That’s right, it’s a whole new animal—no pun intended. Ox Trax has developed a cable-operated locker that’s simple, well designed, and looks bombproof. Our sister magazine JpThe new Ox Locker works as an open differential until the shifter is thrown. This engages the cable-operated shift fork that’s housed in the differential cover and slides a collar over one of the side gears. The collar locks the side gear, preventing it from turning, thus making a spool out of the differential. The whole concept is easy, solid, and simple. It goes without saying that in harsh 4x4 environments where anything can go wrong, simple is good.
The Ox Locker is currently available for Dana 30 applications. The Dana 44 Ox Locker will be available by the time you read this, with ones for the Dana 35 and Dana 60 coming sometime in the near future. As soon as we can get our hands on a production Ox Locker we’ll run it through the wringer and let you know how it does under the harshest of test conditions. Until then, follow Drivetrain Direct’s Martin Barazza as he installs the Ox Locker in a Dana 44 rear housing along with a set of Superior Gear 4.56 cogs and install kit.