This is the thing, depending on outlook people will choose one or the other. If the question is, "Which will do better as a recovery device?" then the answer is clearly a winch. If the question is, "which one is more important and beneficial when wheeling?" then the answer is a locker. I have 2 tow straps, a come along, and a hi-lift that work great for recovery, I have used all of them in various nasty situations involving both mud and rocks. A winch is nice, but you can do without it. To use the "a locker gets you places a winch is needed to get you out" is a really bad generalization and really just isn't true. A winch is the LAST thing I plan to buy for my truck. Once I have upgraded the birfs, gotten dual cases, and run beadlocked 36's THEN I will start to think about a winch.

I am not saying that using a come-along to get up a muddy hill is fun, but the deal is this, I have needed to get up a muddy hill that I couldn't drive up, ONCE in the past two years, and a come-along worked fine...slow, but fine. Whereas I have encountered hundreds of situations where I was off camber with a tire off the ground, if I had to pull cable for every one of those situations I would not be a happy man.

As for the snow thing, if you don't drive like a tard, you will be fine. I live in New England, we see plenty of snow, I have a lockright in the rear and a welded front diff and I haven't had a problem yet.

 

If you're specifically looking for an aftermarket selectable locker, you should just get an ARB. There aren't any specific performance advantages of an E-Locker over an ARB, and the ARB's are bullet-proof.

EDIT: and BTW, I vote selectable locker over winch, regardless of whether the guy is looking for an automatic locker. AND, I pull friends out who are stuck all the time, it's called a 30ft-3"-30,000lb tow strap.

 

since you said NON-selectable locker or winch in Wisconsin (ice/snow in the winter), then i'd have to say WINCH first, then save up for a SELECTABLE locker.

i got my rear ARB RD23 locker first, then the winch, then the front ARB RD90 locker.

 

I don't know if anyone mentioned it but in the snow isn't it a bad idea to have a winch that you can't move to the rear of the vehicle. I would look into a bumper that allows you to move the winch. My first vote would be a selectable locker though.

 

hey... i was searching the forums a few weeks ago and came across this... seems like a fairly good deal, set up 3rd member, almost plug and play!! (assuming you have the harness)

http://www.marlincrawler.com/htm/diff/pickup_diff.htm

 

If you can afford a winch/bumper combo (that's worth buying, a.k.a. Warn/ARB) you can afford a selectable locker...

 

Reason I wanted to go with an E-locker is to save room in the truck (tank, compressor, etc.) + an E-locker doesn't have to re-pressurize the tank or anything, when it's on, its on.

 

Perhaps, but if you just get an ARB with the under-hood compressor, you don't need a tank or any on-board air stuff. Just a little compressor under the hood with some lines to the rear diff. I do understand your argument though. It's really too bad they don't make an Electrac for Toyotas yet, LSD off/locker on would be nice.

 

while the ARB its self might be the air lines are akin to glass straws...

virtually every persion ive personally known (as well as a handfull of others) that have ARB's have had prob's with air lines that have brought an end to a productive day of moderate-difficult wheeling.

personally ill never have one after seeing all the problems my friends have had.

Ive got a detrot in the rear and if i get a front it will either be another permant locker or an Elocker of some sort...

 

Well there are arguments in both directions, because I've known people that have NEVER had a problem with their air lines...

Besides, it's easy to carry extra lines, Air or wires... Also, air lines aren't anything special, just get a tougher set if you have problems.

 

it all comes back to the install. do a crappy job and get crappy results. do a good install, properly routing the lines where they are protected and leaving enough slack for flex while keeping them away from the manifold and muffler/exhaust, then you don't have any issues.

i've had mine in for two years with ZERO issues. ZERO. NONE. NADA. ZILCH.

 

Plus, ARB's have the cool "blow-off" sound when you turn them off !

 

you better go knock on some wood now...

 

don't need to. i have a good install and i routed the airlines myself. i have nothing to worry about.

 

/hijack
sweet... would you mind sending me some pictures so that when i get an ARB i can route those airlines? i would rather do it right the first time, and obviously youve tested out your way. thanks
/hijack

 

sure. just PM me when you need them.

 

I agree with Intrepid above. I have wheeled in a lot of places, including the deep wet snow of Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire. I have a hi-lift, a good strap, and some chain, and have always been able to get myself and others out.

Go selectable locker.

 

LOCKER! my main wheeling buddy has a really nice built jeep cherokee, 4" rubicon express lift, bumpers, sliders, winch, bla bla. he has no lockers. i have no winch and i have had to back down obsticles to pull him up more then once...... with my STRAP.

 

I ended up getting my ARB locker at around the same time I had the winch/ARB Bumper installed so I was lucky in not having to choose.

For me, recovery was always a primary concern so I would place the winch at a higher priority than a locker. Yes...lockers can get you into places that you might not be able to travel "unlocked"; but a locker can also get you stuck a whole lot worse.

I can't remember ever thinking "Thank Goodness I have a locker" but I have said a few times "Good thing I have a winch". I like the lockers but if I had to choose, mark my vote under the "winch" category.

James

P.S. - had the locker for about 2 years now...no issues with leaks or failures but I had it professionally installed so there was a third party to complain to LOL...

 

i also have a wheeling buddy that has a really nice built cherokee... 3.5" lift, dual lockers and so on and so on, before he put his winch on, we were at a place down in central florida that is an old mining pit (now illegal to wheel at) it had been raining all day and we had already made it back in to the heart of the place, when he could not (all 4 32" swampers were spinning) make it up a wet hill. i tried and he tried, it was too wet and we were going to go off the side if we tried more throttle, so i winched my way up and over and then dragged him over it. we would have been stuck back there until it quit raining had i not had a winch on my truck. lockers are nice, and one is in my future very soon. but RECOVERY is NUMBER 1 in this sport, remember that