Locker can help from getting stuck, but on the flip side, if you're locked and stuck, you're really frigging stuck.
I wheeled for probably close to 10 years open/open... without a winch (come-along sure makes for a lot of work). A 4x4 with decent articulation will go a lot of places open/open.
It wasn't until I got into wheeling rocks, where 1 or 2 tires could be off the ground at a time that I realized I needed traction devices. I went with True-Tracs, and while I loved those things for mild to moderate trails, they simply were not the ticket for what I had bought them for.
Lockers made wheeling rocks so much more controllable/safe. I now rarely need to use momentum/bump, and lots of places the Jeep would loose momentum/stop before, it just keeps chugging along now.

If you do not plan on wheeling situations that will have wheels off the ground often, then, I'd run open/open if $ is a issue... or throw a True-Trac or 2 at it. They are amazing with 3 of more wheels on the ground, and great in snow.


EDIT; auto/mechanical lockers have their strengths/drawbacks... I prefer select-able for the trails I run, and certainly enjoy disengaging them for pavement life.
And, a stock base Wrangler is way more capable off road than any of the WK2's.

 

Do you go the kind of places you may need lockers is the question. If you dont, no. If you do, yes.

Sure it's possible to wheel without them on some terrain, but if you are on terrain that needs them and all you have is a winch - you will be "that guy" on all your trail runs, the "trail plug" while everyone stands around and waits for you to winch.

 

I ran open until I started playing in the rocks (not in the JK). You can do plenty stock, maybe splurge and do one axle.

 

The need of anything is defined by usage. This being said I always recommend people start wheeling open. You can do a lot in an open Jeep and you will improve at picking lines too. Most times this leads to trying more difficult terrain and eventually you may get to trails where you then need at least one locker. I believe this approach is best because you will learn to drive off-road and have confidence without leaning on the locker as a crutch, but using it as a tool when needed.

I like to try as much without my locker as I can.

In short, no you do not need a locker. As to the winch aspect, I have found you use it more to rescue others than yourself.

 

Not familiar with dessert wheeling to know how much lockers are "needed". They help in poor traction conditions. There are trails here that a car could drive up when dry, but add rain and you not going anywhere without lockers or a winch. I have seem a 4x4 with open diffs stuck with 2 wheels on pavement. Now newer Jeeps traction control will apply brakes to a spinning wheel to send power to the one with traction.

IMHO the main cause for broken powertrain parts is when wheel(s) are spinning then all of a sudden grab traction. This jolts the whole driveline. Wheeling with others that have open diffs, they use momentum or high wheel rpms to get through/over stuff. And they do it with the open diffs, but I would rather use the lockers, drive slower, and not strain the powertrain as much.

 

If I have a winch do I really need lockers????

Your winch is only as good as the number of places you have to connect it to.




I don't know about the rocks, but up here in the snow I use the winch 2 or 3 times a week (mostly pulling others out) and the lockers probably 2 or 3 times a month at the cabin where the roads aren't plowed. I therefore look at both as a necessity rather than an asset.

 

Your winch is only as good as the number of places you have to connect it to.

I don't know about the rocks, but up here in the snow I use the winch 2 or 3 times a week (mostly pulling others out) and the lockers probably 2 or 3 times a month at the cabin where the roads aren't plowed. I therefore look at both as a necessity rather than an asset.

Spending a lot of time in the Mojave desert I find that open deserts and washes don't generally have a lot of places to connect to. Lockers are highly desirable in those places.

 

No, yes, maybe. All depends on the trails you find yourself on most of time, OR the kind of trails you want to build your jeep up to handle. I would say learn to drive without lockers. If you do decide to lock, then go with a selectable and put it in the rear axle.

Also on snow covered streets, if that is the snow you are talking about, an open diff is better.. as lockers will tend to pull you to one side.. snow trail, works far better of course.

 

Also on snow covered streets, if that is the snow you are talking about, an open diff is better.. as lockers will tend to pull you to one side.. snow trail, works far better of course.

