Old Guy's Hunting Vehicle
I thought that this was a pretty neat thread a while back. I had been meaning to add to it, but didn't have time up until now...
No, it's not a Landcruiser (I know, I've owned two of them - an FJ40 and an FJ62), but my latest hunting vehicle is a heck of a lot better on gas and a smoother ride.
With the lightbar and winch, it looks like something a kid would drive, but it's really a vehicle for old guys! The extra lighting is for me - I've got a thinning retina and have poor night vision. The extra light really helps. The winch is for my fishing partner (same age as me) - he's got arthritis in both knees and I have to get him within 100 yards of the trout streams in northern Wisconsin - yes, we sometimes get stuck.
Here's the details:
2010 Toyota Tacoma - 4WD
6-speed manual transmission
261HP V6
N-Fab Light bar with Hella 500 driving and fog lights
Curt front receiver hitch
Northern Tool 9,000 Lb winch on a receiver hitch mount
300 amp DC plugs front and rear for winch power
Lakeland cap on box
Two 30-lamp waterproof LED light fixtures in cap
Thule removable rack system on cap
There's a cutoff switch under the hood that de-energizes the winch plugs so they don't short out when driving though water. I added an auxiliary fuse panel to handle the lighting circuits, relays and extra power points in the box and console.
Being able to mount the winch on the front or the rear is real handy. You can't always pull yourself out forward!
It's definitely not as tough as a 'cruiser, but it only spends about 5% of the time off road.