My JKR of course already has e-lockers, but a month after I bought my winch I was out wheeling at Half moon creek alone. And I was coming down off of the the mountain in a rainstorm and had one obsticle left after crossing the creek and as I was going up the jeep slipped a foot to the right and I got high centered and all 4 wheels lost traction. Lockers did not help one bit. Glad to have the winch on the front. Since then I've pulled trees and 110 year old power poles off of the trail, and one boulder off the trail. Lockers wouldn't have helped there either. Get the winch, get a good snatch block. and some decent armor. I've not had a need yet for lockers here in Colorado or Moab yet, but I have used my winch around 6 times in less than a year.

 

Well, here's my $.01. Someone might have already mentioned this and I apologize if they have. I can't say with any certainty which one would be best for you but a few things to consider.. First off, I personally would never get a cheap winch. I've heard people who have had luck with them but I have heard many, many more stories of them breaking (and you won't find out until you need it). Second, if you do get a cheap winch, be sure to get a powerful one. If you get a cheap winch with a low pull capacity, it will be much more prone to failure. Same thing with ratchets/tools - cheapies are fine for simple household repairs when they aren't strained, but if you try to torque down on a cheap one, it will fail - it is only a matter of time. Next, remember, a winch will add significant weight to the front end and it will ride lower - you may want longer coils or additional spacers on the front end (unless you're also adding a steel bumper/etc. to the rear). As for lockers - I've used mine a few times and they have got me over obstacles on the Rubicon (and other rocky trails) but I don't wheel in a fashion that would require lockers when I'm solo camping/wheeling.

I thought it was a great point that others mentioned - learn to wheel without lockers first. Very good idea. I've never actually been stuck in the rocks (snow yes) and I owe that (partially) to my lockers - in all honesty, I could have backed out of the obstacle.. However, I have seen guys with lockers who have been proper stuck (high-centered) and had to fall back to the winch.

I guess in short, from what I've seen (and I absolutely concede that I am nowhere near as experienced as most people here), a winch may be a better "last resort" but you may also find yourself in a spot where the winch doesn't reach (so don't think it will be a miracle cure for the common stuck)..

One final thought (this is what I did). Being that I have a Rubicon, the lockers came with it but I still wanted a winch. I couldn't afford one immidiately so I got a hi-lift jack. The jack can be used as a winch. It's not pretty. It's not convenient. But if you're truly stuck alone in BFE, it is an option for much less $$$..

 

Just end the debate and set this thread to a poll. Then you can visually see the better choice..again this is just for Right now.

 

So if the winch doesn't reach, how is a jack going to reach?

I would love to see someone out on Hell's revenge using a hi-lift jack to pull them up.

 

Well with the highlift atleast you can jack yourself up and put rocks or branches under tires

 

Who said it would? Not sure what your point is. If your stuck with lockers and no winch and no hi-lift (which, honestly every Jeep should have with/without a winch), then what? No idea what "Hell's Revenge" is but from your wording and context it doesn't sound like something a beginner would be doing solo with 2.5" and 33's..

 

Excellent point. I also should have mentioned that every Jeep (used for wheeling) should have a hi-lift.

 

The problem with polls is that they typically ignore the person asking the question (i.e. context is lost) and they are swayed by personal opinion and preference. Seems like he needs more information and a tailored answer for his specific needs.

 

I've had a hi-lift for over a year and still have had no use for it. I honestly think most people have them because the think they look cool. But in all honesty a hi-lift jack is a very dangerous piece of equipment, and if they are that unskilled to run something like Hell's revenge, then they probably shouldn't be using a hi-lift jack either. Using a hi-lift jack to get yourself off of a rock? Again, I can't imagine in my mind a situation where your stuck and getting out of your vehicle and using a manual piece of equipment to un-lodge a four thousand plus pound vehicle and doing it while being safe. I see the original poster is 30-40 miles south of me in Colorado and I know what kind of things can get you in trouble here in Colorado and Moab, and if your "stuck", chances are your vehicle is on a incline or on a ledge, no way in hell would you want your vehicle to become unstuck while your out using your hi-lift jack and not be in the vehicle at the time. That just sounds like the type of thing that would make the Americas Funniest Video. At least with a winch you are in your vehicle and you still have full control of both the winch, the brakes, and the accelerator.

 

I don't have a winch right now, and there have been several times I flipped the lockers on because without em I was stuck.-..(and would have had to winch off) .tow straps can save it a majority of the time and the few times after that you truly need a winch you will be glad you have it....

So both is best