Best config for flat terrain, but tons of mud and deep 'stuff'

So I'm getting closer to dumping my trusty 4Runner RWD for a 4WD Tacoma have my eyes on 3 of them I will check out over the weekend. Suddenly I remembered I still need to get my undergrad of sorts on lifting, spacers, rims/tires etc.

I live in South Florida and the property I hunt as you would imagine is pancake flat, but it's in and around a river and swampy from March-September. So much so I couldn't get my 4Runner past the inner gate much of the summer and had to wait to hunt with other guys on the lease who had 4 wheel drive. Lots of fields that get soaked in the summer and we have to get off the main roads quite often in the summer so that means wet fields, creeks etc. Basically south/central Florida swamp land.

All the trucks I'm looking at are stock with street/rain tires on them so I'm expecting to have to start from scratch....or maybe not? Really looking to learn here so feel free to suggest whatever and pics would be great if you have some to share. One of the homes down the street has a great looking Taco just enough lift/spacers to probably get me through what I need, but honestly I dunno what I don't know at this point. Thanks for the input.

 

As a general rule of thumb, you want wide tires with big tread blocks ("mud terrains") for deep mud/sand. And when I say deep, I mean more than 12" deep or so, where it's too deep for your tires to sink to the bottom to the hard ground below it to get traction. In this scenario, you want a wider footprint that will "float" the truck. Airing down the tires will help a lot.

If it's the kind of mud where it's not super deep and you can reach the bottom without high centering, a thinner tire with an all-terrain tread pattern tends to be your best bet because you will get the most mechanical traction with the smaller contact patch.

I'm guessing you're dealing with the former, so I'd suggest you go with at least a 285 width mud terrain, but a 295 or 33x12.5 would be even better if you want to do a little work (trimming) to make them fit.

 

Buy an Offroad which has a rear locker in case you need it, wouldn't bother lifting it with anything more than bilstein 5100s @HeadStrong Off-Road would be able to help you out with those. Then do some 265/75/16 tires with a better tread pattern for mud.

 

Skip a lift, use the money for better tires and gas.

 

We actually have a mix of both kinds of muddy areas. The creek crossings are typically just water, but really deep when the river swells after say Irma it was crazy. The fields are where it gets sketchy, but I wouldn't say over 12' of mud we get to the bottom b/f that. We have loggers thinning down about 1000 acres right now and the tractor trailers are making huge ruts in the road it's gonna be a show next time it rains.

 

Well, either way. Lift isn’t going to gain you anything it’s ruts either.

Bigger tires = more ground clearance.

Bigger lift = taller body clearance.

Unless you plan to cut and trim you won’t fit bigger than 265s without a lift (generally speaking). Therefore your lift isn’t gaining you additional ground clearance.

You would be fine with good tires and driving experience, so that’s why I’d spend some on tires and some on gas - dirt time is more important than appearance. Especially coming from a 4x2.

 

Oh I should have clarified I coudln't care less what it looks like I just want it to get me through what I need it to. So if stock with tires is all I need then that's my best answer I could hoep for! I was assuming I might need lift spacers or whatever. To forgo the cost of that is music to my ears in addition to skipping cutting or trimming body work stuff.

 

There is at least one guy here that just cut everything he could and fit like 35s or 37s

 

hey well good for him whatever floats your boat! the pick up is a tool for me nothing else. loading up corn at the feed store, lock on stands/climbing sticks, feeders etc in a 4runner just doesn't work. the fact that i can just bypass all this complexity of lifting etc is joy joy for me and the wallet.

 

Check out this tire size. Can be easily fit on stock suspension, and a hair over 33"

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/put-255-85-16s-on-stock-or-wheels-and-suspension.491079/

 

As stated by others, tires will make the biggest difference. Since you've already hunted the area with your friends 4x4 trucks. Figure out what tires they're running and how well it's been working for them. You shouldn't have to start at square one when you've already been doing what you want in others vehicles. If it's been working for them, just mimic their set-up. If it's not, then change things around and experiment and tweak it to where you want it, but at least you would have a start.

