Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Is there anything better than a Jeep?

Stole the 20 year old daughter's Jeep and used it while scouting Monday. Forgot just how handy they can be. I prefer the big Blazers and pickups, but there is something awfully nice about that narrow body and short wheelbase. You can practically turn around in the width of the road. And it goes down an overgrown sideroad a lot better than a widebodied 4x4 that I'd be worried about scratching really bad.<BR>And being able to take that top off is the best. Opens a whole new world. Anybody have one of the hard tops that has a panel that comes out kind of like a T-top? <BR>Nice little rig, 4 banger, 31x10.50's and a small lift kit. Looks like I might have to buy it from her when she is looking for a regular convertible.<BR>Plus, I got it kind of dirty. (Just starting to get some rain in the great NW.) Easy to clean the mud off of too. <BR>Gotta love it.<BR>Just thinking of what else fits in the same category. Old Toyota Land Cruiser?

You can't beat a Jeep. I'm on my second. I lost my first one in my last divorce. <BR> Mine's a simple 4 cly. Wrangler. With stock tires to boot. Anybody tells you that you need big, wide tires on one; you tell'em I said they are full of applesauce. <BR> I've owned, and used the following: A 1969 Int. Harvestor Travelall, a 1973 Int. Harvestor Scout II, a 1989 Dodge w/ Cummins Diesel; and a couple of Wranglers. <BR> The Jeep does more, goes places none of the others can/could go, and doesn't beat the operator to death like the heavy duty trucks do.<BR> I can find no need for the 6 cly. engine either. The four cylinder engine, with the proper use of the low range setting, does it all. <BR> What's really neat is removing the windows, and doors. Talk about handy for scouting. Or, with the top down, you can sit on the roll bar to glass. <BR> Chrysler has learned alot about how to build them. They have a nice heavy frame. Plenty of extra cooling. An a heater that will run you out of the thing on the coldest day. Fully shielded, and excellent angles of attack or departure. <BR> With the standard tires you wouldn't think so. Trust me, it will get you there w/o the big tires. I've spent many, many weeks in the most remote deserts that California, and Nevada have to offer. they work. <BR> Got turned on to this by the guy that did the last sheep census for the Cal. Dept. of Fish & Game. His 4WD was an old Toyota Land Crusier. With standard tires, and rims, he visited ever desert sheep range, past and present, in Kalifornia. That's good enough for me. E

For bumping around out in the woods a Jeep rules. I had a 67' CJ5 with a chevy 350 motor, along with a turbo 350 trainny. Dana locker rear, limited slip front. The thing would go damn near anywhere. But, there's always a but [img]images/icons/laugh.gif" border="0[/img] When it did get stuck or hung up, guess what got it out? My F250 would get it out, but that was rarely, but that old ford didn't give a s*** But the jeeps are a blast, I wish I still had mine.

the only thing better than a jeep......2 jeep's.....(but kinda hard to drive 2 at a time)

Why is it most really good jeeps are more chevy than jeep??? I'll stick to my 71 blazer. It's narrower and shorter than most blazers, but can carry alot of gear if needed. Best of all its all chevy. I didn't need to add any jeep parts at all. [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img]

The only 4x4's I've had, have been Scouts. And they've always done the job when they weren't in the shop waiting for a hard-to-get part to arrive.<P>I'm now in a long wheel base Range Rover -- go ahead and hold your noses -- but it can walk up a 60 degree hill and traverse 45 degrees and has 11 inches of rear travel (stock) and is set up stock to fjord something way too deep. <P>While I do miss going topless in the scouts, there is something to be said for going steep and deep while sitting on heated seats.

