Help me spend some money $$$ on off road gear

[Wild Snapper]

So I am just getting into off roading and have recently picked up a nice 2004 sport 4runner. I have about $300.00 to spend on whatever to get me more equiped in the off road domain. The truck came with 265-70-17 tires so I'm not needing any tire info.
I was heart set on investing in a new high lift jack and a nice little tow hitch adapter to hold the jack, but after reading all the threads, no one is suggesting to get a high lift. I understand that the 4runner doesn't really have any mounting points, but I figured for winching/ recovery it could be useful. Other off road forums people love high lift jacks, so I can't figure out if the 4runner crowd just doesn't really off road much or what the deal is.

I looked into a come a long and people don't seem to recommend those either for recovery. Anyways I have thought about putting in some spacers in the front for a little more clearance. I did also just order a hitch shackle for the back, so I don't need that.

Anyways if you had $300 , which isn't that much, and were just starting out in the off road realm, what would you buy for gear or do to mod your 4runner...besides tires which are a given. I am not willing to buy a new bumper/ springs with an electric winch.
Thanks guys.

 

[sr1982]

Post a picture of your rig, that will help everyone here come up with suggestions.

I have had mine for 2 weeks now and so far I tinted my windows (I know that has nothing to do with 4wheeling) put on window vent visors, removed my pinstripe, put in some husky liner floor mats and ordered the Daystar lift.

I am trying to decided if I should remove my running boards or not.

 

[Wild Snapper]

Post a picture of your rig, that will help everyone here come up with suggestions.

I have had mine for 2 weeks now and so far I tinted my windows (I know that has nothing to do with 4wheeling) put on window vent visors, removed my pinstripe, put in some husky liner floor mats and ordered the Daystar lift.

I am trying to decided if I should remove my running boards or not.

Here is my new ride.
So far I have gotten a little done. I installed a flowmaster 50 SUZ series muffler and redirected the pipe out the side for more clearance and the truck no longer sounds like a jet taking off.
I installed a very nice Icon shift knob...black.
The pics are from last week, I have taken the dealer plates off since then.
I need advice as to what kind of off road gear should I get with around 300 to spend excluding tires.
All are welcome. The more suggestions the better. Does anyone find a high lift jack useful?

 

[dreadog]

Well you could get a daystar 2.5/1.5 spacer lift for $150 if you do the install yourself, and a set of weathertech or husky front floor liners for around $100-150! Jus throwin it out there!

 

[Wild Snapper]

All day... 50 people visited and 1 suggestion..... any other ideas guys?

 

[JohnsD90]

I dont know too much about 4th gens, but if i were you i would continue to save to like $500 or $600 and then invest in some OME Springs and shock for a 2 or 3 in lift, if you are gonna lift it, do it right the first time and don't waste your money. I dont see you affording a winch bumper, and if you got the winch and it would be $300 at the cheapest you would have to mod the current bumper for it to work. You could always buy a set of sliders for about $300.

 

[810moto]

go get you a good recovery strap, a mechanical winch, some stealth lights for the back next to the tow hitch, build a custom cargo box, get a 4ton bottle jack. the list could go on and on. I have gotten all the above for way under 3bills. good luck and enjoy your runner.

 

[techno]

Unfortunately, for $300 you are not going buy anything that will make you more offroad capable. You probably realize that since you have said you are interested in a hi-lift or a come along. Recovery equipment is certainly the best way to spend your money.

Don't bother with a hi-lift. For this to be a worthwhile purchase you need the ability to use it all around the vehicle and with your stock 4Runner you have nowhere, other than a tow hitch. Hi-lifts are better suited to serious offroading and moderately to highly modified rigs. There are some good threads on this forum talking about their use and the mods needed to use them. If you still think they are what you want then you will need several other items as well, like an anchor strap/tree truck protector, d-shackles and chain or straps.

Those ratchet style come alongs are not a bad idea in theory, but they are not well suited to offroad recovery. For the 4Runner you would ideally need something with a 9000lb capacity, but they are very hard to use when applying that kind of force and I have no faith in their structural strength. I don't think they work in reverse either.
The only manual winches that I would ever use are the Tirfor winches, or Magnum winches like this ARB Magnum Hand Winch , but they are well over $300 including the necessary accessories. I used to own one of these I used it plenty of times. If you can find a used one in your price range then seriously consider it.

I would get yourself a snatch strap so you can be pulled out of a situation by a buddy. Get some rated d-shackles in case it needs to be attached to a loop if no hooks are useable.
Get a portable air compressor. Now you can air-down your tires for improved offroad traction and inflate them again for the ride home. Also, get a tire pressure gauge.
Get a shovel to dig yourself out of trouble. Sounds like hard work I know, but 5 mins clearing mud away from the tires or chassis can often make a big difference.

That just about covers it for recovery equipment. If you want other ideas or want to see what's out there then look at websites for 4wd accessory companies, most have this type of gear for sale.

