Hunting Vehicles, Geo Tracker?

This is pretty much I'm thinking. Thanks for posting your opinion, and the use of a come along is important because I'll mostly be out by myself, or with my wife. Being able to get it out of a jam by myself is a big selling point. I have a few trackers to go see this weekend. I'm not too worried about mileage on the i4 8v sohc, as long as it's not nutz in relation to asking price.
willisjake said:
My 90 Tracker is awesome. I got mine cheap about five years ago and have used it in the bush extensively.
It is a two door and you can turn around anywhere. It is easy on gas and has just enough power to do what you need.
Dont worry about finding a low km one. Mine has 300k and is great. Rust is what you need to watch for. The cross members that hold the gas tank in are famous for rotting out. It is hard to notice unless youre looking for it. Parts are easy to find and often on the shelf at parts stores.
I would avoid the four door. While they have more space than a two door, they dont turn as tight and are more prone to getting high centered.
Diesel conversions are a giant waste of money. You gain a bit, but it requires a bunch of work, and some custom fabrication to make everything go in smooth. If you want a hard core 4x4 and like tinkering on things, then yes but even then Ive seen the gas ones go just as far.
Samurais are getting a little harder to get parts for and most guys who have one these days have a second parts one wrecked in thier back yard.
Hands down they will go farther stock than any other stock 4x4 you can buy for under $3000.

With out going crazy, you can add a two inch lift, increase tire size to the common 31x10.5 and toss a mini spool diff in. This is a unstoppable package that will cruise at 120km on the hiway with three guys and a little gear, get 30 mpg. If you do get stuck it is light enough a come-along will get you out.
My truck and camper combo does not even notice it when I tow it behind, and I need to pack very little extra gas.

You can't go wrong.
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My daily driver as well my hunting truck is a S-10 Blazer. It's great off-road, goes everywhere I've ever pointed it and some places I haven't. It's my second S-10 and I'll brag about them all day.
That said, I wouldn't advise buying one for hunting/off road etc, unless you're good at changing ball joints. In 1 year/20,000 km I'm on my 3rd set and 2nd idler arm. My truck is lifted so it's quicker wearing, but come on man I've had enough;).

My buddy has a 2dr Tracker, lifted/bumpers/30" bfg's/8000lb warn/rocker guards/etc. It's like a big quad that goes anywhere.
It's for sale in Maple Ridge if you want info, big $ though. It's on Craigslist.
 
I think I seen it , and it's more than I'm looking =)

On the blazer note, that is what I've found talking to people, is the ball joints ... other than continuous maintenance issues depending on if you got a lemon or not.

9x19p said:
My daily driver as well my hunting truck is a S-10 Blazer. It's great off-road, goes everywhere I've ever pointed it and some places I haven't. It's my second S-10 and I'll brag about them all day.
That said, I wouldn't advise buying one for hunting/off road etc, unless you're good at changing ball joints. In 1 year/20,000 km I'm on my 3rd set and 2nd idler arm. My truck is lifted so it's quicker wearing, but come on man I've had enough;).

My buddy has a 2dr Tracker, lifted/bumpers/30" bfg's/8000lb warn/rocker guards/etc. It's like a big quad that goes anywhere.
It's for sale in Maple Ridge if you want info, big $ though. It's on Craigslist.
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BenchrestJohn said:
Get Jeep man. TJ. You won't be sorry. It goes everywhere. I find it goes everywhere at goes.
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There's still some old army surplus Jeeps around if you do internet searches. Generally,old vehicle reliability isn't good enough to trust one 15 miles down some bush road in the middle of nowhere. They always seem to crap out an hour before dark.....like it's a rule. Make sure you're prepared to either be able to repair something fast or stay over night in the bush.
 
xdmer said:
Thanks , I've been looking at Vitara's too, basically all of the tracker style offshoots. There are many different configuration and engine models through the 90's and very early 2k's. Any idea which engine your friends sidekick was?
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1.8L 4 cylinder J series. J series engine from Suzuki are invincible, you wont regret your choice.
 
I prefer the suzuki samurai. They are easy to lift due to the leaf springs. Put a 6.5-1 gear reduction in the transfer case and you get 180% reduction in low range and 17% reduction in high range so you can run 31" tires. Turf the 1.3 suzuki engine and put a 1.6 tracker engine in it for a little more power. Install a high performance clutch and install a locker in the rear diff. You will be surprised where it will go. My sammy will climb up hills so steep I'm sure it would keep going till it flips over backwards. Basically its a quad with a heater.
 