Toyota, Toyota, Toyota, in that order. I have owned 14 of them, beat the holly living crap out of them (I love HARD offroading) and have never put a dime into any of them. My buddies with the Jeeps are always fixing something expensive in their rigs. I would never buy anything but Toyota. Crysler may be learning how to build Jeeps, but Toyota has known it for years [img]images/icons/laugh.gif" border="0[/img]. You will never see a Jeep or any other off road vehicle , other than Toyota in foreign countries for off road use. Flinch

I'm not going to knock jeeps, because it's obvious they work very well off-road. But back when I was really into 4wheeling it seemed that Jeep never really got the combo right. When they had good axles, they had bad engines. When they had good engines the axles were weak. Can't recall exact details right now off the top of my head though.<P>Ford had it right with the '66-'77 series Broncos. Small like Jeeps, good small block engines (289's an 302's), 9" rear ends in all those years, Dana 30's up front until around '73 or '74 when they switched to the even better Dana 44 (which I believe Jeep was using as a rear axle) with open steering knuckles. They got power steering, disc brakes and the C4 automatic transmission in the mid 70's too. Never a problem with the Dana 20 tranfer case all that time either.<P>I've got a '85 4Runner now. It's a good year because it's the only year that had both fuel injection and the solid front axle. Very reliable.

I hate to admit it, but for just bumping around in the woods, the Jeep is probably the best. My wife had an '88 wrangler that she just recently traded, and it was nice for Sunday drives on the backroads with the top off. I have a '77 Bronco, and while I'd never say this in my baby's presence, she's a notch bigger and heavier, and the V8 is really more power than you need most of the time - just requires you to carry spare gas. That straight 6-banger in the jeeps gives you all you need, relatively economically, and you can lug it down til you can hear each plug firing. <P>Now, if you need to haul anything, or don't particularly care to share the cab with muddy dogs or bloody carcasses, then you gotta have a pickup. Try getting a cord of wood in a Jeep. Or even just all your stuff for a week-long trip, plus people and dogs. But the stiff rear springs that allow for a payload make pickups dance all over the rough roads, you've gotta carry weight in the back to keep the rear end on the ground, especially in winter, and it takes a country mile to turn them around. <P>The wife's Jeep got replaced with a 4Runner. That's a very nice vehicle. A little cushy for a hunting rig - not really what I'd want to bring an elk home in - but it rides very nice on the roughest stuff and has tons of power but still the MPG's were a very pleasant surprise and it's as reliable as they come. It seems to have been designed for short people, though. I'm used to being able to kick back and relax with my hat on in my Dodge pickup. Can't really do that in the Toy. -al

I had a 65 CJ-5, 3" lift, 33X12's, 350 and a turbo 400. this thing was great. The only downside was it was to light. I had alot of power but not to much grip when I needed it.<BR>I like jeeps but I'll take a full size chevy anyday.

Anymore, I pretty much advocate buying American, but I have a fondness for Landcruisers. Drove a station wagon one for a long time. The Tojo took me & friends an awful lot of places, faithfully if not in style. I still have to chuckle when I recall the reaction of one non-outdoor oriented friend who questioned my sanity when I traded off a '71 Roadrunner (on its last legs) for the '70 Tojo. "Why'd you get something like THAT?" Now my son wonders the same thing, although he understands the value of a fishin' and huntin' rig. I do kinda wish I still had that Roadrunner, but at that point in my life a disintegrating hot rod was of marginal value.

There IS something better than a Jeep!<BR>Land Rover Defender TDI200 diesel.<BR>Aluminum body,GOBS of torque,bullet proof underside that can be banged mercilessly off of rocks,lots of travel,outstanding approach and departure angles,extremely long range on a single tank of fuel,AND a bed in the back into which a complete Kudu,Zebra or Buff can be loaded along with all the hunting gear.<BR>Of course we can't get one here in the states,it would put the big 3 out of business!<BR>Next to the Defender TDI200,only a Jeep comes close.<BR>I have had 5,and loved them all.Froze my butt off all winter in them,wrenched like a mad man,swapped motors and axles etc.<BR>Still,there is no better available here in the states.<BR>My last one was a 72 CJ-5.Glass body,spring over axle conversion,reversed shackles,Warmed up 304,Dana 44's front and rear,Detroit locker in the rear,Auburn unit up front.Loved it.Spent an entire summer getting it perfect.Every bolt I took off for a repair was replaced with a stainless steel bolt and nut.It was to be the "Everlasting Jeep".Then Bambi stepped out of the fog one morning,and I woke up in me neighbors soybean field with the soft top wrapped around me and blood everywhere.<BR>Totalled the Jeep.Nothing salvageable except the motor and tranny(T-18).<BR>I had taken the time to tie(Weld)the roll bar to the frame using extensions from the underside,and installing Simpson harnesses.<BR>Had I not I would be deader than last nights Chicken dinner.<BR>As I type this I'm waiting for my next Jeep.A 2002 TJ Wrangler.<BR>My poor old Bronco is at the point of needing a restoration and there is no time.<BR>I still have a Jamboree rack,and receiver hitch rack,so fetching downed critters,hauling small loads etc. wont be a problem.I also have access to relatively cheap military '05 trailers for heavy hauling needs.Gotta love a pintle hook!!!!!!!!!<BR>I disagree on the stock wheels and tires though.Here in the swamps and Blueberry mud,pizza cutting with 225-75-15's will get you stuck in short order.<BR>30X9.5's or 31X10.5's on 8" rims work best without a high center problem,and no rubbing or lift is needed.Come winter though the smaller tires don't skate around as much on the ice,so it's a trade off.<BR>I went the 190hp I-6 route simply because the 4banger dosn't have the giggle factor I need from a vehicle,and the difference in gas milage is almost zero for some reason.<BR>Anybody want a slightly rusty 89' Bronco with 35,000 on a rebuilt 351??<BR>Cheers all!<BR>E4E

