Spartan locker

[85straight]

I will in the market soon for a locker, i feel after a few years of wheeling my truck stock I know its capabilties fairly well. So finally time for some upgrades.
First things first will be a rear locker but im on somwhat of a budget. Ive had my eye on the spartan for a while but cant seem to find any reviews on long term use and durability.
So has anyone ran spartan for over a few months or years at this point?
Also looking at an aussie locker put seem to find more reviews for the spartan

 

[Bad_Vision]

You are about to take a step to buy a item that will ether give you endless joy or bitter hatred.
This is a critical part of your vehicle, if it fails you will spend a lot more than fixing it then you would have just getting a reputable locker.

Now that being said it truly depends on how hard you run your rig. If your idea of off-roading is a small hill with loose gravel then the Spartan might hold up for you. But if your truly off-roading and running big tire the Spartan will without a doubt ruin your day because it will fail.

I am a ARB man to the day I die. Just watch some of there test videos and you will see why they are the worlds greatest locker. I believe they even tested a spartan locker and the hole case exploded.

 

[KidVermicious]

Love my Spartan. Daily driving summer and winter, hard wheeling on 33s, and it's given me no trouble.

 

[Quatre Coureur]

Been running mine for a few years now. I've wheeled the piss out of it on some of the hardest trails around(John Bull, Calico)and it's held up admirably. If I had the $$$ I'd definitely go ARB, but if your on a budget, you can't go wrong. Plus it's fairly easy to install.

 

[Oneluv13T4R]

Been running one in my 4th gen for a few months now and it's our DD and I've ran it hard hard in every type of terrain thus far and love it with no issues wish I would have done it a lot sooner. I'm actually about to buy another for my 3rd gen. Spartan lockers shred ...

 

[85straight]

Thanks for some feedback guys...if I had some more money I would without a doubt go arb. But i dont plan on going bigger than 33"s and at the same time i get the locker the locker ill be getting bumper(s) a winch and some sliders so im taking that into account
Now if i win that power ball for 1 billion you can all have front and rear arb's on me haha

 

[levi.watson]

Thanks for some feedback guys...if I had some more money I would without a doubt go arb. But i dont plan on going bigger than 33"s and at the same time i get the locker the locker ill be getting bumper(s) a winch and some sliders so im taking that into account
Now if i win that power ball for 1 billion you can all have front and rear arb's on me haha

Can I get in on that? :lmao:

 

[ajohnson]

I have been running a rear spartan with 37" tires for a few years with no issues. If you don't mind the clicking around turns and occassional bang in parking lots, it is a great locker for the price. I don't DD mine so the street manners don't bother me.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

I have a Detroit softlocker in the rear of my truck, it clicks and clacks a bit too, including the occasional BANG(!!!) when one tire's a bit lower in pressure than the other side, although nothing like the original detroit lockers of the 80's!

Just something you live with when you have a true locking diff, and you can't afford/don't want an ARB!

 

[Armair1]

I have been running a rear spartan with 37" tires for a few years with no issues. If you don't mind the clicking around turns and occassional bang in parking lots, it is a great locker for the price. I don't DD mine so the street manners don't bother me.

Sweeeet Rig...I love it!

Running a Spartan on 33's for the last 6 months with no complaints.

 

[Bad_Vision]

If a mechanical part bangs or clicks it is eventually going to fail. A differential should be a smooth functioning item. Save up your money and buy a ARB. Also you might as well get new gears while your doing it. Besides with the air locker you get selection making a daily driver option act like factory axles and that means better for your tires and axle shafts.

 

[tx_shooter]

I am running a second hand Spartan in my '87 4R and love it. Once in a while it will pop but overall it is has been one of the best upgrades to my rig. The previous owner was not nice to it and I have not been nice to it. I would buy one for a trail rig in a heart beat.


Rig: 22RE on 33" TSLs for 2 years. PO truck was on 35s for unknown time.

 

[Armair1]

ARB owners VS brand x owners = Marlin Crawler HREW VS Trail Gear DOM... lol:whipping2

 

[RiFF RaFF]

Yukon Grizzly - rear
ARB Air Locker - front

Love both of them!

 

[Volcom]

I've been running Aussie Lockers front and rear on 40's for 8 years now. Never had an issue with either lockers. Been through two rear R&P's though!

It's never been babied a day in its life either.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

If a mechanical part bangs or clicks it is eventually going to fail. A differential should be a smooth functioning item. Save up your money and buy a ARB. Also you might as well get new gears while your doing it. Besides with the air locker you get selection making a daily driver option act like factory axles and that means better for your tires and axle shafts.

I gotta disagree with ya on this one! I beat the living shit outta my truck when I drive it, and that Detroit has never once failed on me! Its been in the truck for at least 80,000 miles, and still works perfectly! When it does bang or pop, it is quite loud, but I just changed the diff oil last month and that magnet was very clean with zero chards or pieces of metal, aside from the usual metallic paste-like goop that you normally get, so there's very little wear even with that occasional bang.

The whole process of the detroit locker is nothing more than it slipping in and out of its locked state, and the noise is just amplified because its part of the drivetrain itself. It also happens because of a mismatch between left and right wheels, such as a low tire or going around a corner aggressively.

And as for the ARB, I have one too, its in the front diff. That also has its own potential issues, such as it leaking air into the housing over time. Its not too uncommon to have the o-rings go out with several years of use, there's a ton of reports about that also.

Which is better? Pretty hard to say in terms of durability, they are all solid parts that have been used for dozens of years, including the Spartan brand.

 

[ajohnson]

Anything with moving parts is prone to fail. An air locker can fail, too yah know. The air supply can fail. I have a front air locker and on one trip my compressor decided to quit working. Glad I had my mechanical rear locker! I enjoy the funny stares I get in parking lots, too :bigok:

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

LOL!

I had a lady scream once while taking off at a stoplight! Both our windows were down, it was funny as hell--at least to me it was!

Tall truck next to tiny car, she was in direct line of the sound comin' from the diff!:eyebrows:

 

[BrandonF]

Some good info here. I'm very close to ordering an Aussie for the front of my 3rd gen. Unlike with a rear mechanical locker, street driving in 2wd should be totally unaffected. And with only 33's and less than 2.5" of lift, I'm thinking my cv's should be ok.

 

[Tinman1985]

I have a Grizzy locker in the rear and a spartan in the front. I DD my 4runner, and when the Grizzy unloads on the street it sounds like a gun shot. Yes an ARB would be sweet, especially for daily driving, but being a college student I got what worked well for me, and fit in my budget.

The spartan is a nice unit, and should work well for you. If you find later that you'd rather coin up for an ARB, then through the spartan up front.