Bare minimum upgrades for hundy for light/moderate off-road use
- Thread starter jdlobb
- Start date
zimm
Expedition Leader
the truck will go farther than you think, but you will want to go farther than you think.
protect your vitals. i know youre not rock crawling, but nether do i, and my 1/4 skids have nice dents. get skids and sliders before bumpers.
put 33's on. if you find yourself in an airdown situation, 31's turn into 29's. one of first things you need to learn to do in adventure travel, is air down. you have a much improved chance of driving thru and not needing the winch you dont have.
if youre going to use a hitch winch, and not have steel bumpers, dont use a hitch winch. i'd get a Black Rat, as you can attach it to more locations easier. the hitch winch is a 100 pound pain in the ******** that only hooks to the rear receiver, assuming you can get it in place when stick in that mud hole. im also not a big fan of putting 12,000 side loads on a factory part designed for 5000 pound rolling loads. ive never seen one bent up, but ive never seen one have a hitch winch in it either. they always seemed like something that was handy for farmers and oil field workers more than wheeling.
tire kit, inflation, even if its a foot pump, one tree trap, two bow shackles, one extension line, one yanker, and one snatch block. gloves.
protect your vitals. i know youre not rock crawling, but nether do i, and my 1/4 skids have nice dents. get skids and sliders before bumpers.
put 33's on. if you find yourself in an airdown situation, 31's turn into 29's. one of first things you need to learn to do in adventure travel, is air down. you have a much improved chance of driving thru and not needing the winch you dont have.
if youre going to use a hitch winch, and not have steel bumpers, dont use a hitch winch. i'd get a Black Rat, as you can attach it to more locations easier. the hitch winch is a 100 pound pain in the ******** that only hooks to the rear receiver, assuming you can get it in place when stick in that mud hole. im also not a big fan of putting 12,000 side loads on a factory part designed for 5000 pound rolling loads. ive never seen one bent up, but ive never seen one have a hitch winch in it either. they always seemed like something that was handy for farmers and oil field workers more than wheeling.
tire kit, inflation, even if its a foot pump, one tree trap, two bow shackles, one extension line, one yanker, and one snatch block. gloves.
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Yep. It only hooks to the rear receiver, which is really limiting. EXCEPT, if you have other suitable trucks with you, or expect one to happen by, you can often use them to winch off of and that will get you back out of whatever you drove into. If yours is the factory hitch, it's a pretty sturdy setup, Not to say you can be stupid with it, just that it's pretty sturdy.
Anyway, I'm sure others have had different experiences, but I've used the same receiver-mount Warn 8500 with five different trucks and have found it a good compromise. (Which points out one of the best things about the non-permanent winch; you get to keep it for your next truck). The 100 pounds may be a reasonable sacrifice, especially if you carry one winch that can be shared across multiple trucks on a trip. I've used mine on a couple of Hundies and been glad I had it.
Which is not to say that Zimm's point about the Black Rat doesn't have considerable merit. The Black Rat is a fine alternative and is indeed much more flexible. It's just a lot more work than a power winch for some tasks, especially if you have to use it multiple times across a short distance. (If cost and space weren't issues, having both a Black Rat and a winch would be excellent.) There's a fairly extensive review of Black Rat use by Scott Brady here:
http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/black_rat_winch.htm
Mrknowitall
Adventurer
I'll echo some of what's been said, argue against other things...
Ditch the stuff you don't need, like the running boards and 3rd row. $= free.
See if you can trade someone your 18" wheels for original 16's. This makes for more tire choices. $=free.
Hundo's sit pretty high in the back and hold weight pretty well. Load it up with what you think you might take and measure how much it squats. If the height is acceptable, $=free. If not, there are a dizzying number of OME coils for the back. Keep in mind that less (height) is more (stability). $=180 including tax and shipping.
Turn up the torsion bars to level the whole thing. GET IT ALLIGNED. Take it for a whomp with some weight in the back and see how it handles. Might need shocks. $=50-500
Some recovery gear- clevices to hook a yank-strap to either end. A front receiver might be nice. $=50-300
Tires! Something in the 32-34" range. Stick to a AT pattern if you want to drive in the rain. Great values out there include Cooper ST Max and General AT2's.
Unless you really bring a s___load of gear, I don't see any point in a roof basket. And if you decide you NEED one, get one that replaces the factory luggage rack.
Ditch the stuff you don't need, like the running boards and 3rd row. $= free.
See if you can trade someone your 18" wheels for original 16's. This makes for more tire choices. $=free.
Hundo's sit pretty high in the back and hold weight pretty well. Load it up with what you think you might take and measure how much it squats. If the height is acceptable, $=free. If not, there are a dizzying number of OME coils for the back. Keep in mind that less (height) is more (stability). $=180 including tax and shipping.
Turn up the torsion bars to level the whole thing. GET IT ALLIGNED. Take it for a whomp with some weight in the back and see how it handles. Might need shocks. $=50-500
Some recovery gear- clevices to hook a yank-strap to either end. A front receiver might be nice. $=50-300
Tires! Something in the 32-34" range. Stick to a AT pattern if you want to drive in the rain. Great values out there include Cooper ST Max and General AT2's.
Unless you really bring a s___load of gear, I don't see any point in a roof basket. And if you decide you NEED one, get one that replaces the factory luggage rack.
i got a new to me '04 about 6mo ago. i went with spring spacers in the rear (cheap) to gain just a bit of lift and because i wanted to keep the plush ride rather than OME coils. i replaced the shocks with stockers (cheap), and put 275/70 r18 cooper at3 tires on. they're 33" and were on the less expensive side of new rubber and are good on snow (important for me). transfer a rocket box over from a different rig and i now have tons of space in a comfy family DD that will go many more places than i need to. sliders are next, and maybe an awning…
all in, i think i'm less than $1200. good, because gas ain't cheap.
all in, i think i'm less than $1200. good, because gas ain't cheap.
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
I drove a completely stock 4x4 from Alaska to Argentina - you don't need mods!
(admittedly, it wasn't a cruiser, but I think the basic ideas still apply).
Take any money you were going to spend on mods and spend it on gas, and un-paid time off work so you can get out there an enjoy!
Use the truck for weeks and months and years, then think about the things you've missed having.
I guarantee you won't find many that are 4x4 related.
-Dan
(admittedly, it wasn't a cruiser, but I think the basic ideas still apply).
Take any money you were going to spend on mods and spend it on gas, and un-paid time off work so you can get out there an enjoy!
Use the truck for weeks and months and years, then think about the things you've missed having.
I guarantee you won't find many that are 4x4 related.
-Dan
jdlobb
Adventurer
I like the way you think.
Still gotta buy tires though, I think the ones I have now will probably wear out before I get to go.
qwopzxnm
Adventurer
I have a new to me stock 2001 LX and just got the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2's in 285/76/16r and love them. They maintain the nice on-road characteristics of the LC/LX and perform well off-road as well.
clandr1
Adventurer
Best advice I've seen on the topic of how to outfit your vehicle. Drive the snot out of it, and over time you'll figure out the things you need/want. Don't go spending money on your ride in anticipation of needing the upgrades.
T4R@DNA
Observer
Maintenance
Lot's of good points. To top it off, don't forget your basic maintenance. Make sure you able to get to your destination and back safely, after all these vehicle are average 10 yrs young.
jdlobb
Adventurer
I don't know. I was originally looking at March, but I'm getting restless.