I'm going to say locker, simply because of this. If your opening up the rear end to put one in, most likely you have a lift and larger tires. Thus you can change gear ratios while its open as well as installing the locker. That way your ratio is better and you have a locker....granted your going to have to open the front but you'd be half way there. Then a winch....

 

considering you live in NJ (lots of trees and mud) i would say a winch is better. i thought a lot about this and decided that a winch will get me out of trouble and lockers will just get me into more trouble.

if you live in North jersey and wheel on the rocks i would do lockers but for south jersey its all deep mud pits and sand hills.

i bought a $300 xrc-8 and i dont think its a waste of money. its no warn but it gets me out and left me with enough money to get a sweet bumper

 

Winch, I'm looking to get one this summer. I was able to get a nice bumper for cheap from custom4x4fabrication.com (I think 400 w/ shipping). You could probably find a winch for a good price on craigslist or a similar site, people update often enough. Depending on what you go with you could probably be all geared out for under $1000. Depending on your price range those lockers might be plausible too.

 

I would agree that a winch is better first, for the same reason some have mentioned. The locker will get you further but when you get it stuck you will still need a winch to get out. A winch makes the job easier than trying to hook up a truck with a strap and yanking on it till it comes loose.

 

My opinion is a winch, not only can you get yourself out of trouble but you can help a good bud out too.

 

i bought a winch before i even bought a jeep. but wheeled without it installed for a year with only an lsd rear/open front and rarely got stuck.

then i upgraded to a d44 and lockrite and installed the winch (warn).
i only use it a couple times a year, and usually for someone else other than myself. i will strap whenever i can unless there's no room to tug. (a strap is a lot cheaper than my winch).

i say get a locker, it's cheaper and easier and you'll use it everytime you go out. then save up for as long as it takes to get a warn winch. new or used, warn is by far the best investment in winches.

 

i would go with a winch. if you get stuck, you know your guna get out. if your buddy gets stuck, he knows you can pull him out. in my opinion it also depends on your transfercase. when i bought my xj, i had the idea to put lockers in the front and back when i relized that i have the 242 transfercase and i use the F/T 4wd alot. when i priced out a cable actuated locker, plus the rear locker, the winch was much cheaper. plus you can use it to rip out small trees and such if your landscaping/remodeling at your house. (not on a trail. remember, treadlightly!)

 

On a light note. A winch will not always get you unstuck, nor will a locker always get you more stuck. A locker can actually keep you from getting more stuck while a winch will do nothing up front till you get stuck. But of course get what you want and as all of us would agree, pinch the pennies and get both.

 

I say get the lockers. There is always someone in the group with a winch. Plus if you have a hi-lift, you can buy the crap to make a poor man's winch if you get in a real bind.

 

or get a 4ton come a long from the farm and fleet for 80$, and a locker i use my com a long all the time it works great and you get a good work out using it rather than just sittin on ur a$$ pushing a button

 

I would get the winch. Last weekend I was buried up to my mirrors and it wouldn't budge until my buddy tied off to a tree and winched me out. No one could pull me out prior to winching it. My .02

 

Buy 2 from harbor freight $60.00/set.. cheap and they are great to run in tandem. You crank on one a buddy on another. Ive got a front winch and use my come alongs probably more for going backwards. Throw in some extra straps and your set. Then youll have plenty of $ for a locker.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...Itemnumber=543

 

I got a Ford F150 stuck in sand. I tried to com-a-long (4 ton) and broke the handle off.

 

I have/had a winch on my rig. The only time I really used t was to get other ppl unstuck. I guess it is all how you wheel, but I really dont do mud, or sand... just rock crawling. Really there has only been 2 times I had a winch hooked to me... one was at Paragon, when I was wedge on a under cut rock. The other was when I was at crozet on my side