Your thoughts on lockers..

[BigMudder]

Im finally starting to piece my jeep together. In the next month or so an 8.8 will be sitting in my rear. So, im starting to think about lockers. I know ARBs and Aussie are gonna be the top picks here but I need to know what is gonna be the best locker for what I do. My jeep isnt my daily driver but I do enjoy driving it on the street. When my jeep is done I might wheel it 2 or 3 times a month. In the snow, this is my daily driver though because my other car is mazda miata. :eek: So for a jeep that see's alot of pavement. What is gonna be my best bet?

[Mean Max]

Lots of $$$ to spend? Buy the ARB's without a doubt.

On a budget? Get the Aussie's.

Just my personal opinion.

[Texas4X4]

confucious say, winch on front better than locker front and rear

[ryan rudakewiz]

i had a post on this before... my question was about a front automatic locker... I soon got the impression that an automatic isnt the best in the snow.... but the ARB or any selectable locker is good since you control it being on or not

[OhioYJ]

I've never had a problem with an automatic locker in the snow.

Just like Mean Max said, you only have two real options I think. Spend the money for an ARB, or if on a budget buy an Aussie.

I was on a budget so I put an lunchbox locker front and rear.

[ryan rudakewiz]

this is the thread i had a little while ago about an aussie in my front.. helped me with a lot of questions


http://bbb.quadratec.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=38;t=012487;p=1#000 000

[rockyjeep]

Originally posted by Texas4X4:
confucious say, winch on front better than locker front and rear you know, you keep saying that, and it makes no damn sense.

I would much rather have my axles locked and get out of the hole instead of getting stuck, having to get out and fight a winch line. winches are good to have, but lockers have a lot of advantage over open axles. i can think of at least 5 times i had to winch out of a spot that i would have drove out if i had the front axle locked, and not one tire (the wrong tire) spinning up in the air.

sorry confucious is a moron. :D

[kwrangln]

Lockers just mean that when you do get stuck, its alot further than your open buddies can get to, and it will take a whole lot more to get out.

Trust me.

[Mean Max]

Originally posted by rockyjeep:
sorry confucious is a moron. :D And he's DEAD too!!!

:D :D :D

[rockyjeep]

Originally posted by kwrangln:
Lockers just mean that when you do get stuck, its alot further than your open buddies can get to, and it will take a whole lot more to get out.
yeah...you gotta point....but at least you got further! bragging rights! :D

[OhioYJ]

Lockers just mean that when you do get stuck, its alot further than your open buddies can get to, and it will take a whole lot more to get out.Going farther gets you bragging rights. Going through a hole that your open diffed buddy had to use his winch on, earns you bragging rights.... :D

Being locked makes a night and day difference, look at the picture below. That day both my Jeep and my buddies went through the same stuff, if anything, I did more that day than him, except I was able to crawl everything, nice a smooth, I didn't need the run and gun strategy to make it through things. Both him and his Jeep where pretty covered in mud for the couple of hours we where out there, mine however is still nice and shiney....

http://www.cdmfabrication.com/bbpics/openlocked.jpg

[Mean Max]

I agree. I've been stuck in some pretty tame stuff, just because 1 of my tires on each axle was slightly unloaded.

I want a winch, but I don't really want to string a line out if I don't have to, I was a tow truck driver in my early days, and it wasn't a lot of fun back then. Now that I'm an old fat guy, it has to be even worse.....

:(

[DrLewall]

Winch is last resort, a nice tool to have IF you need it..but with lockers, you can pretty much go anywhere and get out of it without having to winch otherwise...like everyone else says, go with a selectable locker if you can, especially if you plan on driving on any ice, snow not so bad but ice and a locker just dont play well together.

[InfantryYJ]

Detroit, put it in and forget about it.

[Texas4X4]

Originally posted by rockyjeep:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Texas4X4:
confucious say, winch on front better than locker front and rear you know, you keep saying that, and it makes no damn sense.

