Guy at the auto parts counter in Reno told me to skip the locker and learn my truck first
I was in line at the parts counter in Reno last week and this older guy next to me was buying a lunchbox locker for his rear diff, and he told the kid behind the counter he was building his first rig. The kid asked if he had done gears or a lift yet and the guy said no, the locker was first. I didn't say anything but it stuck with me, because I keep seeing builds online where people throw money at the hardest part before they even know how their truck handles a washboard road. Half the guys I wheel with in my club still run open diffs and they get through stuff I wouldn't try just from picking good lines. What's the first mod you'd actually tell a new builder to spend on, or am I wrong that tires and seat time beat a locker every time?