Posted: 1/17/2011 1:22:09 PM EDT
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I currently have an F150 which is a great road truck but I'm looking for something smaller and off road friendly. I'm thinking a Tocoma 4x4 or a Jeep Wrangler.
There are only two of us and a Great Dane. I like the idea of something relativly small with decent mileage and pull a strong utility trailer. Suggestions?? |
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Quoted: I currently have an F150 which is a great road truck but I'm looking for something smaller and off road friendly. I'm thinking a Tocoma 4x4 or a Jeep Wrangler. There are only two of us and a Great Dane. I like the idea of something relativly small with decent mileage and pull a strong utility trailer. Suggestions?? Is your F150 a 4x4? I really do not see where you will gain enough to justify a trade. Jeeps are not good on gas if they have any power to tow a trailer. Jeeps are short which makes them more demanding to use as a tow vehicle. A V6 Taco will get a bit better gas mileage than a V8 F150, but the V6 will not like to pull a trailer as a V8 can. If the trail you want to drive is so tight that the F150 can't go, then a trailer will probably not go either. |
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My F150 is 2wd
Unfortunately because of medical problims our bugging out will probably be bugging in or near our house. My F150 is great but really big. I was thinking that the Tacoma or Jeep and trailer would give us more flexibility on where we could drive ... not anticipating climbing rocky slopes ... just dirt roads and fields. Also, we're minamilist kinds of people ... low drag low weight (except for the dog) so the trailer load would not be too extreme ... some fuel, water, food, defensive ammo, sleeping bags ... that kind of stuff. Think of BOB for the BOV 
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I own a 2004 6cyl Wranger. Given your fuel mileage requirement, I'd say a 4cyl Tacoma. The mileage on the Wrangler is going to suck and a 6cyl Taco won't be much better. Also, getting your dane in/out of the wrangler won't be convenient unless you have a 4 door or a hardtop. The softop has a bar across the back which requires you to zipper up the window and lift up before anything of that size can climb into the rear. That, and there won't be any cargo space in the wrangler after your doggy crawls in... |
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I posted a thread a few weeks ago about my experience with my new (to me ) Wrangler
here it is (hardcore Jeep guys will defend these things until the end –– but i'm more open minded) Wrangler as a BOV? Not for me Mine is a regular wheelbase 2 door –– i understand you gain some room with the new JK 4 doors or an Unlimited (stretched) model, but you wouldnt gain any width –– and they are tiny inside- as in Geo Metro tiny. 2 full size adults and a Great Dane will all get on each other's nerves fast on a real trip. My current experiences with mine suggest to me that while the Wrangler is a fine toy, a BOV it is not (unless you tow a trailer, but is that something you are going to have time or inclination to jack with when it is time to BO? ) a trailer also limits maneuverability in tight spots a bit –– not necesarilly going forward, but if you have to back out. Since my Jeep still has factory small wheels and tires and no lift, it gets about as good a mileage as one can get with one, which is around 18 highway on a calm day - (its a 5 speed with the 4.0 straight 6) . Your F-150 should be able to do that. You can buy safari type racks and other racks to strap all kinds of stuff down on top and in back of the Jeep –– something which i have looked into as well, but stacking it tall also cuts into the mpg's - and when you buy a set of pretty off road tires too –– i'd bet the gas consumption would be around 13-14 MPG. Now we are in the same territory of fuel consumption as a full size F-150 4wd (i have one of those as a DD) –– and the bigger Ford tows more, totes more, has more interior room (mine's an X-cab) - and if equipped with a cap, has as much lockable storage space as a Jeep with trailer, without having to stack cases of stuff on roof racks and the like I think a Jeep is one of those things you have to try out at least once in your life though ––- i'm not selling mine despite its shortcomings . ITs a blast for recreational use and if i have to BO, the Jeep may be on a towbar behind the F-150, IDK––the whole 2 is 1 thing. The Tacoma i am not that familiar with –––– but i am sure the same good things i said about a full size F-150 apply to the Tacoma too, compact trucks are really not that compact anymore. |
