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Replacing Detroit with Grizzly

Discussion in 'Intermediate CJ-5/6/7/8' started by John A. Shows, Apr 14, 2016.

  1. Apr 14, 2016
    John A. Shows

    John A. Shows Comic Relief

    Mendenhall...
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    Well, my R&P Shop called to say the parts they needed to repair my Detroit Locker were back ordered for another 6 weeks. He also told me that by the time I paid for all these parts I was going to have as much money tied up in it as a new locker...so...he talked me into buying a new locker and he talked me into going with a Grizzly Locker. Anyone have any knowledge of the Grizzly? I made the decision just based on his recommendation. Said he'd been running one himself for over a year and claimed it was a super strong locker that operates exactly the same as the Detroit but about $100 cheaper.

    And...while I'm not altogether sure what parts were broken inside the Detroit, would there be a market for a broken Detroit locker? Perhaps another R&P shop who has better access to parts to re-build and then resell for a profit?

    Forgot to mention this is for the front D30 and I've already upgraded both axles to a heavier duty axle. Not sure of the details of that upgrade but I think they're chromoly shafts and they have a large u-joint than the stock shafts.
     
  2. Apr 14, 2016
    47v6

    47v6 junk wrecker! 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    USA
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    when i last looked rebuild kits for Detroits were just about as much as a new one. i have one in a D44 in unknown condition.
     
  3. Apr 14, 2016
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    My experience with the Randy's lockers has not been the greatest. If you broke a Detroit there is a good chance you will break one of their house brands. Last summer I replaced a broken Randy's air locker with an ARB because when we took the customer's broken unit apart we found plastic engagement parts used that had failed instead of steel. That's the type of thing they do to keep cost down.
     
  4. Apr 15, 2016
    John A. Shows

    John A. Shows Comic Relief

    Mendenhall...
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    Randy's?

    I'm not talking about Randy's R&P? I'm dealing with a local power train shop. I see the confusion though.

    I'm referring to the new locker by Yukon that's called "Grizzly". It's supposed to be an auto locker just like the Detroit and it's claimed to be even stronger than the Detroit. Everybody I talked to said the Detroit was unbreakable but that turned out to be false...

    I don't really even know what broke in the Detroit. But...it was broken.
     
  5. Apr 15, 2016
    jeepermc

    jeepermc Active Member

    Western WA
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    Yukon is Randy's R&P house brand. The grizzly is a copy of a Detroit, just like the Spartan is a copy of the lock right, just like the Zip Locker is a copy of the old ARB design. I won't comment on strength of any of them as you can break anything. Detroits are not bulletproof, neither is a grizzly. Nothing is. What generally will kill a Detroit is the back lash of a broken shaft unloading on the internals. Same can happen with a grizzly. You're also dealing with small Dana 30 parts here.

    They also say "assembled in the USA" on the box..... If you don't read between the lines.... you get the impression they are "made in the USA"... Don't think that wasn't worded very carefully for no reason.. All the parts are made in either India or China.
     
  6. Apr 15, 2016
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    Like jeepermc said, the Yukon products are Randy's Ring and Pinion house brand and their lockers are copies of name brand lockers. If they are less expensive how do you think they are made less expensive? As I said above, the Zip Locker I replaced for a guy last summer had plastic engagement parts in it that failed. ARB doesn't use plastic in theirs. I wonder why?
     
  7. Apr 18, 2016
    John A. Shows

    John A. Shows Comic Relief

    Mendenhall...
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    By "house brand" you're just saying that Randy's is a distributor of Yukon products right? If so, then I guess they are also the "house brand" for the power train shop I'm dealing with here in Jackson Ms. The axles they sold me last year were also Yukon products. I can't defend them either way because I can barely spell "locking differential" so I certainly can't comment good or bad.

    Oh well...it's ordered and should be ready next week. I'm only running 33" tires behind an in-line 6 cylinder with a rev limiter set to 3,200 RPMs and supposedly I have a much stronger axle shaft than stock so maybe I'll be OK. I'm not wheeling the jeep anymore anyway.

    Thanks for your comments Nick and jeepermc.

     
  8. Apr 18, 2016
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    Randy's OWNS Yukon and has them made to their specs. The powertrain shop you are using are probably a Randy's dealer which is why they are pimping that product. Lots of Yukon parts are great. I've installed tons of Yukon ring and pinions with very few problems and I like their master overhaul kits because they are complete and use good parts.
    Some places should not be skimped on though. All I'm going to say as I've already said what needed to be said above.
     
  9. Apr 19, 2016
    John A. Shows

    John A. Shows Comic Relief

    Mendenhall...
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    Ten four. I didn't know that. Thanks.

     
  10. Apr 20, 2016
    johneyboy03

    johneyboy03 The green beast

    Quebec, Canada
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    For me when i see assembled in USA, it mean to me that all part are coming from around the world and it's assembled in Usa.
     
