Jeep Wrangler Instead of a Side by Side?

[Industrial Toys]

That is awesome. I had seen those in the background of Nam era movies but never found out WHAT they were. Where (and what) is the engine or is it peddle powered?

I had considered buying a Suzuki or Tracker type of vehicle insteaad of my Mule. Maybe I should have. Real cab, heating, A real transmission (not one that belongs in a snowmobile) and REAL size wheels. I didn't because I would have bought used, and didn't want all of the usual maintenance issues that go with a used 4WD vehicle. It just seems that whenever yu want to do something, you have to repair the vehicle first!

Curious if they ever made Diesel versions for certain markets.

I had dreams of using such a small 4x4 to go into town the odd time but my Insurance would have doubled and that was the end of that dream!

Everybody always talks about the side by sides. This brand VS another. What you never hear about is the totally insane price of parts for these things. No after market ones in JC whitney to be had!

 

[bcp]

They had some interesting options not often found on a UTV.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Military_M274_Truck,_Platform,_Utility_1/2_Ton,_4X4

The M274 Mules were often outfitted with a wide array of weaponry, especially in the Vietnam War. They could be modified to carry virtually any type of conventional weapon that could be mounted on a truck. Most commonly, the M274 was outfitted with:

M60 7.62mm NATO light machine guns
M2HB .50 Caliber machine guns
106 mm Recoilless Rifles
TOW anti-tank missile systems
M134 Minigun


There iare two diesel conversion Samurais on the local CL, Mercedes and VW.

Suzuki Samurai Diesel 4X4 PU trade

'88.5 Suzuki Samurai JX / Soft Top / 5spd. ( Set up for VW TDiesel )

Bruce

 

[Industrial Toys]

I would opt for the minigun, no doubt about it. Perfect for those pesky drones!

 

[4570Man]

The army mules were powered by a m274 4 cylinder Willys, m2744a1 4 cylinder Willys, and a m274a2-5 2 cylinder Continental Hercules. The engine is in the back under the deck. They have a 3 speed transmission with a 2 speed transfer case. First gear runs 1 mph. Top speed is rated at 25 mph, but I think they will go a little faster.

 

[KubotainNH]

I'm on my 5th Jeep, a 99 Cherokee and I use it to plow snow. Would I use it off road all the time and try to keep it road worthy? Nope, I would be under it too much. But if the OP only wants it for off road then you can buy a rusted one for $500 and it will run for years (common in the Northeast, OP from VT). For hauling stuff and people I would go with a rusted Grand Cherokee because the rear coil springs really suck up the bumps. Pull the doors and hatch off and have fun. Leave it in 4 low and if you need more traction then weld up the rear axle. You could even sawzall the rear roof off to make it more of a pickup with easy access.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm on my 5th Jeep, a 99 Cherokee and I use it to plow snow. Would I use it off road all the time and try to keep it road worthy? Nope, I would be under it too much. But if the OP only wants it for off road then you can buy a rusted one for $500 and it will run for years (common in the Northeast, OP from VT). For hauling stuff and people I would go with a rusted Grand Cherokee because the rear coil springs really suck up the bumps. Pull the doors and hatch off and have fun. Leave it in 4 low and if you need more traction then weld up the rear axle. You could even sawzall the rear roof off to make it more of a pickup with easy access.

Yep. Down side to GC's are more moving parts in the suspension. Hard to beat good ole leaf springs if you are looking for useability and minimal maintenance.

 

[ovrszd]

This afternoon a friend of mine text'd me. He's selling his '98 Jeep TJ Sahara, 187K miles, all highway. It has the 4.0L 6cyl, AT, PS, PB, AC, CC, Hardtop, Hard Doors, Cloth/canvas seats, carpet. He wants $4K on Craigslist.

So,,,,,, I could buy it,,,,,, sell the Hardtop for $800, sell the Hard Doors for $600, disable the PS, disable the PB, disable the AC, disable the heat, disable the CC, yank out the cloth/canvas seats and install vinyl, weld the rear axle, and have the equivalent of a Kawasaki Mule and be in it for $2600. I'd also still be able to license it, drive it on the highway, etc. Or I could beat the snot out of it offroad. And it would still outlast a UTV. Seems pretty simple to me.

Again, not trying to flame anyone. Just bringing reality to the conversation. UTV's are awesome. But they'll never compete financially with a Jeep or Sami or whatever brand of compact offroad capable 4x4 you prefer.

UTVs have their purpose. And are usually bought for the "status" of having one. No problem from me. I've got one too.

 

[KubotainNH]

Yep. Down side to GC's are more moving parts in the suspension. Hard to beat good ole leaf springs if you are looking for useability and minimal maintenance.

View attachment 435008

Well, the leafs on my XJ have been replaced once and are in need of it again. I never touched the suspension on the 94 Grand I had and it had tons more miles on it and about the same age. Pretty simple design and when have you seen the rear of a Grand sagging. I really hate the leaf spring setup with it's standard spring wrap clunk but my plow is for an XJ. I have contemplated bodging it onto a Grand.

BTW, I like the chopped XJ in the pic.

 

[bcp]

Old Jeeps have lots of modification possibilities.



Bruce

 

[Industrial Toys]

We had an 72 Olds Delta 88 with a Rocket 350. We loved that car and could not part with it so we removed the doors and rear body, installed a flat wooden deck and it became a farm vehicle.

It was hard on gas, always needed some repair, but worst of all, with the doors removed it would suck in huge amounts of dust from the road, in that configuration.

It also took up a lot of room in the barn and never did get used much.