Ok. So this was the situation I got myself into today: I was out on a trail doing some 4-wheeling. There was about a 14-10 inches of snow, it was warm - about 38 - and lightly raining; about the worst snow to be going through. It was going fine until I put one wheel up on a mound.

Snapped a few pictures, got back in and tried to pull forward. But instead of forward motion I got decent and sharp tilt. Before I knew it my front passenger wheel was completely underground.


It may not look like much in the pics, but I nearly fell into the passenger seat. This tilt caused the rear drivers side wheel to become airborne. Like a foot above the snow.
So then the fun began: My front driver's side wheel was spinning (so was my airborne wheel but there really wasn't anything I could do about that LOL) so I started there. I used my brand new high-lift on a very unrecommended angle to lift that wheel in order to shove a tree trunk under it.

This gave me enough traction to get out of the initial crater but that same wheel had so much weight on it and the opposite wheel had slid off its tree so it instantly started to dig itself a new hole. So I had to jack the other side up and stick another tree trunk under it and dig a lot of dirt out using a snow shovel .

This however wasn't sufficient. The driver's side rear wheel (which had returned to earth with the last move) was spinning. Up she went and yet another tree trunk was inserted under it. This did the trick and I was able to back the jeep out.

Ok. So my question is what would have helped me most to not get stuck/get out? Larger tires? Lockers? Impute would be most appreciated. The Jeep is presently sitting on a three inch lift with 31/10.5/15 tires.

 

Lockers, you will get far better traction from it. Bigger tires will raise the height of the diff, but with bigger tires they will be wider giving you more traction but not as much as a locker

 

Here are some pictures of before and then after I was there:



Wonder if anyone will notice?
Here's the tools I got out with:


Note: I realize the thing isn't going to be invincible. I am just wondering what the next best upgrade would be.

 

a rear locker probably would have backed you right out of that spot, but a real locker not a limited slip .

 

Which first? Front or rear?

 

Sorry, this may sound dumb but I haven't looking into lockers; whats the difference between a limited slip and a locker?

 

A locker would definitely have been more helpful than bigger tires. Bigger/wider tires aren't even necessarily better in the snow. Wider tires mean the vehicles weight is dispersed over a larger area so you could actually get less traction in snow. That may have stopped you from falling in the hole in the first place, but I doubt it.

There are two basic kinds of lockers, selectable and auto. A selectable locker works with a switch, an auto locker works...automatically... when you get on the gas. Selectable lockers are more expensive. If you want a selectable locker, most people install the front locker first. If you buy an auto locker, most people install the rear first. I think general consensus is that front lockers are more beneficial, but that front auto lockers can make steering difficult (especially in snow).

Limited slip reduces torque to the slipping wheel proportionally and transfers it to the gripping wheel.

A locker connects both wheels together 100%, so they have to spin at the same speed whenever the locker is engaged.

So a limited slip is kind of like a gradual locker. For rock crawling and most offroad situations you want a full locker, although limited slip is better than nothing.

 

Yeah, I dug the hole.

 

Unfortunately, this jeep is on-road more often than off-road so what would be my best option? I like the idea of being able to just turn them on when I leave the pavement and back off for driving; are there any disadvantages to this other than being more expensive?

 

Neither! Get a new bumper and a winch!

 

Nope. They are a little more complicated so I guess more things could break, but I don't think this is really an issue.

Rubicons come with selectable lockers from the factory. They are probably the best upgrade you can make on your rig.

 

ARBs son

 

I'm prepared to winch myself out of a situation with my high-lift. Yes, I know its a pain and is slow but I'll deal with it for now. I'm just trying to increase the capability of my jeep right now and lockers and/or bigger tires seem to be the way to go.

 

Any opinions on used lockers?

 

If I was in your situation, I would go with a front locker first, mostly because I have heard a rear locker can affect daily 2wd driving in snow or other loose conditions pretty significantly. Also, in most driving conditions, there is going to be a fair bit more weight on the front axles compared to the rear. If you are willing to pay for a selectable locker, I would definitely go that route, then you can lock both front and back, and just use them when you need, and DD'ing will not be affected at all.