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Quoted:
I posted a thread a few weeks ago about my experience with my new (to me ) Wrangler here it is (hardcore Jeep guys will defend these things until the end –– but i'm more open minded) Wrangler as a BOV? Not for me Mine is a regular wheelbase 2 door –– i understand you gain some room with the new JK 4 doors or an Unlimited (stretched) model, but you wouldnt gain any width –– and they are tiny inside- as in Geo Metro tiny. 2 full size adults and a Great Dane will all get on each other's nerves fast on a real trip. My current experiences with mine suggest to me that while the Wrangler is a fine toy, a BOV it is not (unless you tow a trailer, but is that something you are going to have time or inclination to jack with when it is time to BO? ) a trailer also limits maneuverability in tight spots a bit –– not necesarilly going forward, but if you have to back out. Since my Jeep still has factory small wheels and tires and no lift, it gets about as good a mileage as one can get with one, which is around 18 highway on a calm day - (its a 5 speed with the 4.0 straight 6) . Your F-150 should be able to do that. You can buy safari type racks and other racks to strap all kinds of stuff down on top and in back of the Jeep –– something which i have looked into as well, but stacking it tall also cuts into the mpg's - and when you buy a set of pretty off road tires too –– i'd bet the gas consumption would be around 13-14 MPG. Now we are in the same territory of fuel consumption as a full size F-150 4wd (i have one of those as a DD) –– and the bigger Ford tows more, totes more, has more interior room (mine's an X-cab) - and if equipped with a cap, has as much lockable storage space as a Jeep with trailer, without having to stack cases of stuff on roof racks and the like I think a Jeep is one of those things you have to try out at least once in your life though ––- i'm not selling mine despite its shortcomings . ITs a blast for recreational use and if i have to BO, the Jeep may be on a towbar behind the F-150, IDK––the whole 2 is 1 thing. The Tacoma i am not that familiar with –––– but i am sure the same good things i said about a full size F-150 apply to the Tacoma too, compact trucks are really not that compact anymore. Pretty accurate representation of a Wrangler if your idea of bugging out is an "on road/dirt road" experience. The inline 6's while they have great power for what they are, they get piss poor gas mileage(my 98 Cherokee gets 14.3-15.1 on 33's with 5.5" of lift). Wranglers definitely are VERY small(but if you bought it for a family vehicle/ travel vehicle then you didn't do too much test driving or research before hand). Now a few positive things. They come with solid front and rear axles. Meaning when you do go offroad you do not lose ground clearance between the axles and the ground as the suspension flexes. Independent suspension vehicles will easily drag the front diff/skid plates if you do ANY kind of decent wheeling. After market support is very good for any Jeep. For people seriously going off road(deep mud, rocks/trees or tight trails) there is not much out there that will hang with a lightly modded Jeep. I laugh at the guys with full size trucks, 8" of lift and 35's that can't even make it through half the stuff I have. They weigh a ton so they sink up to the axles in even light mud, they are wide as hell so tight trails are a no go and they tend to be very top heavy and scary to be driving in when the path leans to one side or the other. If someone is going to BO and they are going to be on trails out in a forest or on really nasty terrain then the Wrangler is great. For an on road BO or dirt road environment then there are infinitely more vehicles that will do a better job than a Wrangler. Just my experience from being around/modifying vehicles for a long time. |
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You'll have convinced me that the Jeep is not the way to go.
The Tacoma looks great and Toyota's are the vehicle of choice for Technical in Africa and just about everyone else. But looking at other choices for a smaller 4x4 pickup how about a Ranger? I've had 2wd Rangers in the past and they were great but what about a 4x4? A Nissan? Or even a Chevy or Dodge?? |
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A jeep would make a decent supplementary vehicle to a bug in/out plan. However making it a a true work horse will cost you some money. They are severely underpowered and the stock axles are not nearly as strong as desirable (unless you get a Rubicon). With a Rubicon you get better axles but still have only 200 hp. You can get a supercharger kit for an additional 4k and then have someone install it.
