Just a curious question?

[Sportsman Matt]

Howdy all, I'm just curious as to how many of you explore and camp with a 2WD rig?

Reason I'm asking this is my truck is 2wd, I use it to get into some pretty tough areas, and haul a small truck camper on the back. I do have access to my girlfriend's Explorer XLT which is 4WD, but we tend to use my truck more because of the camper versus tenting it in the Explorer.

Also I won't be getting rid of the truck either, it's almost 7 years old and only got 35,000 miles on it, the last 12,000 were mostly backroads and dirt roads to get to some of the best fishing spots in MA, NH, NY, RI and VT.

Thanks

 

[silvergrand]

Hey Matt!

Glad to hear that you get out and enjoy the world. I'm amazed where a 2WD truck or even a car can go when the driver understands how to pick a "line" and throttle/brake control.
Keep on exploring.

Sean

 

[Martyn]

Welcome Matt.

I'm certain that most of us will agree with you that 2WD is very capable on most trails. I don't think you're rock crawling or driving through the Sand Sea so there are few problems.

4WD, winches, Hi Lifts, lockers, etc. are great to have when you find yourself in a pinch.

I think that a Hi Lift jack and some recovery straps would help you out of most situations. A locker in your rear axle would make life simple. But if you're happy with the way things are let them be.

 

[ColinTheCop]

I think a lot of people put way too much emphasis on their vehicle rather than driver ability.

When I was out in the desert in the Middle East visiting some friends, we were in our huge 4x4's with gas guzzling engines with every available bolt on extra.

We'd be getting stuck and towing each other out on some real difficult slopes, when a 'local' would come pottering past in their 2wd pick-up.

We'd pretend not to notice and continue with our extreme off roading.

 

[masterplumber]

I was going down a hill in Baja in low range when a local took a '70s Impala with a trunk load of lobsters up the same hill. It's definitely the driver & not the equipment that's the key - if you like what you have, it gets you where you want to go, & most importantly it's paid for, Keep it & enjoy more trips. You can always buy a 4x4 at a later date if your needs change & in the mean time think of all the money you'll have saved since 4x4s wear out just as fast as 2x4s.
Doug

 

[BigJimCruising]

For years I explored all over the southwest on some of the roughest trails in my 74 Dodge van with nothing more in mods then some aggressive off roading tires and a hi lift jack! Can't tell you how many times some hard core tricked out 4x4 would wonder into my camp site and be stunned at seeing my van parked there. Sure 4x4 would have been a big plus but you drive what ya got and enjoy the heck out of it. Also for a couple years I off roaded my Pinto station wagon over quite a few trails. Poor thing took a beating and needed repairs sometimes after a tough trail but it sure surprised a lot of Jeeps when I drove past them on the trails! lol! Get some really good tires and hit the trails!

 

[Red Zebra]

I cut my teeth with 2wd pick ups....not even a LS or locker! Later I had a lifted/locked/4.56 87 2wd toyota before transitioning to 4wd. The little Toy was a great trail rig. I won't profess to being a "great driver"....I new it's limitations and and tried not to get into something a shovel, highlift, and swearing couldn't quickly get me out of:exclaim: .

I say "run what ya brung". A limited slip/locker slight lift all around with some armour (and the aforementioned recovery gear) would go a long way too! Most can be regeared relatively inexpensively too it you go with bigger meats.

Drive on.

 

[eugene]

The only real issue I found with 2wd was the lack of low range. I eventually overheated my transmission.