Is off roading too easy nowadays?

[Zachanadandy]

SPOT on 100%. Also remember, back in the 80's and 90's, except for a few Ford models, nobody had lockers / LSD's in the rear AND FRONT. Ford F150 and Bronco's had an optional front LSD. GM was Gov Lock only in the rear. You had to either spend money on shop to install the front or do it yourself if you were so mechanically inclined. Nobody was running from the factory 33's or 35' or even 37's on trucks / jeeps. They were all built for the love of the challenge / sport.

Horsepower and torque was anemic back in the 70's/80's/90's trucks. Hell my original L05 GM 350 in my 1987 K5 was running 210hp and 305 ft lbs of torque turning a 5000+lb truck. We built our motors ( i put in a ZZ4 motor in my K5 in 1996, added front and rear lockers (got rid of the horrid Gov lock) and built our 4 speed 700R4 and added 35" Ground Hawgs and Swamper SSX's depending on the type of terrain I was running).

Another issue was axles. GM 10 bolts in 1/2 tons and you had to upgrade to a 3/4 ton to get a Dana 44's. Now Gladiators have HD 44's from the factory. Unless your running the monster tires, your could throttle up and abuse them pretty well where the 10 bolts would fail (again a Chevy or Ford or Dodge 1/2 weighs a lot more then the gladiator). We won't even talk about the old Jeep Dana 30 or 35 front axle.

Maybe you had a TH 350 or 400 3 speed auto. or a muncie 4 sped manual. Now we have 8 speed trans. NP 205 or NP 203 T-cases with part or full time 4wd with 2.72 low range vs a rubicon 4:1 ratio.

I will say what has gotten worse is the FAD vs a true solid axle with warn lock out hubs (god forbid you had the GM 4x4 auto lock outs).

Sway bar disconnects vs the horrid articulation in Jeeps, Toyotas, GM's, and Fords back in the day. Now it makes putting power to the ground easy as no wheel lift etc.

So yeah, I think its easier to wheel with a modern Jeep then back in the day.

HOWEVER, I will say that with 1 exception. An experienced driver in a less mechanically capable vehicle will usually outperform a newbie in a top of the line vehicle. Expertise is everything when driving offroad.

Currently with everything being crew cab and luxury loaded a half ton weighs quite a bit more than a gladiator. Back in the 80s and 90s? Nope. A stock K5 weighed 3200lbs. A 1995 extended cab 4x4 Silverado just 4,300lbs. My gladiator is closer to 6k lbs with just tools and recovery gear in the back seat.

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[Janster]

Man all this K5 talk is triggering memories. My K5 was the M1009 variant. 6.2 diesel you want to talk about gutless lol. It was terrible with open 3.08s even on stock tires. It eventually got 14 bolts out of an M1008 truck with the 4.56s. I'd get behind cars on the highway, wait til I was going down a hill and floor it to pass them. I'd hit the up side of the hill, lose steam before reaching the top, and just move back over. It was incapable of passing an 80s Dodge Caravan lol. With 4.56s it was better. I got it from the gov auction lot in '01 with 28xxx documented miles. It had 90k when I sold it. I dont ever miss it. But even after sitting in my garage for years I put 2 new batteries in it and it fired. Thing would not die. I only have a couple pictures of it. This was my first outing with it shortly after I'd got it. I dont have any cool buried to the doors in mud pictures. I never took enough photos.

A club member had a K5 that we wheeled with often. I have no clue what he did to it - probably nothing other than better tires. It’s not something you see on the trails very often. He wasn’t shy about…..and it amazed me the places he took it and did with it.

Damnit….. I’ve got USB sticks laying in our safe with oodles and oodles of photos from back in 2000ish. I gotta get those out again!

 

[CPTRVB]

Keep in mind that some of us have been fabricating and wrenching our entire lives but have aged and now have disposable income. Our joints hurt and we don’t get off the ground like we used too and it’s pretty nice being able to hand over cash to a younger, able bodied mechanic for what used to be our own livelihood.

Also, lockers, electronic disconnect, AC, automatic transmission, etc., beats the hell out of what I grew up with so “easy” is subjective. I pay a lot of money for modern conveniences and enjoy it.

 

[Sandman 4x4]

Ok here’s my take after a good 45 years of off roading on dirt bikes and in 4x4’s of all types, including a three year hitch from 73-76 in The Army as a heavy wheeled truck driver. Of course the new stuff is much better once there. However it’s getting so much more difficult to FIND places to go! Without fences and signs telling you to stay out! Oh out west there are still dedicated places but even those are tougher to find! In The Army I spent my time at Ft. Carson, CO. That was an amazing off roading Mecca with trails and swimming areas all over. But I took my wife back there like just 15 years ago and I was amazed how many places were now off limits! Living in the New England area most of my life, back in the 70’s-80’s there were a few areas where you could go. But today? Not so fast buddy, but those areas that are there now cost $$$$ for a sticker, including many of the beautiful beaches in the summer. But when you do get on the beach, at times it’s bumper to bumper and crowded.

 

[professorkx]

Keep in mind that some of us have been fabricating and wrenching our entire lives but have aged and now have disposable income. Our joints hurt and we don’t get off the ground like we used too and it’s pretty nice being able to hand over cash to a younger, able bodied mechanic for what used to be our own livelihood.