If I had to bet my life on a Jeep, it would cost a lot of money. I would possibly look at an older bronco. They are tough as nails, there are plenty of spare parts and not terribly expensive. Getting one with 4wd and a tow package won't be too hard. Just my two cents. |
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You'll have convinced me that the Jeep is not the way to go. The Tacoma looks great and Toyota's are the vehicle of choice for Technical in Africa and just about everyone else. But looking at other choices for a smaller 4x4 pickup how about a Ranger? I've had 2wd Rangers in the past and they were great but what about a 4x4? A Nissan? Or even a Chevy or Dodge?? Rangers do not tow well. The A4LD automatic transmissions are not well equipped for towing much more than a small trailer. On the bright side, they are not too hard to pull out and fairly inexpensive to R and R. I am not a big fan of Toyota's. I work at an independent shop and see a bunch of Toyotas their reliability is extremely over exaggerated. Their parts are expensive and tougher to find outside a dealership. If you end up getting a Ranger get a manual transmission the FM-146 is a great transmission but it will relegate you to a four cylinder engine. It is all about compromise with any smaller BOV. Larger ones have their drawbacks too, mostly fuel economy. |
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You'll have convinced me that the Jeep is not the way to go. The Tacoma looks great and Toyota's are the vehicle of choice for Technical in Africa and just about everyone else. But looking at other choices for a smaller 4x4 pickup how about a Ranger? I've had 2wd Rangers in the past and they were great but what about a 4x4? A Nissan? Or even a Chevy or Dodge?? A look in the background of this pic reveals both a Wrangler and a Ranger 4x4 outfitted with some serious racks –– looks like a safari rack on the Jeep and a contractor's ladder rack or something on the Ranger ––- i think setups like that are a good start when dealing with a compact vehicle (Sorry i couldnt crop out my wife and zoom in on the vehicles –– not that technically proficient 
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Check out the Nissan Frontier. I looked hard at the Toyota and always wanted one but the Nissan won out (just my opinion, dont attack me Toyota guys  ). The gas mileage is fair for a V6 but after driving a Jeep with oversized tires for 10 yrs, it seems great to me.
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You'll have convinced me that the Jeep is not the way to go. The Tacoma looks great and Toyota's are the vehicle of choice for Technical in Africa and just about everyone else. But looking at other choices for a smaller 4x4 pickup how about a Ranger? I've had 2wd Rangers in the past and they were great but what about a 4x4? A Nissan? Or even a Chevy or Dodge?? My vote goes to the Taco. If all you are towing is a utility trailer, the V6 will handle that fine. My brother has an 06 TRD Tacoma and we towed my Eagle Talon from NC to OH. Trailer weighed in at slightly less than 2k lbs and the Talon weighed 3100 lbs. It struggled in the mountains and required downshifting to 3rd some (truck is a 6 speed) but overall we were pretty happy with it. If you keep the trailer weight under 3k lbs I do not see any reason why a newer V6 Taco would not handle it fine. |
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I like my little 4x4 V6 1993 Explorer. They go for around 2-3000 bucks and are widely available in clean, well maintained shape. From the factory it's set up for off road. 4wd E-locker in the front, limited slip in the rear. Skid plates on everything, splash guards over electronics in the engine bay. Fully loaded with stuff I got 19mpg moving from Pensacola, back to Seattle doing 90 mph most the time. I've bugged out in it twice for Hurricanes, and can attest to the need of a good 4wd system. It's how I got past 12 lanes of northbound traffic. Driving in the median behind all the other 4x4's passing the gridlock (too soft for 2wd cars). With the rear seats down, I can lay out flat in the back (6'2") with a little room to spare to rack out. Or, if I want to load a ton of stuff I can fit about 18 14 gallon Rubbermaid tubs in the back. The weak point is the transmission. Mine went out after 170k miles (some of them were pretty hard). $1650 to rebuild, which is pretty cheap as far as an auto rebuild goes. |
