Was wondering if anyone is running a 4Runner as a hunting rig or off-road type vehicle? I've been looking for a 1st gen tundra or a early 4 door Tacoma to use as a full time hunting rig and haven't been able to find the right one at a decent price. I have to have 4 doors to accommodate 2 or three hunters. I've found a 02 gen 3? 4Runner at a good price. I'm thinking suspension lift and a couple of racks, roof and hitch, and I think it might be usable. Anyone have any builds or thoughts wether it would be a viable option?

I own a 1998 (3rd Gen) 4runner and it will do everything a hunting rig needs to do except have room for lot of gear. You did not say what game you will be hunting but with the seats up there is little room for gear no less a animal.

You say you are going to install a hitch so I assume you will have a trailer available and that solves the issue of transporting a animal.

As far as capable off road it is as good as any and better than most.

I've been the SUV route with an old Blazer, 2 Wagoneers, and a Surburban. No more. I want a truck. I'm tired of cleaning the mess out of back of the car, blood on the carpet, etc.

This would be a vehicle that I guide out of. I hunt everything up to elk. I have a '13 Tundra, which I would probly still use for elk due to the headache rack winch. I'm just tired of tearing up expensive pickups every 5 years. No trailer, was just thinking of a hitch rack and maybe some kind of rack up front. I keep going back to the plan of a little pickup too, but this is a pretty good deal.

NM,

It is going to be fairly full inside a 3rd Gen 4runner with 3 people and all of the gear, that is the only reason I would hesitate on it. I love my 4runner but I use my truck for the same reason Rock Chuck noted above. I use my Crew Cab Ford truck for all of my hunting needs, especially when taking others with me.

Now if you spend a few hundred bucks on a small utility trailer you can haul deer and quartered elk out without loading it into the SUV with all of your other gear and could most likely make that work.

I think my 4runner is the very best vehicle I have ever owned, much better than my ford, but like Rock Chuck I like a truck to hunt out of.

My 99 V6 5-spd with home-built hitch basket and 32" mud tires is a great hunting machine. That's what it was bought for and we love it. Nearly 200k on it now. Runs great. Could use some stiffer springs out back when loaded, but that's easy.

I like the 3rd gens the best but my 2nd gen with the 3.slow motor gets the job done. The rocket box adds space for summer/fall and I can stick the skis/snowboard in it in the winter. I've been without a truck since kids and I've gotten by just fine with a hitch basket for hauling dead stuff. For getting around the tight back roads the little toyotas have got me there and back.

My vote is to keep searching for a 4 door taco or older tundra... I've had first gen (85) and a 99 4-runner and much prefer the pickups for hunting and room.... Good luck in your search..

I too would suggest looking for a 4 dr 'Taco truck...

resale prices are high for a reason...they are good units...

I have a '98 Taco V6 ext cab...use the hell outta it..

wife has an '05 Tacoma 4 dr....auto....but she won't let me have it

I went from a 2013 4Runner Trail Edition to an 06 DC Tundra. Keep looking for a tundra. The bed space is just invaluable and the drivetrain for the 05 and 06 Tundra is bulletproof

Don't get me wrong, the 4Runners are great, I just prefer the truck

Go to the online forum at Expedition Portal as they have all sorts of truck builds over there

What game do you usually hunt and how long do you hunt for? Is going to be mostly day trips, or multi day trips?

The 4Runners are good vehicles and can make a fine hunting vehicle but as with any such vehicle it will be a compromise and it's important to get that compromise right for your particular circumstances/situation...

It'll work, but I've concluded a 4 door truck with a cap on it is the best combo. I've tried to make hunting rigs out of various SUV's but the truck keeps winning. I had an 02 Ford Supercrew for a while and am currently driving an 07 4 door Tacoma. It is the best rig I've ever owned.

If you don't need more than "good" off road ability, I think a 4 door Pick-up (with or without a cap) is just about the ideal
all rounder..

This is especially the case since SUV's went more "yuppified" and less practical/ "workman-like"

Sadly, Pick-ups are going the same way over here simply as many are bought as "life style" vehicles and never really see any work..

They are also "bloating" and getting bigger with most now being at least Tundra size while offering no real/practical increase in passenger or cargo space..

The older Hilux were about perfect for hunting in the UK, but they too are approaching Tundra size/weight which means they are getting les off-road capable..

