Winch or LSD?

Just as the title says. I’m considering either a

1) SDHQ hidden mount and a 10k lb winch or
2) Power trax Pro LSD

My budget will only accommodate one for the time being. Usage:

Primarily hunting trips. Usually by myself. Concerns are primarily snow conditions, with some gumbo.

This pickup also sees a decent amount of city and highway usage, with some long road trips in inclement snowy weather (which kind of steers me to a LSD).

Pickup is stock except for Eibach Pro Truck Stage 1 and Icon expansion packs. 33” Goodyear Duratracs.

 

I would do LSD. I have a winch, but when I am stuck and by myself that is as far forward as I plan on going. The LSD will help keep traction to back out.

edit: this is also coming from just getting stuck in snow with nothing to winch from. A bit more traction may or may not have helped. And the winch does come in handy also.

 

Winch. The one thing that can save you if you get stuck. The LSD will just help you get a bit further before getting more stuck. Also the powertrax isn't great for offroading type stuff imo, it needs power to lock up which usually means in the dirt you have wheel spin. Granted 3 wheels spinning is better than 2, but you end up breaking traction to try and get more traction.... Better off just airing down to 8psi, and when the shit hits the fan you have the winch, which when you're alone is really what you want.

EDIT: you also say the LSD for snowy highway weather, again, the powertrax is really shining when you're trying to accelerate like at a stop light or pulling out from a pull off, etc. During normal driving it's not really doing anything. It's funny, the powertrax is a "we aren't moving at all and need a lot of power put down" versus like an Auburn that is "we always put some power down but can't necessarily put a lot down". Over Christmas I was driving to Colorado and Vail pass shut down and I was one of the last vehicles on the interstate before they closed it down behind us. I was one of two people to try one of the cop turn arounds to just go back the other way. The instant I felt we were losing traction I floored it since I knew the only hope was getting the powertrax to lock up and that involved just spinning everything. In that regard a locker or the auburn might've allowed me to do a more composed lane change. Though that story might argue for the powertrax over the winch be aware of the pros and cons I guess is the take away.

 

I’m not all that well versed on LSD systems. Is an Auburn style better for off road?

I do air down as much as possible. I don’t have beadlockers (TRD off road rims) so I’m still playing around with minimum PSI. Lowest I’ve gone is 20 so far.

 

Should add a poll for this.

I think it really comes down to your terrain. Can’t beat a winch when you need a winch. However you may never need it. LSD helps do what your truck already does, just makes it a little better.

I was in a similar boat, was leaning toward a winch. I was waiting for a sale and ended up picking up some traction boards for under $300 (maxtrax). I have been really impressed by them in sand and snow. Got an RV off a soft sand beach in Nebraska and got myself out of a 4+’ deep heavy snow drift (last winter when I wanted to find my trucks limits) with a shovel, traction boards, and 20 minutes of effort. I had to climb out the window it was so deep and heavy.

 

Haha been there done that.

 

Is an air or e- locker an option for you versus the LSD?

 

I've never seen a true comparison, but to me it logically makes sense. The powertrax is gear driven, and in my experience needs considerable power to do much. Once it gets going it's an animal, but there's times I've had it not do much since I wasn't giving enough throttle to make it engage. An Auburn or other clutch/friction based setups would seemingly always be applying the same "slip limiting". They are essentially 100% engaged all the time, but are tame enough that they can be forced to slip during cornering and such. Think of it like 25% slip limiting 100% of the time, or for the powertrax it's 100% slip limiting 25% of the time. For offroading you're usually using low power and trying to be smooth, where the Auburn will be at it's prime since it's doing all of its available work then. The powertrax on the other hand going slow will do nothing, but if you punch it and decide speed is the answer then it will be as good as a locker.

An analogy would be a low horsepower, broad powerband engine-- vs a high horsepower, peaky engine. One pulls a lot harder, but is a lot more situational. The other is always pulling but not nearly as much. That's my understanding of the two systems, albeit I only have experience with the powertrax.

Also don't be afraid to air down more. You do you, but if you ever get stuck and you're alone and gonna spend the night, drop that tire pressure low af. Better to drive really slow to a gas station, than sleep in the woods. At 10psi you should be pretty safe without beadlocks if you don't see a lot of lateral load, don't be afraid of single digits for a SHTF scenario.

 

Good to know. On my previous Dodge Ram I never aired down, but I could chain up all fours.

 

That LSD won’t help you load an elk in your truck, pull downed trees out of the road, or help another motorist get unstuck.

 

I was gonna suggest LSD + a dead man for this guy’s stated use… but if he’s in a place with trees or big boulders that a winch could attach to, he’d for sure be a better neighbor with a winch than an LSD.

 

Elk = quarters in a backpack
Trees = chainsaw, but I could see winch helping somewhat

 

I noticed Smittybuilt winches are on sale for the lowest price in a year at 4WP today.

 

Possibly. I haven’t really looked into it because I assumed a LSD would be a better option for a rig that wasn’t a dedicated off road vehicle.

 

A locker is nice since it is locked or not. It does not effect the daily driver and has lots of off-road benefit. I had a rear locker on my Tacoma and it was great. I didn’t run a winch on that truck and never really felt that I needed one (for self recovery). It will cost more but I feel is a worth while option if you are going to open up the diff anyway. Purely my opinion.

 

I would do the winch myself. Not biased or anything

 

Why not both

 

$$$$$

 

Neither, a good 3 ton comealong with a block, a couple of snatch blocks, good ropes/straps, a shovel with a fiberglass handle, a set of boards and maybe some strap on blocks if your rims and caliper clearance allow for mounting. These items just simply deliver more flexibilty IMO. I just phone a friend or two if things go nuts.

 

Rarely, if ever an option.

 

This.

 

Can you elaborate?

 

Also, I already carry a good shovel and tire chains for the rears. I’ll be adding a set of traction boards too.

 

Hide your winch money in the truck, it will be there when you need a tow truck.

 

While I don’t disagree with your suggestions some places do not have any good anchor sites. And, when in the snow, deadman and other inserted anchors are often not an option for a come-a-long.

 

Yep. Cell service can get a bit iffy out in the sticks.

 

That is why I buy the beer and steaks sometimes, and pay my phone bill.

 

I'm planning on getting another Smitty X20 but going with the E locker first. Both will be ideal for my use.

 

I’m guessing the cost of a winch might not pay my tow bill in some places.