Winch or Traction Aid

[mick968]

For the Disco's next enhancement should it be a winch(to get me out of trouble) or Traction aid(either Locker or Tru Trac)(to potentially get me out of trouble or in more trouble).Actually leaning toward the TruTrac but open for suggestions(or pot shots).

[michaels]

get a winch first. but a rear locker should not be far from your thoughts.

i've seen situations where a locker got the truck out just as well as a winch. sometimes, a winch just plains wins. depends on what kidn of wheeling you do and if you go out alone.

[NHWheelin]

Personally I would go with the winch first then the lockers. I have also seen lockers get people into more trouble then they bargianed for. On a side note the winch can also make you some money, pulling out stuck people when they arent supposed to be there.

[Disco Mike]

In all the years I have had my winch, better then 90 plus% of the time, it has been used to pull out other people. Start with one locker, learn how to drive it better and then look down the road for your next purchase.

[mick968]

Yeah,I really don't go out(wheeling) that often(3-4 times a year tops) but when I do it's a good go.A couple of times with the local LR club and then crazy at the National Rally.So why I have dilemma(other than I don't print money and Disco is toy I rarely drive).Weighing decision will the traction(Locker or Tru Trac) or winch be more useful(at Rally in Leadville, Colorado?) Everyone is probably wondering why(TruTrac and not just go to DL) but not really interested in upgrading axels(right away)and it sounds like Trutrac is good compromise between now(open)(which does fine in any of the situations I have been in) and locking unit.Probably(winch) will cost me a little more initial investment.I talk myself in and out of both items.Need to do one or both by mid July though.

[Jupiter Rover]

I'm getting a locker first... I always wheel with a buddy and we have recovery straps. Never needed a winch. Someday I might. But haven't yet.

[stolenheron]

winch first....

[Disco Mike]

Mick, I support you on the T.T., I have one in the front and a Detroit in the rear. Have a number of people running 2 T.T.'s and loving them.
As for Leadville, if you get hung up on some of those trails, there are place where it is not wide engough to open your door much less start winching.

[michaels]

Originally Posted by Jupiter Rover

I'm getting a locker first... I always wheel with a buddy and we have recovery straps. Never needed a winch. Someday I might. But haven't yet.

straps didn't work for me this weekend. winching to a truck didn't worked either.

winching to a tree got me out.

in both cases of failure, the truck i was attached to would slide all over the place, leaving me stuck where i was.

[Jupiter Rover]

Originally Posted by michaels

straps didn't work for me this weekend. winching to a truck didn't worked either.

winching to a tree got me out.

in both cases of failure, the truck i was attached to would slide all over the place, leaving me stuck where i was.

Is this what you are talking about?

[michaels]

Originally Posted by Jupiter Rover

Is this what you are talking about?

you got it. i wish i had a view from the driver seat. that mud i was stuck in is six feet of dirt dumped onto the ground. it's the entrance to the trail system i normally run. they started construction nearby. the hard ground is six feet below where the truck is stuck. my only option out was to winch to a tree even further away from solid ground.

i came in low-locked and created those ruts. i came out in high locked and lost momentum halfway through. peter (pnorvell) was behind me, so i told him to drive around. his truck moved sideways closer and closer to a metal "caution road ends" sign. my only option was winching to a tree.

we became too occupied to take final pictures. plus, we were hungry and wanted to go get some sammiches.

[p76rangie]

If you go out with others you are better off not getting stuck in the first place and therefore you should go with a diff lock. But you are going to get stuck sometime, that is where you use your mates to pull you out. Obviously Michael's mates wanted him left there as it would be a straight forward recovery from the photo. Personally I would have left him there as he was stupid enough to drive through it where it was clear either side.

If you go out by yourself, then get a winch as you will get stuck sometime.

[antichrist]

If you never go out alone, and at least one vehicle always has a winch, then a locker. Depending on where you wheel, I've seen cases where a recovery strap just wouldn't do it, and the only way out was with a winch.
If you think you'll ever go out alone, a winch.

[Roverhound]

If you must get a locker before a winch, get a hi-lift and a winch kit for it and learn to use it.
Like Tom said, there are times a strap won't do it, even when you have trucks pulling in tandem.

[Dantelaterra]

I'm all for the winch... I had 3 jeeps and 1 rover pulling on me once, and it still didn't get me out. I was in a position where they could only pull me from behind but I could only get out by going forward, but noone could get their truck in front of me.... I bought a 12,000lb winch for $560 brand new..... MileMarker, I'm a huge fan, their affordable and seems to work great, I used it pull a guy out last time..... I would hold off on the locker period.... Your 04 already has LR's best traction control set up.... I would do a winch then longer shocks and relocation cones in back so that you can get some awesome articulation. In my opinion the cones and shocks will get you out of just as much trouble. The key to keeping these moving forward is simply keeping 3 tires on the ground. You could get cone's, shocks, and a winch for about $800, that's about $400-$600 less than a 9,000lb Warn winch, sounds like a win win to me.

I know the MileMarker will work in your RoverTym bumper, the guys there actually told me about it, and installed it for me. I asked them if it would work underwater, and they have used it underwater.