Heard a guy at the Uwharrie trailhead say lockers are overrated for daily drivers

I was airing down at the Uwharrie parking lot last Saturday and this guy in a stock Tacoma said he's been wheeling 10 years without lockers, just good tires and a winch. Made me wonder if I overbuilt my Jeep with front and rear ARBs for $2,200 when I mostly drive it to work. On the other hand, I've been stuck twice on slick rock at Badlands that a locker would've walked right out of. Do you guys think lockers are worth the cash if you only hit trails 6 times a year?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_nguyen2415d ago

Buddy of mine, Dave, ran his XJ on 31s with no lockers for like 5 years. We hit Windrock once and he got high centered on a slick rock shelf. Spent 45 minutes stacking rocks and winching while my buddy with a lunchbox locker in his YJ just crawled right over it. Dave finally put a Detroit in the rear and the next trip up to Rausch Creek, he pulled out a lifted JKU that was stuck on a wet log. But honestly, for just 6 trips a year to Uwharrie? Probably fine with good tires and a winch if you pick your lines smart.

zara_hill4615d agoTop Commenter

Man, that's just how it goes sometimes. It's like buying a new impact driver when a $30 Harbor Freight one would get the job done for most stuff. People act like you need the absolute best gear to do anything, but then you see someone with a beat-up truck and a good set of tires crawling over stuff that a fancy new rig with lockers and 40s is stuck on. @uma_nguyen24's buddy Dave is basically a perfect example of that whole pattern. It's all about knowing what you're doing and a little luck, not just throwing money at the problem.

gavinp4415d ago

And that's the thing @zara_hill46, most people forget that having lockers changes how you drive. Once you've got em, you stop picking smart lines and just mash the gas, which is fine until something breaks.