80s ranger models, 4x4 capability

[mooty]

I've been tossing around the idea of cleaning up an 80s 4x4 ranger and curious how well they handle. Now I won't be doing any extreme offroading. Mainly I want something that can handle snow as well as some rugged, poorly maintained logging roads/forest routes relatively well. If they're really outdated are there any good upgrade options? Thanks in advance.

 

[adsm08]

The basics of 4x4 haven't changed in almost 50 years, since manufacturers started moving away from divorced transfer cases. Even that isn't that big a change. And Rangers had the same suspension up to 1997. The 80s ones are perfectly capable of doing what you listed. I do that with mine almost every day.

There are some later parts that are nice to put on them because some of the later stuff was stronger, but that's about it. All in all the early Ranger is a great platform to build on.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

They are rugged little trucks like Adsm08 said. I've never had an 80's Ranger yet, but I've had a number of 80's Bronco IIs which really aren't much different. I had a stock 89 Bronco II Eddie Bauer when I was off at college. It had front and rear swaybars and worn out stock suspension on 235/75/15 tires that weren't much to look at. I used to hang out with a guy who lived up there that had a YJ Jeep on 34" swampers. He took me to some trails that he played around on and one of the first things he did was radio me to hold back because he wanted to run a mud pit and didn't think I could make it. I watched him go through it.... then I went through it. Much to his surprise, he started yelling at me when I was already halfway through that I might not want to try it, haha.

It went really well in snowy conditions too. When I was close to leaving college, I sold it and used the money to get my choptop roadworthy on 33" tires. I ran the choptop for a couple years and found that it was quite capable as well (I did a lot of budget lifting work to it using information from here). I took it on some forest roads one winter, the roads were all sheets of ice. Watched a 4x4 Chevy 1500 try to make it up the one road and slide all the way back down and into a ditch. Watched a Jeep Cherokee make it about halfway up before loosing traction and giving up and just pulling off to the side and parking. My dad clawed his way to the top in his F-350 dump truck with posi rear. And I totally walked the hill in the choptop. Never spun a tire. The Jeep guys looked upset, haha!

My F-150 uses the same type of suspension the Rangers, Bronco IIs and early Explorers did. I've plowed snow with it the last couple winters and with good tires, I have to say the truck is an absolute tank in the snow. Does good in mud too, I made the mistake of leaving my driveway last year with about a ton and a half of wet dirt in the back, sank to the hubs like instantly. Locked it in 4x4 and low range and with a little work, she came out on her own. People complain about the TTB front axle all the time, but they work just fine. If you're into rock crawling, you might want to go straight axle or IFS, but TTB is a proven design too.