When I was younger I use to play in mud and dirt with my trucks. I had a great time and it was one my friend’s private property, so we were not violating any laws. Sounds like you had fun doing the same thing, and I can understand that. However, in my first sentence there is a key word: my. I've worked on cars from the time I was small enough to put sandpaper on sheet metal. One thing that I've learned is a vehicle will take care of you as long as you take care of it (Yes there are things that are unavoidable, yes I have also owned a lemon - the phrase is a general rule).

Did you check the vent hoses for the axels? It's 4x4, so you have two hoses and hope that they were extended high enough to prevent water / mud from getting in. Did you make sure that the mud didn't bind any wires to hot exhaust; sometimes it can cake on and lock things in place where they shouldn't be? You mentioned that the truck had difficulties getting out of first gear once 4-low was disengaged; are you 100% positive that the hubs disengaged and that you're not binding the drive train on one side? I have a love/hate relationship with mud. It is very fun to play around in, but it is the single worse thing to clean. I'd always crawl under with a pressure washer to get every bit of mud/grass/dirt out from every crevasse. No need to cause more corrosion, add weight, increased wear because there's gunk where it shouldn't be. How about double checking to make sure the air cleaner is clear and no mud/water came in from under the engine; spinning front tires can throw stuff into the engine compartment and cause water/dirt ingestion.

I've raced motorcycles, trucks, and cars. My dad taught me at a very young age how to handle a car; he was a pretty good race driver too. He taught me to make sure that everything is to spec when I get back home. That means a lot of work in tightening bolts, cleaning everywhere, checking everything to make sure that the vehicle is ready for daily use, and or abuse again. I spend as much time maintaining my dirt bike as I do riding it; again mud is the worse to recover from.

Personally, this is a reason that I will not buy a vehicle from an off brand used car lot. I look for certified dealers and demand an inspection sheet. I want to know that everything has been detailed, tightened, checked, and double checked. If this was your own personal vehicle I would have chuckled at the thread and given thumbs up because it reminded me of times past. However, this was not your truck and I just don’t think it was right to do that.

I’ll step off my soapbox now.