Log In | Register
Skip to main content
Topic: 4X4 sighting (Read 29 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
4X4 sighting
Yahoo Message Number: 159887
Saw an older LD on Hwy 50 in Cameron Park (Ca) this evening...thought wow, thats a nice looking older rig...as I pulled up behind it I saw a 4X4 emblem on the back and as I passed, obviously 4X4...it was really nice looking (brown). Didn't realize they made this...If the owner is on this site...nice!
Sherry
Re: 4X4 sighting
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 159888
I may have seen the same rig (a 24') in McGee Creek Campground (eastern Sierra) last July. The 4WD is not stock; it's an aftermarket conversion, most likely Quigley.

Joan
2003 TK has a new home
Re: 4X4 sighting
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 159890
The 4X4 LD is definitely not Factory, since Ford or Chevy never sold a cutaway 4X4 chassis, for RV usage.
As previously discussed in length, the adding of the extra 4X4 gear uses a lot of the available cargo capacity but the major problem is the inability to use taller and wider tires, to help float through the soft stuff and to smooth the ride on poor roads.
There is no way to installed tires any larger on the dual rear wheels without major engineering and fabrication, plus the rig would stand much wider.

I seriously considered a 4X4 RV years ago but decided that the LDs, and most other RVs, do not and will not make good off-road vehicles, so the alternative was simple, tow a Jeep.
It works well for us and allows getting far back into the backcountry, much farther in than any 4X4 RV could hope to do.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: 4X4 sighting
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 159891
I agree Larry. My sister and I were talking about it after seeing it and couldn't think of anywhere any of us would actually take it...and someday when I buy my LD, I will probably tow a jeep too...this one was just pretty cool to see...
Sherry
Re: 4X4 sighting
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 159892
There is a company in North Carolina that specializes in making the Ford E series vans 4x4.
They do a fantastic job and actually make the thing handle and steer better than stock.
UJoint off road. 4x4 Van Conversion kits

They have done some RV's mostly for people wanting to get onto the beach but have no problem making whatever you give them into a pretty good soft roader.

I'd love to take a 24 ft. and let them have at it.

Jota
Jota
96 23.5 FL
Re: 4X4 sighting
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 159894
With the width, overhangs, and fragility of appliances, etc, taking a LD 4X4 on off-road trails is not a wise choice. However, with 3-season tires, the traction of the standard chassis is pretty amazing, and there is enough clearance for most dirt roads, even in marginal condition. Snow traction is better than most all-wheel-drive vehicles, and if you add chains, it would be difficult to get stuck.

A 4X4 conversion would work best on a vehicle designed from the ground up to be an off-road safari machine, with appropriate limited overhand and the best marine-approved appliances, etc.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: 4X4 sighting
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 159895
I completely agree.

I'm not looking to do off road trails, there have been plenty of nasty forest service roads in my travels over the years and having a few more inches of ground clearance and taller tires would make those roads much easier to navigate.

I have also been on some mountain passes in southern Colorado during snowstorms and having 4x4 would be nice in those conditions as well.

There is a reason a lot of car manufacturers use AWD, it can be safer in many situations and with the poor drivers we have here in the USA, we need all the help we can get :-}
Jota
96 23.5 FL