Im sure alot of guys will be steaming, but Im interested in how many people still actually pack up their rigs, drive to the trail, drive the trail, and actually drive home. Seems like everyone is going the trailer queen route, (and honestly, sometimes that seems OK), but does anyone still drive their trucks on the road to get there anymore? I know where I live in the Northeast, it can sometimes be a necessity due to Snowstorms, and every road is a trail. Lets hear what your take is, and how modified your ride is that sees all sorts of use.

I drive my truck from Sacramento to Las Vegas, the next week from Sac to Portland, two weeks after that from Sac to Boise and three days later from Sac to Chyenne. 6 months later, I drove it to Moab, ran Hells Revenge, PSM, Golden Spike, Gold Bar Rim, over Potato Salad Hill, Double Whammy, and a couple easier trails. Then drove it home.

Bask then the truck had 3" suspension and 3" body lift, 4.56's, 35" SSRs, Detroit in the rear, Lockright up front, fixed ratio steering box.

Currently the truck has 3" body lift, 10" long arm suspension, 4" rear leafs with shackle flip, 37" Creepy Crawlers on double beadlocks, hydro assist, upgraded trackbar, 1.5 x 0.25 crossover steering with 3/4" heims, dual batteries, dual lockers still, still the 4.56s.

Its my daily driver when I dont have to haul family around. Run it 150 miles round trip at least once a week for work.

I've got a cj with 8 in lift, detroits, swampers, ect. I trailer due to the closest trail being about 200 mi. away, alot of 9% grade along the way. The old jeep goes pretty slow like 60 as a top speed.

Havn't takin my ram on to many trails yet. But I drive my 78 CJ on 38.5 boggers to the trails/pits and so far have drivin it home every time. Once it got drivin home in front wheel drive due to a busted locker, broken driveshaft, and bent axle housing, but thats what little brothers are for(laying in the mud put taking out the rear driveshaft) She's a little wobbly around 55 but people like to see trail rigs with licenses plates.

88 Ramcharger 35's chopped top detroits hydro assist 8-10 mpg drive it to and from Moab from Denver and I drive it to all of the trails in Colorado.

Trailer for me :flipoff2: I have a lance camper and a trailer so it's nice not to have to tent it anymore :cool2: I like the trailer because I no longer sweat breakage. It gives the 1 ton a workout. I used to drive the powerwagon 200 miles, wheel it all weekend, and then drive home. On monday start my commute of 75 miles everyday, 6 days a week. There were a few times I almost didn't make it work! It's nice not have to worry about that anymore. Plus the A/C on the drive to and from is nice as well these days! Yes I am spoiled!!

Well, all my junk so far is streetable and street legal, and I could drive my toys to go beat on them, and hopefully drive them home, but why risk it? If I haul my truck a couple hours one way, I know I will most likely make it home. If I drove my truck 2 hrs, then broke it in such away that I can't drive it home, not only do I have to find a ride home, then I have to do the 4 hr round trip just because I didn't want a "trailer queen":rolleyes:.

Besides, a trailer queen to me is a vehicle thats shiney, that you roll off the trailer, sit beside it all day at a car show, then push it back on the trailer and take it home. I don't have any trailer queens, just thourobreds that deserve a ride to take a beating and then hauled home.

Oh, I'm not steaming, I bought a trailer and had a tow vehicle before I had toys. I've broken a lot of stuff wheeling, racing, and truck pulling. I like to ride home in the a/c with a nice driving tow vehicle, after a long fun weekend of wheeling, or a hot night of truck pulling.

Michael

Trailer for me to the ORV. Basically it is like 1-2 hrs away and nowadays I love to play hard. I don't feel like being stranded 2 hrs away and since i have a way to trailer the ram why not

I drive my wheeling rig to the trail while towing someone elses rig at the same time

I drive mine every day gettin the whoppin 7 mpg. Had to take it home on the end of a strap twice due to busted spiders and a busted locker. Can't use front wheel drive due to the 44 in the front being spooled. No I guess make it 3 times I grenaded the clutch one night in a bad mud hole something about a stock clutch and a decent motor. I do trailer a friend's jeep when we go on long trips. And my bronco is driven everywhere as well.

I trailer my zuk because doing 55-60 mph at 4K+ rpm sucks.:flipoff2:
Travis..

I wish I had a trailer.........

I drive it to all the trips I've been on, anywhere from 2 to 6hr away. There isn't anywhere close to me to wheel here in Ohio. I'd like to go to Paragon, and some of the places down south sometime this year.

My rig is street legal still and I drive it almost everyday, except for the last couple months. 150K hard miles on the 5.9L and the new 406 motor will be done soon and will get a good workout. I run everything from 37 to 40's, D60/70 combo, 4.88 gears detroit rear and power-lok front.

I have trailered my Ram once but plan to do it more often now. I used to think that driving to the trail, wheeling, and driving back was manly. Now I realize that you can't wheel to your full potential if you have to worry about getting back home. So if I go more than 30 minutes away from the house, I trailer. I am fortunate enough to have many great wheeling areas right around the house so I can wheel a lot of terrain without going far.
Having 44 inch Boggers doesn't make highway travel very fun anyway. :flipoff2:

That roadside assistance program through my auto insurance is pretty good as long as I get to a paved road they will tow it home for me.

I've done the dirt bike thing for a few years now and I've always had to get up early, load the truck, get to the trail head, unload the dirt bike, then gear-up and then go ride. An easy extra two hours on my trip. Not to mention you have to do every thing in reverse order on the way home. And I just want to get out into the wilderness and be away from the big city:D .

