What do YOU consider "capable"?

[Daryl 32]

OH and sometimes I think all this newfangled electronic crap is cheating. Just saying. LOL

But then I grow up with a dime in my pocket not a cell phone.

 

[Billiebob]

Renegade vs Renegade....

For me capable is
being bullet proof,
simple components,
old, established technologies,
built to be easily serviced, repaired even at night on the trail,

able to take a beating without damage or wear,

light weight so it can be easily rescued if stuck or broke down,
mass produced so finding service and maintenance will be everywhere and affordable,

have great range so I don't need jerry cans of gasoline.

Most other considerations of capable depend on how many people ride in it, retired couple vs family of five,
where will you be travelling, how many miles per day, what temperatures,
how long between food and gas stops.

Capable must be defined by your needs before you can have a discussion of what is more or less capable.
But often those in that built Rubi are less capable as drivers than those in a RWD station wagon.
Incredibly capable vehicles create lazy unskilled drivers.

 

[WAYAWAY]

Interesting question. I've asked myself that same question over the years.

I stick to established roads, preferring easy to medium difficulty. I really don't feel the need to 'test' my rig.. i just want to get way out there while keeping my impact to a minimum. Tread Lightly.

I had an '03 Forester. Dumped a ton of money into it, rebuilt engine, skid plates, lift, lights, taller tires. Unfortunately, it never felt "capable".. it felt fragile. Obstacles that are nothing for my 4Runner we're very challenging for that Subi. It's funny, there's a bit of road out in Dos Cabezas (desert east of San Diego) that i drive quite often... I broke the Subaru there, but the Toyota barely breaks a sweat.

Maybe I've found the definition of "capable" for me.

 

[m_lars]

lifted or not, there is always posers, but some people throwing out blanket statements how lifted trucks will break easier or whatever just don't ring true.
i myself think low pro's are the silliest thing to be mounted to a 4x4, just as bad as giant arse wings on cars, or snorkels on trucks, i have seen waaay more snorkels on the trail ripped off by trees than to actually see one 5 feet under water. (hollywood wheelers....)
driver capability is very important, but having a rig you don't have to beat on to get threw a hole goes a longer way. i dont have to hammer the throttle or bash threw a tough section at 50mph, i'm into "low & slow" wheeling, low gears, slow speed, way easier on your truck than "point & shoot" throttle mashed to the floor, which is how you pretty much have to do if you have smaller tires.
if you are having breakage probs, maybe you did'nt pick the right truck or right gear, throwing 37-38 inchers on a 1/2 ton or a midsize or smaller without extensive mods, is asking for probs. i can honestly say my 1 ton has never broke in the bush or left me stranded, the main diff being 1 ton gear CAN handle bigger stuff. build your rig wisely...
i never knock anybody's rig, stock, lifted, import, domestic- you don't know why they picked the truck they have. what may not work for me, may be totally fine for you. if you don't like something, do as mother says, if you got nothing constructive to say, don't flap your yap. assuming things because you "read about it online" just don't cut it.
like i said earlier, i belive it's just tire envy, or maybe some people just don't have the cajones or will to drop money on making your truck practically un-stoppable- don't criticize those of us that want to modify our trucks so they will go places (easier) where un-modified trucks fear to tread

I wasn’t trying to be insulting. There are certainly trails that take big tires or big damage. I wasn’t the one that claimed if it’s lifted it’s going to break.

 

[slomatt]

ill arange for someone to film me in april or may when the rain picks up again and we are saving folks in flooding if not enough rain then wait til hurricaine season to roll around. Highest water ive been in so far with it is at the bottom of the rear view mirrors which is chest high on me im 6,2 so around 5 ft. My sorkel sits at 6ft 7 inches, nearly every electronic on my truck is sealed with marine amazing goop and my diff , trans, t case, and fuel tank breathers are fed into my snorkel. Why wouldnt i be able to go a whole foot deeper than i already have?

How far above your roof is the snorkel? Even if it's level with the roofline, wouldn't 6' of water be most of the way up your windshield?

Trucks may react differently due to the bed and smaller cab volume, but in my personal experience SUVs will eventually start to float which makes it nearly impossible to go forward or backward. That is, at least until the door seals can't withstand the pressure and the cab starts filling with water, or water starts leaking in through the HVAC (intake is in the cowl on most trucks). Once that happens it's bad news.

A few other fun things that can happen in deep water are the engine stalling out due to excess exhaust back pressure (don't try to restart it), blades braking off the radiator fan (more common with electric fans), and the grease in bearings and u-joints getting contaminated (or washed out).

 

[Billiebob]

you guys want the utmost in capability? look no further. here ya go...top this
run into this at Larson hill a couple yrs ago- was just plain nasty....and no, i don't know who the lady is...lol
View attachment 137864

I see zero capability there. A monster sure and if you needed to move 10K# cross country a good choice, but with 1K of quadding gear... a total waste. I love the 5 gallon jerry can, obviously for the quads cuz it'll only get that rig another 20 miles down the road. Obviousl impossible to wheel alone in since if you ever get stuck the only anchor to winch off would be another Deuce.

Incapable cuz when things go south, they will go waayyy south.

But yeah, a very cool parade truck or exhibition vehicle at an Overland Rally. It'll definitely NOT TREAD LIGHTLY.

 

[MidOH]

Those work perfectly fine on the other side of the continent.

I prefer the LMTV's instead. They don't get stuck unless you do something terribly stupid. They'll eat an Earth Roamers lunch. And unlike the Earth Roamer, people can afford them so you don't have to wheel alone.

Being able to stash 300g of diesel on one and still have plenty of room for a full featured camper and spare is a nice touch.

