My Toyota woodhauler build

[Badfish740]

So I sold my F-350 in order to purchase a kiddie hauler for the wife-regular cab pickups don't really make much sense for growing families. Neither did her Corolla-two long legged adults, a baby/carseat and a dog in one of those things makes for a pretty miserable trip. She got the new SUV, I got the car as a daily driver, and luckily I still had my 'Yota pickup. I've had it as a spare vehicle for the last couple of years-it was given to me by my aunt after my uncle had passed away. It was his pride and joy and he taught me to drive stick in it, so I was glad to have it. It's bare bones-4cyl, 5 speed, 4x4 with locking hubs, no power options or AC, etc...perfect wood hauler! I kept it stock for a while since there was no reason to really beef it it up with a one ton diesel in the stable. Now I have to do more with less so I've begun to do some suspension work, new tires and wheels, etc...along with a thorough tune-up. This is what I started with:

After a little removal of "unnecessary parts":

The nice thing about the older Yotas is they already have a ton of ground and fenderwell clearance, so removing the plastic fenderwells, front valance, and pounding down the pinchwelds will give you all the clearance you need to run slightly bigger tires. I like a lot of tire but as little lift as possible for a few different reasons, so that's the route I'm going here. The next step was to crank the torsion bars up front for an additional 1.5" of clearance and install coil springs in the rear which is another mod popular with the Toyota crowd. It looks a little strange, but it was pioneered by a guy who builds rockcrawlers for a living out in Arizona. It does wonders for load carrying ability:

Still looks a little goofy with the stock wheels and tires:

That should change once I get these bad boys on there:

The goal is to have a truck that can safely carry a good sized load of green hardwood-these trucks are half-tons and they're capable of carrying quite a bit more than that, but the leaf springs tend to go flat and the brakes aren't really up to the task. I upgraded to T-100 calipers and rotors in the front which makes a MAJOR difference. For short trips hauling around town it will be perfect. In addition, the small size and off-road ability of these trucks make them perfect for cutting wood in hard to reach places. I've heard others compare them to motorized wheelbarrows or quads with pickup beds I plan to get the tires on it along with some other goodies this weekend-pics to come!

 

[ScotO]

looking good! Make sure to keep us updated!

 

[BrianK]

Great project. I always wanted a Toyota 4x4 when I was a kid. We put over 200,000 miles on my dad's 2wd Toyota diesel 5 speed back in the 1980s, and the motor was original and still going strong when he sold it.

Love your avatar, Badfish. Great movie.

 

[Snotrocket]

I've had a few Toyota 4x4's over the years. Overall very good trucks. Yours looks like a 92 or 93.

The 1 big problem with putting bigger tires on these is the gearing. With such a small engine you will definitely notice the taller tires
going down the road. Even more so with a full load of green wood.

If you can find a factory 4runner with an automatic and 31's on it from the factory it will have 4.88 gears in it. In a Toyota you can swap out the 3rd member
in the axles pretty easy.

 

[weatherguy]

Im on my fifth one, yours looks like my 93

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Why would you put bigger tires on a wood hauler? My truck is stock and very nearly too tall for my preference.

 

[MarkinNC]

I'd get a trailer if you want to haul a heavier payload safely. I can see the rear coil, but lifting a truck does not strengthen the drive line geometry, increases the center of gravity, and raises the height that you have to lift heavy wood up too.

I do have timbren's myself to keep things level but I do not over load my 1/2 ton axle. Bilstein shocks and factory size Michelin's round out the package.

 

[DanCorcoran]

I'm on my second Tacoma 4x4. Be very careful in turns with that model. Even without raising the center of gravity, it was a well-known rollover hazard.

 

[Badfish740]

Why would you put bigger tires on a wood hauler? My truck is stock and very nearly too tall for my preference.

I'd get a trailer if you want to haul a heavier payload safely. I can see the rear coil, but lifting a truck does not strengthen the drive line geometry, increases the center of gravity, and raises the height that you have to lift heavy wood up too. I do have timbren's myself to keep things level but I do not over load my 1/2 ton axle. Bilstein shocks and factory size Michelin's round out the package.

Ground clearance. Many of my prime cutting spots are at the end of a skidder trail, along a power line ROW, etc...full of rocks, slash, and mud. This is not a truck I'll be using to go pick up wood and drive 30 miles home on the highway. For one spot its more like "drive 2 miles through town on paved roads, pull off, put it in 4WD and drive another mile and half into the woods down a quad trail." 32" tires (going on today) only required about 1.5" of lift in the front and 3" in the rear-not a huge amount, but they'll give me a full 13" of clearance at the front crossmember. As for the trailer it's really not an option-I'd have to invest a whole lot of money in a tip happy off road trailer-better to just beef up what I have and be happy with the bed capacity. GAWR of the rearend on this truck is 3000lbs with stock tires and wheels. You'd have to put the rear end on a scale to get the exact number, but there is MAYBE 800lbs sitting on that rear axle between the weight of the empty bed, frame, spare tire, bumper, etc... I will also be using this truck for hunting-here in NJ we're not allowed to use quads on public land, but you can drive registered and insured street legal vehicles anywhere there's a fire road or old logging road. The trick is that many of the old roads have grown in over the years from disuse. Fullsize trucks can't fit, but small trucks like these can, properly equipped of course.
Gears are definitely on the list, but this build has been on the cheap (Between tires, wheels, shocks, brand new exhaust, tune-up parts, springs, etc...I have less than $1500 in it and the truck was free) and I just can't swing new ones right now. Even junkyard 3rd members of the 4.88 variety (if you can find them at all) usually command about $300...EACH! For right now I'm going to weld the spiders in my stock 4.10 rearend for some free posi-traction and see where that gets me. 1st gear is relatively low in these trucks and with the kind of hauling I'll be doing with it I'll never even use 4th with a load on. My plan is to save up for some 5.29s-with 32s the 22RE will be a real stump puller in 4LO. 5th gear will be screaming, but again, I never use it so it doesn't really matter. What I really need is a welder-the truck needs a rear bumper (nothing on there now-old one rotted off), a spare tire carrier (the old underbody winch seized up), a headache rack, and some way to secure a saw or two, ax, peavey, gas oil and tools, a Hi-Lift jack, and some other toys. A winch would also be nice in the future, but now I'm really getting ahead of myself...

