Hey all, Graham here! Thank you so much for having me out for a little feature! It was a pleasure meeting the TFL folks and running your course. I'm thrilled to be stretching the jeep's legs after working on it for the last several years. Happy wrenching and wheeling and hopefully I'll see you for another run sometime! *Edit to add some specs and answer some questions: -Yes, it's wide, but not as wide as it looks. Total track width is 90" to the outsides of the tires, my Ram 2500 on 20x10's is 88" for comparison. Full width axles look huge under Cherokees, keep in mind they're a pretty small SUV! Wheelbase is about 104", I stretched it as much as I could without having to relocate the steering box forward or the fuel tank back (so the dana 80 diff wouldn't hit it) -on the day of filming this it weighed 5100 lbs with me in it and a full tank of gas. Yes that's on the heavy side in my opinion, but keep in mind ~1600 lbs of that is unsprung. Believe it or not the LQ4 is about 60 lbs lighter than the all iron 4.0, all the weight I added was in running gear and armor/chassis stiffeners -For the record, I whole heartedly believe the 4.0 is one of the most venerable straight 6's in history, absolutely magnificent little engines. That said, many, many 2000-2001 4.0's had issues with the 0331 cylinder head cracking and we were lucky enough to be one of those. It really reared its head in the middle of a roadtrip we were on and in a matter of minutes the oil milkshaked and toasted the number 1 rod bearing. The annoying thing is it didn't have a noticeable coolant or oil loss/mixing issue, or any questionable oil pressure, it happened very suddenly and this was of course before I knew about the 0331 head so alas, it got an LS! -I thought I mentioned this during the interview but I think it got cut, I am in the process of a full hybrid endo/exo cage install from WelderD. Cherokees need all the help they can get being unibody so anywhere I can add rigidity, I am. I was hesitant to try to get it installed since I only had 1 weekend before we filmed this and I didn't want the interior all half assed looking for the video. Never half ass. Whole ass everything haha. -I meant what I said when I said XJs don't get enough love! These things get bought used and absolutely hammered on so I tried to build mine really right before I beat the tar out of it lol. -Yes it's still leaf sprung, leaves party harder, everyone knows that 😁. Leaves retain a bit of stability and predictability in the absence of swaybars and if I link and coilover the rear, which I absolutely may do some day, it's going to necessitate a TON of body and tub cutting to cycle as much travel as a coilover will allow. Maybe someday... -Yes, obviously, this is trending way more towards an offroad only vehicle, so it absolutely isn't fair to apples-to-apples compare this to a Bronco Raptor, JK/JL Rubicon, etc. But keep this in mind too... I have roughly as much money in this as a RZR XP1000, and it'll eat RZR alive in the rocks (not the dunes, but the rocks). It is street legal, has a stereo, full climate control (sans AC lol), and I can seat my whole family. Just a different, slightly more old school way of building something. I don't have crawl control or overdrive, but I have a V8 and a lot of tire haha. Anyway thanks again everyone for checking out the video!
AGREED ! Iv had about enough reviews with 3rd row mall queen cross overs...back to the meat & potatoes guys ! This was a Pleasure to watch and for once in a long time, I wasnt Yawning !
I'd be scared to drive it on road for sure. Like Graham said, 55 is scary. Which means 45 is the fastest I'd be OK with. But that's not the point, after all.
Starting this building with unibody stiffeners was the smartest thing he could have done. He went into this build planning for quality feom the start. Good on him. This is an impressive build.
To the people who know yes!!! If a wrangler TJ pulls up next to an XJ Cherokee, 9 out of 10 people are not going to look twice at the XJ and will probably assume it is someone's beater! They are underestimated!
In 2002 when Jeep replaced the XJ with the KJ people thought the folks at Jeep had lost their minds. In 2024 people still think the folks at Jeep have lost their minds. THIS type of vehicle is what people want...a boxy, rugged, inexpensive 4x4 that can be easily tailored to the needs of the owner. What we do not want is electric garbage and vehicles that cost $75k.
Nice Video! I own a 99 XJ Sport. purchased new. Currently with 160K plus miles, modified, 4" lift all new heavy duty front end parts, 4:11 gear upgrade, upgraded wheels 17". EATON limited slip lockers (love) , upgraded audio system with new double DIN center dash replacement, love as well. Stock engine and automatic transmission. Runs amazing,! New 2024 upgrades will be additional sound proofing and new paint , new 17" rims with 265x70x17 Fallken Wildpeak AT4's. This can be a daily driver but I keep it garaged and only use it for task for towing, or picking up large box items and camping off road. I considered replacing it for fancy new Off Road SUV's, but opt to keep the XJ. This Jeep performs great and its all paid for. Total investment plus purchase about $33K over 24 years which includes maintenance and upgrades.
