tj

[grahamfitter]

Deleted double post!

[grahamfitter]

A TJ has plenty of space for two people but it does take some organizing. I have a 3/4" plywood shelf bolted to the top of the tub through the hard-top mounting holes. There are cut-outs for the roll cage tubes where the rear seat belts are so the shelf comes right back to the tailgate.

Attachment 12332

Below the shelf is a large cooler, 5 gallon water container, large tent, 2 burner stove, folding picnic bench, lawn chairs, cooking stuff, minimal recovery stuff, etc. On the shelf are lighter clothes and food but this week long trip the gas grill, 10 Lb propane tank and a rolled-up whitewater raft were on there too. The roof box has paddling gear in it when we're between places but that tends to spread out when we camp somewhere for a couple of days.

My only real complaint about my '97 TJ is 17 MPG and a 15 gallon gas tank. I don't need an extra gas can for the places I go in backwoods Maine but it does get close sometimes. It would be different if I was driving around all day. I think newer models have an 18 gallon tank and larger tanks are available.

Cheers,
Graham

[toyrunner95]

yeah an LJ is out of the budget, a trailer may be necessary, but i can build one. it seems as though space may be at a premium. however, i am used to backpacking all over the nw so weight and space is something i believe i can accomodate. i have a 3 season tent that is a 3 man i packed with. the only really big space difference is the fridge and all the recovery crap. the good news is that the tire carrier i have in mind is highly customizable (sp) i can put a shelf on top of the tire and put the hi lift and fuel cans on the back as well.

still thinking.

[robert j. yates]

[QUOTE=absolute]

the biggest tire i would put on it is a 35. i drove my friends tj it has a 4in fabtech lift, which im not too find of. but i found it kinda squirrly. it would bounce and steer rather wildly, but i was used to my car and truck. once i got used to it i had it on the free way at 60ish and it did surprisingly well. QUOTE]

Thats not a good thing... sounds like some worn out steering/bushings.

The real issue with the Fabtech lift is poor suspension geometry, particularly on the rear upper arms. That would be the last lift I would ever consider.

As to tire size...it all s on what you want to do with your Jeep. If you expect to wheel a 4 or 4+ trail or better, you will want 35's. If you don't expect to put the Jeep into that type of situation, stick with 33's. Either way and I know some folks will take exception to this comment, to build it correctly and make it reliable, it costs the same to build...its just that the 33's are more all around driving friendly.

[dennisuello]

[QUOTE=robert j. yates]

The real issue with the Fabtech lift is poor suspension geometry, particularly on the rear upper arms. That would be the last lift I would ever consider.

As to tire size...it all s on what you want to do with your Jeep. If you expect to wheel a 4 or 4+ trail or better, you will want 35's. If you don't expect to put the Jeep into that type of situation, stick with 33's. Either way and I know some folks will take exception to this comment, to build it correctly and make it reliable, it costs the same to build...its just that the 33's are more all around driving friendly.

I ran Rubicon in my old YJ on 33s and with only rear locker. Did just fine. You will appreciate the 33s much better if you intend to drive a lot on the highway and the drivetrain will thank you as well. There's a lot of extra work involved to run 35s o37s on stock axles, need to upgrade brakes, axle shafts, u-joints...

[robert j. yates]

I ran the 'Con once on 33's and frankly, I don't consider it to be a 4 rated trail if you take the bypass around Little Sluice and stick to the slabs around Old Sluice. Running the trail that way means 33's are more than sufficient.

As for running 33's vs. 35's..... I am personally of the opinion that you need just as much suspension, axle and steering beef with the 33's as you do with the 35's. 37's on the other hand require at least a set of Rubicon axles front and rear if not better. The stock 30 won't cut it even with a hub conversion and alloy shafts....its the ball joints and axle tubes that are the weak points for anything bigger than 35's.

[DaveInDenver]

I am personally of the opinion that you need just as much suspension, axle and steering beef with the 33's as you do with the 35's.

That's pretty true in general, there's really no hard-fast rule that you are OK at 33 and not 35. Seems a lot of that is driver dependent. Some guys can destroy a truck even on 31" tires and other guys will be OK at 35. It does seem that >35" is a more of guarantee of problems with trucks (be that a Wrangler, 4Runner, Xterra or most light duty pickups) designed around 28"~31" tires stock.

[BigAl]

I did this to increase storage, it is bolted to the cage with muffler clamp u-bolts, I can take it out in ~10 minutes.

[BigAl]

A Attachment 12332

Below the shelf is a large cooler, 5 gallon water container, large tent, 2 burner stove, folding picnic bench, lawn chairs, cooking stuff, minimal recovery stuff, etc. On the shelf are lighter clothes and food but this week long trip the gas grill, 10 Lb propane tank and a rolled-up whitewater raft were on there too. The roof box has paddling gear in it when we're between places but that tends to spread out when we camp somewhere for a couple of days.

Cheers,
Graham

Where are you? I'd like to swing by for some packing lessons

[maximumrob]

Since you're looking for opinions, here goes one.

Put on a 1" body lift, a tummy tuck to get rid of that shovel Jeep calls a skid plate, a locker in the rear, and some skinny 31" mud tires. If you wish to travel many miles of washboard dirt roads, invest in some top dollar shocks. Spend no money on a lift in order to make it as reliable as possible and keep parts available if you do break in some remote corner of the world.

Spend the rest of your cash on smart packing solutions, like a roof rack and a tire carrier with racks and jerry can platforms.

...but that's just me.