I would much rather have my axles locked and get out of the hole instead of getting stuck, having to get out and fight a winch line. winches are good to have, but lockers have a lot of advantage over open axles. i can think of at least 5 times i had to winch out of a spot that i would have drove out if i had the front axle locked, and not one tire (the wrong tire) spinning up in the air.

sorry confucious is a moron. :D </font>[/QUOTE]hey i was proud of myself when i made that up lol, i use that all time when me and my buddies are talkin 4x4...the places we wheel its VERY helpful for at least 1 guy in the group to have a winch, and one time i tried to floor it and make it through this which was almost 4 feet deep in the middle when i tried makin it straight through.....
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o242/tlong803/100_0999.jpg
anyway my distributor got wet right in the middle and it was over...and my jeep was slowly sinking too lol...so i crawled out my window, across my hood, unspooled some winch line, threw it to one of my buddies and i just winched myself right out, and WD 40'd my distributor and she started right up...that coulda been a big mess if i dindt have a winch

[Jeep_N_Hog]

Originally posted by InfantryYJ:
Detroit, put it in and forget about it. I 2nd that. I love mine.

[rockyjeep]

Originally posted by Texas4X4:
that coulda been a big mess if i dindt have a winch yep. but you mighta made it through with a locker.... ;)

[4bob4]

Originally posted by rockyjeep:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Texas4X4:
that coulda been a big mess if i dindt have a winch yep. but you mighta made it through with a locker.... ;) </font>[/QUOTE]And if he didn't??? Sorry winch takes priority over locker.

[Texas4X4]

Originally posted by 4bob4:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by rockyjeep:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Texas4X4:
that coulda been a big mess if i dindt have a winch yep. but you mighta made it through with a locker.... ;) </font>[/QUOTE]And if he didn't??? Sorry winch takes priority over locker. </font>[/QUOTE]word...and i use my winch for stuff around the farm too, like we had a tree fall down the other day and my winch came in REAL handy, plus a winch just looks bad ass on the front of your rig...you cant even see a locker

[wissemeier05]

Originally posted by kwrangln:
Lockers just mean that when you do get stuck, its alot further than your open buddies can get to, and it will take a whole lot more to get out.

Trust me. -thats why i am programed into his cell phone ;)
i knwo a few of my buddies have called the "disaster dan recovery service" before

[rockyjeep]

Originally posted by 4bob4:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by rockyjeep:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Texas4X4:
that coulda been a big mess if i dindt have a winch yep. but you mighta made it through with a locker.... ;) </font>[/QUOTE]And if he didn't??? Sorry winch takes priority over locker. </font>[/QUOTE]yeah i see the point. winch is a must have for off roading. i have a winch. use it all the time for different stuff. but i'm just saying. lockers are a must too in my opinion. i'll be getting one very soon for the front.

just agreeing to disagree..... :D :D :D graemlins/49.gif

[Mean Max]

Originally posted by rockyjeep:
just agreeing to disagree..... :D :D :D graemlins/49.gif Damn conformist rebels! tongue.gif

[rockyjeep]

Originally posted by Mean Max:
tongue.gif[/img] welp, you caught me! graemlins/aaa.gif :D :D

[edudley]

Yes Yes Detroits front and rear. Put them in years ago and forgot them. I too would much rather have lockers than use the winch. Crawling saves on parts. The winch is for correcting those bad decisions we all make.

[RoCKSToRM]

i will be getting lockers before a winch, atleast one locker before a winch (be it front or rear, i dunno yet, i guess front is more important). and if you have a high lift jack, then you don't need a winch, sure, it's more work, but if needed, it can be used.

[The Duke]

I would have a locker before winch if I hadn't gotten a deal on a new 7500 lb winch for $150. Couldn't pass it up, sooooo, winch came before locker, but I've only needed it once and that was for someone else who got stuck.

[OhioYJ]

I rarely use my winch, especially with lockers, pretty much if I'm rubber side down, the winch isn't needed. My come-a-long, hi-lift, straps got me out of plenty of situations I got into before I had a locker or a winch.