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Quoted: Quoted: You'll have convinced me that the Jeep is not the way to go. The Tacoma looks great and Toyota's are the vehicle of choice for Technical in Africa and just about everyone else. But looking at other choices for a smaller 4x4 pickup how about a Ranger? I've had 2wd Rangers in the past and they were great but what about a 4x4? A Nissan? Or even a Chevy or Dodge?? A look in the background of this pic reveals both a Wrangler and a Ranger 4x4 outfitted with some serious racks –– looks like a safari rack on the Jeep and a contractor's ladder rack or something on the Ranger ––- i think setups like that are a good start when dealing with a compact vehicle (Sorry i couldnt crop out my wife and zoom in on the vehicles –– not that technically proficient http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb285/streetstar707/DSC03719.jpg I'll let you stick to your story, but I think you just wanted to show off her smile. I'll help you with an opsec smile  Here are the trucks enlarged; they get a little pixelated  |
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You'll have convinced me that the Jeep is not the way to go. The Tacoma looks great and Toyota's are the vehicle of choice for Technical in Africa and just about everyone else. But looking at other choices for a smaller 4x4 pickup how about a Ranger? I've had 2wd Rangers in the past and they were great but what about a 4x4? A Nissan? Or even a Chevy or Dodge?? A look in the background of this pic reveals both a Wrangler and a Ranger 4x4 outfitted with some serious racks –– looks like a safari rack on the Jeep and a contractor's ladder rack or something on the Ranger ––- i think setups like that are a good start when dealing with a compact vehicle (Sorry i couldnt crop out my wife and zoom in on the vehicles –– not that technically proficient [/url] url] PA 22-400 is da man ––- at least now when my girlfriends are looking at ARFCOM, they wont get jealous of me posting a pic of the wife ! but seriously ––––––––- I cant think of a more ugly situation for a vehicle than to be subjected to Baywatch duty ––- long hours of idling , sugar sand that works its way into everything, etc etc. I can imagine a 3/4 ton HD burying itself axle deep in that mess due to the weight. This photo is not that recent and i dont know what the beach patrol uses this year, but the Ranger's were out in abundance . Racks make all the difference in the world with a small vehicle if it otherwise has enough power for everything else i think |
Keep in mind a lot of 4WD's aren't really true 4WD. It all depends on the differentials. I've seen 4x4's get stuck against an icy curb. I also found a 2WD van that made it about 20 miles back in the bush in Canada once. Sure he got stuck in a wide creek but it just amazed me that guy got that far. Turned out he had a locker (Detroit Locker) in the read differential. If he'd had a winch I'm convinced he would never have been there when we came along. Lesson was just like with firearms, the gun is only as good as the guy shooting it and a vehicle is only as good as it's driver. And the full size wheelbase comes in handy when crossing big mud holes as often, the front would lose traction while the rear still has it then the rear loses traction but the front end then has reached an area where it can gain a purchase on more solid terrain, with 4WD of course. I have a full size 4x4 and got the Jeep bug once. My buddy just laughed when he found out 'cause it happened to him too. Not to knock Jeeps cause I've seen them go through some really tight places but around here there's more mud than rock climbing. Needless to say I got the Jeep stuck in the middle of a large mud hole where my truck walked through effortlessly...sold the Jeep to another friend with the Jeep bug. Last I heard he sold it to a relative, CHEAP to get rid of it. Went back to his big truck. And the Jeep crowd can flame all they want, it just didn't work out for us around farm country where you need to be able to pull vehicles out of the ditch in bad winter weather and load up at the mill at planting time. 
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I can imagine a 3/4 ton HD burying itself axle deep in that mess due to the weight. 
