I purchased a 1980 Toyota 4x4 a couple of weeks ago. We are still working to get it running smoothly, but, it is definitely operational for light hunting applications.

I do pretty much all my hunting in SE Georgia, US. We have lots of that deep, sloppy mud here. Usually, the problem most encountered is bottoming out. Any thoughts on the best setup to contend with this type of offroading?

On some ocassions I will venture into middle and north Georgia. In those places, one most often finds that thick consistency RED Georgia clay. Any thoughts here?

Thank you for your input.

well, without some extensive modification(in the form of a V8 and such) a toyota isn't the ideal machine for mud running. however since it seems it's gonna be more of a hunting rig and less of a competition mud bogger, i think you'll be happy with its capabilities. you can make it better by getting some decent mud tires, swamper TSLs are the best pick. they grip and clean very well, and don't suck horsepower like a bogger. if you only want a 31", 33" or 34" tire the LTB TSL are also about the cheapest tires you can get

Toyota's are so light they tend to do pretty well in mud...especially on a fat tire.

If you are looking for a cheap setup for mud, get enough lift to fit maybe a 33x12.50 or 33.13.50 Swamper LTB and you could still drive on your stock gears for a while. Then try and find some Toyota factory third members with 4.56 or 4.88 gears to spin those tires more easily.

I know lots of guys run swampers on Toyotas, but I've never really thought they had enough HP to turn that heavy a tire. So I would maybe stick to a lighter one

In addition to tires, another nice thing for mud is a winch, snatch block, shovel and lockers.

good for mud ... hehehe ... yeah !!
36" swampers , 150HP hybrid 20r/22r , 5:29's and ARB's front and rear



ciscokid said it best ... WINCH

Tho it's certainly debatable, I think with such a light vehicle, thin (mud) tires are best. I know that they climb muddy hills better and they are lighter too.
I did like the added stability of wider tires tho. the flotation of wider tires is nice sometimes too, but not often enough, IMO. There just isn't enough weight on the contact patch to take the truck places the thin tires will go.

The mod that I am most happy with on my truck is the rear locker. I have been places in 2wd that I usually had to use 4wd. Of all the mud tires that I have used, the swamper pulls the best in mud. It cleans out easily without a lot of horsepower and wheelspin. They don't last long on a dialy driver though. I am running 35's now with a rear locker, 5.29 gears and 5" of lift. If it was my truck and I was on a tight budget, I would get a 3" body lift ($50-$100) and run a 33" swamper (the ltb's are pretty cheap) with stock gears for now. Later when I had saved up some money change the gears and add a locker. That's my 2 cents worth.

If you want to go cheap for running muddy trails this was my set up in 88-89 and I had a blast in Northern New York and Pennsylvania in the muddy summers and snowy winters:

3" Bodylift, 34 X 9.50 TSL's on stock rims and a rear detroit locker. You could get a lockrite now and go even cheaper.

I added a 4" Suspension lift nd went to 36X12.50's the next year and looking back I think the initial setup worked better all around.

Thanks a lot guys for the input.

Another question. With the stock carb on the 20r, I think I remember reading I should be getting roughly 90hp. Is that adequate to turn the larger tires, even if I go with the narrower version?

Many years ago, I had a 2wd Datsun (yep before Nissan) pickup. I put the wide tires on the rear which helped a lot in the mud but took a sever toll on power.

While I know there is no perfect answer, what do ya'll think is the best compromise?

You should be fine as long as you match your tire size with proper gearing. If you go for either the 33" or 34" tires, the cheapest route would be to search www.car-part.com and your local junkyards for some factory 4.88 ratio 3rd members. You can also throw in a lockrite for around $250 like someone else mentioned.