Preferred Hunting Rig

[RockinRam96]

Yep, diesel with GDE tune. It was a bullet proof rig. At 300k it was getting to where I would need to put money into the axles and transmission just for wear.

Jeremy

Got ya. I wish I could get a GDE tune still or get my hands on an ECM that was tuned by then. This is really going to be a dedicated hunting setup. So if it sees more than 5,000 miles a year I will be surprised.

From what I have read as long as you keep up in the timing belt and add the fuel pump in the fuel tank, the motors are pretty bulletproof. But with the Chrysler transmission, I can imagine guys have had issues.

This certainly is t my first diesel vehicle. So I know my way around them. Hope to build it pretty reliable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sandstrom]

Love my Excursion for hunting (I am on my third one)! Was even better before someone screwed up the gas prices!!
Ryan

 

[Titan_Bow]

I went from a full size pickup to a Nissan Xterra about 6 years ago, and had zero regrets. The only thing I ever haul is my M101 military trailer, so I really didn’t need a full size truck. Switching to a really capable off road focused SUV for me has been awesome. I mainly hunt solo, so being able to get to a trailhead or pull off the side of the road, crawl in the back and go to sleep, especially in the cold or rain, is a must for me. I had a Pro 4X version Xterra with bigger than stock tires. It had diff locker, full skids, all the off road goodies, so it would go pretty much anywhere you ever needed it to. Last year I hit a deer on the way to a hunting spot and it totaled the Xterra. I was lucky with timing and insurance payout and got a 2021 Toyota 4Runner. I got the Venture package which has the diff locker, TRD wheels, good off road management system, etc. I think it will be every bit as good for my style of hunting as my Xterra was. I did have to build a platform I keep in the back so when the back seats are down it makes a perfectly flat surface, but again, it’s easy to just crawl into the back and go to sleep, which is great. I spent a week bear hunting this past spring up in Montana and just lived out of the 4Runner. Did the same thing on a week long hunt in Nebraska.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[roosiebull]

Any good horse if I'm hunting. Or a pickup I could load up with firewood. The vehicle is just to get to the starting point.

i'm not a horse guy, but we do plan on getting a couple (i married into a family that makes a lot of their living with horses) and mine will be a paint, for some reason, i like them a lot.

that's a beauty you have there! i generally hunt solo, but do look forward to having a hunting partner down the road, in the form of a paint

 

[FLATHEAD]

My triple locked FJ-80.

 

[Squamch]

My triple locked FJ-80.

Where is the third locker, and what is it's function? I have never heard it adequately explained. I always hear that it "locks it in 4wd" which is what any normal t case does when you shift into 4wd...


My choice would be either my old 94 xtra cab toyota, or my current 92 4runner.
The pickup had built duals, built toy front end, lockers in both axles, flatbelly, double bobbed box, hot rodded 8274, DOM cage, and 36s wrapped around bead locks.


The 4runner just has lots of armour, a rear locker, and a hotrodded 8274 as well.

Neither one would "go anywhere" but they do pretty good.

 

[Billy Goat]

Where is the third locker, and what is it's function? I have never heard it adequately explained. I always hear that it "locks it in 4wd" which is what any normal t case does when you shift into 4wd...


My choice would be either my old 94 xtra cab toyota, or my current 92 4runner.
The pickup had built duals, built toy front end, lockers in both axles, flatbelly, double bobbed box, hot rodded 8274, DOM cage, and 36s wrapped around bead locks.
View attachment 360724

The 4runner just has lots of armour, a rear locker, and a hotrodded 8274 as well.

Neither one would "go anywhere" but they do pretty good.

Generally it's removing the viscous coupler in the transfer case.

Not all transfer cases actually lock the front and rear together.

 

[Squamch]

Generally it's removing the viscous coupler in the transfer case.

Not all transfer cases actually lock the front and rear together.

A viscous coupler in the t case?! All the cases I've ever pulled apart have had a choice of 2wd, 4wd, high, or low. No slippage possible without breaking something. Must be a fancy car thing.

 

[RockinRam96]

Generally it's removing the viscous coupler in the transfer case.

Not all transfer cases actually lock the front and rear together.

Hmm… interesting. I’d like to know more…

… sounds like a recipe for broken parts…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Billy Goat]

A viscous coupler in the t case?! All the cases I've ever pulled apart have had a choice of 2wd, 4wd, high, or low. No slippage possible without breaking something. Must be a fancy car thing.

Generally awd, I think the fj80 had one. Any vehicle that is built to operate on dry pavement in 4wd or awd needs something to give a little.

 

[DWBMontana]

Two toyota on the list, LMAO.....don't see a lot of them out here where you all come to hunt, kind of funny the city boys always tell us what are the best vehicles for here, like those of us who live here do not have a clue.

 

[Brooks]

I have two trucks, a F350 powerstroke for hauling and a Tacoma for running the back roads and two tracks. Both great trucks.

 

[12wander]

Very capable machine to get into the back country.

 

[jbarr79]

We bring our Side by Sides to Colorado and they are super helpful because they definitely get back where our trucks sometimes couldn't.

 

[Coveyleader]

Anything "Non Chrysler", preferably, a vehicle that starts with a "T" ends with an "A"

I'd also drop any of those vehicles above with "Street Tires" unless you like changing tires. Avoid trailers, tents that mount to a vehicle, and you're set.

 

[jnawalaniec]

Nissan Titan S, nothing fancy, 4x4 works, put some Billsteins on it. The money I saved vs buying one of the more popular trucks was used for suspension upgrades, gas, and the tent for summer trips and when I don’t need to backpack in. Unpopular opinion but i’ll probably stick with Titans in the future, it’s been a great truck since far!

 

[Vandal 44]

My 1996 Ford Bronco. I am the second owner, purchased back in 1999
4” lift with BFG A/T

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Venom One]

I'm a fan of mid-size vehicles for hunting. Their smaller size makes them more maneuverable for tight turn-arounds and narrow/overgrown roads. My Toyota 4Runner was the best hunting rig I owned, but any RELIABLE mid-size, 4-door SUV or truck would be good IMO.. I emphasize 4-door because I find having the ability to put your bow or gun in the back seat to be extremely convenient and efficient.

 

[Moserkr]

If you dont care about scratches n dings, a full size truck is pretty hard to beat. Diesel for power and towing would be preferred.

They may not sell a cummins version of the power wagon, but for a few extra bucks you can build the ultimate power wagon - with the cummins diesel engine.

Take any truck, add lockers front and rear, winch front and rear, armor the $&/@ out of it, and get the biggest tires possible. If it were my build, the 3500 ram w/cummins is where id start. Thuren 3” lift, king coilivers, arb lockers f/r, winch capable bumpers f/r, white knuckle off road rock sliders, custom armor underneath, 40” tires. Go nuts from there.

Even a built jeep or truck will eventually hit a limitation. Tools for different trades - atv or small sxs for 50” trails, and a rokon or dirt bike for single tracks. Livestock or good boots for wilderness areas. I want it all lol. But a good truck will get all of the above to the next starting point.

 

[Danny Hoey]

Subaru Outback