[ryan rudakewiz]

Originally posted by OhioYJ:
I rarely use my winch, especially with lockers, pretty much if I'm rubber side down, the winch isn't needed. My come-a-long, hi-lift, straps got me out of plenty of situations I got into before I had a locker or a winch. i'd say with lockers, a come along, and the hi-lift you're pretty set ... but i'd like having a winch as well just to know that im gonna get out to the other side of whatever im stuck in

[Jeepin Dave]

I went with a winch first mainly for safety and asureity. (is that a real word? :confused: ) My first train of thought was the locker will help get you in, out or up what ever your playin in. But if its difucult, you have to use more of the skinny pedal to get your jeep out and that could mean breakage or rollover on some of these trails. I go out with my wife and kids all the time and although I am not afraid of a roll over, actually the oppposite, my wife and kids are not overly fond of the idea. And I dont want to roll with them in it anyway! I have told my kids to never put their hands outside of the Jeep when wheelin, but you never know what they will do when you flop it on the doors. Heck! I have seen grown adults put their hand or foot out the door when they flop, like they are goig to stop the Jeep from rolling. One guy almost lost his fingers! Plus this is my daily driver, if I roll it I'm screwed!

Also, I am positive I will get out with a winch. Not so positive with just lockers. And my lockers would not always help a buddy up or out of something alone either. I just like the peice of mind it gives me. Once I have more experience off road, I am sure my logic will change, but for now I chose to be safe and keep me, my family and my jeep safe and rubber side down... I would rather winch it up and over somthing than push it to hard and risk it. But I am learning.

To each their own.... the winch deal presented it self at the right time and I took it. Its ironic, I actually traded an ARB locker for my winch set up. Next mod is the front locker and better cage.

[bigredone]

a locker will get you through a lot of places that if you were open you would end up winching out of. I have wheeled both ways and had to winch before I got locked in areas that I now drive over with ease. I do not like mud but if you are locked you do not have to race into a hole as fast as if you were open you can get busy with the gas when you get in and not suck water. a locker will never take the place of a winch. but it sure saves wear and tear on it so it will be in good shape when you need it to pull out the guys who do not know what they are doing.

[Knuckelhead]

Originally posted by RoCKSToRM:
and if you have a high lift jack, then you don't need a winch, Tell me just how that works?...

[RoCKSToRM]

strap to one end of jack, attatch to tree, strap to other end of jack, attatch to jeep, start jacking until jeep comes out of stuck.

[Knuckelhead]

The recovery pull would be somewhat limited, don't you think? The highlift is a usefull tool, but it does not replace a winch...IMO

[Texas4X4]

not to mention compicated and frustrating to use, also when your jeeps stalled, a locker wont do you any good

[Knuckelhead]

A locker does work with the engine starter...

[RoCKSToRM]

yeah i guess you only get about 3 feet of pull with the high lift, but in most 'stuck' situations (which is usually mud) all you usually need is to move the jeep a couple feet and then you can go again.

a high-lift is definetely no replacement for a winch, i agree, but if you don't have a winch, you better have a high-lift. i just would rather have my high-lift and a locker, then a high-lift and a winch.

[bigredone]

you need the highlift to change your tires if you have any kind of lift on there. so you better have it, or carry a roll around jack with yah

[Knuckelhead]

The OEM jack works well for tire changing, just put it under the axle. Even if you have 35" tires, your only lifting the axle 3" over stock. With a suspension lift, your lifting the bumper way over that with a highlift...

[Jeep_N_Hog]

Originally posted by Knuckelhead:
The OEM jack works well for tire changing, just put it under the axle. Even if you have 35" tires, your only lifting the axle 3" over stock. With a suspension lift, your lifting the bumper way over that with a highlift... not to mention those OEM bottle jacks work REALLY well for unbending, unbinding, and are a dime a dozen if lost, broken, or welded in place. :D

[Psycho Al]

I have a lock right in the front of my TJ and a winch. The locker does help me keep from winching so much, but especially in mud, a winch will set you free. ;)
By the way, there were several mentions of ARB lockers but no one mentioned the Auburn Ected selectable locker. I know it is less expensive than an ARB. Is it any good?