CV joints / boots like to be less than 2 1/2", but a lot of folks run upto 3" without too many issues.

Not to flame you, but from the description of your recent outing, it sounds like some high performance coilovers might be better suited to your style of offroading. Take a look at these:

http://www.camburg.com/
http://www.donahoeracing.com/
http://www.kingshocks.com/


Wheeling a Stepside Tacoma on 37s
Exploring in a T4R Ltd V8