My 'Un-wheelable' Bronco (35"s, 3.73's, no lockers)

[Aonarch]

I bought the cheapest one back in '21 (Base, non-squatch, 2.3L-7MT), and wheeled the piss out of it, upgrading a little at a time but continuing to test and experiment as I went. Now, almost 3 years later, it's built beyond the capability that it would have had if Sasquatch-equipped from the factory. But for me that was a good choice and it has been a lot of fun. I do all of my own work, and have enjoyed learning more about this vehicle every step of the way.

That said, for someone who "knows" they're going to need lockers, gearing and 35's, and who doesn't turn wrenches or have any desire to learn about the mechanics of their vehicle, getting it with Sasquatch from the factory is a wise investment. It's cheaper than doing it yourself, everything is factory fresh as Henry intended it.

But I think where I agree with you is that most folks think they "know" they need something they don't actually need. You're right, the Internet has convinced them that they're risking their lives if they leave the pavement without lockers. I have an extensive series of videos that proves them wrong With just a decent set of tires, the most un-equipped Bronco can tackle some surprisingly tough terrain. I still believe that perhaps 90% of Sasquatch-equipped Broncos never get used in situations where a non-Sasquatch Bronco couldn't go.

Also people don't need E rated 37s to go on FSRs....

Tons of people wheeling on Michelin Defenders.

My Bronco and my GX before are both on P rated 33" Firestone Destination AT2s.

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[BlueWaffle]

Also people don't need E rated 37s to go on FSRs....

Tons of people wheeling on Michelin Defenders.

My Bronco and my GX before are both on P rated 33" Firestone Destination AT2s.

I'm a (mild) proponent of going slightly overkill when it comes to tire thickness. Dealing with a flat while on a 4x4 trail or otherwise deep in the woods while it's biting-fly season.. which is pretty much half the year up here.. is absolute misery.

The north maine woods is 95% dirt roads, and attracts people from all over thanks to its lakes and mountains and other wildernessy stuff... unfortunately... those roads are littered with shale.. which seems to have one purpose on this earth.. slicing tires. Lots of unaware folks end up 12 miles from the closest paved road with 3 flat p-plys on their subaru thanks to the damn stuff. It's brutal. Especially if the roads been recently graded.

 

[userdude]

Knowing the use case of a vehicle is extremely important.. finding yourself In a situation you're underequipped for is an annoyance at best, and deadly at worst.

The mindset or quasi-culture of grossly overequipping though.. financially foolish at best and gate keeping at worst.. the last bit being the part that rubs me wrong.

Too often i see threads made by prospective buyers who are looking to simply dip the proverbial toe into the 4x4 world asking general questions about trim levels and such.. and a great deal of the time the suggestions they get are to go the route of grossly over equipping.. having all the bells and whistles ARE nice.. but implanting the idea in these folks heads that they NEED to spend 8-10-12k dollars more than whats actually necessary is ridiculous, gatekeeping, a turn-off.. and can end with some pretty bad results.

Right! All you need is 4x4. Well, technically four wheels. Maybe three, if you're careful. I guess two if you want to moto. Are there off road unicycles? I bet one's about to come on the market, reinforced fork and all. But do you need it? Hiking shoes!

 

[Mdozier]

Right! All you need is 4x4. Well, technically four wheels. Maybe three, if you're careful. I guess two if you want to moto. Are there off road unicycles? I bet one's about to come on the market, reinforced fork and all. But do you need it? Hiking shoes!

One leg, a stick and maybe a bit of old rag to wrap your foot...

 

[Mdozier]

Sorry, didn't mean to off topic humor too much.

I like the whole theme here from OP.

Take what you have and get out and learn from your mistakes. All these are very capable machines.

 

[BlueWaffle]

Right! All you need is 4x4. Well, technically four wheels. Maybe three, if you're careful. I guess two if you want to moto. Are there off road unicycles? I bet one's about to come on the market, reinforced fork and all. But do you need it? Hiking shoes!

..Under 5k including pads and a fancy carbon fiber helmet... and DEFINITELY dont need a locker with this rig..

I now feel a fool with the bronco all that money down the drain

 

[Jdc]

I'm a (mild) proponent of going slightly overkill when it comes to tire thickness. Dealing with a flat while on a 4x4 trail or otherwise deep in the woods while it's biting-fly season.. which is pretty much half the year up here.. is absolute misery.

The north maine woods is 95% dirt roads, and attracts people from all over thanks to its lakes and mountains and other wildernessy stuff... unfortunately... those roads are littered with shale.. which seems to have one purpose on this earth.. slicing tires. Lots of unaware folks end up 12 miles from the closest paved road with 3 flat p-plys on their subaru thanks to the damn stuff. It's brutal. Especially if the roads been recently graded.

That's good to know. I'm planning a trip up there later this year

 

[indio22]

Right! All you need is 4x4. Well, technically four wheels. Maybe three, if you're careful. I guess two if you want to moto. Are there off road unicycles? I bet one's about to come on the market, reinforced fork and all. But do you need it? Hiking shoes!