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/SD70MAC/Dodge%20Ram/BeachedRam.jpg Shows what i get for imagining too much 
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I can imagine a 3/4 ton HD burying itself axle deep in that mess due to the weight.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/SD70MAC/Dodge%20Ram/BeachedRam.jpg ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you want a truck, buy a REAL truck. IMHO the F150 is a car with a very large trunk. I've owned multiple trucks and one Jeep XJ in the last 25 years. I've owned 4 FS 2wd 1/2 ton rigs, one 4wd diesel Blazer, and my current DD/BOV/trailer toter, a 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins similar to the above.Take this FWIW.. I used my half ton trucks for work trucks, hauling tools and what not back and forth to job sites. I went thru tires, wheel and axle bearings, and front end parts like crazy due to the loading. Eventually I was issued a company truck (3/4 ton FS diesel van) and was able to go for an SUV (Blazer) which was also my first 4wd and diesel. I bought a couple of utility trailers for hauling once I got the Blazer. The Blazer was marginal even for a weekend camping trip with my family. My kid at the time was considerably smaller than a Great Dane and he had stuff piled on the back seat beside him. We usually ended up with gear piled up and tied down on the roof rack. Even at that, it was our preferred weekender vehicle due to the diesel and 4x4. It got about 18 MPG driven conservatively and there is no place I wouldn't go with it. I got it stuck twice, high centered both times, due to driver error. Currently the old heap has over 300k miles on it, and we still use it to plow snow. I'd still be driving it if it was not for the body rust. Next up is the XJ Cherokee. It's even smaller than the Blazer and we only took one trip with it, and we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies with stuff tied all over it. The Jeep is almost as reliable as the Blazer, but it is way too small for a BOV, and it does not handle a trailer well either. Also, 14 to 16 MPG is the best it will do, and it has a 19 gallon fuel tank, and requires frequent refueling on a trip of any length. It is still in service, the wife uses it when the weather is crummy and I drive it on occasion. I currently drive a Dodge 2500 diesel 4x4. I learned via the Jeep and Blazer that 4x4 is not optional for a BOV. Limited off-road capability is a near necessity for detouring around obstacles via the median, etc, not to mention all weather capability WRT snow, ice, etc. I learned via the Blazer that diesel is FAR better for a BOV than gas. Look at the Rita bugout where gas disappeared in a matter of hours but diesel was available. Truck stops refuel dozens if not hundreds of semi rigs a day at 100 gallons each and have huge underground tanks as a result. A 4wd pickup with a 35 gallon tank is a drop in the bucket.. Diesels will run on other fuels, such as kerosene, Jet A, JP8, mineral spirits (VarSol) as well as canola oil, flitered frying grease, light lube oil, etc. The one and only place I had to look to find diesel fuel was Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. If you live in a giant suburb, you may have to look to find a diesel station, but once on the road, those big rigs are getting fuel somewhere.. As to offroad capability, I've been all over the place in a nearby offroad park and I went everywhere the Jeeps went with my Dodge. Tall tires, straight axles, and a good spotter will take you anywhere you need to go offroad, and i don't see picking my way thru a tree maze as a good way to BO. Even at that, a FS 4x4 truck can push, pull, or drag damn near anything out of the way and I don't see how a FS is any disadvantage. BTW the Dodge gets 18 to 19 MPG with a fuel mileage tune, and gets 15 MPG towing a 5000 lb travel trailer at 75 MPH... Jeeps are fun, but they are a toy. Ops |
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. I've had 2wd Rangers in the past and they were great but what about a 4x4? ... Unless Ford has recently (say the last 5 years) improved the running gear on their 4x4 Rangers I would skip that option. ETA: I see Ops has posted. As usual, he is spot on. You can do alot with an XJ and Jeep trailer, but a diesel crewcab gives up little in offroad capability and give you lots more in cargo capablity. |
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Thanks for all the advice.
I've spent a lot of time on dirt and sand roads in Georgia and I have seldom if ever really needed a 4 x 4 ... they seem to get you into trouble that can be avoided. The one time I really wanted it was when I started down a logging road that lead to the bottoms of the Ocmulgee in an old Chevy PU ... the road abruptly ended and I spent most of the day with a come-along dragging that old thing up onto level ground. Stupid but I learned a lesson! My thinking now is to keep my F150 but modify it a bit ... beef up the suspension, lager wheels and better tires. That way I can handle the dirt roads with ease ... south Georgia red clay or sand ... and still have the payload capacity and room that I want so that, if needed, we can relocate to an old house/cabin in Early County. The truck works well in that environment and with some mods it will work even better. Now if I can get better mileage out of it (23 mpg on I-75 is the best that I've calculated) and keep from having sparkplug problems. |
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I've spent a lot of time on dirt and sand roads in Georgia and I have seldom if ever really needed a 4 x 4 ... they seem to get you into trouble that can be avoided. That more boils down to lack of judgement, experience and/or common sense. Yeah, if you just put it in 4WD and go balls to wall until you can't go no more, you are probably going to find yourself in a difficult situation. Also, a lot of recreational offroaders go out looking for challenges and potential trouble to deliberately test their limits and get their thrills. That is where you see the preponderance of stuck vehicles and offroad accidents arise from. Note that they often travel together to help each other with extraction/recovery. But used wisely, 4WD can be invaluable for getting you back out of the trouble that you got into while in 2WD or keep you from getting into trouble in the first place. It is an asset that I would not want to be without and I would have to be hard pressed to purchase a truck or SUV that was not equipped with 4WD. |