Yes, and no.
It depends on the situation.
With lockers on when you break away, all 4 wheels pretty much break away all at the same time and you will go off in the direction of the crown in the road so you do need to be careful on the gas pedal. Open diff is indeed less dangerous under these kinds of conditions because you are less apt to have sets of... or MULTIPLE sets of wheels breaking away at the same time.


But when getting stuck or bogged down, having 4 wheels all working together at the same time and speed is pretty crucial at getting you out.

 

I’ll start.
Do you need it. No
Personally, I just had the Detroit Trutrac installed when I had Willys regeared. I didn’t want to go through having my rear diff opened up more than necessary. $$$

For most of my scenarios I think a Trutrac will be beneficial.

If driving in real slick conditions, an inexperienced driver can get into real trouble in a blink.

If your GC made it, a stock wrangler will have no problems.

 

I have had the same thoughts myself.

I am thinking of just a front locker like from torq master. Simple, inexpensive, and I can install it myself.

I have a winch, which is good insurance, but I am looking into purchasing a pull pal as well in case of those times there may not be a suitable winch point. I have been researching more on recovery gear than expensive lockers, and I have already begun the recovery gear purchases.

I will not be climbing boulders, just setting up for off-road trips.

 

If money is an issue I would say no. If you have the cash I would say yes. I’ve been building me jeep not just for what I do but for what I might do in the future. I would hate to not install lockers during a regear just to decide two years later I want lockers.


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My thoughts are in here.

 

As has been mentioned it depends on usage. I have watched lots of you tube videos where lockers would be needed. My Jeeps are used off road hunting, camping, etc and none of the places I ever go need lockers. If you are asking the question I doubt you need them either.

 

Could not agree more with this approach in deciding if lockers are really needed. I don't go off road but want more traction for snow/ice and perhaps mud. So when regearing I'm having a TrueTrac installed for the rear only. Frankly don't think it's needed or necessary for the front axle which is only a 30 anyway. Not the stoutest axle setup to say the least.

Perhaps from a ego POV it might be nice to have but if you never use it seems like a waste of money imo. It's one of those items if you are planning to run your jeep in places where it's needed then spend the money. If you aren't going to use it why bother unless you just want to say you are running lockers!

 

Do I really need lockers

No.
With that said, I love mine

 

No you don't "need" lockers. A winch will help in self recovery only if you have a good attachment point. If you wheel with friends you're probably going to get un-stuck one way or another with their help. Lockers are going to enable you to do harder trails, just like 40s. It's up to you to determine how difficult the trails are going to be that you tackle in the future.

 

It all depends on what kind of wheeling you do. I've been in situations where two wheels were off the ground and where the hill was steep and the gravel was loose. The difference between lockers and a winch is lockers can help you make it up the hill or over the rocks. A winch can't. All a winch can do is help you after the fact, not before. I've seen plenty of instances where the Rubicons made it up a hill and the Sports had to be towed or winched up.

 

Will chime in, I have owned 4 prior Jeeps without lockers and using a combination of forward movement able to do most obstacles however a pretty bumpy ride and puts stress on the components. Bought my first JKUR in 2013 and revisited some of the rather rough and technical trails to get to favorite fishing/camping spots...locked in and was able to slow crawl, what a difference.
I think it would depend on what sort of conditions you expect to get into, for Colorado the lockers are a good choice unless only mall crawling.

 

had true tracs in the front and rear of my stock axles for about 2 years with 37's. people always thought i had lockers because of how good they worked and where i would go! now that i have lockers front and rear with dana 60's, its MUCH more capable! i can have a tire in the air and not worry about needing the bld or wheel speed to move me forward, i can just crawl over most things easily.

 

If you already have a winch I wouldn’t worry about lockers. The winch will do what you need. However, lockers won’t always get you out.