Part of the reason I enjoy wheelin' in my truck is that I don't have to do anything, like load a trailer. Hell my favorite trail out here is the crown king trail and the only time I get out of my truck is to pick up litter:mad3: . Drives me nuts:mad3: My truck is near stock and I'm still shocked at what it can do. I know, I know, super articulate this, super articulate that, I can drive over a house, is always better than stock. But all I would really want to change about my truck is the turning radius. A ramcharger conversion is my new goal. Besides the wifes pregnant, and three days past due:eek: so I need more seats for my hell spawn.

Okay I think I'm a little off track I just want to go to the trail and see the country side. And I truely appreciate the fact that I don't have to do alot to get out there, thank you dodge for straight axles:D And there is no need to upgrade untill I start breaking shit. .02$

Done both. Much prefer driving the rig. Hell, if you can't fix it at a freeway rest stop you have no business waaay off-road with it. Competitors trailer because it's the only way to get buggies there and the tow rig is 200 yards away. Other buggy owners and purpose built off-road rigs trailer because they have to. If your driving a rig that is licensed and street legal why not just drive the thing, that's why you have it.

I trailer for the longer trips (when I can borrow something to pull it with) and drive ot to the closer places. I don't go to alot of the faraway runs because I know I am going to end up having trouble getting it home.
Having done both, I enjoy driving into the mountains with the top down and the wind in my hair.
However, on a long trip, a deisel with ac and cruise is awfully nice.
And before you look at my sig and ask WTF, look for the black text too.:flipoff2:

I run a fully licensed and street legal '77 Ramcharger with no top and no doors. Even if I was guaranteed it would make the 600 mile round trip to Moab and back, you couldn't pay me enough to drive it. The CTD gets way better mileage, has a CD player, and is 100 times more comfortable, I use a trailer.

I do drive the trail rig to the local trails, but those are less than a 1/2 hour away.

I'm old fart (at 29 ;) ).... You guys who say, "why trailer it - be a man".. are a bunch of fucking tools... I'll ride in my comfy, quiet, climate controlled truck and sip my latte' while'st you a case of deadass, frostbite and spend the entire time yelling to speak to your passenger. :D

I guess I don't see why there is so much work involved in hauling the trail truck?:rolleyes: Back up the tow vehicle, drop it on the ball, hook up the plug in, slide out the ramps, drive the truck on the trailer, 2 chains and binders, slide in the ramps and go.

Yeah it sounds like a lot but......checkover the trail truck for a 2 hr drive, burn more gas, stop for gas before wheeling to top the tank off, air down the tires, wheel, fix stuff thats broken or squeaking, air up the tires, stop again for gas before heading home, clean all the mud out of the rims, worry about the wheel bearings due to the play time in the creek crossings, and then the 1/2 hour it was stuck up to the rockerpanels in mud and water. Put up with swampers, dual exhaust, and windows down for another two hours. Wrench on the side of the road cause of part you beat on at the trail....

No thanks, I'll put it on the trailer fire up the diesel and run her home. My diesel gets better economy pulling my gooseneck then the 440 in the power wagon with no OD gets by itself. I suppose a light jeep or such is easier on parts then a big block powered full size, but still.

I totally respect those that wheel and drive their toys every day and if you have fun with a basically stock offroad truck, more power to you. I enjoy getting home and not have to pack the wheel bearings, worry about squeaky ujoints, and super swampers on a DD. I must be getting old, or maybe my toys are getting pretty aggressive to drive very much on the street.

Michael

Anybody have their tow rig break down and have to tow it with their trail rig-that is the question...If you have a trailer and means to pull it-it gives people the opportunity for people to push their trailjunk without getting stranded (But everyone just said that). I think it comes down to people putting more time and money into the wheelin' now-and to push your truck-you have to drive-most people don't have great trails in suburban america-and sometimes drive 200, 400, 1000 miles to "test" their rigs on the same trails they see on this board, magazines and TV.

Well, I have driven to the Rubicon, to Moab dozens of times, and across the US. Worse trip ever driving the rig was breaking a knuckle and driving home with it totally band-aided together. 400 miles at highway speeds was scarey. Wore a tire town to the carcass on one side.

Also broke the tranny housing in half and had to trade rigs with my buddy to drive his home once, over 1000 miles on his rig.

Trailered to St Louis once, tow rig broke down, wheeled all over, drove home from Northern Minnesota. (to western Wyoming).

My last wheelin trip in Nov, trailered to Moab, back to GJ for Billigns Canyon, a friend broke a rear axle, so I let him have my spot on the trailer and drove 300 miles home after getting enough tires fixed at Walmart at 8 pm Monday night so I could pressure them up past 10.

The truck has been sitting sicn eDecember though. Krawlers suck on ice, and I have a 4wd tow rig, so why drive the trail rig?

Interesting comments, funny thing though, I talked to one of my friends in the service and when he saw the post he laughed and said its really tough to trailer a HMMET (those gigantic eight wheeled monsters), laughed again due to the fact alot of those beasts do have AC, and the inhabitants have been known to enjoy coffee on the long convoys. Also asked how often do you see a H1 getting towed?, I guess all of us enjoy our vehicles in our own way.

No trailer for me. I drive my 22re toy with 36" SX's all the way to the trail, through the trail, and all the way home. I would love to have a tow rig and trailer because having broken a leaf spring, driveshaft, and transfercase on different trips I know what its like to have a jolly old time half ass fixing your rig just to get home. When the funds are there I will get a comfy tow rig and trailer.