subject: Mudding 4x4 - Isn't It Time [print this page] There is no better way to reduce your stress, get some fresh air in your lungs and get your heart to pounding than to get wild, crazy and downright dirty on a Saturday afternoon. All of your friends at work are doing it, Your brother and his wife are doing it and odds are your best friend did it last weekend and really wanted you to be there doing it with him. Of course no matter how good the stories are of other people doing it nothing compares to doing it yourself. So what are you waiting for, why are you not sitting in a mudding 4x4 slopping around in a pit out in the country?
When mudding the most enjoyable thing about it is of course making a dirty, slimy grimy mess out of yourself and your companions, but to really enjoy the thrill you need to have a truck that can take the abuse that the mud pit is going to throw at it. You need a truck that is durable and reliable and most of all one that you don't care to much about the looks of.
While the inclination when choosing a good truck to use as a mudding 4x4 is to go with one that is big and mean, the truth is that some of the best trucks to use for mudding are actually the smaller racing trucks. These trucks offer a lot of the key features that you want in a good mud truck. Things such as a good torque transfer rate, a powerful engine and stable suspension are all essential to not only having fun, but also to mudding safely.
One of the biggest considerations when putting together your mud truck is the ability to get the mud out of the truck as easily as it got in. This is where some minor alterations to the trucks interior might come in handy. One thing that you may want to do is to change out the seats with a single hard plastic bench seat that you can find in any off road trucking magazine or website products area. You also want to make it easy to flush the interior out with a high pressure hose so you will of course want to drill drain holes in the bottom of the floor board and in the truck bed.
You also want to make sure that you are taking enough precautions to keep things safe. This means that you will probably want to change out the vehicles seat belt system with three or five point harnesses. Since you will be driving at very high speeds though very slick and boggy messes you will want to also make sure that every rider is buckled. These are just common sense precautions just in case things get a little out of control.
If things do get a little out of control and you find yourself waist deep in mud with a stuck truck, you have 3 choices. First you could call a very expensive tow truck; second you could look like a total wimp and have to beg your friends to use their trucks to get you out; or third you could just throw a line around the nearest thing that weighs more than your truck and crank up your winch. Having a winch installed on the front or in the bed of the truck will allow you to pull yourself out of any jam that you find yourself in.
There really is no match for the pleasure that can be had with a mudding 4x4 and a weekend out in the back country with your friends. If you have not been to a mudding day then make it a point to go. If you have then go get you a truck of your own, the fun gets even better when you are behind the wheel.