I run an early 93 Toyota pickup with the 4 cyl in it. It has been in my family as a hunting rig for the past 15 years. I would highly recommend one. Mine has a 4" lift, 31" tires and 4.10 gears and a winch. It is beautiful having the box on the back. You can put a quad or saw in the back, you can pack a moose out, it is handy. The drive train is built much tougher than the domestic vehicles that I have used (Ford and Chev pickups).
 
i used to have both a sport trac and a 92 tracker

first of all the sport trac is a better truck for absolutely everything except the wheelbase. my tracker had a 3"bodylift and 30"tires but it didnt have power anything so long drives do get uncomfortable.


get a explorer sport and keep the trac for parts sports are basically your sport trac without the bed and with a 101 inch wheelbase (vs 130" for the ST and 97" for a 4dr tracker)
 
156821 said:
I run an early 93 Toyota pickup with the 4 cyl in it. It has been in my family as a hunting rig for the past 15 years. I would highly recommend one. Mine has a 4" lift, 31" tires and 4.10 gears and a winch. It is beautiful having the box on the back. You can put a quad or saw in the back, you can pack a moose out, it is handy. The drive train is built much tougher than the domestic vehicles that I have used (Ford and Chev pickups).
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Yes, the older toyota's were great. The 22R engine was bullet proof. They also had a full front axle.
 
Here's a pic of mine as it sits right now. I still need a winch bumper for the front and new rear bumper with a spare tire mount.
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What makes it better if you ended up swapping the engine with a tracker? Was it mostly due to the body and leaf springs being easy to lift? Looking nice btw. The go anywhere quad aspect of it I really like ... minor street use. I'm not a stickler for a comfy ride. This is for off road / country use, but not specifically for wheeling / crawling. My needs are less than that, but being capable / up-gradable is appealing .
pete dobinson said:
Here's a pic of mine as it sits right now. I still need a winch bumper for the front and new rear bumper with a spare tire mount.
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I never said it was better than a Tracker. I prefer the samurai to the tracker, thats my choice. Its not necessary to put a 1.6 tracker engine into the sammy but its nice to have the extra power, its an easy bolt in with a adapter kit. This set up isn't a smooth ride, infact its rough. I'm not into rock crawling either but wanted it to be capable. It goes through west coast calverts "cross ditches" with ease. The samurai is a little smaller than a tracker, which makes it more trailerable. They are cheaper to lift than a tracker.
 
My cousin had a Samurai for years, and still to this day (20 yrs later) says that it was the best ride he's ever had for "beating around" in. He even recalls one time that the wheels were terribly mis-aligned, (he didn't care too much, nor could he afford to fix it at the time) and while trying to slide around a sharp turn , he hit the edge of the cement sidewalk with both passenger tires and magically , the wobbling stopped !!! Free wheel alignment courtesy of the city. Anyhow, he drove that Suzuki EVERYWHERE, and even when we got it occasionally stuck, it was light enough that 9 times out of ten one of us could push it out (while the other gave it the gas). Suzuki's are actually some of the MOST reliable rides on the market in my opinion. Not that easy to always get parts depending on where you live, but really, you often don't need to find them much.
 
Get a tracker or a samurai that is stock and slowly upgrade it over time. Put a lift and a locker in it first and it will go anywhere you will need to. They are a fun project. I have gotten a little carried away with mine. lol.
 
xdmer said:
So a few years ago I picked up an older 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac as a hunting vehicle. It's worked fairly well and when on forest service roads and some trails, has actually surprised me performance wise. (at least I had never expected it to work so well). HOWEVER, I feel it's kind of big and not that easy to work through some of the more narrow spots and getting room to turn her around on trails can be tight. I plan on going out myself a few times and won't have buddy around if I need a hand or haul out.

Because of this I've been looking at getting a Geo Tracker or similar with a few light mods to make it a little better on the off road. Since I'm only looking for deer and smaller black bear and small game, I think I'll be okay for room, although a little tight. What do you guys use for smaller hunting rigs, in BC?
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I had an 02 sport trac with a 6" lift on 33" tires and a 9500lb winch, did very well offroad and for BC hunting. the rear trac lock sucks, If I had kept it I would have put front and rear lockers in it.

I then went to a samurai on 35"s lockers etc. It would go anywhere a quad would go but interior space was cramped.


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Now I have a 4 door sidekick with basically everything fixed that I did not like about the two prior vehicles.

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I also have a fully loaded 2002 xl7 I may be persuaded into selling, with a small lift it would do very well, already has a winch, leveling kit and rock sliders.

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