starting off.

Just to get you all up to speed on my current position, and so you have a better idea of what im after, its time for a story. a short one i promise.

I first got into mudding about a year and a half ago when my parents "gave" (not really) me a 1986 bronco so that i could drive to work and school just until i bought my own truck. I met some guys who were really into mudding after a few days of parking in the "desert" (sand lot behind my school). They convinced me to come out mudding with them, and so it began. After getting pretty comfortable with the idea of driving my parents truck-on-loan through large pits filled with water and florida muck i started playing around on some of the rec dunes and had a slight mishap, hooray for being careless ><. I just need a new quarter panel and headlight (about $200). Anyways, after this ordeal im no longer allowed to take the bco out mudding, but i still dont have enough money to buy a full sized truck in good working order with 4x4 in my area.

Heres where you all come in...

Ive begun looking at smaller trucks like late 80s / early 90s model ford rangers and am wondering, are trucks like this capable of handling the muddy mayhem that would await them? I just dont feel like a truck this small would be as suited for mudding as say a dodge ram 1500 or a late 80s chevy.

In short, would a 80s-90s ford ranger with 4x4 be able to handle the job (after a lift and some nice tires and stuff) well enough, or am i better off waiting in hopes of a larger truck?


I know i promised it would be short, but i guess i was wrong.

Thanks for the help, and any advice you've got for a new guy would be great.  

A Ranger with the 4.0L V6 should do quite well in the mud. Don't bother with ones without the 4.0L however.

The Twin-Beam frontends (like on your Bronco) can be boosted up for lots of clearance so they won't plow down into it near as much.

It's also pretty easy to do a V8 swap on a Ranger. There are some companies out there that sell conversion kits for them. The stock 4.0L is capable of moving the truck pretty darn good though if you can find a std cab shortbed (lighter).


Hope that helps  

A Ranger would work... but if you REALLY want to get into some nasty mud you'll want big tires and big horsepower, neither or which a Ranger is suited for.  
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You should be able to pick up a reasonable 4x4 right now, Craigslist always has any brand for good deals. I live in florida and picked up a blazer for $1500 with a/c that works and has a 350 and runs great. The bigger your truck the harder it is to pull out. I would recommend shortbed or blazer/bronco if full size. They are easier to navigate in woods which is usually the path to the mudholes that I go to. Small trucks float nicely through the mud with larger tires. Ford rangers and toyota's with 36" are hard to beat. Gears are a must in these trucks but don't over kill. I would say I have 4500 in my toy. Keep it simiple. Your first truck will help you figure out what you really what. Then thats when you modify!