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I got lockers a year into current Jeep ownership because I had built a nice Willys and went up to a trail system in north Georgia with a buddy who has a great, well-built LJ Rubicon, but had never been offroad before, at least not in the rocks.

Came to the big climb, a series of rock steps, with sandy dirt around them. I took a great line, but every time I’d try to get over the rocks, my combination of no lockers and 2.72 t-case caused me to either have to give too much gas, go to fast, and spin the tire with the least traction, OR stall the Jeep trying to go slow enough to keep from spinning. I had to winch 3 times to get up the hill.

Then it came time for my friend to go. I spotted him all the way up (so he took the same line I had done, meaning his result was all Jeep, not his skill.) He just crawled slowly up that hill, walking up the rocks at will. It was a perfect demonstration of the value of going slow (4:1 t-case/4.10 gears) AND lockers, to keep the tire that’s on loose sand from stealing all the power from that diff. I geared/lockered/t-cased my Jeep right after that.

So.... to your point, I got up the hill eventually, by winching my way up. I wasn’t stranded, and wouldn’t have been even if I’d been solo on that trip (as I usually am.) But, it made for a long climb. It was much better when I went back the next year with a new set of gears and lockers.

 

I think @AlaskaErik makes the best point. Lockers are built to get you there while a winch is about getting you out of trouble when you are not getting there.... two different things

 

Open vs locker video. First minute or so is the open diff trying to get out of the mud hole. Last is a brand new Rubicon that barely gets mud on it.

 

Had a front locker and rear limited slip in my TJ. After a trip to climb rocks and a few days at the beach, I’d be reluctant to go back to open diffs.
Rubicon has lockers on both axles.

 

Don't believe anyone debates "lockers" make a jeep considerably more capable in certain situations. If you are wheeling your jeep where lockers are needed then by all means get them. On the other hand if you're not putting your jeep in those situations what's the point? Some modifications are just fun to have installed and perhaps lockers are one of them.

If you really need lockers get them or if you simply feel you'd like to be able to say you have them.... get them! I could easy have them installed next month when regearing but the way my jeep is used they simply aren't necessary. Hence the money not spent for lockers will be used for other mods in the future.

 

Wants and Needs

You don't NEED lockers, you don't NEED sunglasses, just like you don't NEED a set of wrenches when you have an adjustable crescent wrench that will adjust for various sizes. In fact you don't even NEED a Jeep or larger tires if you only intend to do fire roads.



Let's say you have a friend that will only do oil changes. He may not understand that more sophisticated tools may be required or even useful in doing jobs he has neither personally done or does not know how to do. In the same way an adjustable wrench is a tool capable of doing certain jobs, lockers are a "tool" for more difficult jobs/situations. While an adjustable wrench can get many jobs done, sometimes it takes a box end wrench to do the more difficult job. And then there is the convenience factor of having the right tool for the right job. I think that the real question could be how willing are you to use more sophisticated tools to do more difficult jobs(trails) or embracing tools that would make your life easier?


KG6SLC aka Eugene

 

Do I really need lockers?

Here's how the OEM's engineers describe a stock JK's performance:


https://blog.fcanorthamerica.com/2008/02/11/jeep-brake-traction-control-explained/


In a nutshell, the OEM brake-lock differential potentially can be as effective as a locker, if you modify your driving style, to double your application of the go-pedal to make up for power lost through brake-lock differentiating

 

Disclaimer from the article...BLD is not a substitute for lockers. This guy is just parroting the party line.

I'll take four tires all mechanically locked up over some algorithm in a black box trying to figure out which electrons to send where.

 

If you're asking, probably not.

My rubi came with front and rear lockers, I've been stuck in mud with them, and I've crawled rocks and deep mud without them.

They certainly help in certain situations for sure.

For me, I'm living in a desert and only find steep hills and deep mud holes to play in (southern ca), and lockers help with steep hills after it rains and also in some mud.

Other than that, I've done plenty of trails and rocks that only required 4lo.