Thank you for visiting my Off Road Home Page. I've had 4x4 trucks before but suddenly I'm hooked on off roading
and back country trips. We go to Big Bear (California) all the time and there are hundreds of miles of trails
in the San Bernadino National Forest, not to mention all the surrounding BLM land. There are also plenty of
trails at home in San Diego County as well.
This whole deal started with our '99 Suburban. It was purchased to haul us and our stuff everywhere we wanted
to go. It's capable but kinda big. I've put it through plenty of tough places (including some medium difficulty
trails) in stock trim with only minor damage. Minor damage was enough for me to want a trail vehicle that I
didn't mind banging up a bit. We had also purchased a '99 Suzuki Grand Vitara for my wife, but she decided that
it would be the end of me if I damaged that.
So... I recently purchased a well used '89 Cherokee Laredo. It's been on lots of trails but there is plenty
of vehicle left. It has a 3" Rancho lift, Lock-Right lockers front and rear, a Warn 6000 pound winch and 30.5"
tires on steel wheels. I've already replaced the bumpers and added more stuff (pictures should be online soon) in
addition to performing tons of maintenance. I can't wait to hit the trail with it!
1989 Jeep Cherokee XJ Laredo 4x4: This is my dedicated trail vehicle in it's
under construction condition. I purchased this Jeep with 80,000 miles on it and plenty of trail time. The rocker
panels are bent to hell, the frame is scraped and the body panels bulge. There's not serious structural damage and
no rust. The Cherokee already had a 3" Rancho lift, Lock-Right lockers front and rear, a Warn 6000 pound winch,
and 30.5" tires on steel wheels. It has an auto transmission and a NP-242 transfer case. I've since added a
Custom 4x4 Fabrication winch bumper with grill guard, rear bumper with tire carrier, and double tube low profile
nerf bars. Also new is a Garvin Wilderness Roof Rack, Rusty's Roll Bar, engine/transmission skid plate, and
cold air tube. I changed ALL the fluids except the differentials. I'm waiting for my Rocky Road Rock Guards
before I do that. All in all, it should be one hell of a trail vehicle. I'll post more details and pictures soon.
I've also created a pretty complete repair, recovery and survival kit and I'll put up details of that as well.
1999 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4x4: The Suburban is great for hauling people
and stuff just about anywhere you want to go. It really got me going for off roading but it's really two big
and expensive to get down and dirty with. I've taken it plenty of places and only suffered minor damage. The only
modifications I've made are a Waag brush guard (with already saved my butt), SmittyBilt nerf bars (which limit
ground clearance but offer some rocker panel protection) and a set of PIAA dual bean lights. Even with the
Jeep the Suburban will still get us to the trail and back as well as providing transport for large groups
off road in moderate terrain. This particular picture is from Big Bear on a medium difficulty trail in the
Holcomb Valley. I rocked off the frame here and damaged the exhaust Y pipe. Opps.
1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara JLX+ 4x4: My wife really wanted a small daily driver
that was good for running errands and hauling the dogs to the beach. The Grand Vitara turned out to be a great
solution. It's great in the city and has real off road capability with a ladder frame and two speed transfer
case. All my off roading plans for this truck were dashed when I started banging up the Suburban and was informed
of my pending death if I damaged this car. The Cherokee will for the bill for a small trail vehicle and the
Grand Vitara is always there for the future. This particular picture is from the Tip Top Mountain trial in Big
Bear. The road is pretty washed out right now but the Grand Vitra went up and down with no problems at all.
General Off Roading pictures from Big Bear, California
Cherokee America Wilderness Off-Road and XJ Forum
Feedback <
home@hotchip.com > (Rev. 10.28.02)