 

i had considered that, but wanted to look in here and see if i could learn anything new. actually what the rest of the guys on the lease are doing is the contrary to what seems to be widelyrecommended here. they all have giant v8's as well, the biggest tires that can be put on, body work/cutting into fenders, lifted so much it's comedy to get into them, spacers it's like a monster truck rally. these guys also have more money in their pockets than i do in the bank so it's no holds barred customization where i'm looking to just do what is necessary to get me around. one guy wasn't happy with his 100k raptor so he dumped another 20 grand into it kind of thing.

 

I covered Florida as a cross country land surveyor back when a manual IHTravelAll l6 was good stuff.

Knowing what you are driving into, knowing how to drive the vehicle with a bit of 'feel', having a good winch and knowing how to recover if needed are all very important.

Great tires and a well maintained truck will do the rest most of the time.

 

hi bill thanks. i'm definitely looking forward to getting a lot of 4wd time in this summer during the 'hog patrol' months eradicating as many as possible. this is where we can get into trouble out int he fields durin the rainy summer months b/c we have nothing to winch to if we get stuck. it's a cattle ranch so huge treeless rye fields are the majority of where we spend time with thermal smoking the porkers.

 

just get one of these,

 

Check out traction boards. They are really good for poor traction situations.

$130 Maxsa 20333 Heavy-Duty Escaper Buddy Traction Mats for Off-Road Mud, Sand, & Snow Vehicle Extraction and Recovery, Bendable, Unbreakable, Orange, 2 Pack

https://www.amazon.com/Escaper-Trac...id=1513250860&sr=1-4&keywords=traction+boards

 

Make a friend at the power company. Get a couple of salvage 6 or 8" dia pole anchors.

While not easy, 2 people can hand screw one into soft terrain using a shovel handle thru the eye.

Do it either at the end of your cable length or at the edge of the soft area, whichever is closer.

Angle so you are pulling against the face of the anchor.

 

Not looking to enter this debate, but my experience has been that narrow tires do much better in mud than wide. The primary reason is that narrow tires allow you to maintain momentum and steering control. Wide tires are like trying to steer a hog on ice. If you can't steer, you have to back out of the gas, and once you lose momentum you are done. I spent a year living in the back country, 60 miles out of Casper Wyoming, in the "Muddy Mountains". They don't call them that for nothing! The soil is heavy in bentonite clay, and when it gets wet, it becomes incredibly sticky and slick. The county dirt road going into my area would get closed for a week or more after a good soaking. All the big ass trucks from Casper with monster mudder tires would come out to try their luck. My Tacoma with 235/85-16s aired down to 15psi, with lockers could get farther than ANY of them. The main reason was that the minute they got into the gas, they went sideways into the ditch. Usually it happened on a slight curve in the road. The only thing that could get farther than me were ATVs. I was basically only stopped by fairly steep inclines in the road. After one of these fiascos, it took 23 dollars worth of quarters to clean the mud from my truck. I have been in similar situations in Colorado, and I wheeled in the PNW for over 30 years. The narrow tires have nothing to do with getting down to solid ground, as is often quoted. I would like someone to show me that solid ground sometime, because I have never found it.

My advice (for what its worth) is to keep the stock wheels and get 235/85-16s if you want a no trim or lift fit. If you lift and trim a bit, the 255-85-16 is a great choice. That is what I run now. Next spend your money on OBA so that you can air down, and if you have more in the budget, look at lockers. If you can't afford lockers, get 1" wheel spacers and good chains. I now have 255s + gears + spacers + chains + lockers +OBA + a winch, because where I end up getting,...help won't be coming.

I prefer air lockers because I can select and engage from the cab. Lockers do best on straight line runs, but can compromise control on corners. My technique is to gain momentum on straight sections, then drop out the lockers just before I enter the turn. That preserves my control, and the momentum carries me around. As soon as I hit a straight section, the lockers go in (front first then rear) and the hammer goes down.

Hope this helps.....

 

Thank you so much for your recommendation @jpereira2