Ontario 4x4

All the photos were taken in the province of Ontario, in an northern area near the towns of Bobcagen and Buckhorn. They are a compilation between the years of 1999 & 2000 during the holiday of the long week-end we Canadians refer to as the "May 24 week-end".

The trails you see in the photographs are old hydro and logging access roads (but still used). The water levels were considerably higher this year because of all the beaver dams (beaver pelts are not worth as much as they have been in the past, therefore the trappers aren't trapping as eagerly, a good bit of knowledge for a city boy) which makes for some pretty healthy water crossings.

Although I am a member of a LandCruiser Club, I tend to go 4 wheeling most often with a group of friends who own customized jeeps (they're almost a dime a dozen over here in North America), so I have to represent the Toyota LandCruiser folk (60-series at that, wagons are extremely rare on the trails but the long wheelbase works well).

My 'cruiser is 1983 BJ60 3.4L 4-cylinder diesel (approximately 340,000kms), 5-speed, brown & black with fake wood paneling & airbrushed flames off the front wheel wells, extended shackles, extended brake lines, re-arched springs with add-a-leafs in rear, 33x12.5 Goodyear Wrangler MTs (full size matching spare), 15x8.5 three piece aluminum rims, 4.56 Precision gears, Warn 12000-lbs. winch (sitting in my basement until I finish building my bumpers), Cobra CB, Hi-lift/ shovel/ tug strap/ shackle (trail goodies), Hurst shifter handle (oh so comfortable), RACOR water sedimenter/ filter (water trap for fuel line, secondary fuel filter), tinted glass, fiberglass tailgate (top & bottom), fiberglass fender flares (yet to be installed). She works well on the trail and I love the diesel!

My friend Dave's '89 Jeep Cherokee is included just because I airbrushed the flames on it for him. This Cherokee is a very capable machine. He has cut out the front factory coil springs and taken leaf springs from a Jeep YJ and done a spring-over axle suspension on a pair of Dana 60s, lengthened both drive shafts (obviously) but kept the stock drive train for now, he runs 35" Goodyear Wrangler MTR's on aluminum 15x8" rims, I know he's swapped gears but I'm not sure which ones he threw into the pumpkins. Custom bumpers with a 9000-lb. Ramsey winch
- Nicholas Sinclair, Toronto [3/01]

Go to the Canada and 4wd travel pages