Just about everybody enjoys watching 4?4 mudding. Whether you are actually involved in the driving and getting stuck is a personal preference. Some people really love getting into their truck and running it through the mud.
Many times they will get stuck and require someone to pull them out, but that is all part of the fun. Builders make these mud running vehicles out of many different types of cars and trucks.
Usually the suspension will be enhanced so that it can withstand the beating as well as help the body of the car clear the mud. Additionally many times the engine will also be enhanced to create more power at lower speeds to help them get through the mud.
So what is the fascination of watching people drive through basically a mud puddle? It is the thrill of the run, the victory or defeat of various drivers and of course, the fun of getting stuck.
That does seem to be the most fun people have, when a truck gets stuck and others have to wad in to help pull them out. Everyone ends up covered in mud as the stranded vehicle is rescued. There are always those who are better at driving through than others. These are usually the favored drivers in any mud run. However, the object is to get the furthest into the mud before you can no longer go forward.
The person who makes it the furthest, or even all the way through, will be pronounced the winner. So, what do they win? Usually just bragging rights to the race. And the following week after everyone has performed the necessary repairs on their vehicles, they will all race again to try to beat the prior week's victor.
There are a few professional mud racing organizations that track wins and losses and so on, but most of the runs are held in someone's back yard where there is ample room and plenty of mud. Some people choose to create their own tracks by basically hosing down an area that is already sandy or just dirt or sometimes they will even use a backhoe or tractor to carve out an area then wet it down to create the mud.
Everything from custom built cars and trucks, ATVs and motorcycles run through these mud holes. Many times there will be various classes based on engine size, suspension and body style. Other times it will be all in one category and everyone races against each other. Still other times there is no actual competition. It is a group of people getting together for a day in the sun.
This type of entertainment can become very expensive for the drivers and builders. The suspension parts are usually what ends up getting broken and they are not inexpensive to fix. Because of this sometimes drivers will stop before they actually would have been forced to because they want to avoid the expensive repairs. Others will push their vehicle until it cannot go any more quite literally, causing extensive damage that will require many weeks to repair.
Click here for information on 4x4 mudding.
S W Allen