I have always favored a truck with cap over an SUV, and I have had several of both. I don't guide or anything like that, buy my experience has been the trucks are:

1. Cheaper that the equivalent SUV, even after adding cap
2. More durable, and sprung better for loads and towing
3. More adaptable to multiple uses
4. Retain a higher resale value

I had a Grand Cherokee for a while that I used as my hunting/camping vehicle which is similar in size. I am primarily a small game/waterfowl hunter; big game hunting is secondary for me so hauling out game was not the primary issue. With 2 guys and our waterfowl equipment (couple dozen decoys, guns, waders, etc) it was pretty loaded. With 3 guys we could barely fit all of our equipment. I now drive a Nissan Frontier CC SB with a topper. Even with the small box, getting 4 guys and all of our equipment has never been an issue.

On more than 1 occasion I've thought of going back because an SUV is a little more family oriented and comfortable to drive daily, but the overall capability of a truck just can't be beat.

I hear you guys. Hell, half the time I run out of room with a full size pickup. I'll keep the hunt going for tundra or a 4 dr Tacoma! Thanks for that link Drum, there are a lot of ideas for good builds on there!!

I could spend hours on that site looking at what some of those guys do to their trucks

It is pretty awesome

I put an Old Man Emu kit on my 06 Tundra and it rides like a dream

Drummond

Good to know about the OME, that's what I'm planning on running.

Just watching the Huntin Fool Bighorn show, Lo and behold, two first gen tundras!! I think I may have found one. Trying to figure out how to check it out, 8 hrs away!

I had an 06 and it was a great truck. It was not the most powerful, but it was adequate. the only thing I replaced in the 100k miles I had it were tires, breaks, and air filters.

I'm not sure how far you're willing to travel to get one but this seems like a reasonable price for a great truck.

First Gen Tundra

It's a salvage..

Thanks, but that's a bit further than I would want to travel. Seems a little pricey for a salvage? I guess that shows how desirable they are!! Hahaha

Sweet!

within a 300 mile radius of where I live


If you want to fly and drive one of these might be interesting

Have a 2005 Tundra that has had zero problems. However, look and you will see they had a frame recall with a rust issue.

Bad enough and they will replace the frame. Minor and they spray it with a coating. Mine just received the spray, but they have replaced at least 5 at the dealership. Saw a truck yesterday delivering additional frames.

My nephew got in on the Tacoma frame recall a few years ago. They could see light through pinholes in his frame so they put it on the lift for a closer look. When they lifted it the frame broke. He'd just driven it on a 3000 mile trip the week before. That could have happened at 75.

They gave him within $2k of what he'd paid for it 6 or 7 years earlier. He came out great on the deal.

No longer going with giving out the big dollars.

With the Tundra, it is a new frame or spray if only surface.

Interesting to watch them tear one down and replace a frame. Mechanic told me they have it down to around 36hours.

He also wants to buy mine with 75,000, but not ready to give it up yet.

Spent a weekend driving around in friends new Chevy. Pretty nice ride.

I have a 99 4Runner and they don't need schit to make them a good hunting rig. For three guys I'd fold down one rear seat for a little extra room.

The cab of a similar Tacoma isn't going to give you much extra room. The bed will be nice but the leg room is going to be a draw and the 4Runners can be found for cheaper than the Tacomas.

The range on them sucks if fuel is a concern.



Travis

That's going to be true of a Tacoma too. That's my number 1 gripe on my Frontier, even averaging 19-20mpg I can only get ~350 miles out of a tank. With the camper in tow and 14 mpg it's downright burdensome having to stop for fuel all the time.

Yes.




Travis

I do love my 05 Tacoma but its just not big enough for more than 2 guys. You can make 3 guys work but its very tight. When I get the funds Im going to buy a Tundra or something similar sized just for the fact to give clients more leg room. I have the EMU suspension on my Tacoma it helped it alot.

If you are a guide, I would be looking at a gas powered Super Duty 07 and up. Likely crew cab what ever bed you want 4x4.

I have a Tundra and it is a good truck but it has some short comings. The single biggest is it does not have a limited slip. I know Toyota claims there is one but there is NOT. It has a traction control device that applies the brakes to the slipping wheel in hopes that the other wheel will gain traction. What this does is wear on your brakes and causes unnecessary torsional rotation on your axle shaft that is have the brakes applied.

