I have a 2001 dodge ram 1500 2wd, 5.2L with the V8. i have a lift kit on it and all terrain tires, but that is all the modifications i have done. i want to go off roading (mudding). nothing to serious just like to medium, but i don't want to get stuck. any suggestions on what i should do to help me? thanks.

 

Lot of farm folks around my part of south Georgia have 2WD trucks and use them as workhorses 'round the farm in the muddy fields and will fish/hunt out of them on the weekends.

Good aggressive tires and at least a good LSD in the rear is essential, but a spool or locker would be better. Also, if you plan to go it alone, then it's very important to have a way to get UN-STUCK. With the influx of the Chinese made winches on the market now, they are VERY affordable. But in a pinch even a heavy duty come-along or a Farm-All type jack can manually winch you out of trouble...

 

Good tires and some sort of traction controll Is a must. a locker or strong limited slip will do. Another cheaper option is to weld the spider gears. That should only be done if the truck is only for offloading and sees little street use. Even some lockers are pretty rough on the street. Also make sure you have a chain or strap with you to get pulled out because there is a good chance you will get stuck it's easy enough to get a 4wd stuck in the mud I agree with getting a winch in case there is no other vehicle to pull you out if you get stuck

 

Best rule to follow when taking your 2wd mudding is bring your own quality strap or chain with you at all times.

But to help you out a locker or LSD is a must I have seen locked 2wds walk away from a idiot in a 4x4. You are going to get stuck even if you dont plan on it so you need some sort of attach point on the front to tow from.

A little speed will help alot, just watch out for hidden objects

Mud jack, shovel, come-along and other items will when trouble calls while alone

 

My buddy takes his 2wd f 150 to pismo and takes the dunes hardcore good. Its a quad cab 4.6 with a arb air locker 4.56s 33 terragrapplers sct tuner and full exhaust headers y pipe. He definetly uas some pep.

So in theory if you do the same thing but with a dodge instead of a ford, it will off road twice as good.

 

Momentum will always help you out, you can't get stuck if you're moving. I've gotten stuck because I've hesitated and slowed down when I should have sped up so when in doubt gas it!

 

thank you all for all the help. now, where can i get a good locker that won't be so rough on the streets? and how much do they cost?

 

Get an LSD out of a 4x4 from a wreckers, cheap and will most likely have the same gears as yours.

 

with good mud grips, you can go most anywhere in 2wd. just have a buddy with chain or strap to get out when you do get stuck.

if you want to really rock, get one of these.
http://www.richmondgear.com/powertrax/noslip.html

snow chains are another alternative. i used to use them in the slimey mud for deer hunting


for 1500 9.25 open diff, its part number 92-0392-3105
google it for best pricing.
damn, they've gone up.... $500.

 

X2. helped a buddy with a project like this. he had trouble at the boat ramp, we leveled his truck and put on the cheapest 265/75/16 tires we could find (stampede radials) and a junk yard LSD in the rear, it was night and day difference. we used the ring gear and tone ring from the old open carrier cause we did not harvest the pinion from the donor truck, means buying new rig gear bolts to do this. pulling a pinion at a pick and pull sucks. I would wager even though you want to run matched sets of ring and pinion gears, it probably would have been fine to use the foreign ring gear since they are both OEM. had $110 into it, mostly leveling kit, plus our own labor (+ tires, but you might not need these now)