SnoViking

So i was looking at the pictures on this page http://www.landserwis.pl/rfc2001_1_eng.html and i came across acouple mods that I really want to do that would make my rig look alot meaner and fuction alot better.





I really like the snorkle (im working on getting one now) but I do not know how much it will really be used. I do not plan on crossing any really deep rivers, but on my last outing, we crossed alittle stream... it went to the top of the wheels, which isnt deep by any means, but i would feel alot better with a snorkle... plus they look so bad a$$.

Next, limb lifters. They are the wires that go from the bumper to the roof, to lift tree branches and such. These would function really well on the tight trails here in PA. Plus they would keep my windshield alittle more protected.

I really need a different front bumper and winch, but thats a project far int he future... its big $$

So that leaves sliders.. which I def. need, PA is hella rocky... Im thinking stubbs cause i only hear good things and he has a bunch of options.

Now some simpleler things....

I need to re-organize my lights on my roof rack. Last time the trees knocked the crap out of them... plus they arent even wired up yet becasue I have ot figure out how to safely wire up 4 100w lights (relays, switches, right gauge wire, maybe any extra battery??) I think i am going to try to move them closer to the front of the roof, and then move them lower, or make a protection bar over them. 1 almost got ripped off by a nice size branch.

so that leads me to a battery, I have a toyota batter in there now, and i have no idea of it's age. So im thinking an optima, maybe a dual set up

I really need a better organization compartment for the gear. I had 1 small bag and a milk crate... good till i hit a bump and the gear re-arranged itself.

I also have to get some decent recovery straps and shakles... right now all i have is a tow chain, which ive been told is not the way to go (but i got it for free!)

I have 2 tow hooks that I need to mount up, but A:i need longer bolts becasue i have a brush guard, and B:when whoever mounted my brush guard, they welded the one bolt on--> im baffled, I can see why, but why? yeah it might be for safety, but maybe they could have used lock tite?

So thats all i could think of based on the pictures i gazed at. Any other suggestions or comments? thanks guys

tc

How much are you going to be 'wheeling? If any at all, you need to stock up on recovery equipment:

MINIMUM (seriously, you should never take this out of the truck and don't even think about going 'wheeling without it):
Front and rear recovery points (rear can be as simple as a hitch pin through your receiver hitch)
2 D-ring shackles
Recovery strap
Heavy Gloves

From there add (in something like this order):
snatch block
more shackles
hilift jack w/ accessory kit & section of chain with grab hooks
another recovery strap
9000 lb power puller
chains
winch
Tractor Supply is a great source for this stuff - they have all of it, and good prices. For example, HiLift brand 48" jack is $48, they have an off brand for $27. Shackles are like $10/ea (as opposed to $30). Be sure to look on all the equipment for a working load limit (WLL) or safe load limit and that they're higher than the GVWR of your truck.

As for mods to the truck, diff breather extension is really important for those of us who have to rie through mud, streams, etc. I would do at least one locker before any (more) lift.

SnoViking

right now im wheeling about once a month. Ive only had the 4runner since sept. so Im trying to get the rig up to par. Ive already got the lift going, Ive got the rear done with OME and the front Im working on a set of tundra trd coils. I got a crappy no name high lift which was frozen last time i went wheeling so I will def. have to upgrade that. I have a reciever warn shackle for the back also. I plan to wheel alot more come summer when I dont have as much class too...

tc

I'm kinda new at wheeling too and have a lot to learn about off-road driving. I kina figure if someone is going to help me out of a stuck, at least I can make it as easy on them as possible by being prepared with ample recovery equipment.

Lysmachia

TC, I am trying to figure out which of us is more of a recovery equipment sl*t. LOL

*******

Those tree wires are a pretty sick mod that can be done easily. I had never considered something liek that becasue where I wheel it is wide open pretty much.

Blizzard

Here in Spain this wires are used, we've narrow trails!

Nice Mercedes G and BJ-40 BTW.

David

shawn0890ss

well as far as recovery equipment goes i would love to have some but dont wanna spend the money most of the time i will be wheelin with my dad and he has all that stuff in his truck an if i go wihout him i guess i could always just steal his stuff!

4Mogger

I think the snorkel would be a waste of money. Why? Because I have been wheeling for over 25 years and have never seen a situation where someone crossed water deep enough to take in water because they had to--I have seen plenty cross because they wanted to and plenty just for the hell of it. Generally there is an alternate route to a bridge or more shallow crossing. And unless you are a maintenance freak, you will be shortening the life of many components while you try to seek out a crossing that will even begin to justify the snorkel.
If it were my 4Runner I would start with a small lift and some serious rubber like the BFG MT. Toyotas have good recovery points in the front but at the rear they are difficult to access. I used a warn receiver shackle for many years and loved it. Basic recovery gear is a must--get what you can afford or borrow or buy and share gear.
A battery in tip top condition is just about the most important thing you could have for any vehicle heading into the backcountry--You do not need a dual set up until you are winching heavily. But if you have a manual transmission you will eventually take full advantage of the Toyota clutch start cancel feature. This has saved my ass many times and drains a battery quick.

shazaam

Your right I did I did this b/c I thought it would be awesome ... if I had the snorkel then I wouldn't have hydrolocked.







and after that little incident ...




If everyone followed your logic of "just go around it" .. why bother wheeling just go around everything. just my 2 cents

4Mogger

I never said *everyone* should do anything. I just said that someone brand new to wheeling should not be starting the buildup process with a snorkel. I drive straight past a lot of holes that exist only because stupid noobs feel the need to bury their rig up to the doors in mud. I wheel to get places--usually to a trailhead to do some climbing. I do not cross water unless the trail requires it. And I have not needed a snorkel yet. But it is on my list of future mods because I recognize that the more remote the area I wheel, the greater the likelihood that I will need a higher intake.
We are not losing trails to closures because people like me stay on the trail and leave it as I find it. We are losing trails because unprincipled drivers are leaving the trails "because they thought it would be awesome" and damaging the areas around the original trail. The deciding factor is... does the trail require the crossing? Or am I just tearing crap up and setting a generally poor example for others? If a trail gets boring, then find a more challenging trail.
I am enjoying the same trails that my father drove back in the late 60's and early 70's. Do I think that my son will be able to say the same thing 10 years from now? I do not. The only thing that has changed is the unchecked morons driving wherever they feel like, anytime they feel like it. And others follow of course and then the damage begins to look like a new trail and then that gets boring and so people continue to look for challenges that "look awesome."