NXT Mod - Frt TAD or Winch

[ChuckD]

Up front have a 01' TJ LP D30 (does everyone undersatnd the code)

Wheeling type: mostly Rock, some snow/mud


FRT TAD posibilities: Get the traction when I need it.

True-Trac +cost, doesn't effect steering -not a true locker
Detriot soft locker +true locker -need Rock-Ram steering
ARB +true locker -requires additional wiring and plumbing
OX +true locker -cable adj


Winch:

Haven't decided on one, min. 8k

 

[Matt]

You shouldn't need the rockram for the detroit - would need it for the ARB if you want to wheel hard with it enganged all the time (ARB = spool when locked; OX is the same)

A winch will get you out while locking the front will just get you in farther before your stuck!

Matt

And for pete's sake do not buy the rock ram from AGR - go to Matt Hodges at West Texas Off-road - about 400$ less and much better quality control

 

[ChuckD]

The Detriot soft locker/Rock Ram is low on my list. I'm really leaning toward the winch too. You can get yourself unstuck with the winch, and only get yourself in more trouble with the Frt locker.

I've been told that any automatic locker up front in 4WD will make steering nearly impossible?

 

[Matt]

Hard but not impossible - I ran my front end welded with 33 boggers for a while - turning while still was pretty much a strong arm affair but barely do able - when you were rolling (even very small amounts) it became a hand over hand type of deal - now that I run 38.5's and a home built hydro assist system the steering is one finger (dead stop, idling, on pavement) and the front is still welded Since it works so well and I have D44 hubs on it I have yet to see the reason to spend 250$ to fix the broken ARB I bought for cheap... Maybe someday - I have a big buggy to build first though

Matt

 

[Matt]

My edit got timed out - but basically I was saying I like the warn 8274's alot but they can be a pain to fit on an XJ - the new TI's I have seen are really nice but way too much bling for me...

Matt

 

[ZPD]

I vote for a winch because my next upgrade will be a front locker and if you have a winch then you can pull me out

 

[ChuckD]

I vote for a winch because my next upgrade will be a front locker and if you have a winch then you can pull me out

Manual Locker or Automatic (lock-rite)?

 

[RCP Phx]

Unless your willing to make your winch portable so you can use from the rear,youll end up using it for everyone else!Ive typically found them pretty useless on the front,by the time your stuck forward isnt the way way to go.

 

[ChuckD]

A winch in the front would have help out quite a lot on my last snow wheeling trip. 90% of 4WD with have a winch up front, they seem to use them pretty well. I do agree, it would be nice to keep it out of the weather and hide it away from thieves.

I guess that opens up another question, can you use a front mounted winch to pull you backwards?

 

[RCP Phx]

You just use a receiver setup w/ power on both ends!

 

[ZPD]

Manual Locker or Automatic (lock-rite)?

Probably an automatic because of cost and I still have a disco front axle. I can rig it up to unlock the axle if I need to.

 

[Neil]

I just got the go ahead to get an ARB and the new gears. So next time I can run the tree down the whole side of my rig instead of just the front fender. Here is what I'm thinking: Spool in the rear ARB up front and 4.88's. Sound good? Any other ideas?

 

[ChuckD]

You just use a receiver setup w/ power on both ends!

I know how to mount a portable winch, I guess I have to paint a better picture.

Is there a way to use a permanently mounted front winch, and use it to pull you from behind? The only idea I had was to use block & tackles underneath the vechicle.

BTW I hardly ever go alone on the trail anyway. So either someone can strap me from behind or if they have a winch they can pull me out.

The other problem with a portable, lets say you get stuck and your heavy winch is in the back and you need it up front. And your front is burried, but if you had a permentaly mounted winch you could just pull the line and pull your self out.

Niel, go for it sounds good to me. The sooner the better, then I can get the old D44 from you.

 

[dmillion]

A front TAD gets you farther down the trail. A winch gets you out when you're stuck. In that sense they really serve two completely different purposes.

Whether or not you need a winch is another question. Do you go out by yourself sometimes? Then you should definitely have one. Do you go out with folks whose 4x4s are not as capable as yours? In other words, are you going to be the one who's expected to pull others out? Then you should probably have one. Do you always go out with a club full of very capable 4-wheelers? Then you probably don't need one.

If you get one, the multi-mount approach, so that it can pull from either the front or the rear, is far superior in terms of practical useability. Of course, it's not as macho looking as a big, beefy, front winch bumper--if looks are what you're after.

 

[ChuckD]

Look at most bumper hitch mounts, it's right there in the front where it should be. Very accessible, but if it has a portable winch on it, the winch become very vulnerable without the protection from a fully enclosed bumper. I don't mind body damage, but a $1,000 winch is something I would want to protect. That's why I asking about alternatives to using the permanently mounted winch.

During my last trip, they made me take lead , if I had a Frt TAD most likely I could have made it further down trail, but if I had a winch I could definitely have gotten out of any sticky spot that would have been in front of me.

Most of the guys I run with, none of them have any wiches, they are set up as well, if not better than me.

 

[Gary E]

I USED to think I didn't really need a winch since I go with a group normally, I always thought a tow strap was easier and faster then unspooling and respooling a winch..................Then I went to JV..............

On two occasions I had to inconvience the rig in front of me to have them turn around to winch me out.

btw, no type of limited slip counts as a TAD on the rocks in my book

 

[ChuckD]

That's what I'm talking about, Thanks Gary. I will eventually get a TAD, but I want to start saving my money for a winch. I could also sell it to my wife, "Hunny, I can get back from my trail rides sooner if I had a winch, I won't get stuck"

 

[TRL WGN 1]

Winch all the way
A winch should be one of the first mods anyone does, but it never is. Wheeling has been much more fun for me, since I put my winch on. I no longer have to worry near as much about which trail I take, because I know that I can get through it.

as far as having the winch on the rear, I would hardly ever use it back there (unless pulling someone else out) because I am usually trying to advance down a trail. Pulling out backwards doesn't get me further.

 

[dmillion]

Pulling backwards doesn't get you any further, AND THAT'S THE POINT!!! Sometimes, you get in deep enough that going forwards isn't an option. I have probably used my winch from the back more often than I have from the front.

 

[4ward]

Don't you own a come-along or a high-lift?

ALL 4 WHEELS MUST PARTICIPATE.

After all these years, I still don't own a winch and can probably count the # of times someone has hooked on to me with both hands and maybe 1 foot (cuz I can't count that high in my head). You can tell your S.O. that you'll get home quicker with a front locker cuz you won't have to pull cable to get over that silly little obstacle.

Sean