by The Roadie » Wed Aug 29, 2012 12:21 pm
Tough love time: Then perhaps offroading is not the right hobby for you.
As I've explained MANY, MANY times - offroading is NOT something for the faint of heart or light of pocket. If you don't have access to $1000 ready cash whose loss won't take food away from your family, then you should drive only to the malls, not in harms way where stuff might break. Offroading without buddies is nuts, and if you go alone, without adequate self-recovery equipment and spares and tools and knowledge to change things like a tie rod end on the trail, you have to have a plan and the resources to contact and pay for a commercial recovery. When I broke my axle in Colorado, I didn't have every one of those elements in place, but I was also equipped to camp with the truck for a week and call for help with a satellite beacon.
If you can only afford to offroad if you get discount wheel spacers, I would worry that you're also going light on recovery equipment, emergency rations, long-range communication gear, and spares. Not being an elitist here - trying to make sure folks know the dangers and downside of aggressive offroading - the mission of the site, after all.
With honest advice you can make better decisions. Spending time with your family on easy trails may be a better use of your time. Defer the aggressive offroading plans until you can write a check for $2000 and do it safely.