 

[DMZX]

Don't overlook a clutch/pressure plate upgrade.

Those older Toyota Tacoma trucks are considered some of the best made, as far as longevity and toughness.

 

[Badfish740]

Don't overlook a clutch/pressure plate upgrade.

That's another one on the list. Marlin Crawler makes a 1600lb clutch that is meant for rock crawling with extremely low gearing (dual T-cases, 5.71s, etc...) that would be perfect. It's not that much more expensive than an OEM unit either, but I'll wait until this one is about to give up the ghost.

Those older Toyota Tacoma trucks are considered some of the best made, as far as longevity and toughness.

Some of you may have seen this, but for those who haven't, it's a pretty impressive testament to the toughness of Toyota trucks. It's also hilarious-basically the hosts of Top Gear (as in the real one, not the History Channel imitation) attempt to destroy one using some pretty inventive methods:

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[MasterMech]

Gotta love the "tin can" imports. I had an '84 Nissan (first year they didn't call 'em Datsuns) pickup that hauled my rear back and forth to college for a year. Loved that thing! Finally it rusted out so bad it wouldn't pass inspection here and it had to go. Drove it into the scrapyard purring like a kitten.

 

[ewdudley]

... had an '84 Nissan (first year they didn't call 'em Datsuns)..

They only changed the spelling, it's still pronounced 'Datsun'.

 

[weatherguy]

Gotta love the "tin can" imports. I had an '84 Nissan (first year they didn't call 'em Datsuns) pickup that hauled my rear back and forth to college for a year. Loved that thing! Finally it rusted out so bad it wouldn't pass inspection here and it had to go. Drove it into the scrapyard purring like a kitten.

yeah, the motors always outlasted the bodies, same with the older toyotas.

 

[deck2]

Bought a 2 wd 86 hard body 10 years ago--Talk about the body rotting out-I put my foot threw the floor and took my boot heal off with the tire. Then I bought a 93 4x4 Reg Cab had it a few years and traded for a new 99 Tacoma 4X4 Reg Cab, I rolled it over (slid on black ice in over the scraper bank sideways) with a little over 2K miles on it (2 months and $15K later I got it back) I had it until I traded it for a Ranger extended cab. Traded the Ranger for the 3/4 Ton GMC Crew. I really liked the Nissan and the Yota. But nothing makes up for the size of a Real full size truck except the price at the gas pump

 

[DexterDay]

Lookin Good... Hard to beat that truck... Great on the trails, on the road, and has good power, with good gas mileage.

Sometimes sacrifices need to be made. But in the end, it all works out. (Happy Wife/ Happy Life)

 

[DanCorcoran]

This is my 2002 Tacoma 4x4. The guy that bought it from me, after I moved to Richmond, spun out on black ice in northern Virginia. Neither he nor his mother was injured (amazing).

 

[MasterMech]

yeah, the motors always outlasted the bodies, same with the older toyotas.

Truck had just over 100K on it. Motor was young and all 90HP accounted for, lol. Really was a shame about the body.

 

[gpcollen1]

My 4runner just clicked 223,000 miles and is still loving life. I let her pull a trailer though, with 2 monster loads of red and then norway maple this weekend.

 

[smokinj]

2200r is an awesome motor. Keep your speeds low. I pull with one for 3 years head gasket gave out. It really didnt like weight.

 

[Badfish740]

DONE! Did a marathon on Saturday before the big Easter festivities-tires, new shocks, full new exhaust (manifold to tailpipe), and a few miscellaneous items. In my excitement I forgot to take pictures of it before I got it dirty, but it looks better dirty anyway

I took it out to one of my new cutting/hunting areas and really put the tires to the test. Even at a rock hard 65 psi (which is good because I can't air down and carry heavy loads) they dug in, bit hard, and grabbed on all kinds of terrain. I'm still running open differentials at this point-I can't even imagine how much better the traction will be once I lock the rearend. The first project will be gathering some rock for the new outdoor firepit I'm planning. My 2012-2013 wood supply is looking pretty good so I'm going to take a break from scrounging at least for a little while.

 

[smokinj]

Mine the exhaust like to blow out every year.

 

[Flatbedford]

Are you sure you want to lock the rear? That could make for some weird on pavement handling. Can you weld the front easily with the IFS? At least you could unlock the hubs for pavement driving.

 

[smokinj]

Are you sure you want to lock the rear? That could make for some weird on pavement handling. Can you weld the front easily with the IFS? At least you could unlock the hubs for pavement driving.

ez locker work well on mine. Only kick in when the other tire spins. Kinda loud but works great.

 

[Flatbedford]

Something like that would be best for him, but I think he's talking Lincoln locker for this truck.

For right now I'm going to weld the spiders in my stock 4.10 rearend for some free posi-traction