Alright, Must haves for wheeling??

Ok guys, get me on the right track here, i keep wanting to waste my money on stupid shit like on board air and electronics when i dont even have tires or lockers or even skids... What are the absolute must haves for wheeling. I mean true wheeling not jut some trails. Where we ride it is pretty nasty(not rocky but steep off hamber stuff) and lots of trees... Im on tight budget too, so cheaper is better(not like cheap brands, but not expensive air lockers either)... a lot of DIY stuff will help a lot too.

fire extingusher

^^ good thing to have.

It depends on what kind of wheeling you do. The cheapest setup I can think of, is some spacers in the front, AAL's in the back, go to a discount tire place and get some all terrain or mud terrain tires, and do the junkyard thing for whatever else you might want. keep in mind, tow hooks are wonderfull to have.

Also, if you don't have a hitch, find a rear tow hook. Front and rear hooks won't mount up without the proper bracketry, so get the brackets too.

I hope this helps a bit.

recovery points (towhooks)

towstrap

first aid

fire ext.

hi-lift jack

shovel & axe (required in some forests/ohv areas)

basic tools and common replacement parts (belts/hoses)

harwood39 said:

Ok guys, get me on the right track here, i keep wanting to waste my money on stupid shit like on board air and electronics when i dont even have tires or lockers or even skids... What are the absolute must haves for wheeling. I mean true wheeling not jut some trails. Where we ride it is pretty nasty(not rocky but steep off hamber stuff) and lots of trees... Im on tight budget too, so cheaper is better(not like cheap brands, but not expensive air lockers either)... a lot of DIY stuff will help a lot too.

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Internal Cage and harnesses....

I wish I had started there first..... but it took about 1.5 years before I made the leap for a cage...

Also you cant go wrong with a Winch... for cheap I had the Ramsey Rep8.5e . It's slow but never let me down...

Just my $0.02
Chris

alright here is what i got so far, rear bumper, 6 in lift(budget boost gone mad), 3 fire extinguishers(bad luck follows our group around), extra lighting, hi-lift, tools, recovery points(rear d-rings and front 2 inch hitches)

here is a link of my project build so far... http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=919071

just need more advice... we get hung up all the time, and rolled 3 rigs in 2 trips last month... havent broughten mine out due to ignition problems that i just fixed in time for my 4 month old fuel pump to fail... thank god for lifetime warranties

6 inche sof lift? on what size tires?

i had 31's but they were shot as i got them for free so i put the stockers back on for winter til i find some good inexpensive tires.

ok but what size are you shooting for?

OK, are you asking about vehicle prep or items to carry in your rig?

Most items have been covered - spare tire or plugs, tow points front & rear, tow strap (no metal hooks), jack, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, seatbelts, fluids, basic tools, etc... Then the next step would be things like spare parts, more advancced tools, CB or HAM, CO2 or air source, etc...

For rig prep, the XJ is very capable in stock form, but not what 99.9% of us have. To build your rig, you really need to decide what type of wheelin you want to do, talk to and look at lots of other XJ's, and finally budget. Most folks start with small lifts or buy a rig that has been lifted. Then we normally change the lift to a bigger one in a year or two... LOL. With a lift kit - regardless of size, you will need to ensure you have shocks, brakelines, driveshaft angles, tire sizes, speedo gear, etc... With larger tires you will want change your gears. And don;t forget the locker decision!


Then there is the whole armor thing. Gas tank skid and rock rails should be on the top of the list. Then aftermarket bumpers, diff guards, etc...

Ok, that's a ton of info and I hope I at least got some ideas flowing. It truly depends on you, your driving/wheeling style, type of wheeling, budget, ability, skils, etc..

Good luck!

harwood39 said:

i dont even have tires

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dude tires are a must for wheeling

rob you hit the nail on the head. thats an excellent rundown of what to have on the trail. just be warned harwood39, your xj can easily get itself places it cant get itself out of without the proper tools. recovery points, a good strap, and rock rails will save you alot of "oh crap what do i do now" time.

budget it pretty low, thats why i ask for the bare minimum for must haves. Once summer hits i will be able to afford more, just stuck in a part time job till i finish school, but wanna get some more done before they start going out again.


