Why is a JK Wrangler So Much Better

[RuggedH2]

WPage,

Where do you wheel? For me it is Moab, mountains and rocks. My judgment is based on what I wheel.

My judgments are based on what I have seen and learned.

Solid axles are stronger, they will take more punishment. They do articulate more which can mean more traction. The Jeeps weigh significantly less which means less load on the moving parts to lift. Visibility is greater in the Jeeps than in the larger Hummers. Stronger, lighter, and smaller with more articulation.

Most of the reasons I like buggies over Jeeps, are the same reasons Jeeps have over Hummers (in rocks). That doesn't mean that Hummers are not capable, they are. It does mean that Hummers require spotters more. It is also a lot easier to change a broken half-shaft on a Hummer than to change a broken axle on a Jeep. I carry a spare half shaft in my H2, I don't think many Jeepers carry around spare axles.

I have an H3 also, I have wheeled it on some damn hard trails. I have wheeled several difficult trails with H3's (with drivers that really push their rigs and have the experience to do it). I have wheeled both Hummers on tough trails.

My H2 is lifted with 38" tall tires.....in my opinion it will outperform my H3 with 35's.

I have a front locker that will be installed this summer with new 4.56 gears. I have built up the steering system to deal with the larger tires, and I also have been talking to a custom fab place about modifying the rear suspension so the damn trailing arms don't hang down and get hung up.

I'm not trying to insult you here, it's not personal, it just is - how it is. How I feel about it doesn't change it. I wouldn't trade my Hummers for Jeeps, but to say my H2 is ready to run Pritchett Canyon is not right. It would require an H1 (or two of them) to drag me out if it broke, and the odds are that it would break. I have seen a JK with only a lift and 35's run Pritchett.

If you look at the premier rock crawlers, they all have solid axles. I was working much harder than my friend in Moab to get past the same obstacles......width, visability, suspension.

On the other hand, it was a good thing for him that I was there because he required a safety strap coming down Moab Rim after taking out a brake line, and I winched him off a monster boulder that was laying on his front drive shaft inches from his oil pan on Strike Ravine.

It does require a better driver to wheel a Hummer well on the same trails. Like COHummer said, one is not better, just different.

I'm happy with my Hummers, but I am objective.