Having a vehicle that can get you off the beaten roads is huge for enjoying the outdoors. This allows you to get into more places with ease and allows you to bring more gear further into the woods. My vehicle of choice is a 2001 Cherokee XJ. I got a screaming deal on it, and it came with only some cosmetic issues. There is certain key elements to any off-road vehicle that are ideal to increase its capabilities. I will be going over the things that I have added and done to my jeep to get it ready for the deep backcountry.
Now before you start making all your sweet modifications you must be realistic with what you want to be able to do with your off-road vehicle. For me, I didn’t only just want to be able to go far back on some rough dirt roads. I also wanted to be able to rock crawl with it. Once you figure out what you want your vehicle to be capable of you can start deciding what you need and don’t.
The first important decision to figure out is clearance. You are going to want a high enough clearance off the ground that you can go over obstacles in the trail without getting caught on the body of your vehicle. There are two main ways that you can do this. You can get bigger tires and you can install a lift. On my vehicle I decided to do both.
I put on 35’s which gave both my body and axle great clearance from the ground. You certainly do not need to go all the way to 35’s. Although they are not massive, smaller tires will work as well. Note that if you put on 35’s you will most likely have to do some trimming to your fenders so that you don’t rub on them when turning. For me I only had to do some very light trimming to my fenders. What also helped was that I installed spacers and had a 4.5” lift.
The lift is the second thing that you can do to give yourself more clearance. I used a rough country 4.5” basic lift. It got the job done and was decently easy to install with the help of some very skilled people. If you have friends that are great at automotive work try and lean on them heavily, they are a huge help when it comes to installing a whole lift. If your lift kit does not include them remember you will need to get extended break lines as well. Snapping a break line out on the trail is no fun.
The second thing I did to my jeep was install an adjustable track bar. A stronger and adjustable track bar helps to make sure you get proper and stable steering. Many times, after adding a new lift and bigger tires your ride may not feel as smooth. Touching up your steering system can help a lot with that.
One of the best modifications I made to my jeep was the aussie locker. The aussie locker locks your front axle. This is a great addition to any off-road vehicle that is going to want a more beefed-up axle. The aussie locker works completely mechanically with no electronics. The installation is quite easy as well. Many people lock there rear as well which can help a lot. For those getting into rock crawling, some events will only allow you to do certain trails if you have both the front and rear axle locked.
The final big modification I would suggest for your off-road vehicle is rock sliders. These will protect your vehicle from damage to the frame and body. I use my rock sliders all the time, and I am glad I have them. The nice thing about these is you can build your own very easily. Mine consist of 3/16” 2×6 rectangular metal tubing. All I did was cut to size and used angle iron to weld right to my frame. This is the most inexpensive way to protect your investment.
Now that you have your off-road vehicle ready to go, go and use it! Always remember to replace all your fluids and do basic maintenance. Pay some money up front to get more life out of your vehicle. The possibilities are endless with your ride. You can use it to explore new places, get further into the back country for some good hunting or fishing locations, or just to get too hard to reach places for a camping trip. Whatever you use yours for enjoy all the possibilities it brings to you. If you are interested in getting into some rock crawling, checkout some clubs around you. Almost all places have a jeep or off-road vehicle club. Be safe and have fun!