Wide tyres

Hello all.

I'd just like to explain before I start, I'm new to this site but it looks really useful! The next thing is I don't actually own a Jimmy, my mum does though! And thirdly why I am actually here: I want some advice on making a really low ground pressure Jimmy!

So basically what I need is a vehicle which is light, will pull 500kg with a tow bar, and has as low a ground pressure as possible. And so I thought a Jimny might be a good idea? I work on a farm and wanted something to replace the quad bike when it's really rough weather, I'm not a softy but getting soaked to the skin every day isn't really that nice! I just wanted everyone's ideas, and whether some of my ideas are possible, because bear in mind I'm not as mechanically minded as some! 3 things to bear in mind are, I'm on a budget, I won't be able to afford £££'s of upgrades and add ons just yet, and I'm a tight bastard anyway. And the other is that the Jimny would be towing a quad bike trailer, or a feeder most of the time so please allow for this when giving advice. The third thing is that the Jimny doesn't need to be road legal. It won't be on the road at all, just around the farm so no legal restrictions whatsoever!

1.My first idea was some nice wide tyres, I don't need BIG tyres just wide. I know big tyres would give me more ground clearance but that's not too much of an issue right now, maybe sometime in the future though. I was wondering what is the widest possible tyre size to fit on a Jimny without a lift kit or anything, but potentially using some offset rims etc. I want to avoid trimming really if possible, just a set of wheels I could bang on without too much hassle.

2. I also though reducing weight would be a good idea, taking out the back seats as I won't need them is a start... How much lighter is a convertible Jimny that a hard top? Are there any big drawbacks to a convertible? How else could I reduce weight without spending money?

3. Is there a cheap way of adding a traction control system or diff-lock? On our Landy, if I'm spinning and I'm in diff-lock I sometimes just dab the break gently to put drive to the static wheel, not sure if this is a good idea but it does work! I'd need to disable ABS to do this with a Jimny though right?

I'd really appreciate all your suggestions and information! Thanks in advanced

I saw an ATV with a whole body covering canopy whilst out and about with work on Sunday morning. Would that be an option?

On a side note, I've yet to see a farmer without the mandatory border collie on the rack on the back, please tell me it's a mandatory adornment??

In terms of shedding weight... there's loads you could do, especially if it's NEVER going on the road. Take out the whole cabin heating system, all the plastics inside, the passenger seat (replace with a platform for the aforementioned collie) carpets, sound deadening, all the plastics off the outside, remove unnecessary lights and wiring looms, roof rack, replace the windows with ABS sheet (except the windscreen of course!)

It's certainly an option, although several things appealed about a Jimny like a heater, stereo, more power and some general comfort! And yes my collie sits on the back of the quad and just hangs on for dear life!

Hang on a cotton picking minute, lol. You can't say "I'm not a softy" then follow up with "but I'd like a heater and a stereo and stuff that works"

is a heater and stereo too much to ask for haha! Well I can manage without a stereo but a heater is handy at lambing time