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DO you even need lockers BRO?

Maximus Gladius

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Great question OP and great reading from everyone. I've come over from the dark side having owned and drove for 3 years a 2017 Tacoma with no lockers but in my line of "side" work being road side recovery, I was always wishing I had lockers (and a necessary winch, that I still don't have but researching,...leaning ultimately for the 12k Warn Zeon). I would be in those situations in the winter that I'd have to put my truck in zones of being stuck with those who really were stuck and needing a pull and all I had was 90' of recovery straps. I always got people out but there were many times I was almost ready to call a tow truck to get me out but luckily I didn't have too. I researched lockers a bit and was budgeting to have both done and regearing. Was prepared to spend around $4-5k for that. Then I hit an elk which wrote off the truck, Toyota screwed me over with stealing from me (corporate theft I called it) and then they made me wait 3 months for an order that at the end said because of COVID they couldn't make the truck and .....

I CAME OVER TO JEEP!!!

The wife said she wanted me to get the JTR as it had the lockers and the 8 speed auto and towing was better. She was not willing to go through another 3 years of listening to me whine about needing lockers, regearing, bigger tires, better transmission, better headlights and fogs etc, etc....

Locker supports when pulling someone out of deep snow is a dream, easier treatment on our vehicles and is a confidence builder.

A huge shout out to Toyota for screwing me over many times throughout the 3 years I thought there was nothing better. I was so wrong.
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maddocmuc

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Would have gone for the Rubicon instead of the 80 edition but Rubicon was not avaliable in europe so it seems at the time my wife bought the gladiator for my birthday....
 

Imbuere

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Some people will get value out of them, some won't. If you don't, then don't buy a rubi.

I've been in tons of situations where I needed them and many more where if I slipped, Id be hoping my first stop is the hospital and not somewhere else. In those cases, I'll use everything I've got just to do anything I can to reduce the risk.
 

XJADDICTION

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Best reason to buy the Rubicon is for the resale value. The lockers are just a bonus.
IMOP this is a stupid statement. I buy an overpriced depreciating asset ( no matter which trim) Jeep for resale value. This has been debunked MANY times.
 

XJADDICTION

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The Overland especially in early production gave you colored fender flares, LED lights, colored top, leather interior, top line stereo etc. none of that available on the sport back then and not all available now on the sport. The overland is a good vehicle for certain people, the sport, the sport s, the sport s Max Tow, the Rubicon, the Mojave all choices we choose to make whether for finances or general use.

I see A LOT, of Rubicon owners trying to justify their purchase, more so than any other trim. Since I have personally owned a Rubicon as well as many other Jeeps with lockers. I can say that 99% of people that purchase the Rubicon rarely take it off road where lockers are necessary or just dd an expensive Wrangler or Gladiator “limited” model because they want people to be jealous of their hood sticker.

So really, who is justifying their purchase? Many other threads I see it and also notice the Ruby owners jumping into other threads to trash Overland’s and Sports. There are just a few Rubicon owners on here doing this, not many, but you must be swinging light little men to continue doing this. 😁
 

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NachoRuby

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I can say that 99% of people that purchase the Rubicon rarely take it off road where lockers are necessary
Sort of agree, except I'd argue that 99% of all Jeeps never go off road, regardless off the trim. Wranglers, Gladiators, old CJs, whatever. Some people don't buy them to off road them. It's kind of like buying a Porsche and not taking it to the track. Nothing wrong with that.
When we first bought our TJ, I had no interest in off roading it at all. I just needed a car with 4wd, and it was cheap (Those were the days. Cheap jeeps). Eventually, we got into off-roading though. I remember saying to my wife "It really can do all the stuff in the commercials!" There's a small minority of jeep owners who actually off road, and we better thank those who don't, because they make up the sales volume. Most folks buy them because they want an SUV (or truck), and jeeps are just about the coolest you can find. There are at least 8 wranglers of all trims including a couple Rubicons in my neighborhood. Of these, 1 other lifted JK sport is the only one to have ever left the pavement. That's fine.
 
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MrJeep

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My 2 cents from exactly 30 years of off roading (last month, damn...) mostly in the north east so not desert or desert rocks like Moab.
Once you off road enough you try to see how far you can go without them because, at least in my SWB '04 Rubicon, it does feel like a cheat button. Even the newest brake modulation systems still don't quite "know" exactly what situation you are in or what to do, just locking them up manually or unlocking them is like pulling a trigger while off road. It is so much more satisfying than a computer.
They have gotten a lot better since I wheeled with a guy in a brand new at the time WJ with the brake type system (that one was WAY over hyped, "like lockers built into your brakes", it just didn't work in 75% of off road situations) but it's still just not as good as "pulling the trigger."
All this said, I recently off roaded with a guy with an unlocked Gladiator and 2" lift and he did everything I did in the Rubicon lockered TJ with 3" and 33s and actually had an advantage on the hill climbs due to wheelbase.
 

