Chinese 'ARB Knock-Off' Air Compressor - Quality

[Crawlerer79]

Guys, I was just wondering what the quality of the knock off air compressors that are copies of ARB ones. There's a locker and compressor combo I'm tempted by....

[MihiT]

"Buy once, Cry once"
"Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten"

If you're never far from a tow, go right ahead, personally I avoid any cheap/chinese sh*t like the plague!!

It usually works out false economy. Yes, you can buy a $50 tool for every job you do and bin it after(/when it breaks). OR you can buy one $200 tool that you can pass on to your grandkids...

[Crash bandicoot]

The Chinese are good at one thing and that is copying. My ridgeryder winch internals are completely interchangeable with that of a warn. We have 12 Chinese lockers fitted to various trucks in our club and they haven't failed yet. But that is just the locker...and once again a copy of the arb locker with interchangeable parts.

I cannot vouch for the compressors but I suspect they will be the same ones that the likes of supercheap sells. I have a 70lpm super cheap compressor in my pajero as a back up to the onboard air. Its certainly not as fast as the big expensive ones bit still does the job in reasonable time inflating 33 inch tyres from 15 psi back up to road pressures.

[Crawlerer79]

Here's the ad I was referring to: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... 1150392834

We have 12 Chinese lockers fitted to various trucks in our club and they haven't failed yet. But that is just the locker...

We run a lot of these knock off lockers in our club and they do very well. Guys run 35s with these and take them from vehicle to vehicle and in some cases have been more reliable than the genuine ARBs!!!!

I'm not worried about the locker itself, but the compressor I'm not so sure. I've heard that some of those chinese ones (not necessarily the ARB copies) have plastic pistons and often fail when any real pressure is needed.

[lax2wlg]

The Chinese are good at one thing and that is copying.

The other thing that they're good at is being extremely diligent workers with much higher than average intelligence - one of the reasons that they have established themselves as the largest and strongest economy in the world, and next to hold reserve currency status (as soon as the US currency collapses, which will happen, its already in progress)

The other thing they're good at is investing in new technologies when they're still in the infancy stage, developing that technology, deploying it on a massive scale and in the process murdering their competitors. Just wait to see what they've got in store for old mate Elon Musk and the Tesla gang.

Important to remember that China has only embraced capitalism in the last 30-40 years. They are possibly the most resiliant and adaptable civilization in human history. Heres a relevant article if you're interested in learning about China's newfound culture of innovation: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan- ... 59026.html

Look at their GDP's growth in the last ten years.

The other thing they're good at is...

Sorry a bit off topic, not trying to have a go, its just interesting to look at both sides of these things

[churchill]

My Chinese air locker compressor failed after 2 years, the outlet valve rusted off. I cut a new one from shim steel and it works fine.

[Crawlerer79]

Do these knock-off compressors have a pressure cut-off. Because I'd like to plumb it into an external tank and run a 'T' from the tank, one end to the front locker and the other to a connection where I could inflate my tyres from, but I'd like to know whether the pump keeps on pumping until it can't push any more or whether it has a cut-off, and if so whether it's adjustable. Also, would it be the sorta thing that you leave running throughout the whole trip, keeping the tank full or compress once and run the lockers from the full tank throughout a whole trip or whether you flick on the compressor each time before engaging/disengaging the locker. Thanks guys

[derk]

any compressor you should be running a pressure switch, whether your Chinese one comes with one or not I don't know, they are readily available in 85-105 psi. Don't get too excited about trying to pump your tyres up with it you'll be able to get a bit of air into your tyres with it but don't expect to reinflate them all up to road pressure once those little electric compressors run for a bit under load they get too hot and die, you want a dive bottle or a converted AC compressor to reinflate properly

[Crawlerer79]

So if I run a big enough tank and have the compressor slowly fill that to say 85psi, I should be able to air up from 15psi to 20-22psi ok? I'm thinking of either a 16L or 40L tank from work would be good, however I don't quite know where a 40L tank would go in a Zook

[Lchundy]

Here's the ad I was referring to: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... 1150392834

We have 12 Chinese lockers fitted to various trucks in our club and they haven't failed yet. But that is just the locker...

We run a lot of these knock off lockers in our club and they do very well. Guys run 35s with these and take them from vehicle to vehicle and in some cases have been more reliable than the genuine ARBs!!!!

I'm not worried about the locker itself, but the compressor I'm not so sure. I've heard that some of those chinese ones (not necessarily the ARB copies) have plastic pistons and often fail when any real pressure is needed.

I'm of the opposite view I'd rather go genuine arb locker and compressor
The extra money you pay is for quality of materials and testing
Actually my arb compressor had made in china written on the box lol

[Crawlerer79]

I'm of the opposite view I'd rather go genuine arb locker and compressor
The extra money you pay is for quality of materials and testing
Actually my arb compressor had made in china written on the box lol

Fair enough, We've never had any problems with the Chinese ones tho, so I'm 50/50
I guess we'll see, but I am leaning towards a Chinese one.... a bit

[Crash bandicoot]

And for what ya pay arb after sales service sucks. I chucked a genuine locker in the bin because they reckon they couldn't get the cup shims that sit behind the spiders... Went and brought an auto locker.

[Crawlerer79]

And for what ya pay arb after sales service sucks. I chucked a genuine locker in the bin because they reckon they couldn't get the cup shims that sit behind the spiders... Went and brought an auto locker.

Guys in our club seem to have more probs with ARBs than Chinese ones. Got a friend in Nelson who's ARB unlocks when under load and he's been fluffing round with ARB trying to fix it.... taking ages. A club member's had to rebuild his ARB 3 times in the same amount of time (and similar kms, driving style etc.) in the amount of time another guys rebuilt his Chinese one once....

[gary_in_nz]

Evening.

I run a Chinese one in the rear of my Safari. I deal to my poor truck, runs 35 mickey t Baja claw's, quite a heavy tyre, never had any issues with it.

The compressor supplied has a pressure switch that knocks off around 90psi.

Before I installed it I did mic up all the components to check the machining accuracy and it was pretty sharp (fitter turner here). However I did ditch the bearings supplied for the carrier and bought some Timken's.

[basics]

The other thing they're good at is...

this alone just sold me on the chinese compressor

[Pedro]

Run Chiense lockers in my disco (80 series diffs) for the last 5 years, had to replace the rotating seal once, ARB one slotted straight in, front and rear, always engages when i want it, front can be a touch finicky to come out, but happy enough with them

Pedro

[Crawlerer79]

Run Chiense lockers in my disco (80 series diffs) for the last 5 years, had to replace the rotating seal once, ARB one slotted straight in, front and rear, always engages when i want it, front can be a touch finicky to come out, but happy enough with them

Pedro

Nah that's good to hear. Thanks for that

I've gone ahead and bought the locker, so now I just gotta pick it up, fit it and abuse it

[Crash bandicoot]

Can we make this a sticky Jerry....probably one of the more informative threads we've had with a fair and broad feed back over a range of trucks on these things.

[coxsy]

mates got a chinese locker in the rear axle, ARB compressor,
problem being diffoil is returning up the airline at disengagement, then out solinoid beather ideas

[monterey]

Air leak in the diff housing causing a pressure buildup in the diff??

[coxsy]

found a answer on facebook, we just put the exhaust line back to the diff ,