Having used my truck in the mud and snow, it is at best marginal. A factory Ford (or any American company) LSD works much better. I would guess that this truck will spend a bunch of time in the dirt and that is something to consider.

I said a 07+ Ford because of the solid axle and coil spring suspension Ford uses. The 05 and 06 gas motors with 3 valves could be... finicky. They went to a new 6.2l in 08 with the then new body style, an 07 or 08 might be fairly inexpensive. The suspension is really good off road, the cab is big to keep clients comfortable.

You decide you want to get rid of it, drive it next time you head to Less Traveled Road and I'll be there with the $$$... Heck I'll even buy dinner at O'Bryans!!

I have a '97 3rd gen 4runner, no lift but with the limited package it has an electric rear locker, and with 285's it's been anywhere I've wanted to go. In fact if it had more ground clearance it'd go further.

We had a rubber floor liner. For carrying stuff add a roof rack.

Fuel mileage is not good. Front brakes take a beating, and the v6 is prone to head gasket issues. Still though the idea of replacement is a quandary. The closest replacement would likely be a Tacoma crew cab with a camper shell.

my daily driver, as well as my off road/hunting vehicle, is a 1988 4Runner. 22R engine, with the fuel injection. Auto transmission, 4X4, 15/235/R15 tires.
I put a lot of highway miles on it, and a lot of miles in sand, mud and swamps. 23 mpg on the road, and a smooth ride. Goodyear Wrangler tires (brand new ones now, third set). 350,000 miles, but there are a LOT of new parts. Front end, hubs, brakes, Power steering, alternator, O2 sensor, shocks, drive shaft.

Sam,

I am always a little envious when you guys post pics of you're 4Runners with huge milleages on them!

The winter salting of our roads tends to kill a lot of older vehicles over here, although the anti-corrosion work on modern vehicles has improved the situation a good deal.

Regards,

Peter

Around here the Methheads and Headbangers.. all unemployed with too much time on their hands...will steal an old 80s 4 Runner or Toyota Pickup quicker than they would a new Corvette....

then take them out, trash them and then scrap them out for parts or just push them off a mountain side...

a year or so ago, I had someone try to steal mine.. while I was sitting in the drivers seat on my cell phone...

stoned idiot was so high, he didn't even notice me sitting in the drivers seat as he was trying to jimmy the passenger door...

rapped on the window and held my hand like I was holding a gun... guy pissed himself and then ran off screaming...

For all around utility, ride and handling, my 2000 Tundra extra cab V-8 4x4 w/ work shell and rack suits me so well. Its quality is very evident after owning Yukon, Suburban, F250, Explorer and Land Cruiser 4x4's.

I've been hunting and wheeling a 2003 4Runner with the V8 since 2008. You simply won't find a better or more capable rig IMO. I consistently shock the Jeep guys when my 4Runner walks right through rough sections that they thought I couldn't make. I've put some money in it for suspension and bumpers. Incredibly reliable, runs great, smooth ride. Love it.

If I hired a guide and he showed up with a 4runner and said I had to ride in the back seats. I would ask for a refund.

Yeah, Guides have to put up with clients like that from time to time..

Hahahaha Amen Pete!!

lol, let me know how that works out for you

I guess you will never find out. Idiots with tiny rigs that think they are guides is funny.

People too fat to fit in a 4Runner calling themselves "hunters" make me laugh!

oh we have a lot of those type over here Pete...

usually not so much in 4 Runners...

We call'em road hunters... usually 300 lbs plus, driving a big noisy Diesel pick up, with a lift kit...bright color, and in the inside they are wearing camo head to toe, and the seat and interior is all covered in camo gear also...

They drive around thinking they are going to sneak up on game, grazing off the side of a dirt forest service road, in their diesel, and once they get there, the deer or game won't see them with them all dressed up in that camo...

usually sporting some sort of Magnum cartridge, with a $75 scope on top with a 50mm objective and see thru mounts...

There are a dime a dozen in a lot of places...all over the USA

Great thread!

LOL

Me and my hunting partner noticed them around here elk hunting as well. They go off what we call the "10 foot rule" no one can get 10 feet from the truck while "hunting"

Perfect description of what is around here. They usually hunt until around 9am and then call it a day to go sit around and brag about all the biggun's they are seeing but just can't get a shot at.

Get a cargo carier for your Tow hitch reciver thats what i use.