Bobbed deuce on Western WA trails?

[ElmoTheDestroyer]

I recently moved to Western Washington from Wisconsin and due to the mountains/numerous trails out here I was considering getting a 4x4...

A bobbed duece is on the top of my list, but I'm wondering a few things.

Are the trails in Western WA generally big enough to fit something the size of a bobbed duece? Alot of mountains so I'm sure there are lots of tight corners for switchbacks and stuff. I don't intend to go on any dangerous/super difficult trails.

Will a bobbed duece tear up trails bad? I would hate to go out trail riding with a local 4x4 club and have them get pissed that I'm tearing things up. I'd most likely be using 46" tires...

Thanks!

 

[AaronW]

Welcome to the great PNW!

You will find all types of "trails" in the area. A bobbed deuce might be good for running logging roads and such. You are going to have trouble if you get up in the timber. I've driven many trails around here where a CJ-2A is almost too big to pass between trees.

A good idea would be to find a local club, make a few friends, and go wheeling with them before purchasing a rig.

Tread lightly,
Aaron

 

[goodguyzy]

Welcome from further south, the best group of SS members is right here in the PNW.

 

[one eye]

im a memeber of a jeep club and the trails around here r tight. i dont take my duece off the gravel roads. its just to big and hard to recover once u get stuck. was at my buddies house and got the duece stuck on a log pile it took 2 jeep a high lift jack that will never be the same and a bunch of railroad ties and 3 hours. was alot of fun though. a cj or toyota truck r some good options for pnw trails

 

[Stalwart]

When I went offroading with my 1993 Hummer, I usually had to find my own way, often over fallen logs and through brush, to avoid the gaps in the trees only the Jeeps and the like could get through. If a Hummer was hard, a bobber would be nearly impossible. We have these things growing out here in W. WA, we call them "trees" and they are often only a few feet apart, unlike the forests on the other side of the Cascade range.

 

[srodocker]

welcome aboard. As much as I would say Yes theres room. theres not which sucks. I had a ford ranger that had a couple tight fits. granted i've only been to belfair and capitol forest. I heard elbe trails has big trails but nothing complicated.

 

[Beerslayer]

Another factor that keeps me off of trails with my deuce is the low hanging fuel tank. Even with 46" tires, that thing is still hanging down there unprotected. Once you get in a big rut that some rock crawlers have made, you are going to be on that big fat tank.

 

[booger]

You could still do a M35 Bobber ( because a BIG truck with BIG tires is really cool ) and when the trails get too tight and gnarley for a Bobber ( which they will ) unload your Mighty Mite out of the back and go where the jeeps won't go....just an idea

 

[rorybellows]

as an owner of a long wheelbased, long-bed crewcab pickup, i am often told "you wont make it with that thing" only to tackle said obstacle and show up the naysayers. with that said its more about driver knowledge of offroading most of the time. if your smart, and do some quick calcs in your head, youll know if you can get that giant pig through a trail or not. know your height, weight, width and such and youll be able to tell if youre gonna make it or not. just remember these things are tall and take a while to get turned around (large turning radius) bobbed or not

 

[Fort Powell]

Welcome from Tacoma, WA.

 

[OSO]

Another transplant from Wisconsin Welcome Where in Wisconsin? I grew up in Milwaukee . Moved out to Pewaukee Lake Then moved out to Washington 1985 . I live in Oso Wa
Not too far from Anacortes

 

[ElmoTheDestroyer]

Thanks for the replies... Definitely not what I wanted to hear, but I was sort of expecting it... Not sure what I'm going to do yet... Still like the idea of a bobbed duece but I'd hate to spend the money to build the truck then not be able to have much fun off-road with it.

I guess I'll try to find some local 4x4 guys and see if I can ride along to check out what the trails in this area are like and go from there.

lol, it's soo hard to be interested in a little jeep or something after lookin' at bobbed dueces for a while... So not heavy duty in comparison. Oh well...

Thanks again for the replies!

 

[srodocker]

I took my deuce to belfair which is in bremerton. mines still fullsized and i fit through some parts. granted it was very tight and no power steering sucks too hahahha

 

[rorybellows]

well you guys are up near walker valley orv area. i havent been up there in a while, but recall most trails were pretty narrow. theres always the beverly sand dunes near vantage, south of the wanapum? dam and moses dunes. uh, and little naches. eastern wa. probably have better trails to accomodate such a large rig, as they have less of those big, green things known as trees. then again, you could always make your own trail, but thats no concidered "treading lightly"

 

[rorybellows]

I took my deuce to belfair which is in bremerton. mines still fullsized and i fit through some parts. granted it was very tight and no power steering sucks too hahahha

tahuya? got some body damage there. not even on the hard part, either

 

[Truckoholic]

I'm a pacific northwesterner at heart. Lived up in Newberg Oregon for a year and a half, and now I kind of consider it more home than where I've lived the whole rest of my life. But yeah, down here in California, I have to be really careful about where I go wheeling. Good way to get yourself thrown in jail if you go off the established roads and tear anything up. It sucks, but I can appreciate not wanting the forests all torn up. I think one of the best ways to enjoy the forests though, is on a vehicle that can actually take you out through the middle of them.

There is a big battle going on right now here in Northern California between recreational 4 wheelers and anyone else that wants to use the forest and the forest service. The forest service and environmentalists want to go through and take out thousands of miles of awesome 4wheeling roads and old logging roads that they think are unnecessary, and are causing damage to the forests. While those of us who use those roads all the time are having a conniption fit.

 

[srodocker]

heres some pics from tahuya

 

[ElmoTheDestroyer]

Oso - Right on... How do ya like WA compared to WI? I freakin' love it here... The geography is sooooo much more interesting than WI, and the weather is way better IMHO ...

You ever take your duece on trails in the area?

 

[ElmoTheDestroyer]

Oso - Right on... How do ya like WA compared to WI? I freakin' love it here... The geography is sooooo much more interesting than WI, and the weather is way better IMHO ...

You ever take your duece on trails in the area?

 

[AN/ARC186]

And best of all Elmo, they don't sell rain shovels......