Lastly, when you find yourself getting the urge to do more adventurous offroading, these are the things I would save up for that improve offroad capability, in order.
1. Aggressive tires. At least all terrains.
2. Suspension lift.
3. Amour, like bumpers, sliders and skid plates.
4. Diff-locks.

 

[fourwd1]

That's some of the best advice I've seen around here in a long time.

 

[manhunter]

For $300 I would either (a) invest in some recovery gear, off-road tools, first-aid kit, emergency kit, etc...., or (b) a suspension or body lift, or (c) save up the $300 until you get more done at the same time such as the OME suspension lift and larger more aggressive tires. Whatever you choose to do, I would remove your running boards if you plan to do any off-roading.

 

[Wild Snapper]

Thanks guys for all your suggestions, this thread is now becoming more helpful. I plan on removing the running boards. Any other ideas?

 

[techno]

Thanks guys for all your suggestions, this thread is now becoming more helpful...

Don't worry (or get b!tchy )about the number of views vs replies. Look at every single other thread out there, they all have huge numbers of views. The majority of people use the forums for getting info, not giving it. It's just the nature of the beast.

 

[G.I.G.]

Like others have mentioned, I would put that first few hundred dollars toward recovery gear. A CB radio might not be a bad idea either if you plan on 4-wheeling with others or a 4x4 club. There are plenty of trails that you can enjoy in a stock SUV until you can afford a lift, tires, etc. so don't let that hold you back.

+1 on passing on the Hi-Lift jack for now. Like Techno mentioned, there really isn't anywhere to use it on a stock 4Runner. Plus, the stock bottle jack is quite capable of getting even a moderately lifted 4Runner off the ground on a trail. Not to mention, Hi-Lifts are dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.

Other than that, I would say do your research, learn as much as you can about safety, 4-wheeling technique and trail etiquette, then just head out on the trail and have fun! Trust me, 4-wheel'n mods can easily become an addiction. There will always be something next on your list of things to buy. Until you can afford all that stuff, just go out and enjoy yourself.

 

[Awz]

Personally I think the first thing you should buy is a basic tool set. Go to sears or something and get one of their 200ish piece tool sets. When you off road things break, I've been going off-road for only a couple of months, and only been on one trail when someone in my group DIDN'T need a tool. Extra parts are good too, even junk yard parts. Nothing sucks more then being 5 miles from the road and you break a front axle shaft. Their small (and on the first gen at least, universal) don't take up a lot of space, and can be replaced in the middle of no where within an hour or two. (i've done it) Other parts like nuts and bolts for when things wiggle loose. Spare fuses and such, one of our trail guides blew out a fuel pump fuse two mile from the end of the trail.

Mike

 

[colombo]

for $300 you can stuff your trunk with stakes, burgers and beer. It will be a lot of fun)))))))))))))

 

[MikesToy]

Anyways if you had $300 , which isn't that much, and were just starting out in the off road realm, what would you buy for gear or do to mod your 4runner...besides tires which are a given. I am not willing to buy a new bumper/ springs with an electric winch.

If i only had $300 to spend, i'd get the Daystars spacers installed.

 

[BlairB]

1) Recovery Gear
2) Tools
3) Spacer Lift
4) CB radio (useful when you wheel with others, it is never smart to wheel alone)

I think you could get a few of the things on the list. As many said, no reason to buy a hi lift currently, get it further down the line after you had done more to your truck and have sliders, bumpers etc... to lift from.

 

[Wild Snapper]

Guys just want to say thanks so much for all your responds, it is very helpful and I like the different approach each one of you suggested. I think it is agreed that I will not be purchasing a high lift.. I'm probably going to pick up some recovery gear and CB radio and I definately like the burger/beer suggestion.
I already have plenty of tools and from most of the answers given, it seems like alot of this stuff comes in sequence.
Like remove running boards-then get sliders-then a highlift is useful.
Or upgrade in quality offroad tires that are made to handle deflation- then pick up a portable air compressor.

Anyways thanks for the great feedback and any other advise is welcome as far as gear to get started.

 

[kylebacc]

Sounds like you have gotten enough suggestions on what to buy. One thing no one mentioned was your idea to remove the running boards. I did that at the same time I put my cornfed lift on. It looked badass up close because it make the truck look quite a bit higher than it actually was. The problem is when you step back, you can see all the frame and underbelly and it looks the same as before, just dirty. You may want to consider leaving the boards on until you actually have sliders to put in place of them because really, taking them off isn't doing anything but making it harder to get into the truck haha. Just my thoughts on the matter. I ended up putting mine back on :/ Cheers!

 

[rusm]

Get one of these come-alongs. https://www.wyeth-scott.com/index.asp
Then armor, locker/s, gears, lift/tires (do these at the same time or you'll end up wasting lots of money!).