts from turning independently of each other. With both wheels tied directly to the rotation of the crown wheel, the vehicle maintains maximum possible traction at all times. When unlocked, it operates just like a conventional ‘open’ differential.

In addition to providing outright improvements to a 4×4’s off road capabilities, the Air Locker offers significant environmental benefits. An Air Locker equipped truck can be driven in a slower, safer and more controlled manner, greatly reducing the likelihood of vehicle damage and environmental impact.

Range & Installation:

Air Lockers are currently available in over 100 configurations to suit a wide range of 4×4 vehicles from around the world, and can be installed in both the front and rear axles. Installation should be performed by a qualified differential technician, although no special tools or skills are required apart from those necessary for fitting a standard differential.

ARB also offers three compressor models suitable for Air Locker operation, two of which can also be used to inflate tyres and other equipment.