Toyfrog

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Yeah, the hockey puck Toyo MTs I had on the Power Wagon didn't help matters. Basically on any surface where traction broke (hard pack snow/ice), the LSD would send me off the road in the direction of the slope, rear-first. Agree that the KO2s do great in the snow as I had them on a few JKs. Thinking about moving to 315/70/17 KO2s on the JT. The stock Wildpeak ATs seem to be good tires, but not sure I want to have to order them in 35s and be stuck with the E-load ride.
Love the c rated 315/70/17 KO’2. That’s the reason I went with the 315, don’t want an E rated tire.

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mdyucca

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IMOP this is a stupid statement. I buy an overpriced depreciating asset ( no matter which trim) Jeep for resale value. This has been debunked MANY times.
A lot of folks buy something less than a Rubicon then do all sorts of mods in attempt to get the JT they bought to be able to do what a Rubicon can do from the factory. By the time you add up all the dollars spent on mods they could have bought a Rubicon. Then when they are done with all the mods you go see the Blue Book Value and it is less than that of a Rubicon's and less desirable. I advise people to get what they want at initial purchase and don't be stupid with your money. I don't have a Rubicon but my Gladiator works fine for what I do.
 

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JoseQ_80

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I won't lose sleep over not having lockers, knowing what the stock TC systems can do and what situations to avoid. Learning about line selection will be enough for now.
 
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ZTMAN

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I never thought I would ever need lockers, until I needed them.

Went on on a one lane forestry road over a mountain during the spring thaw/freeze cycle.

Got into a portion of "road" about half way up where the snow had melted over the rutted tire tracks. Road was all ice. Was in 4wd and started to slide backwards when JTR lost momentum.

Eventually got the Jeep to stop. Engaged lockers, and up we went. If I did not have the lockers I would still be there.
 
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SoGlad

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Was unsure about Max Tow vs Rubi, decided to go Max Tow and go aftermarket if I found a need. Did a side by side compare at Budweiser Hill in Grayling, Michigan. I was Max Tow he was Rubi. He was new to sand and tried about ten times. He pushed every button he had to try and get up the hill. I even tried to coach him on shifting and throttle, which just pissed him off. I finally got out and asked if he wanted to ride in mine. He said no, see you at the bottom (or some junk like that...) I had experience enough to run half pressure, high rpm, trac off (sailed up the first try.) Max Tow isn't as sexy, but the LSD is good enough for what I do. I can always go locker if I change to a different terrain type. LSD for towing was what made the option attractive to me. I get Rubi and Moab but I haven't found the limitations yet to justify the expense. Pull my boat, hit the dunes, go to work no matter the weather, make my wife mad when climbing into my rig, what else is there? More than anything, I wish for locking hubs. Since the photo, I got a lift & 35s and all the rotational mass eat the mpgs. I need to try the hill again this summer to see how she does with the new kit. And yes I'll be overlanding soon too, so maybe...

Jeep Gladiator DO you even need lockers BRO? 2020090695154439


Jeep Gladiator DO you even need lockers BRO? 2020090695154459
 
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spectre6000

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It's been said. Lots of people justifying life choices. That's about 75% of what forums are anyway, so to be expected.

The bottom line is that not everyone encounters scenarios where lockers are needed, be it due to use case or environment. Not everyone who does knows how to use them when they do. If you have the experience, you can probably figure out a way to get by without them; momentum, LSD, a particular line, or turn around. Conversely, if you don't have that experience, you can often make up for it with lockers. The same blind spot exists if all you have is a hammer or if you've never encountered one; all nails or no nails. Lockers are a tool. The truck itself is a tool. If you need the tool, and know how to use the tool, it's a fantastic thing to have when you need it. If you don't or you don't, you can probably get by OK without it. There absolutely exist scenarios where the problem is completely and totally a nail, and while that's not the most common scenario, it's common enough that lots of people have hammers and are glad they do.
 

brianinca

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One of my best buds built up his (used) '04 Overland WJ in a big way. While still only on 33's he swapped axles to get rid of the "Gerotor" hydraulic pump up lockers, went to an eLocker in front and a Detroit in the back. New 241 t-case, etc. I was on the snow run that he decided they weren't sufficient. He's now on 4.56's, 35's and a self fabricated 7.5" lift and his Jeep is a beast. When he puts the D60's in I'm gonna have axle envy.

My 2 cents from exactly 30 years of off roading (last month, damn...) mostly in the north east so not desert or desert rocks like Moab.
Once you off road enough you try to see how far you can go without them because, at least in my SWB '04 Rubicon, it does feel like a cheat button. Even the newest brake modulation systems still don't quite "know" exactly what situation you are in or what to do, just locking them up manually or unlocking them is like pulling a trigger while off road. It is so much more satisfying than a computer.
They have gotten a lot better since I wheeled with a guy in a brand new at the time WJ with the brake type system (that one was WAY over hyped, "like lockers built into your brakes", it just didn't work in 75% of off road situations) but it's still just not as good as "pulling the trigger."
All this said, I recently off roaded with a guy with an unlocked Gladiator and 2" lift and he did everything I did in the Rubicon lockered TJ with 3" and 33s and actually had an advantage on the hill climbs due to wheelbase.
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