Bringing Bronco & Jeepers Together Over Off-Roading

[Wild Horses 4x4]

What Does It Mean to be a JEEPER???
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Mitch Creel has grown up in the Bronco community and has always wondered why there has been such a chasm between the Bronco and Jeep communities. We all appreciate the same thing don't we? Going off-road, having a blast, and supporting anyone we can along the way: that has been the heartbeat of the Bronco community for generations! Was it really that different in the Jeep world? As they say curiosity killed the cat, and Mitch wanted answers. So he headed up to Preston, ID in his 2021 Ford Bronco to meet up with some guys that would hopefully explain what all the hype was about.

The Jeep guys that met up with Mitch are none other than the Peck Brothers. Cayleb, Alex, and Brady have grown up around Jeeps in a similar way that Mitch has grown up around Broncos. While Ford guys at heart, the Jeep was still their rig of choice when it came to rock crawling or "jeeping" as they call it. In this video, the Peck Bros share some insight into what it means to be a "Jeeper." And together, we explore the possibility that perhaps these two worlds aren't so different after all...

See you guys out on the trails.... PEACE ​

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[Squatch]

Hey! This is a forum on the internet. There's no place for civility here... leave that for the trails.

Many of us were or are Jeepers and I firmly believe that everyone is a fellow offroader on the trails. It's just like siblings, though, gotta sling a bit of mud at each other.

 

[BAUS67]

Hey! This is a forum on the internet. There's no place for civility here... leave that for the trails.

Many of us were or are Jeepers and I firmly believe that everyone is a fellow offroader on the trails. It's just like siblings, though, gotta sling a bit of mud at each other.

Well put and very true.

When I drag raced a lot it was like a brotherhood, racers helping racers.

But I was sure to tell the chevy guys that their distributor was installed in the wrong end of the engine.

Bleeding Ford blue since my 78 Granada.

 

[Figmo]

Not to generalize - but I think this whole “my manufacturer can beat up your manufacturer” is traditionally a ”young buck” thing.

When you get to be my age - you’ve owned and offroaded in so many different vehicles over the course your life that you know it’s not the name that matters. Why would I slam Jeep when I have owned several and they kicked ass? Why would I slam Suzuki when I’ve got a trail Samurai parked out back that I just *LOVE* to take out? Fond memories of my old Land Cruiser. And my old IH Scout I had back in the 70’s. The list is endless.

 

[BostonSasquatch]

When you get to be my age - you’ve owned and offroaded in so many different vehicles over the course your life... Fond memories of my old Land Cruiser. And my old IH Scout I had back in the 70’s. The list is endless.

First offroading for me was the IH Scout, 1965, Sonora Desert with a mining research outfit. Different days, culture, everything. We just drove over everything, and heaved our trash everywhere. No shortage of rusting beer cans (boo!) or sun-bleached glass (yay!) out there. Of course, not that many people went deep off-road (and I mean off-offroad, crosscountry). More people now, more vehicles, more need for enviro-care ("tread lightly").
But man--those IH Scouts were wild fun for a 17-year-old kid. Sure loved working those three sticks. What a blast!

(stock photo)

 

[West1]

Hey! This is a forum on the internet. There's no place for civility here... leave that for the trails.

Many of us were or are Jeepers and I firmly believe that everyone is a fellow offroader on the trails. It's just like siblings, though, gotta sling a bit of mud at each other.

So true, former JK owner, still love Wranglers, but also love my Bronco. If I could afford it I would own both.

 

[ScorpydJim]

Not to generalize - but I think this whole “my manufacturer can beat up your manufacturer” is traditionally a ”young buck” thing.

When you get to be my age - you’ve owned and offroaded in so many different vehicles over the course your life that you know it’s not the name that matters. Why would I slam Jeep when I have owned several and they kicked ass? Why would I slam Suzuki when I’ve got a trail Samurai parked out back that I just *LOVE* to take out? Fond memories of my old Land Cruiser. And my old IH Scout I had back in the 70’s. The list is endless.

True dat!

 

[lakesinai]

Not to generalize - but I think this whole “my manufacturer can beat up your manufacturer” is traditionally a ”young buck” thing.

