Aussie Locker D44a Discontinued

[AussieLocker]

We made a fairly large initial production run on the XD14450 when we did the intital introduction and sales were consistent with our forecasts. But after the pent up demand was met, the sales settled at a fairly low maintenance level. We just sold the last of the XD14450 Aussie Lockers and since the smallest production run we can make would result in a 2 to 3 year inventory we decided to not produce anymore unless we get a surge in demand. The XD14450 had excellent results and reliablity and we were pleased to provide this product to our customers.

[BigDaveZJ]

Sorry to hear that! It's a great product, but DEFINITELY a niche market.

[DJJordache]

how about one for an 8.8 that had factory limited slip? It is a pain to have to re-setup gears to install a open carrier. Just an idea with a larger market than a d44a

[OverkillZJ]

Ouch. I guess the ones that were already produced will now literally be worth their weight in gold.

[easymunny]

so where the hell do I get one now? Shit~!

[jsteves]

so where the hell do I get one now? Shit~!

Start a petition to make them continue to make it, LOL.

I personally think it is kind of lame that they are quiting now. More and more dirt cheap ZJ's hit the trails every year, but at this point I am used to venders ignoring us.

[easymunny]

Now I have to go 9", anybody interested in 44a?

[Sudz]

Ouch. I guess the ones that were already produced will now literally be worth their weight in gold.

yeah, worth just as much as the axle they're in

[Colorado 5.9]

So who did you sell the last one to? 4x4 stores or private sales. This kinda sucks because my track loc is starting to give out & I was planing on getting an Aussie very soon.

If you did sell the last ones to a 4x4 stor it would be nice to know who so I can still get one.

[AussieLocker]

So who did you sell the last one to? 4x4 stores or private sales. This kinda sucks because my track loc is starting to give out & I was planing on getting an Aussie very soon.

If you did sell the last ones to a 4x4 stor it would be nice to know who so I can still get one.

Sold to a private individual today.

[vinny4130]

Maybe I missed it but, wouldn't a heads up like "last call for 44a lockers" create the “surge” in sales that you are looking for? And a chance for the rest of us in the niche market to make a final purchase? I know that I would buy one in fact I need one for my wj! The other part of a niche market is one thread in 3 or 4 of the appropriate sites BOOM, more sales. (how long did it take to write this thread?). Now I am so not sure I would buy any other products from aussie. I guess the warranty just went titts up to? if i missed the heads up than i am out of line.

[ArloGuthroJeep]

Yikes, glad I bought mine already! Going to go test it out today and tomorrow

[Ds4x4]

well.. so much for the frickin open carrier i just bought so i could get an aussie next week..wtf

[OverkillZJ]

Most people I talk to with the 44a on the trails, that aren't members of this site, didn't even know that Aussie even made a locker for their axle.

[BigDaveZJ]

From a business and profitability standpoint I can certainly see where they're coming from. There is still always the possibility that a vendor or two may have one in stock I guess.

I'm glad they made them for a while, and glad we got one for Pam's ZJ, but frankly I was surprised that they even made one round of them.

They're not completely giving up on it though, if the demand resurfaces, they say they'll make another run. All the tooling and designing is done, so the hard part is out of the way.

If you would like an Aussie for your 44A, let them know (and do it maturely, NOT screaming OMG WTF BBQ I can't believe you discontinued it, that's totally BS), and tell your friends who want one to let them know. If they see enough demand, I'm sure they'll make another run of them.

[AussieLocker]

Maybe I missed it but, wouldn't a heads up like "last call for 44a lockers" create the “surge” in sales that you are looking for? And a chance for the rest of us in the niche market to make a final purchase? I know that I would buy one in fact I need one for my wj! The other part of a niche market is one thread in 3 or 4 of the appropriate sites BOOM, more sales. (how long did it take to write this thread?). Now I am so not sure I would buy any other products from aussie. I guess the warranty just went titts up to? if i missed the heads up than i am out of line.

The two year warranty is valid for any Aussie Locker. We have the necessary spare parts to fully support our products.

We made a substantial investment in the development and testing of the XD14450 and when we did so, we fully realized that the market was limited vs. those of some other models. However, the sales after the initial pent up demand were slow and at some point we have to make a business decision on if we are going to maintain inventory in a product that sells one or two a month, or if we are going to allocate our inventory dollars in a model that sells at a higher volume. With business interest rates at the 12% level it is very costly paying for slow moving inventory.

We were the only locker company to support this differential and we did so with a very reliable and low cost product. But at some point we have to make business decisions and we apologize for those who had not purchased sooner. We did not make a last buy announcement because the inventory had dwindled and we were serving the buying public as they came to us. At the point of the last few units we had to either buy a large quantity or sell out the line and we decided that good business practices dictated the latter.

Certainly if there were sufficient proven demand for another production run we would make that run.

[Skyline]

The two year warranty is valid for any Aussie Locker. We have the necessary spare parts to fully support our products.

We made a substantial investment in the development and testing of the XD14450 and when we did so, we fully realized that the market was limited vs. those of some other models. However, the sales after the initial pent up demand were slow and at some point we have to make a business decision on if we are going to maintain inventory in a product that sells one or two a month, or if we are going to allocate our inventory dollars in a model that sells at a higher volume. With business interest rates at the 12% level it is very costly paying for slow moving inventory.

We were the only locker company to support this differential and we did so with a very reliable and low cost product. But at some point we have to make business decisions and we apologize for those who had not purchased sooner. We did not make a last buy announcement because the inventory had dwindled and we were serving the buying public as they came to us. At the point of the last few units we had to either buy a large quantity or sell out the line and we decided that good business practices dictated the latter.

Certainly if there were sufficient proven demand for another production run we would make that run.

Perhaps those that still need one could put together a group buy on this forum. How many orders would you consider necessary to produce another run? And how much would each one cost? I would think that with enough initial orders, another batch could be financially feasable.

Unless I have misunderstood, based on the figures you quoted, if you're worried that a new production run would require a 2-3 year supply, that means somewhere around 50 units. So to avoid borrowing to pay for inventory, I would assume you need to sell somewhere around 30 lockers up front???

[easymunny]

well heres your first guy on the list.....

[slim616]

Hell I would buy a bunch just to resale them if their was only going to be one more production run. I'm in for a group buy.

[easymunny]

I say we give her a go

[2jeepsforus]

Hell I would of drove up to Rochester just to get one, it is only 3 hours away LOL.... This is quite unfortunate, apparently my plans will change now.

Dave

[fpkites]

If a group buy is in order, I'll go in on it.

[Grandsrus]

I want one for sure!!!!!!

[quadratokn]

Im very disappointed to hear this, as i was planning on ordering one sometime late october to be ready for the winter. Definitely add me to the list.

[Ds4x4]

I'll still buy one.. i looked for an open carrier for way too long to give up now...