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Hunting rig

Justhunt87

PMA Member
Been kicking around the idea of getting a hunting rig to keep miles and abuse off of my truck. Narrowed my searches down to a Chevy Colorado, Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Toyota 4Runner. Any experience with these vehicles?
 
I traded in my old Colorado a couple years back with 270 k miles on it. Before that I totaled one with 220k on it. My dad used them for work to keep miles off of other stuff, so I'd buy them off of him when he would upgrade.
Had lots of minor issues with them, but those inline 5's will run a long time if you take care of them. While I had mine I had 3 blower motor harnesses burn up, the header on the exhaust manifold cracked because it's cast iron, the gas vent actuator door failed and the butterfly valve for the air intake would foul with carbon and not fully close, so you'd have to take it apart and hit it with parts cleaner. Other than that it was solid and almost big enough to haul a deer and all your hunting gear. Lol.

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Colorado, only because it's a truck. 4Runner if you're wanting longevity and low maintainance, and don't care if you get blood and deer ticks on/in your interior. IMO, the truck has to be an absolute POS for any SUV to take top spot for a hunting rig choice.

That being said, my Chrysler Town and Country (minivan) worked well for a couple of seasons when I didn't have a truck or an SUV.
 
I've got 2 "hunting rigs" ;) They are all POS junkers!!!!! I have a 2011 Grand Cherokee - Junk. I'd avoid it. I've run it from 30,000 miles to 240,000 miles. Put WAY TOO MUCH $ into it... like non-stop and should have thrown in towel LONG AGO.

2004-2006-ish 4runner - LOVE IT..... Here's the key.... Make sure you do a vid on taking traction control OFF - it's not hard. Can do a switch or just unplug it (then no ABS though) or it will get stuck incredibly easy. 4runners are WAY better built than Cherokees - no comparison in quality. If I had ONE suv.... Be a v8 4runner with traction control taken off & aftermarket rear differential lockers. I would have a leveling kit or small lift kit with good tires (not incredibly expensive at all). Bro has an FJ & one advantage to those, come stock with rear dif lockers.

Colorado pry be ok but no info there. I have a 2016 Duramax.... based on ONE vehicle, I'd call Chevy's recent quality "OK" "MEDIOCRE".... Better than chrysler/jeep for quality but I'm not super impressed. Bro has Ford Diesel, newer, not real impressed there either.

I'm absolutely sold on owning a mechanically sound hunting/farm beater that you don't care if you scratch or trash. NO BRAINER! I pay maybe $20/month for insurance & with one like Toyota, I don't have much for repairs. I use them in place of the over-priced POS UTV's that are just built like super cheap cars & charge you 50 gazillion dollars for them.
 
SUV I think would be a fine hunting rig. Keep all of your gear inside and have a cargo hitch to haul deer was my thoughts.

Experience with this setup on gravel roads, (both dry / dusty and wet / muddy), cakes deer carcasses inside and out with gravel road grit and grime. Even wrapping the carcass in a tarp allows crud to get in. Too much eddy, swirling wind behind the vehicle.

I say Truck over SUV because trucks are just so much more versitile for everything else I want to do with them, including hauling deer carcasses and tree stands, etc. Without my truck box, I have to pull a trailer most of the time and that's a hastle.
 
I have a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee (purchased used in 2010?), straight 6 cylinder, Quadratrac, has 180K miles, consistent 18 mpg. Routinely use it to trailer an Exmark 27 hp ZTR mower with 72" deck. Use it to haul feed, up to 1,000 lbs a load (back seat and cargo area). Pull hay racks of small square bales from the field to the barn. I've taken it to New Mexico and Wyoming, way back into the mountains. Scratched the paint job up pretty good navigating forest service "roads" in New Mexico. I put the back seat down and slept in it during the trips.

I have personally replaced the head, radiator, all coolant hoses, radiator fan, oil pan (dealership stripped the plug and wouldn't stand behind their mistake), rear main seal, dropped the transmission pan, replaced seal and filter, replaced rear shocks. Julie replaced the plastic hazed head light assemblies. The wiring that goes to the electric window driver's master panel has a tendency to fatigue break due to the door being opened, door hits the wiring bundle. I've had to resolder 2X. I would not have kept the vehicle if I had to hire all that work done.

I've hired the transfer cases flushed and refilled, hired the brakes done, bought a fresh set of tires last spring.

Not sure this is a glowing endorsement of Jeep, but I'm pretty confident in the rig and not too much I won't wrench on.
 
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