this was said early on, but i would like to clarify it a bit (i didnt read the rest of the post's, so i dont know if it has been corrected or not)
Technically speaking, Articultion would be having independently sprung wheels (i forget what that system is called, but it on the Honda CRV, its that style). that would mean that, if you drive on a ledge thats taller than the ground, say a few inches, all 4 wheels will hit with their full patch in contact with the ground, the body/frame stay's level and the wheels that are not on the ledge (i.e that are a few inches down from the ledge) would be further down than the ones on the ledge, but body levelness would remain constant, and you would have full traction on this surface. with a solid axle, the edge of each tire would be on the ground, cutting the contact patch, maybe, in half.
you could easily make the body remain level with a solid axle, but it would require LONG travel suspension and you would just have to crank the pre-load down several inches. it would stiffen up the ride a bit on road, but would dampen all the ruts and **** off-road. you would need to be careful because you could very easily hit a big hole and tear a tie rod out because there would be increased leverage on the wheel.
i plan to attempt this route with my 1993 ranger XLT.
as for travel, that is just pure wheel travel, solid axle would get less contact with the ground, but would generally get more efficient traction than an independently sprung back end (there is only so far that the drive shafts can bend in the joints before they pop out)
this is just my opinion, so if it is wrong, then PLEASE let me know.
also,
i have had this idea for a while. get the long travel kit for the ranger or whatever you are going to get, THEN, body drop the EX back to stock height, and modify the wheel wells. i really dont know at all if this would work or not, but if it would, thats an idea for you. in a few minutes im going to read all the posts and get some ideas for this system.
i plan on doing the Fabtech 5" long travel option, but only if i can keep stock height. im opting for the fabtech, cuz, hey, its full blue, and that looks cool (and would go well with my truck color)
i have also been considering the pre-load option and runnng double shocks front and rear. but first i want to get an 8.8" rear end for some beefyness.