 

[Louiston]

I still say a Smart Car with a spacer lift is the ultimate Overlander.

Funny thread !

 

[Anak]

then you must be blind.....
i would put this up against any stock jeep, landy, 'yota, chevy or dodge any day of the week, any time. you don't even need roads for this thing....
and there is waaay more than 1 k of quads and gear in the back. average atv is in the 7-800 lb range, i know, i have 3 of them.

your arguments are moot, do you not live in BC? ya know, the land of BIG trees. i have seen trucks bigger than this winch themselves out on good 'ol BC fir.
this truck is perfect for hauling out jeeps and what not when they get stuck or broke.
this truck will out haul, out tow, out climb, out mud hole any stocker- hands down, not even a contest.
what do you have against these kind of trucks? you seem to only like jeeps with tiny tires. you know, not everyone is really interested in getting 50 mpg's with their 4x4, that is not the only measure of gauging a truck's capabilty.
and ya, my dad's friend has a '52 deuce, he got it stuck once. was about 8 feet shy of making it threw a 5 foot mud hole, a hole that would have swallowed any kind of lesser rig, know how we got it out? buried the spare and winched it out.
just a question, how do you feel about a C500 Kenworth?
are you really going to tell me that it's not a capable off road rig? cause i got pictures of one where no truck has a right to be...

Yep!

The military put those things through their paces. And if the military has changed anything they have gone even bigger.

There is a comparison to be made in the Baja 1000 with the Terrible Herbst "Tiburon". The Herbsts turned the Baja 1000 world on its ear by building a vehicle much larger and heavier than anything else out there, and they dominated that race for the next decade.

Here is a link to the specs on the Tiburon: El Tiburon
Note that it weighed nearly 6,000 lbs. Compare that to your average dune buggy.

Size matters. But you also have to have what it takes to back it up.

 

[MidOH]

Not to mention that buying and prepping one costs no more than a jeep. LMTV's are $23-30k fully serviced.

 

[diabetiktaco]

Capable simply means it'll do what you need it to. A civic is capable of driving to work every day. My truck is capable of going where I need it to. Etc, etc. Has nothing to do w/ weight, etc. There's too many people who buy a rig and then ask "What should I do to it?" Use it, and figure it out for yourself. "It doesn't matter what you drive" I feel is saying you don't need an LC 80 to get out there. As long as what you drive is capable of going where you want to go.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I do think the same. However new DEF might get different opinion after few years of owning/off-roading. Geometry isn't stupid. Ergonomy eighter. Still suspension idea and plastic everywhere makes her far away from predecessor.

I'll never have the money to find out. I'll stick with my old 2000 LRD2. It's cheap and works for me !

 

[m_lars]

Capable simply means it'll do what you need it to. A civic is capable of driving to work every day. My truck is capable of going where I need it to. Etc, etc. Has nothing to do w/ weight, etc. There's too many people who buy a rig and then ask "What should I do to it?" Use it, and figure it out for yourself. "It doesn't matter what you drive" I feel is saying you don't need an LC 80 to get out there. As long as what you drive is capable of going where you want to go.

Yes, but in the context of the opening post, people have an idea in their head about what an off toad vehicle should be able to do to be considered an off road vehicle. This was an ATTEMPT to see where that line is.

Instagram Experts agree that certain vehicles aren’t capable. I was just trying to see if there was a consensus of what that means.

 

[bgenlvtex]

I still say a Smart Car with a spacer lift is the ultimate Overlander.

Funny thread !

View attachment 137910

Just begging for a snorkel and winch, begging I'm telling you

 

[m_lars]

or a good set of swampers...

I was also wondering about their tire choice after going through all that trouble!

 

[diabetiktaco]

Yes, but in the context of the opening post, people have an idea in their head about what an off toad vehicle should be able to do to be considered an off road vehicle. This was an ATTEMPT to see where that line is.

Instagram Experts agree that certain vehicles aren’t capable. I was just trying to see if there was a consensus of what that means.

It's a vague question that can't be answered in such a way. An H1 is capable. However, it's not capable in many areas of the US due to width. A lifted F350 is capable. But it'll flop over on uneven terrain. A LC is capable. But deep mud will stop it. A Jeep Patriot is capable in NJ, while it may not be elsewhere.

 

[Ralph]

I'll never have the money to find out. I'll stick with my old 2000 LRD2. It's cheap and works for me !

The same reason makes me related to my '94 Patrol.
Both life axles, timing on gears, two oil filters, hand brake on drive-shaft, mechanical winch.... Actually she is idiot-proof car If the owner is not an idiot thou Patrol is undestructable. Such is G-wagon, LandCruiser, F150, Wrangler, Defender and many, many more old rigid vehicles. Can't see the same methodology in newer constructions.

 

[m_lars]

It's a vague question that can't be answered in such a way. An H1 is capable. However, it's not capable in many areas of the US due to width. A lifted F350 is capable. But it'll flop over on uneven terrain. A LC is capable. But deep mud will stop it. A Jeep Patriot is capable in NJ, while it may not be elsewhere.

Which is why I asked “what do YOU think” There is no right answer, it’s meant to be open ended and provoke discussion.

 

[Ralph]

I'm happy with my 33". Lol.

Any deeper and my truck won't make it anyways.

The is a theory that reasonable diameter upgade from original is max 15% due to strength factor planned by manufacturer's engineers.
Especially for OVERLANDING is important to not exaggerate. Long trip reliability is crucial!!!

 

[Smileyshaun]

I’m just here for the comments and having a bet with myself when this will just turn into a d&@k measuring contest of “oh I did ______ with a stock rig and nobody can top that “

please continue