  11. Apr 20, 2016
    jeepermc

    jeepermc Active Member

    Western WA
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    I've seen plenty of claims from folks trying to justify or pimp the Zip or Grizzly or Spartan and claim they are "Made in the USA". It's gray marketing at best, and somewhat mis-leading to some folks apparently. They get around US Customs importation rules by bringing in the individual parts that are marked "Made in China" or "Made in India" and then assemble them into boxes that say "assembled in USA"..... because let's face it..... There's a few proud Americans that go 4-Wheeling that can also be misled.... And what proud American is gonna buy a major part of their axle assembly that says "made in China" on the box...... Am I generalizing? Absolutely. Am I wrong?...... I doubt it.
     
  12. Apr 20, 2016
    jeepermc

    jeepermc Active Member

    Western WA
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    And "assembled in USA" can simply mean they assembled it into a box that says "assembled in the USA".
     
  13. Apr 20, 2016
    Rralphs

    Rralphs Old Member

    Nederland, Co
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    Thought ARB was made in Australia
     
  14. Apr 20, 2016
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    They are. Their distributor is in Seattle, WA.
    But they are meant for heavy duty industrial type and off road use and they do extensive testing on their products for durability and longevity.
    They also update their products as deficiencies show up to improve them. Many companies don't.
     
  15. Apr 21, 2016
    jeepermc

    jeepermc Active Member

    Western WA
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    Yes. ARB's are wholly made in Australia and distributed throughout the world. There are chinese copies that will break if you look at them wrong. We aren't talking about ARB's tho. We're talking about Yukon products from China and/or India.
     
  16. Apr 21, 2016
    zila

    zila I throw poop

    Rock Springs,...
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    I have only ran Detroit, OX and ARB. Many around here run the Aussie locker or Grizzly, or Spartan, Yukon etc.. Some have no problems others do. I bought the OX for my first locker in the rear 44. I put a Detroit in the front. A few years later I swapped the Detroit for an ARB in the front. Sold the detroit. A few years later I swapped a D44 into the front also with an ARB.. I wish I had ARB in the rear as well.. Out of the 3 I like the ARB best for performance. Installation not so much..

    I know there is a cost involved. I always say, buy once cry once. And the the quality is remembered long after the cost is forgotten.
     
    jeepermc likes this.
  17. Apr 21, 2016
    Rralphs

    Rralphs Old Member

    Nederland, Co
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    I was just trying to debunk the made in USA good, everything else bad, mentality.

    That said I'm running a Zip Locker in the rear and have since they first come out.
    I think it was just over $600 with the ARB compressor thrown in (not anymore).
    I hadn't heard of them at the time but Randy talked me into it.
    After that my friends sent me video of being blown up with X tons of force.
    With my setup I've had no issues. I haven't been overtly cruel but I have engaged while spinning.

    I have dana 30 up front with a True Trac which I really like but was going to upgrade to a 44 cut and turn and an Air Locker.
    Based on my experiance, I'd buy another. Also the collateral damage warranty and to my knowledge there aren't Yukon knock offs.
    So bargain hunting won't go bad.

    I'd say get the Grizzly!
     
  18. Apr 21, 2016
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    Randy's wouldn't warranty the locker I rebuilt then replaced with an ARB. There was no collateral damage to axles or anything else. Just the locker itself. Customer who happens to have an in with Randy's was able to buy the parts for me to rebuild it but they would not warranty it.

    And since the Zip locker is a knock-off of an ARB, that's not hard to believe there probably aren't Yukon knock offs.

    The True Trac is a great diff. The ones I've installed for people they've really liked if they did not want or need a full on locking differential.

    I agree, just because something is made somewhere else doesn't make it bad. You just have to look at the quality of the product and determine if it is good quality or lesser quality.

    I have one of those chinese knock off air lockers (not a Zip locker). It failed the customer. He had it installed because it was much less expensive. Our shop would not install it, he took it elsewhere. He now has spent the money on an ARB and has been very happy with no failures.
    I have the failed locker at school. I tried to take it apart to do a cutaway. The bolt heads were so weak they shattered and I still cannot get it apart without grinding/cutting the heads off.
     
  19. Apr 21, 2016
    jeepermc

    jeepermc Active Member

    Western WA
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    I'm the last guy that's going to tell you everything made in the USA is good, everything else is bad. My point was more that a lot of Chinese metal products is crap. I do have quite of bit of experience in the import/export business (10+ yrs) and I can tell you the stuff from China isn't always crap, but a lot of the time it is. I've also got about 5 yrs now in the "diff business"..... As I said previously, you can break anything, but in my experience the Chinese stuff breaks well before others. Import gears (korea, India, china) and axle shafts don't have a real good rep either. It's not just lockers. You don't always get what you pay for.....Sometimes you get even less.
     
  20. Apr 21, 2016
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    My point in saying all this is I hate to see someone throw good money after bad. There are times you can spend less and be happy. I have cheap $20 Harbor Freight hand grinders. They work fine for my needs. But they aren't something when it breaks I've spent a bunch of money on, that potentially will break other expensive parts, and potentially could leave me stranded.
    After 22 years building custom axle assemblies I've learned a few things. I've seen customers go the "less expensive" route time and time again and end up spending twice as much in the long run because of it. I don't want to see that happen to anyone here.
    Does everyone need high end lockers? No. But spend your hard earned money wisely.

    That's all I Will say about any of this. I will go back to my corner now and other than oversight of the thread I will be silent.
     
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