What would you say if we told you that you could get a vacuum-actuated selectable locker for just about any axle in any truck? What if we told you that this locker was CNC-machined and heat treated to be stronger than anything else on the market, that it came with a five-year warranty, and prices started at $689? This dream locker wouldn't require electric wires, cables, or a high-pressure air pump, and it could be engaged in an emergency with a spare bolt should the vacuum system ever take a dump. We know what you'd say: "Where can I get it, and why haven't I seen it before?" The answer is simple: It's made in Germany by a company called Offrotec, and now you can get it here in the USA.
When we met Daniel Tibus, of Tibus Off Road, he was driving his Unimog-axled GMC 11/42-ton we showed you in "Desert Dogs" (Aug. '02). Since then he has really taken an interest in the American off-road market, so much so that he is planning to move to southern California to better supply it. So while other 4x4 magazines were slobbering over new shifter knobs and spare-tire carriers in Moab we were on the trail learning about some of the European off-road products that we just don't see here in the states. It turned out that Tibus was working with a few partners to construct a selectable locker for any application you could ask for. Fast-forward to today and we can't believe how many differentials he offers! You'll just have to check out his Web site, www.killeraxles.com, to see for yourself. Soon his application list will include 1011/42-inch 14-bolts and even 211/42-ton Rockwells! And the German innovation doesn't stop there. Currently the Offrotec locker is vacuum actuated, but future versions will use an electric solenoid. So take a look at the first U.S. photos of this new Offrotec locker and watch killeraxles.com for the latest news on U.S. distribution. And remember you saw it here first!