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Thanks for all the advice. –– My thinking now is to keep my F150 but modify it a bit ... beef up the suspension, lager wheels and better tires. That way I can handle the dirt roads with ease ... south Georgia red clay or sand ... and still have the payload capacity and room that I want so that, if needed, we can relocate to an old house/cabin in Early County. The truck works well in that environment and with some mods it will work even better. Now if I can get better mileage out of it (23 mpg on I-75 is the best that I've calculated) and keep from having sparkplug problems. Thats pretty good mileage already ! I have a 2wd F150 as a fleet vehicle for my small business and the best it does with a 3.73 rear and a 5.4 liter is 17 mpg. This particular truck has a short wheelbase and a limited slip rearend ––- it is surprisingly capable off road. It is fairly tall stock and the tires are 275/70 - 18's all terrain treads (i took the takeoffs from my daily driver after i upgraded its rolling stock ) If you had a electric locker installed in the rear end of your Ford - well, it still wouldnt be a 4wd, but it would probably be about as optimized as a 2wd can get. The comment the dude made about a 2wd F150 just being a car with a big trunk is hooey. Sounds like he is a contractor of some sort and those guys are hard on anything –– however the comment about fuel availability is valid (diesel vs. gas) |
Up until last year, this used to be my BOV and daily driver-commuter:
This rollerblade with wheels is what I currently own, can't say I like it, but living in a major city, its size comes handy when parking in downtown Buenos Aires. Plus its small engine 1.6litre, 16v with 110hp gives me GREAT milleage per gallon. 
And this is what I want to be my next everyuse vehicle, which I might be buying next year, a Toyota hilux single cab, 2.5 Turbo diesel engine, 4x4. After a lift, snorkel and bigger tires, it should look a lot better : 
HTR. |
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Quoted: +1, not being an idiot goes a long way.Quoted: I've spent a lot of time on dirt and sand roads in Georgia and I have seldom if ever really needed a 4 x 4 ... they seem to get you into trouble that can be avoided. That more boils down to lack of judgement, experience and/or common sense. Yeah, if you just put it in 4WD and go balls to wall until you can't go no more, you are probably going to find yourself in a difficult situation. Also, a lot of recreational offroaders go out looking for challenges and potential trouble to deliberately test their limits and get their thrills. That is where you see the preponderance of stuck vehicles and offroad accidents arise from. Note that they often travel together to help each other with extraction/recovery. But used wisely, 4WD can be invaluable for getting you back out of the trouble that you got into while in 2WD or keep you from getting into trouble in the first place. It is an asset that I would not want to be without and I would have to be hard pressed to purchase a truck or SUV that was not equipped with 4WD. Also, regional differences apply. Just because 4wd isn't needed on a dirt road in Ga, doesn't mean it's not useful plowing through 2-3' of snow up in the passes of Wa. A lot of people from I've met from Mid-east states like to brag about how they don't need 4x4 for driving through feet of snow. Once they hit Western Wa hills that are iced over with only a little snow over it to offer traction, those same people realize how handy 4x4/AWD is. |
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Also, regional differences apply. Just because 4wd isn't needed on a dirt road in Ga, doesn't mean it's not useful plowing through 2-3' of snow up in the passes of Wa.
A lot of people from I've met from Mid-east states like to brag about how they don't need 4x4 for driving through feet of snow. Once they hit Western Wa hills that are iced over with only a little snow over it to offer traction, those same people realize how handy 4x4/AWD is. True about the regional thing –– in the past 10 years, i have only had to use my 4wd features once,(other than goofing off on some ATV trails) and that was when i was driving around on icy roads i shouldn't have been on. After countless trips down back roads and rutted up unimproved roads and trails on hunting trips. In Oklahoma, tons of guys love to lift their 3/4 ton trucks 10 inches and sticker it up with Mossy Oak crap, but they're fooling themselves thinking they need it here ––––- that said , plans can change quickly and what if BO means i have to go to Eastern Colorado through the Oklahoma panhandle on the backroads during a blizzard one night –––– then i'd rather have 4wd in my comfort zone |
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In Oklahoma, tons of guys love to lift their 3/4 ton trucks 10 inches and sticker it up with Mossy Oak crap, but they're fooling themselves thinking they need it here ––––- They are fooling themselves if they think that they that need that crap anywhere. They actually wind up dergading their trucks' overall performance and capability. And those goobs are not just limted to OK, they are everywhere. Probably even a few right here in the SF. Just look at some of the other "BOV" threads. |
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After reading the responses and a few other BOV discussions I'm leaning towards keeping my F150 because it is large but has a good capacity. But I think that it needs some changing.