One of the memories I had as a kid was being beaten by the wheelwell in the back of a Willys Jeep on a cold winters morning while riding over the rows in a sowbean field. Ouch. My cousin still has his old 76 Jeep Renegade. I think he is up to 74,000 miles on it. Toolpushers don't spend much time at home. I believe he has a 304 V8 with cyclone headers. The rear spare tire makes a good extra seat when the cab is full and it beats walking out of the woods. Just hold on when Cuz guns it through a mudhole. Bob

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Flinch:<BR>You will never see a Jeep or any other off road vehicle , other than Toyota in foreign countries for off road use. Flinch[/QB]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Hate to argue with you, Flinch, but if you watch CNN coverage of Africa or the Middle East, you'd be surprised how many Land Rover Defenders and Mercedes Gelaendewagens are in use since the Landcruiser turned into an Americanized SUV. Personally, I'll take my '64 Toyota FJ40 over any Jeep ever made. I owned two of the big Wagoneers, and while they would go anywhere when they ran, they rarely ran.

Well, I HAVE been all over the world, and there are lots of 4x4 Chevy trucks, Range Rovers, Land Cruisers, Jeeps, Suburbans (especially Suburbans)--you name it. In Thailand, they have kind of a Jeep clone. It looks like a Jeep 4W, has big tires and a lift kit, but is a 2WD with an itty bitty motor. In Japan, there are even 4WD minivans. After living in Japan for three years and being forced to own a real Japanese Toyota minivan, I'll never own another rig with a Japanese nameplate or a minivan.<P>Blaine

I own the LAST Tdi Defender 110 ever made before they switched to the new Td5 engine. I had a Toyota Double Cab 2.4 before and I thought that was the berries-off road until I tried the Defender. Major step up in performance.<P>The Tdi engine has gobs of grunt down low. The BMW 2.8i engine is also available which makes for a speedier road vehicle.<P>The interior is as rough as a bear's arse instrumentation-wise but very comfortable to ride. Couple of my pals got Jeeps like the Cherokee and the Grand Cherokee but they don't impress me.<P>Cheers<P>pete

If money doesn't count I'll vote for a Hummer!<P>Looked one over the other day. What a machine. I don't know any specifics, but this machine should work well! The one I looked at had a mini bed in the back that would just about hold the minimum of gear.<P>Westman

I've always said if I get the Hummer I want the M60 sitting in the sunroof and all the electronics that are mounted in one. It would be fun to have one wouldn't it?

Having recently spent a week in northern AZ, I got to see some real 4wd rigs (not that I haven't here at home). I took my rental XTerra off road a bit, but carefully.<P>I was surprised by the number of serviceable Suzuki Samuris out there. Can't be much under the hood, but the wheelbase is sure short! Also saw a minty TLC (what class!) and a perfect Defender 90, complete with chrome diamond tread all around. It was a real drooler. Don't know where it came from, but there are plenty of folks in Sedona who can buy what they please.<P>A Hummer or two. No class at all.<P>If I had the dough, I'd have a Defender. For now my Pathfinder will have to do. I'll always have a warm place in my heart because of my grandpa's Willis jeep, though.<P>Talus