well, to offer some counter to the indictment of the H2 for its independent front suspension
-i think the H1 guys originally ragged on the H2 for not having 4-wheel IDS, no? Real hummers have 4-wheel IDS and so forth?
-sometimes solid axles in the front aren't so great (or the back for that matter). Just a simple example would be that driving through some tall grass in my jeep while a friend followed in the H2, i took an awful blow to axle that was just a poke at the skid plate on the H2. Tall grass, couldn't see the rock. In an H1, you'd have just plopped on by with nothing at all. If the H2 had the same clearance as it has now, but IDS both places, it wouldn't have required any caution.
I know that isn't the kidn of wheeling that you've said you prefer, phil (i think i've seen you post that you liked rock crawling the best), and this isn't some competitive thing or whatever else, but i think its insanely relaxing to just mosey (sp?) around the country where pickups fear to tread. Its alot less relaxing when you also fear to tread.
I built a little strap-on "warning" thing for the front skid that is just lower than the rear diff's clearance to kind of give warning for the tiems you have to pamper the solid rear diff when in tall brush or grass. If a rock that threatens the rear is present, it hits that (hopefully) to warn you to be careful. I can post a picture if anybody cares.
Also, in snow i can't imagine an H2 has any chance of keeping up with an H1 due to lower clearance and more stuff to drag (the rear axle), and more weight. I don't mean 2" of snow making sort of muddy stuff, i mean 2 feet (edit by my coworkers request: 2 feet or more of packed drifts) of drifted snow you have to whale your way through.
And again, snow might not mean anything to you guys, but it will ultimately define for me whether my H2 is good or just ok offroad in my eyes.
Hence i simply offer that i'm not entirely sad about having IFS. And i like the ride quality.