Also, lockers, electronic disconnect, AC, automatic transmission, etc., beats the hell out of what I grew up with so “easy” is subjective. I pay a lot of money for modern conveniences and enjoy it.

Agree in part. My career as an executive and Board member set us up well for retirement, so I can afford to have folks work on my rigs and never notice the spending. My problem is the incompetence, as I never know if the work was done right, so I just keep wrenching on my rigs. However, in retirement, I no longer have any time constraints, so if a project takes twice as long, no big deal.

I just bought my 2024 when Jeep and dealers had big discounts, as I don’t want to wrench while traveling, but I installed every upgrade in my shop, took my time and enjoyed the process.

 

[professorkx]

Ok here’s my take after a good 45 years of off roading on dirt bikes and in 4x4’s of all types, including a three year hitch from 73-76 in The Army as a heavy wheeled truck driver. Of course the new stuff is much better once there. However it’s getting so much more difficult to FIND places to go! Without fences and signs telling you to stay out! Oh out west there are still dedicated places but even those are tougher to find! In The Army I spent my time at Ft. Carson, CO. That was an amazing off roading Mecca with trails and swimming areas all over. But I took my wife back there like just 15 years ago and I was amazed how many places were now off limits! Living in the New England area most of my life, back in the 70’s-80’s there were a few areas where you could go. But today? Not so fast buddy, but those areas that are there now cost $$$$ for a sticker, including many of the beautiful beaches in the summer. But when you do get on the beach, at times it’s bumper to bumper and crowded.

Completely agree, and one of the reasons I switched to Overland Trail Guides as a source for adventure trails. we are going to The Great American Outback Trail in the motorhome this summer…2400 miles of adventures. Of course, we will be towing the Jeep for those spicy diversions.

I still have a KTM690 adventure bike…which is nothing more than a big dirt bike, and I ride with my sons, but prefer the Adventure Motorhome or my Jeep for adventures.

We spent time in the east fixing and selling several companies, and there is so little public land to enjoy it was difficult to find adventures. In the west, we can get back into the mountains or desert far enough that we might not see another person for several days.

 

[Flyin6]

Is wheeling easier today than in years past?

I'd say for me, it surely is. The one huge variable is the trail itself. Should you choose an impossible trail today, well, it's pretty darn difficult. But thinking of the trails I attempted decades ago, yes, today in my JTR, they would have been much easier.
Today, I have a GPS helping me, so I no longer get lost. Way back when I once followed a tank trail into a mud hole that swallowed up my CJ7, I had no idea I was even going to encounter it. Heck, I didn't even know what county I was in, only that my CJ was sinking and I was walking.
I haven't replaced any axles or U-joints on my JT, but did all that sort of stuff on my CJ, FJ-40, K5, 1/2 ton K10, and a host of others. Walk out, get a ride back in with parts and tools, and get at it.
My toolbox has all sorts of special tools to fit D44s, D60s/70s/80s, 14-bolts, and so forth.
For decades, I wrenched on everything, and still do. Before I had to do it. A lift kit to clear the 33's, whereas my JTR clears 37's with ease. I installed lockers, whereas my JTR has them from the factory. Heck, my AEV JT370 already had a lift, great shocks, 37's, and gears. I literally just took it "stock" on the KY adventure trail and made it out for dinner with no more than a muddy undercarriage.
I do not see the latest generation learning or willing to work on their vehicles like I did in the past. Having said that, these newest trucks are incredibly complicated versus a simple carburetor and stick shift. Even though I am a professional with a completely different skill set, I can set up gears, rebuild an engine or transmission, weld, and do anything else I need to modify/repair my stuff. Unfortunately, that has caused me to have to work on other folks' trucks who don't know which end of a ratchet to use as a hammer ;-)

 

[ourjeeps]

zuks WB can just get it

Good one!!! That's what winches are for...

 

[Janster]

Keep in mind that some of us have been fabricating and wrenching our entire lives but have aged and now have disposable income. Our joints hurt and we don’t get off the ground like we used too and it’s pretty nice being able to hand over cash to a younger, able bodied mechanic for what used to be our own livelihood.

Also, lockers, electronic disconnect, AC, automatic transmission, etc., beats the hell out of what I grew up with so “easy” is subjective. I pay a lot of money for modern conveniences and enjoy it.

Amen!!!

 

[imallcrawl]

....Our joints hurt and we don’t get off the ground like we used too and it’s pretty nice being able to hand over cash to a younger, able bodied mechanic for what used to be our own livelihood.

I 100% relate...doing my lift felt like I went to the gym for a week!

 

[Stan H]

Off roading is only easy if you choose easy places to wheel.

 

[Supazuk]

Good one!!! That's what winches are for...

hooked the winch for suport but drove right over ... wow that was almost 20 years ago lol

 

[Janster]

Off roading is only easy if you choose easy places to wheel.

 

[Stan H]

Hey the truth hurts .. not as much as jumping on a bicycle with a missing set but it hurts . .."Leslie Neilson" Naked Gun

 

[Janster]

Hey the truth hurts .. not as much as jumping on a bicycle with a missing set but it hurts . .."Leslie Neilson" Naked Gun

Truth hurts? Seriously?

What exactly do you think is an easy trail? That varies depending on the vehicle capabilities, driver capabilities & experience, and what you’re in the mood to do. Your perception of an EASY trail could be easier or harder for someone else.

Don’t forget where you came from…. EVERYONE started on the ‘easy trails’……

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