When you get to be my age - you’ve owned and offroaded in so many different vehicles over the course your life that you know it’s not the name that matters. Why would I slam Jeep when I have owned several and they kicked ass? Why would I slam Suzuki when I’ve got a trail Samurai parked out back that I just *LOVE* to take out? Fond memories of my old Land Cruiser. And my old IH Scout I had back in the 70’s. The list is endless.

Ditto the Scouts, the one that Ford copied to make the original Bronco (at least, that's my Spin).!

 

[Figmo]

Ditto the Scouts, the one that Ford copied to make the original Bronco (at least, that's my Spin).!

Oh man…don’t get me going on the Scout. Those damn vacuum powered wipers. The spring perches that constantly break. Scouring the paper every Sunday looking for parts. Even if you didn’t need them because you knew you would eventually - and you’d never be able to find them when you did. But that little SOB would climb a tree if I asked it to!

But alas….it wasn’t a chick magnet so I moved on. Because ”chicks” were more important at that age.

Now…I’m old. And the wife wouldn’t let me chase the chicks anymore even if I wasn’t and I wish I had the Scout back.

Maybe that’s why I was so attracted to the 2 Door Bronco. I agree that Ford designers had to be looking at the Scout when they designed the original Bronco. Maybe, on some subconscious level, I was trying to get the old Scout back.

 

[wrbix]

Land Rover Discovery 1 rules!!!!

(I’ll see myself out now)

 

[Aviator]

What’s next, cat and dogs living in harmony?

kidding aside, totally agree. I am a sports car guy too, and go to Cars-n-Coffee events all warm season-long. It doesn’t matter the cars that show, everyone loves their rides, and takes pride in showing them to all types of owners - muscle, classics, exotics, custom, its about loving cars and appreciating all of the different tastes out there. It’s fun to learn what everyone loves and “cross pollinate” those passions. No reason why the Bronco’s and Jeeps (and that 1 Discovery guy above ), can’t meet together as well due to the very common passion: getting off the roads in cool, highly capable all-terrain vehicles, that tend to be customized and personalized at a higher percentage than other vehicles types. We have way more in common, than the difference of a nameplate.

(although that Jeep in the Thread-header appears to be sitting a little high, did they let it park on some phonebooks?)

 

[Salt Shaker]

Eh, Jeep guys are just sore that they are called Jeeps because of the Ford Willys GP.

 

[BostonSasquatch]

What’s next, cat and dogs living in harmony?

Absolutely!

It’s fun to learn what everyone loves and “cross pollinate” those passions. No reason why the Bronco’s and Jeeps (and that 1 Discovery guy above ), can’t meet together as well due to the very common passion: getting off the roads in cool, highly capable all-terrain vehicles, that tend to be customized and personalized at a higher percentage than other vehicles types. We have way more in common, than the difference of a nameplate.

Many thoughts in this thread. Let's acknowledge that the Ford engineers went to the Wrangler and figured out, in terms of marketing and engineering, what (people think) Jeep did right, did wrong, included, or left out--and designed accordingly. Thus: the Bronco we love dearly.

So we owe a lot to the Jeep pedigree. Also, the Wrangler spawned a huge supply chain of aftermarket technology, accessories, and options: and we Bronco aficionadas are just catching up.

One last thought: when I'm checking out an area for offroading, I search "Jeep Trails," because they've already blazed those trails.

Tip of the hat to all you Jeepsters!

PS: It was an Explorer that pulled me out of the muck in the playa off Utah's Pony Express Historic Byway.

 

[Wereknight7]

Jeep culture is a weird one around here. All the off road groups I've found around me only allow jeeps, and they have a list of models they limit to at that. "Factory open-top" jeeps only, I don't get it. Most of the off-roading I've done over the years was in an old farm truck or in the more recent years a company F-250. It's such a weird exclusion for a fairly niche hobby.

 

[Hossfire]

I love all the old 4x4s. GM for some reason chose to resurrect Hummer as a bloated EV behemoth rather than the well designed (but victim to the economy) H3. Ram Chargers, K5 Blazers, Toyota FJs, Defenders all great in their own fashion. Jeep kept thing going when everybody else abandoned the market.

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