Page updated: 07/06/2001 03:31 PM

There seems to be a few threads going around today about what constitutes a real wheeler. Some are thinking they should just keep what they have and wheel it and some think that they need all the newest modifications available to them. So which is it for you?

It seems to me that it all depends on the individual and what kind of wheeling he's planning on doing. Who he is planning on wheeling with and how there 4x4's are set up. It all comes into play somewhere along the line. Most of us start out with a pretty stock jeep I think. I mean anybody that has put the time and cash into a so called built jeep isn't likely to sell it unless he's pretty well strapped financially etc right! I know my jeep would be the very last thing to go just before becoming homeless. In any case, to each his own. Lets break it down into groups first of all.

There are the guys that will build their jeeps just because all there buddies are doing it without a clue really as to why. Just because they can afford it and think it looks like fun. They get a huge wake up call when they actually have to use the jeep they built however. Building a great jeep and being a great driver are two totally different things.

Then there are the guys that have had to learn to wheel with little more than an old hulk of what some people might say resembles a wreck salvaged from the wrecking yard. Hahaha! I love these guys because they put in the hours to extract the darned things when they get in over thier collective heads out in some mud bog or in some huge trench. They need to get it out on there own because they can't afford to call a 4x4 tow truck. It makes them a true wheeler to me because they have no choice but to get creative to extract there prize wheeler if they want it back. This builds wheeling character IMO. They spend endless nights out there shoveling and roping, pushing and shoving the truck until they get results. Even though it sometimes looks like there's just no way, they eventually learn to build roads use matts and blow the oil out of the hydrolocked engine so they don't total the thing before the next outrageous outing they go on. heh heh! Yep! Gluttons for punishment. Those nights out in the sticks trying t o get the jeep out before monday mornings call to work will make a very trustworthy wheeler for the future or someone that will probably never wheel again. If they can stand the test of time they can't be beat. Rugged individuals indeed. These guys are for the most part old timers with not to many brains such as myself probably.

Then there are they guys that buy a jeep thinking it will do what the advertisers say it will and soon discover they were hoodwinked. They take it out and see what a real built jeep can do and then off they go to max out the credit card. If they actually stopped to realize they would put more into the jeep than it originally cost in the first place, I wonder if they would continue. But of course for the most part they do continue and all to often they are coerced into it by a bunch of Yahoo buddies. Yep! Ego comes into play big time with these guys. They develop the "i just can't live without it" syndrome. I suppose we all do at least a little bit. It's a shame but most of these guys will never really see any real world hard core wheeling to begin with. But, they sure look cool cranking on down broadway on Saturday night. Then they meet up with some low key real world types and decide to go wheeling with them next week. This is where they get a real suprise! These days you can barely walk up most of the trails that have been slowly but surely made more difficult by the year. The look on some of the faces are classic to say the least when you pull up to the first water fall and those huge stair steps. This of course separates the men from the boy's pretty quick. The best built jeep on earth won't get you up the real stuff. Some think it will but they haven't been tested yet or they wouldn't even venture into such conversation. I mean when you and your rig are off camber and barely hanging on to some some stair step with a 50 ft fall that your looking into, have you done your homework young man? Hahaha! It seems like a laughing matter but believe me it ain't. This sport can get you an e-ticket ride without the least bit of a warning.

Then there's the key board wheelers. These guys read the type and get a vast knowledge of what to say to whatever question is asked about any jeep that's ever been made. Sooner or later you catch a glimpse of them on the net or their rig and are aghast at this plain jane thing sitting in their driveway. Hahahahaha! I mean they talk the talk but do they walk the walk? Of course there are many wheelers the know tons about building the jeep on the net. You never hear then boast about it seriously though because it's like being 6'7" and weighing in at 275 lbs, You need to prove very much to most people. Besides, if and when you get a chance to wheel with anybody it doesn't take long to find out just how much they know and how good they are. But I can tell you, there are a lot of wanna be's on the net.

As it is with all things, we all have a little bit of all these guys in us at one time or another so if you thought I was talking directly to you at any point don't sweat it because it's all a learning experience and it just depends on where your at in the scheme of things. There's the guys that take to wheeling real fast and then there's the guys that will never really get it, so they build till they can keep up. Really what's the diff if your having fun.

A lot of big bragging and talk goes on around a fire pit after dark. You can tell if your traveling with people that know their stuff when your out on the trail though. all of the sudden the BS stops and there's they same guy that was talking trash about your ability last night trying to tech you to not make a mistake and screw up your rig. If your out there with a bunch of guys egging on a newer wheeler or ragging them for not trying something they have no business on etc. Got away from them because they aren't the type of people you really would like to hang out with anyway and probably they are harassing you trying to cover up their own inadequacies in the wheeling dept. When you learn something that helps you out be sure to pass it along. and remember, you might be the biggest dawg on the pourch but there's always one bigger and better in your future.

The bigger and most important question is, how much does your rig mean in the reality of what you use it for. Is it the all important reason your out there to begin with? if it is I feel sorry for you and you should find a new hobby. Or is it just a part of your experience and the people and all the good time had around the fire pit after a good days run more of a part of the whole for you? Is getting you and your friends and family out in the woods to have a good time the most important part of wheeling for you? It is for me. One of the reasons I've kept up with my wheeling is the people I've met through it. The friends I've made and met out in some deserted desert and exchanged numbers etc. some of them have become life long friends to me and I would never have met them if it weren't for wheeling. My jeep as I have gone through many metamorphoses over a long period of time that I've been involved in this sport. I can say that I've never regretted one minute of it. Well. except for the cash it cost me for geting over confident and rolling my dammed jeep a few times. hahaha!

Does this all mean that a run of the mill off the shelf jeep can't go where the built jeeps go? Well of course! You would have to pretty dumb to not have that figured out. hahaha! But they can and do go just about 90% of where any built jeep will go depending on the as Al would say "ya gotta want it" attitude <editors note: I stole the quote from Kerry!>. Then they usually run into whats called an upgrade oportunity. You can't expect a D-35 to go whee a D-60 is going to go and not sooner or later bite the dust. On most trails there are cut outs or turnouts for the stockers to go around the obstacles that the built jeeps are there for. You can watch them and figure out whether you want to continue on for that type of wheeling or just stay stock and enjoy watching and being there to just hang out.

Anyway, I hope this sorts out the problem for some of you that are considering building that big monster rock crawler and for those that are just wanting to go out and have fun without the worries of imbedding your knoggins in the roll cage. As usual all disclaimers apply and my opinions are all my own and not necessarily to be followed due to my continuing lack of common sence. haha! I guess it means your still on your own. So have fun and see ya on the trails hopefully one day.

Bud