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i have a 1978 w200 dodge 4x4, and want to get it ready for hunting, is it better with stock tires wich are 245/70/16. or a larger tire. its a 400 big block, 2barrel carb, and 4wd all the time. any info will help me. will be hunting late season. will be in alot of snow.and i think its a dana 44 in front and dana 60 rear. with 410 gears. tough truck.
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W200 - m880
The following is commentary from my Kempner Power Wagon Museum web site www.texaspowerwagon.com concerning the W200 based M880 series Dodge military trucks. The M880 had full time 4WD the same as your W200.
The lessons of history sent the Army back to Dodge and the M-880 series. The commercially available Dodge 4x4 was used successfully by thousands of hunters, contractors, fishermen, and other off-road enthusiasts in the widest range of conditions. Apparently the Army selected a panel of Second Lieutenants who had never driven any 4x4 vehicle or American designed automobile and had them set the equipment specifications. Military NDT's would have been better than the M-880's wimpy "all-season" tires that ten years earlier would never have been considered the equal of any available "mud and snow" tires. This was a time that the Army was taking in many new recruits who had never driven any vehicle - or at least nothing more potent than a Yugo with automatic transmission. Most of these "first-time, off-roaders" had no experience or skills, but that did not keep them from driving beyond their abilities and demonstrating the M-880's shortcomings. And so the Dodges got a bad rap. There was nothing wrong with an M-880 that could not have been fixed with a trip to the local Off-Road store.
I was the Operations Officer. Our unit vehicles included the M884, an M880 fitted with 100-amp 24-volt generator and slide-in shelter kit with tie-downs. In addition to the shelter with special communications gear, the M884's typically pulled a trailer with generators mounted. The combined load would have been a bit more that you would have on a hunting trip.
Notice that my comments focus on the "all weather" tires. There are many available tires that fit your rims and are affordable. Because you are planning to use your truck for hunting, find an agressive "off road" tread design. Go out, bag your limit, and return home safely. -
Tall skinnys
My 77 m884 came with tall skinny tires instead of the stock tires. ive become a tall skinny fan for life. Tall skinnys dig down through the muck and grab solid ground. Also it seems like the tall skinnys slice through deep snow instead of building up a wedge of resistance. They are absolutely worthless on ice covered roads though.Comment
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what size tires do you have on your truck.Comment
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Old goodyears
8 x19.5 goodyear super all traction LT. Hard as a rock .extremely thick walls, i bet i could run these tires without air. About 36 inches tall. They rub a bit at full turn. You can see them in action on youtube search "M880 in the soup. You could run 235 85 r 16.5s i have a set of those on my crew cab. Hard to find the 16.5 sizes but they're out there.Comment
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