does anyone use their 2wd ranger as a hunting truck?

[JGod]

Hunting season is getting close and this is my first season using my 97 ranger. Basically I was Just wondering what all I need to do it to get it worthy. I'll only be going through a few inches of mud but mainly I need it to do 40 to 50 mph on curvy bumpy dirt roads. I plan on getting some all terrains since it's a daily driver and I know I need to beef up my worn out suspension. Just wondering if you guys could recommend some products and companies to look at for what I need.

 

[strvger]

a locker for the rear would be pretty high on my list. double check your axle ratio from the door sticker. with luck, you'll have one of the 4.10 axles. and if it's a l/s axle, you can give it a try before doing a locker and see how it works for you.
check your shocks and u-joints for sure to make sure they are up to the task. if you think your springs are sagging, that would be the next thing to take care of.
a lot of what you may want to look at you can find right here: the blue 'parts' button in the upper left corner.
next, the 'parts for sale' forum on here.
then go to the 'vendor's forum' and see what they have that would interest you.
as new can be spendy, craig's list and ebay may have some things for you.
good luck with your truck and your hunt!

 

[scoobasteeve]

I'm an avid pheasant hunter and I have a 3.0 2wd automatic with an open diff that I drive all season long. I was running the all season contitracs and they did ok but not great. Last winter on Christmas Day we got a half inch of rain which froze right away then 2 inches of snow on top of that and was out hunting all day long. For crappy tires I got around on the dirt roads alright and I didn't even chain up. The only times I have been stuck was when my crappy tires became mud slicks and I slid into the ditch and when I came over a hill and there was a 3 foot snow drift on the other side. I just got some Kelly Wintermarks and have been through some 30 foot stretches of 4 inch gumbo mud and they did very good. So I can't wait to see the snow performance. My experience with 2wd's is the tires can make it or break it. As for high speed driving I can cruise on the straight dirt roads here at 70. You have to be really careful though because the trucks are so light they can get squirrely fast, but I know the roads around here and drive accordingly. My leaf springs are shot so I ordered airbags for it and they should be here in a week. I don't know how that will affect driving on sand roads.

 

[straycat]

Yes...but I only hunt illegal hunters!!!!! I go camping with my 2wd Ranger and trail riding. At least twice a month or every other month.
I do not hunt nor eat four legged animals. I have friends who hunt and I respect them since they take the meat. I do hate finding dead animals that somebody shot just to kill something...why don't they join the military??