Aesthetic Apathy
The best part about wheeling a cheap rig is that abuse and body damage are no longer a concern. This guy, who we'll call Kyle the Crazy Canadian, drove his GMC truck until the frame bent, and then kept driving it all over the mud fest. When we left the driveshaft was rubbing the rear crossmember and he couldn't see over the hood, but it was still moving under its own power.
Cut Backs Everyone knows...
Cut Backs
Everyone knows that weight will slow you down, so rather than going with crazy expensive aluminum and chromoly parts, just remove what you have. Doors, glass, fenders, beds-all that stuff is weight just pulling your truck deeper in the muck.
Country Cunning Even if you're...
Country Cunning
Even if you're on a budget, it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice looks-you just need to be tricky about how you make stuff work. Check out this 2- to 5-inch sneaky stack made from some exhaust tubing and an old tractor-trailer exhaust tip. From the side this truck looks like it has a big pipe, but the truth is all smoke and mirrors.
Get Hitched This has got...
Get Hitched
This has got to be one of the coolest cheap tricks we've seen in a while. What looks like a tough front bumper with a built-in skidplate is actually a rear trailer hitch mounted vertically to the front framerails. This thing is very stout, and a receiver clevis or pintel hitch can be inserted in the receiver for recovery duty.
I Think My Tractor's Sexy
Another expensive upgrade for any off-roader is tires. Using tractor tires for more aggressive tread isn't new but also isn't a bad idea. To fit really big tractor tires, you'll need some big axles, but many tractors are available in four-wheel drive these days and that means their small front tires can be had with a deep chevron tread pattern. The 15- and 16-inch wheels are a common crossover between tractor and truck tires, and the bobcat or skid-steer tires were also very popular.
Hammer Time
Stuffing bigger tires under your 4x4 is all it takes to make it your own little monster truck, but sometimes a lift kit is out of the budget, not to mention one of those expensive torches or grinders to trim your fenders. But just about everyone has access to a hammer, so take that hammer and beat on your fender until your new muddies fit better. It's cheap and fun.
Poor Man's Rhino
In the world of cheap wheelers there is one nameplate that keeps rising to the top, the Geo Tracker/Suzuki Sidekick. These little rigs are cheap, plentiful, and show up whenever someone is looking for a budget beater. We've christened them the poor man's Rhino because they are small like the many UTVs people are driving these days, but usually come in way cheaper than the $10,000 a side-by-side costs. If you put on an aggressive tire, trim or beat the fenders out of the way, and drive it like you stole it, they can be a blast.