Going mudding soon..

[aquiring93]

So my truck has never seen a bit of mud in all its years. Everything is bone stock and I was wondering what, if anything, would I be in danger of breaking while going mudding. I have no desire to do any hill climbing or anything difficult for that matter, so I guess my question is what is liable to go wrong and do y'all think it would be a bad idea? The truck is in relatively good shape all around. Its a 1988 4x4 6 cylinder. It has 110,000 miles on it and for the 6k miles I have had it nothing has needed replacing. Appreciate the help y'all. :D

[ComancheKid45]

If its in good shape and stock. Do us all a favor and keep it outta the "mud bogs"

 

There are plenty of S10s and Ford Rangers to go thrash and beat up in the backwoods ;) JMO

[mvusse]

What rear axle do you have?

What size tires are you running?

Unless you actually mean mud, what kind of terrain?

 

Not a lot of traction in mud, so not a lot of strain on the drivetrain, but it gets in everything. Plan on replacing both unit bearings fairly soon after a trip as the mud will wash the grease out of them. If it's gritty mud, it will also get inside the brake drums and sand all the brake material off the brake shoes. If it has gravel, most likely one or more pebbles will get stuck between the front brake rotors and the dust shield. Not serious, but will make a horrendous screeching sound. After you get home, check all u joints, grease all greasable ones and check for water in your axles. Starter and alternator are in a bad spot also. If you don't have AC, you might want to move the alternator up where the AC compressor would go.

 

On anything else, it can't hurt to get rid of the central axle disconnect up front and upgrade to axle shafts with the larger u joints. If you are going to do this more than once and your rear axle is a Dana 35, start looking for a better one to swap in when it goes bad.

[Boots]

make sure your breather tubes for the axles, trans, and transfer case are up some what high.

[Automan2164]

The best solution is abstinence.

 

Rob

[nitroxsteve]

One tip is to watch your throttle when coming out of a mud hole. The mud won't break too much stuff because of low traction but alot of damage results when you exit the mud on to hard ground with your tires spinning hard. When the tires grab things can break. I also agree with the other posts that recomend staying out of the mud. Go buy a POS if you want to tear stuff up.

 

Have Fun,

[AMCJeepMJ]

There are plenty of S10s and Ford Rangers to go thrash and beat up in the backwoods ;) JMO

 

I also agree with the other posts that recomend staying out of the mud. Go buy a POS if you want to tear stuff up.

 

Thirded.

 

For a real challenge, pick up a 20 year old beater AWD Aerostar for use during mudding. Just take the bench seats out and best of luck to ya on your adventure. :thumbsup:

[aquiring93]

Thanks for the advice. I believe I will just drive my friend's wrangler rather than risking my Comanche :yes: Wranglers aren't nearly as cool.

[The_Devils_own]

Just look for a nice easy mud trail to start with . And always go with more than one truck with a good LONG chain . You won't have to beat your truck trying to get unstuck . Also try to find a descent set of 31x10.50's . A stock camoflauge comanche with 31's is what i learned to mud with .don't be afraid of mud , be afraid of DEEP mud ! :banana:

[mvusse]

Just look for a nice easy mud trail to start with . And always go with more than one truck with a good LONG chain . You won't have to beat your truck trying to get unstuck . Also try to find a descent set of 31x10.50's . A stock camoflauge comanche with 31's is what i learned to mud with .don't be afraid of mud , be afraid of DEEP mud ! :banana:

 

NO CHAINS!!! If something comes loose or breaks you will have 50 pounds of steel flying through the air at very high velocity. If you're lucky it will dent the tailgate or go through the grill and radiator. If you're not lucky it will take your head off your shoulders.

 

Use a proper recovery strap with loops at the ends, no steel hooks.

 

Oh, and get a pair of tow hook brackets with hooks for the front of your truck.

[comanche12]

:agree: I hear alot of horrible story occurs with chains :thwak:

 

IMO- clean truck with mint condition stay away from mud. But trail won't hurt. Just avoid tons of mud on trails.

 

Edit: always check ALL fluids before and after wheelin. My previous owner got my axles waterlogged. :(

[xjrev10]

The best solution is abstinence.

 

Rob

check

[The_Devils_own]

Small chains break , mines got 1/2 links for heavy machinery . I also have a 50ft. 3/4 cable for when all else fails.

[acfortier]

That's the thing I can't stand... when I see a nice Comanche chopped up, jacked up 15" in the air, with 45" tires on it... :ack:

 

If its stock, and nice, keep it that way.

[comanche12]

That's the thing I can't stand... when I see a nice Comanche chopped up, jacked up 15" in the air, with 45" tires on it... :ack:

 

If its stock, and nice, keep it that way.

:agree:

[The_Devils_own]

:shake: