This weeks preps check-in

Brent S said:

the FJ has that cool tough looking factor going for it. I’m 90% sure I will go against my better judgement and get the FJ instead though. I’m getting older now and doing things for enjoyment vs practical is becoming more important to me.

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I'm telling ya' My wife's Trail Premium looks like a vehicle that is begging to get off of the blacktop. That thing is an offroad beast, and when she decides to get a new car, it's MINE MINE MINE!

The only reason she bought it was because she got a fantastic deal on it in a bank repo sale. (she'd rather die than miss out on a deal, LOL) I was shocked that she liked it so much. Her 2013 4Runner looked civilized. This one doesn't have any of that "civilized" look at all, either inside or out. It even has waterproof seat covers and has the original factory knobby tires that are rougher riding than the Goodyear Wrangler Authority A/T tires on my pickup. The suspension is very stiff.

I thought that both of the vehicles had similar rides, with both being very smooth. Like I said, underneath they are very similar. The 4 runner is designed to look more like a family suv and the FJ looks more like a rugged Jeep. The 4 runner also seems more refined and comfortable. Both are long lasting and well built. The only negative I can say about both is they don’t get good gas mileage. I’m also a sucker for a good deal, so am somewhat open to either if I find a deal but the FJ definitely has the cool factor going for it to me.

I'm familar with the off-road 4runners as well. I know a guy that has one and I've driven it. I don't usually like truck-size vehicles but it wasn't bad at all. It's probably my go-to when I get a new vehicle, if I can afford it.

A friend of mine had a 4runner several years ago. They're nice, but they're more of a mini van than an off road vehicle. Jeep Wrangler is about the only true 4 wheel drive SUV still being made today. Years ago vehicle manufacturers started designing their SUVs more for the female and suburban market and for fuel economy than for off road performance. Many vehicles have gone to AWD instead of true 4 wheel drive too. There really isn't much to choose from for those of us who trully need a 4 wheel drive SUV anymore.
As much as I like my Rubicon it's still under powered, high geared and needs a lift kit.

Arcticdude said:

A friend of mine had a 4runner several years ago. They're nice, but they're more of a mini van than an off road vehicle. Jeep Wrangler is about the only true 4 wheel drive SUV still being made today. Years ago vehicle manufacturers started designing their SUVs more for the female and suburban market and for fuel economy than for off road performance.

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Arctic, that was absolutely true of my wife's 2013 4Runner, but this 2016 Trail Premium is a horse of a different color. This thing bears no resemblance, inside or out, to a family minivan. I'd like to know what you think is missing? It's a true 4WD, built on a truck frame, not a unibody car frame, with lockable differential, rear wheel 2WD, everything a "true" offroad SUV should have...and more. You can run it in "semi" offroad mode with all the electronic whizbang features like hill assist and electronic traction control, but as soon as you lock the differential in 4L all those newfangles features are disabled and it's pure old fashioned 4WD.

Besides my pickup, I've had a Jeep CJ, Toyota Land Cruiser FJ and a Suzuki Samurai. This ranks right up there with them, and like you, I thought those days were long gone. In fact, I considered that era over with when they stopped making the Jeep CJ. I lamented the passing of the original Bronco (which marked the beginning of that trend you talked about).

It may not have the angle of attack my Samurai had or the ground clearance my pickup has, but it's damned close. There is almost no place I went with those that I wouldn't go with this. The only exception would be some creek beds I could traverse with the Samurai due to its short length and angle of attack. Hell, that Samurai was part mountain goat.

You have to pay extra for the TRD and trail ready stuff, but they do still make the tougher vehicles. They don’t come cheap though, new or used.

One thing I don’t see anymore is a true granny gear. My Jeep has it and it won’t go over maybe 5 miles an hour in it but can almost go vertical with it.

Brent S said:

One thing I don’t see anymore is a true granny gear. My Jeep has it and it won’t go over maybe 5 miles an hour in it but can almost go vertical with it.

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Shift the transfer case on the wife's 4Runner into 4L and shift it down into 1st gear and you are there. Yes they still exist.

Well I finally found my bull late yesterday. He was about 15 miles away north west of here with some range cattle. He was in a small open area and walked right up to me. I don't know who owns the cows that he was with, it was getting to dark to see their brands. I'll go up there again today and check for brands on the other cattle.
Now comes the hard part; getting him home.

DrHenley said:

Arctic, that was absolutely true of my wife's 2013 4Runner, but this 2016 Trail Premium is a horse of a different color. This thing bears no resemblance, inside or out, to a family minivan. I'd like to know what you think is missing? It's a true 4WD, built on a truck frame, not a unibody car frame, with lockable differential, rear wheel 2WD, everything a "true" offroad SUV should have...and more. You can run it in "semi" offroad mode with all the electronic whizbang features like hill assist and electronic traction control, but as soon as you lock the differential in 4L all those newfangles features are disabled and it's pure old fashioned 4WD.

Besides my pickup, I've had a Jeep CJ, Toyota Land Cruiser FJ and a Suzuki Samurai. This ranks right up there with them, and like you, I thought those days were long gone. In fact, I considered that era over with when they stopped making the Jeep CJ. I lamented the passing of the original Bronco (which marked the beginning of that trend you talked about).

It may not have the angle of attack my Samurai had or the ground clearance my pickup has, but it's damned close. There is almost no place I went with those that I wouldn't go with this. The only exception would be some creek beds I could traverse with the Samurai due to its short length and angle of attack. Hell, that Samurai was part mountain goat.

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I miss the old Bronco. I had a 1969 Bronco with the 302 3 speed on the column. I added a 3" lift kit, cut out the fenders and added larger tires, put in a Hurst floor shifter, rebuilt the engine, added headers, high rise manifold, Carter 650 4 barrel, "off-road" cam and new paint job.
When I was in high school I worked for a rancher. He gave me an old, I think 1949, Willy's CJ2A. That little Jeep would climb a tree. I was always going to convert the 6 volt system to 12 volt but never did.
Does Toyota still make the Trail Premium?

DrHenley said:

Shift the transfer case on the wife's 4Runner into 4L and shift it down into 1st gear and you are there. Yes they still exist.

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My F250 has a granny 1st gear. But it still isn't as low as I'd like it to be. The only option for a low first gear in my Wrangler is to shift it in to 4 low like you said. There's hardly a day goes by that I don't need low gear, but I don't necessarily need 4 wheel drive.

My Land Cruiser FJ had separate shift levers for 2WD/4WD and Hi/Lo, so I could put it in 2L.

In 2017 they renamed the Trail Premium to TRD Off-Road Premium. The 4Runner TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium, and TRD PRO all have the same 4WD features, but the TRD Pro has upgraded shocks and front suspension.
https://www.toyota.com/trdpro/4runner/

Arcticdude said:

Well I finally found my bull late yesterday. He was about 15 miles away north west of here with some range cattle. He was in a small open area and walked right up to me. I don't know who owns the cows that he was with, it was getting to dark to see their brands. I'll go up there again today and check for brands on the other cattle.
Now comes the hard part; getting him home.

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Glad you found him!

Arcticdude said:

Well I finally found my bull late yesterday. He was about 15 miles away north west of here with some range cattle. He was in a small open area and walked right up to me. I don't know who owns the cows that he was with, it was getting to dark to see their brands. I'll go up there again today and check for brands on the other cattle.
Now comes the hard part; getting him home.

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So glad you were able to find your bull. . . Ho rney little bastard probably drive him there. . . Just follow the scent.

Hunny has been letting my goats out lately and they run straight for the garden now to eat weeds. Most all of them will stay in the fenced in area, but I do have a few now that will jump the fence for greener pasture. . . Which has apparently been my strawberry patch. When I saw he let them out again this morning, I went out to dig up the last ten strawberry p lants I had and transplanted to a container on the back steps. I lost about 3/4 of my strawberries. . .

Found a green FJ with 50k on it and in great shape. Made an offer on it yesterday but are still 2k apart. The dealer called me twice today about it but hasn’t met my price yet. Kind of doubt they will but absolutely love the vehicle. Decided on the vehicle/model but now have to find one in good shape and decent deal. Be really nice to find all that in the green too!

Is it full time or part time 4WD?

DrHenley said:

Is it full time or part time 4WD?

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You shift it into 4wd so I guess part time? It’s normally 2wd

From what I've found, it has a "Five-speed A750F automatic transmission with VF2A transfer case on part-time 4x4 models"

The full time 4WD models have a manual transmission

DrHenley said:

From what I've found, it has a "Five-speed A750F automatic transmission with VF2A transfer case on part-time 4x4 models"

The full time 4WD models have a manual transmission

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I would really prefer the 6speed manual but it’s not as common. Considering I’m only looking at 2014 and 2013’s, low mileage and green, I am allready narrowing the field a lot. Adding a manual too would be near impossible to find!

Our house is about 2 weeks from being completed, provided that the workers actually show up. Last week they finished the HVAC system and installed the heat pump. Turns out the top of the heat pump was damaged and the fan wouldn't turn. They should have it replaced this week.
Last week I finally found my bull Johnny. Then I tracked down the owner of the range cows that he was hanging with. Today my neighbor was out checking on his cattle and spotted Johnny. He cut out the bull and drove him a couple miles down to his FS allotment. This particular allotment is small, around 5×5 miles square and boarders on our west line. I'll just leave Johnny there and drive him home later this Fall.
Today was our hottest day of summer (87 degs). It's supposed to start cooling down by this weekend and possibly get some rain. We've had just 1/3 inch of rain since May.
The wife comes home on Friday too.
Our meat chickens will get butchered next week. I'll be glad to see them gone. Our steer should be getting butchered soon too. I pulled the steer out of the herd about a month ago and have been feeding him grain and hay. He's not happy about being separated but he's looking good right now.
Some of the trees are starting to turn colors, so Fall isn't far off. I still need to get a couple more cords of firewood cut and split and the new wood shed built. Should be working on that today, instead I was sipping on some cold ones and putting together my trapping supply order.