locker or a winch?

[rocknerd]

I'm getting married in a month and a half and my wife to be keeps asking me what i want for a wedding present. I cant decide whether to get a winch or a locker for my 8.25. What do you all think is more worthwhile?

 

[Rubi04TJ]

i would say just the opposite and buy the winch. the locker will only get you that much more stuck. While the winch will get you out of just about everything.

 

[NomadJeep]

I say locker... don't listen to Zach, he has a Rubicon.... :lol:

There is no fun when you are sitting in even the snow, and you put it in gear and both the front left, and rear right tires just sit there spinning...

My vote is 100% lockers

 

[Rubi04TJ]

There is no fun when you are sitting in even the snow, and you put it in gear and both the front left, and rear right tires just sit there spinning...

yes but wouldn't a winch get you out of the same situation? without broken axles shafts and so on?

 

[Rubi04TJ]

Zach was'nt awake yet when he posted that......

Besides, with a winch, you'll also need a worthy bumper.

which all can be bought from www.detoursusa.com :wink:

 

[toyworx]

winch....

Rule of thumb....always go with recovery gear first. Then build your rig to get more stuck......

 

[re-run]

I went with lockers first on my last jeep and never made it to the winch stage, they are great but definatly get the selectable, otherwise it will effect your on road drivability.

This time I'm trying the winch first approach *cough* detours *cough* but having no experience with a winch i'm not sure if it will be better or worse. I do know that they are both worth while upgrades and eventuall will both be done. :2cents:

 

[CJKarl]

Locker..thats what I'm doing, and I know it all. :roll:

 

[Rubi04TJ]

Not sure of you rig, but most likely it has a D35/c. these rear axles are known for failures.

With that said, to do a locker right you need to beef up the axle.. ok so while your in the axle if you are going to be running larger tires it is a good time to change your gear ratio.

So now your looking at new axle shafts, new gears, locker (selectable), locker pump. With all that in mind without spending a ton of time looking up prices you are going to spend about 2 grand plus.

A winch will get you where a locker would, plus when you are in trouble or need help wether you are by yourself or with others it is always there. Lockers are just gonna get you more stuck.

Damn i need a winch!!!

 

[ctaxle]

http://www.ctaxleservice.com/ need i say more . pete

 

[Rubi04TJ]

Zach's still not AWAKE.......it's a 8 1/4.

Still same applys

 

[rocknerd]

sh*t, seems to be a tricky situation. I can put the locker in myself, the winch on the other hand I would have to a) buy a winch bumper, or b) fab up something to mount it. I would probably have to pick up a red top (at least) for a battery. A locker would change wheelin completely for me, a winch wouldn't change my wheelin much accept for the juevos grandes I'd have with nothing to fear but breakage. Imagine that... ...never stuck. This is tough. :?

 

[beaker]

I've seen plenty of people run winches with a good but standard type battery. Optima's are are nice but not necessary. I've even seen sealed Diehards get bounced around an F150 engine compartment and still keep working (he was a lucky bastid). More than once we had to put the battery back in the tray. Cheap bastid used a bungy cord to "hold" it down. It lasted through a lot of abuse.

What's better - not getting stuck - or being able to get out of being stuck.

By the way a winch and winch bumper are a great lowering kit, figure some lost height with even a small one.

 

[re-run]

the only problem with the lockers is that once you get stuck, your stuck....and if no one else has them then they wont be able to get to you to help you out

I've only been there once and some good tools got me out but I wouldn't want it to happen again. although like i said i have no idea what the benifits and drawbacks of a winch are......yet :twisted:

 

[NomadJeep]

don't listen,,, they are all telling you a winch because they are all Lazy F***s and they don't want to pull you... :lol:

It depends on how you wheel... most trail rides have people that have winches, so they will usually tug you from where you are trying to get to...
Also, ask Jeepers with open diffs, they get stuck everywhere,... how many times do you plan on getting out, setting up, pulling yourself 3 feet, getting the cable out of the way and trying to drive the rest... I have seen open guys get stuck on trails every ten feet.

You can forget wheeling in the snow, unless you want to lead foot it everywhere...(good by axle) Also the mud blows, which is what we have a lot of... Zach you have no winch, I have no winch, yet I get tugged once or twice a summer with lockers.
The best part is, most trails are rated by locker, not winch,,, so good luck getting on the harder trails in a NEA trail ride with open diffs... they wont let you....


Don't forget, if in dire straights, that is what a Hi-Lift is for also...

Get a winch next year... :wink: Anniversaries come around every year...

 

[re-run]

don't listen,,, they are all telling you a winch because they are all Lazy F***s and they don't want to pull you... :lol:

Don't forget, if in dire straights, that is what a Hi-Lift is for also...

Get a winch next year... :wink: Anniversaries come around every year...

three very good points, but the hi lift winch system bites, i've been doing it for about two years now. and it's not that I dont want to pull anyone I just dont have lockers yet to get good enough traction :lol:

ask rollover about my pulling people out, I got him unstuck more times than I can remember with lockers and no winch, but I did break my cj on it's last woods run pulling him out when I could have winched him with little difficulty.


It's really a toss up and comes down to your style of wheeling

it is also more fun to get stuck once in a while and try to get out without the lockers(snow wheeling in open diffs can be fun) just be prepared to be out for a while :wink:

 

[re-run]

the more i think about it the more I agree, i did go a lot of places with my locker that i never could have without it, and i lost a lot of guys in the dust who had bigger tires, motors, and lifts, not to mention winches. I think the reason I haven't locked my yj yet is that pathetic d35 rear end, when I replace it i plan on using a locked 44 right off the bat.

I haven't had a group to wheel with in about two years so self recovery has been a big deal to me that I didn't want to be without but given that there is another vehicle around lockers have always done right by me

I suppose I just keep confusing everyone with my conflicting stories but there are so many pro's and cons that even I am doubting my decisions. :banghead: time for a beer to clear my head :drink:

 

[xjmark]

I bought my winch before the lockers, but I did have a factory limited slip in the 8 1/4 rear. It went lots of places that surprised me. I recently bought a 44 rear, since the 8 1/4 won't fit 4:88's in the housing, and had Pete put a Detroit locker in. Noticed a big difference. I haven't tried the ARB front yet due to not having an air source hooked up to it. My OBA system was ordered on Monday. I can't wait to plumb it in and test it out.

It figures, I didn't really use the winch much until after the lockers were put in. :roll: Usually there is someone on the trail to give you a tug. A few weeks ago in the pouring rain in NH, lockers didn't do any good on this long steep hill. Used every bit of the 125' cable and winched all the way up with donny hooked to my jeep.

It's almost a 50/50 decision, but I would say to go with the lockers first.
For the lockers, see Pete at CT Axle, for a winch, See Mark at Detours. :wink:

 

[jon]

rockenerd I don't know your expereince but putting in a locker isn't exactly a bolt on modification. while lunchbox lockers are fairly easy, the selectables require you to set up the gears.


on that note, I am doing new axles, with new gears, and lockers all at the same time as a new winch. But that wasn't planned.

 

[toyworx]

No such thing as JUST putting in a locker UNLESS you have already spent big $$ on the axle assembly, and who does that without doing the locker? :roll:


If you're going to lock it up, save up your $$ and do the whole axle at once. Full Case Locker/Gears/Shafts etc...It's a lot cheaper in the long run, even though its big money and takes a while to save up for it.

This is why i usually say winch first. It's usually well under a grand, where as locking/gearing etc. gets into big $$.