Jeep as a hunting rig?

[Rocky Mt High]

Over the years I have owned 5 Toyota pickups, then had 2 Ford Rangers. I’ve also had three Jeeps, 1 CJ and two Wranglers. Have another Wrangler now. The pickups would all four wheel as well as the Jeeps and have more usable space.
Last summer I asked my neighbor why we have these Jeep Wranglers
when pick ups are more useful?
He answered; cuz we live in the Colorado high country so we have to play
the part and look cool.
Nuff said…

 

[RabbitSlayer]

Unless you have the 4 door long bed tacoma i dont see how that is any smaller. My rig is a 2005 ext cab 4x4 ranger lightly modified. I have had people in Rubicons turn around while I keep going. It just takes balls, skills, and a willingness to scratch it in the brush. It has way over 100k miles in 4x4. The Tacoma is just about as good. Sometimes my rig is too small for all my shooting and hunting gear.

 

[Lefty2506]

Well I am recalling back when I ran a welding business
and I've welded everything from HEavy Equip Dozers etc down to .050 SS
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One time I even reworked the whole front end of a Delorean that was made up to look like the back to the future car
Most of it was made out of 16 Ga (Thin, bent etc)
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About 2008 a guy asks me if I can weld on his Toyota Fender because it was coming apart
I am used to older 70's Fords, I drive a '92 Dodge, so I said sure.
You can actually screw in a sheet metal screw into their steel and have it hold a mirror back on
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That Toyota Tacoma fender was so thin from the factory I kept burning through even with tiny tack welds
I had to butter each side up with weld, then stitch each side back together very slowly
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by comparison I had a '63 Ranchero that I poked a hole in the front fender at work by accident
took the fender off, pounded the steel back into shape, and zipped it up with a MIG
No issues and didnt have to baby it while welding.
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There was no way doing that to the newer Toyota, it was like you could almost dent it with thumb pressure and lean on it.
But yeah I get it, they want them lighter plus going to half the thickness of metal also saves money right?
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Another comparison to that
I was doing some backhoe work in the backyard and had the backhoe extended and didnt look and was backing up and the tractor stopped
I had hit my '75 Scout in the front end just above the grill
it barely dented the hood and completely stopped the tractor in low gear.
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Just my experience
I'll keep the Old 70's -'90's trucks myself

I agree completely. My dad dropped a small hickory across the hood of an (I think) early 70s Chevy that he was driving at the time. It was a beater and we were cutting firewood for the house. Tree caught a grape vine as it tipped, and the vine spun it 180 and landed across the hood. When we got home, he took a sledge hammer and pounded the dent out while mom and I unloaded the firewood into the basement. You're not going to do that with a newer vehicle. I'd even argue that you wouldn't be doing it with a lot of stuff from the 90s. 90's was WAY better than what's available today, but not as tough as the older stuff. I hit a couple of deer with my '93 extended cab IDI. A co-worker stopped and we used a chain and his truck to yank the bumper out of the passenger front tire. Everything else was fixed with a 4-1/2" grinder and a stick welder.

For beating around in the back country, older is better.

 

[Knotwild]

My brother lives in Charleston SC. He has a 20 something Wrangler with big off road tires and a coil of old rope wrapped around the front bumper, but it never leaves town - ever. It has a little over 100K and has only needed a clutch and throw out bearing, brake calipers and lines, a fan clutch, an ignition switch, and new front differential (old locked up driving down the highway). The synchronizers are going out so he has to skip second gear because he doesn’t know how to double clutch. But the good news is that the transmission that replaces it is only $4k plus labor.

This is my idea of a truck.

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