What people don't realize is, how you gonna imagine using lockers, if you don't have lockers?

 

[BlueWaffle]

That's good to know. I'm planning a trip up there later this year

Yeah.. super careful on freshly graded roads, stick to the middle of the road whenever possible even on roads that havnt been freshly graded, and watch out for logging trucks! They haul ass and always have the right-of-way.

The majority of the state is a working forest, technically private property. Paper/lumber/logging companies are simply nice enough to let the public use the roads they made & maintain.. however.. sadly.. disrespectful people go up there and have campfires where they aren't supposed to.. try to drive around gates or through ditches that have been dug to keep people off roads that aren't currently getting logged... root up the road doing their best Ken block impression... and end up getting roads and entire sections of forest posted as no tresspassing. Ruining it for everyone else.

I probably don't have to ask.. but.. please don't be one of those yahoos.

 

[GPPBronco]

Stoked to follow this thread. Since taking delivery last year, I’ve installed the following on my ‘23 base non-sas:

• 33” Falken MTs (with a separate set of 32” Toyo ATs for better winter traction)
• Metal skids protecting the front, engine, transmission, transfer case, and gas tank.
• SuperWinch 10k with synthetic line on a RC high mount with LOD frame horn reinforcements

My approach has been to focus on performance-related modifications that will keep me from getting stuck/hung up in the woods/dunes of the Great Lakes region.

So far I’ve been impressed with what the base can do on dunes, muddy forest roads, and at the local off road park. This thread gives me more confidence that swapping to 34-35” tires and a small lift will work with my 3.73s in the future. Recommend also following @Baseaf on YouTube to see what the base can do on some pretty gnarly trails.

Here’s a recent shot of my rig NOT showing off its capabilities…

 

[BlueWaffle]

Stoked to follow this thread. Since taking delivery last year, I’ve installed the following on my ‘23 base non-sas:

• 33” Falken MTs (with a separate set of 32” Toyo ATs for better winter traction)
• Metal skids protecting the front, engine, transmission, transfer case, and gas tank.
• SuperWinch 10k with synthetic line on a RC high mount with LOD frame horn reinforcements

My approach has been to focus on performance-related modifications that will keep me from getting stuck/hung up in the woods/dunes of the Great Lakes region.

So far I’ve been impressed with what the base can do on dunes, muddy forest roads, and at the local off road park. This thread gives me more confidence that swapping to 34-35” tires and a small lift will work with my 3.73s in the future. Recommend also following @Baseaf on YouTube to see what the base can do on some pretty gnarly trails.

Here’s a recent shot of my rig NOT showing off its capabilities…

Nice rig!

Dune running with 35s and 3.73s might be a bit taxing.. depending how fast you like/need to go.

I'm not fortunate enough to have any beach/dune wheeling locations where I am sadly.. it's all slower speed type offroading up here so I'm usually in low range all day with no worries about various temps. Worst case Ontario you could always just add some additional cooling certainly a cheaper route to go than re-gearing.

 

[GPPBronco]

Nice rig!

Dune running with 35s and 3.73s might be a bit taxing.. depending how fast you like/need to go.

I'm not fortunate enough to have any beach/dune wheeling locations where I am sadly.. it's all slower speed type offroading up here so I'm usually in low range all day with no worries about various temps. Worst case Ontario you could always just add some additional cooling certainly a cheaper route to go than re-gearing.

That’s the one sticking point. Seems like the transmission temp hovers ~5 degrees higher with the 33s in the summer than the lighter 32s in the winter. I have wondered what 35s would do to these numbers.

While it’s fun and everyone should try it, I’d actually say dune running is a little overrated. Certainly more fun on a quad or SxS. Makes a big difference if you’re wheeling on a one-way dune trail vs. the free-for-all approach. Scaling a dune when you don’t know if someone is heading up the other side…not exactly relaxing!

 

[broncobase1]

I have a bare bones Base with the stock all season tires. On a ski trip to Utah last year I did a lot better than Subarus and other AWD SUVs. There was an Outlander parked next to me, three of us attempted to push him out and failed. He had to wait until the vehilce behind moved which was downhill. I put my Bronco in 4H and drove out like I was on pavement. There are reason why some of us like Bronco even if not equipped with the wheeling hardware. Maybe we just think its cool. I for one am not a fan of AWD, for one you have to replace all 4 tires if one gets damaged. I like the RWD part time 4WD setup of the Bronco, even if not setup for hard core wheeling.

 

[Crusty Tanker]

Sure, I have a Squatch, but never, ever look down on my fellow Bronco Busters. This is America, G-Damnit and let's all support each other, except those Sport owners, F those Beta males. Hahaha

 

[CMillBronco]

Sure, I have a Squatch, but never, ever look down on my fellow Bronco Busters. This is America, G-Damnit and let's all support each other, except those Sport owners, F those Beta males. Hahaha

I just saw a Heritage Sport and thought the same thing! What Heritage is that a Heritage Escape???

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