As for tire size i wold like to keep it conservative with 32 or 33. I trimmed the front fenders, folded the rear fenders, and am trimming and folding the rear quarters over the next month since that will only cost me welding wire. I have a CB, pulled the air bags(system shorted and was causing my guages to drop out), have dual bats, im doing a home made snorkel(lost a rig in a water hole last summer and just want the insurance there), and i have tons of chain, tow straps(with and without hooks).


Mostly i want advise on vehicle prep for the bare minimums for Midwest wheeling and whatnot.

Oh, and as far as rocker guards go, im iffy on spending the money as i plan on doing the complete replacement next summer due to it being a lot stronger and i wouldnt loose ground clearance(where we wheel every inch counts)

I am not sure you could ever get a complete answer to this question as everything is incremental.

Probably the only "must have" is a safe vehicle and your time.

You just need to get out there and wheel within your capabilities, see what you encounter, determine what you want to be able to do, then modify and prepare accordingly.

Group runs are a great way to gain experience, boost your confidence and to learn what you might need to wheel the way you want to wheel.

If you're gonna go to a 32 or 33, I would suggest lowering it. By the looks of your Jeep, you're open to doing a little trimming, and you've already done some.

You could take that lift down to 4" to clear a 32, and 4.5-5" to clear a 33. On that off-camber stuff having the lower COG would be good.

A couple of things I forgot to add:

COMMON SENSE! Use good jusgement, don't wheel illegally, make sure someone knows your plans and location/route plans. This will help if someone needs to come looking for you.

NEVER WHEEL ALONE! Of course, I know a few folks that do this, but I can not recommend it!

Since your reply - I would recommend searching junkyards, forums, Craigslist, and local papers and find used parts. especially rims and tires.

Good Luck!

The fist thing i obviously need is tires, i get that, but im thinking skids are next, some control arms, and RE hack and tap. if i could find a set of some nice 35's i would be really happy. since it cleared 33 in super swampers over the summer when i borrowed a set from a buddy. I like to climb stuff and clear obsticals. I like the trail type stuff we do. I drove a wrangler a few times this summer out there broke a lot on that. his setup was 4 in lift, 33 swampers, rock sliders, poison spyder stinger, and blue torch comp cut 1/4 armor. we broke both rear shock mounts when we came down hard cause he had it sitting on the stinger. pics of some of the wheeling is on my site. www.harwoodmfg.com

im waiting on bumpers and other misc for now as i am trying to work out a deal on purchasing a product line for cherokees to start remanufacturing.

i will also get some vids of the type of wheeling we do to help you guys.

harwood39 said:

The fist thing i obviously need is tires, i get that, but im thinking skids are next, some control arms, and RE hack and tap. if i could find a set of some nice 35's i would be really happy. since it cleared 33 in super swampers over the summer when i borrowed a set from a buddy. I like to climb stuff and clear obsticals. I like the trail type stuff we do.

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WHOA THERE!!!! 35's!! That's a big deal. I mean, you have to buld for 35's - gears, shafts, brakes, steering, etc... NOT CHEAP. Now some folks here may argue this, but you can build for 33's and go almost anywhere you want to go and do it for less.

I looked at your build, nice clean rig. I would get some rock rails, gas tank skid, and rear tow hitch. I saw the rear tow points, but it looks like they are only welded to the box bumper, not through it or attached anywhere else.

You will need to trim your fenders, that's for sure.

Good luck!

ya, they are just welded to the bumper, i was orignially going to get a hitch and tie the bumper into that, but this bumper wont be staying too long i do not think if all goes as planned. and that is the biggest reason why i didnt wanna do 35s...expensive... also i did trim the front fenders and folded the rears to the body line, clears 33's perfectly.

Join a 4x4 club. You will figure out what you need from there.

lockers are the single best upgrade for owning any trail esp. in off camber situations.