The non-paved driving I anticipate is on sand and red clay roads so I think that a change in tires is needed and perhaps better shocks. Mud would be a potential problem but nothing like big rocks, ravines and the like. Maybe a brush guard in the front and a spray in bed liner for durability in the back. Any suggestions? . |
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Get yourself some decent all terrain type tires. BF Goodrich ATs are a perennially popular choice, but there are plenty of other suitable alternatives out there as well. If your current shock absorbers are not worn out, you are probably not going to see much if any benefit from replacing them. I'd spend that money elsewhere. Ditto for the brush guard, they are pretty much worthless. Spray in bedliners are nice, but how much do you really going to benefit from it?
If your plans involve driving in sand, it might be nice to be able to air down your tires for better flotation/traction and air them back up when returning to the pavement. A decent little air compressor would be a nice accessory for this. Some basic recovery equipment such as a shovel, strap or chain, come-a-long, jack, jack base, etc would be a good idea as well. Sturdier bumpers would be nice, but at a minimum make sure you have some good solid points at which to hook a chain or strap to. I would even consider having receiver hitches front and back along with a winch in a cradle mount that can used on either end of the truck.With a larger budget, a good limited slip or selectable locking differential in the rear axle would go a long ways toward improving the offoad capability of a 2WD truck. |
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Get yourself some decent all terrain type tires. BF Goodrich ATs are a perennially popular choice, but there are plenty of other suitable alternatives out there as well. If your current shock absorbers are not worn out, you are probably not going to see much if any benefit from replacing them. I'd spend that money elsewhere. Ditto for the brush guard, they are pretty much worthless. Spray in bedliners are nice, but how much do you really going to benefit from it? If your plans involve driving in sand, it might be nice to be able to air down your tires for better flotation/traction and air them back up when returning to the pavement. A decent little air compressor would be a nice accessory for this. Some basic recovery equipment such as a shovel, strap or chain, come-a-long, jack, jack base, etc would be a good idea as well.These I already have .... I spend too much time working in remote areas to not have a good jack, shovels and a come-along! Sturdier bumpers would be nice, but at a minimum make sure you have some good solid points at which to hook a chain or strap to. I would even consider having receiver hitches front and back along with a winch in a cradle mount that can used on either end of the truck. My truck has the towing package so I'm good in the back ... will need to look at the front. With a larger budget, a good limited slip or selectable locking differential in the rear axle would go a long ways toward improving the offoad capability of a 2WD truck. |
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Quoted: Get yourself some decent all terrain type tires. BF Goodrich ATs are a perennially popular choice, but there are plenty of other suitable alternatives out there as well. If your current shock absorbers are not worn out, you are probably not going to see much if any benefit from replacing them. I'd spend that money elsewhere. Ditto for the brush guard, they are pretty much worthless. Spray in bedliners are nice, but how much do you really going to benefit from it? If your plans involve driving in sand, it might be nice to be able to air down your tires for better flotation/traction and air them back up when returning to the pavement. A decent little air compressor would be a nice accessory for this. Some basic recovery equipment such as a shovel, strap or chain, come-a-long, jack, jack base, etc would be a good idea as well. Sturdier bumpers would be nice, but at a minimum make sure you have some good solid points at which to hook a chain or strap to. I would even consider having receiver hitches front and back along with a winch in a cradle mount that can used on either end of the truck.With a larger budget, a good limited slip or selectable locking differential in the rear axle would go a long ways toward improving the offoad capability of a 2WD truck. +1. A winch and a limited slip/ locker rear end with good tires will get a 2wd through a LOT of stuff. To put it in perspective, when you watch the Baja 1000 and all the trophy trucks are screaming around? Most are 2wd. |