Awesome Jeep man! I have a 96 XJ that my Grandparents bought brand new and that I have now. I have a 4-1/2 rough country lift with 32" Micky Thompson Baja Boss AT's. Only 111k original miles on it at this time. Drive it pretty regularly. Absolutely love it!
Wow. That is an awesome vehicle. I've never seen anything handle that course that easily. Your Jeep seems purpose built for it. Great build and great job
A U.S. Company needs to buy Jeep off Stellantis, bring back a proper successor to the XJ and the just focus on that and the Wrangler. They need to be capable and they need to be affordable. Jury is still out on the Grand Cherokee, but scrap the Grand Wagoneer/Wagoneer and the Euro-toy models.
I'd have said US company also keep the JT Gladiator, as it just seems Stellantis is chasing everyone else with the luxury and EV strategies. I don't mind the Wagoneers, but that should have been the new Durango, honestly.
They can't do that because the XJ is better offroad than any Wrangler due to the wheelbase being magic and it's lightweight. They have to preserve the Wrangler as the top-dog. Similar to how Porsche has to keep the other models crippled and with ugly headlights to protect the 911.
Love the XJ, we are working on one ourselves but plan to put a diesel in it as ours is a 91 and our state doesn't do the emissions thing. Really like what you did!
I have always said the best bang for the buck used 4x4 vehicle is a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Edition from the 1990's up to 2017 with big lifts and 37 inch offroad M/T tires and upgraded oil and transmissuon coolers plus a new Mishimoto brand high end radiator plus full skid plates, front and back heavy duty bumpers, ful width and heightl bush bars and winches both ends, big light bars and fog lights, roof tent and extra roof rack plus lots of Line-X truck bed liner on the entire underbody and wheel wells, engine bay and interior floors. Best 4x4 vehicles around when you upgrade them properly!
At 5:45 now THAT is proper off-road 4x4 trucking the way it was meant to be! This Jeep is the quintissential DEFINITION of a proper off-road vehicle! I want this!
Hey, first Tumbleweed video in a long while! Happy to see them back. Also, that XJ did so well because, while it's true it's insanely built, its also relatively lightweight and those are big, super aggressive mud tires. That Braptor is way heavier and was running KO2s which, while a great all around tire, is notoriously poor in mud.
F'n hell. That thing is a *beast*. It didn't even need the rear locker... not even a little bit. And that funky transfer case/ gearing setup is *amazing*. Wow. Incredible to see what a mere 35K can do when intelligently implemented. I fully expected a 100K+ cost, frankly. Hats off to Graham. Great job!
What an amazing rig! Not surprised that it made short work of Tumbleweed Ranch. I suspect he’s going to have to try very hard to find trails he can’t run. I had an ‘87 and we ran the 4.0 and Renault 5-speed for 130K miles before selling it on. My first Jeep and we had many great adventures in that Jeep. Really the only mod was bigger and better tires. Otherwise, it was really a much younger self and his ability to push the limits a lot farther. Truly a great vehicle to start with, but Graham’s is so far beyond that it’s really to his credit that it’s as amazing as it is. Well done!
Nice ride man went through the obstacle effortlessly, never seen it done that easy before. I’d like to see something go through something you get stuck in. 🤯
What nost people don't understand is that the tires on this Jeep are what makes the difference. Put aggressive mud tires on the others and you'll be surprised!
on Tommy's demise the angles matter a lot as well, it don't matter what tires you got if they are in the air due to the bumpers touching... However yes aggressive tires make easy work in greasy mud.
That is an awesome XJ, good job on the build. I few things to note: - Jeeps aren't the only vehicles that made it through Tommy's demise as I overheard on the video... Another vehicle did(but that vehicle could also trace its roots back to AMC). - You should have sent him up a couple of the bonus lines that the vehicle from the previous point is referring to... Jordan's HMMWV.
He said XJ's don't get enough love but seems to me he doesn't love them much either since the body is the only XJ thing about it. His looks just like every other one i see today.
i know that it requires doing a lot of labor yourself, but I like how even with all the mods, he said is in only in the $30k range. it just shows you that if you want to do this, you don't need to buy a $60k vehicle and then add another 20k mods. I would bet with a good mechanical skills and tools, you could have a similar setup for $18k
I have a 1999 Ram 1500, and honestly, completely honestly, it would make it through everything that XJ just did, with the same crawl, just taking it easy. Note, I mean match, not supersede. Both would do a five job at the same thing. And.. I own a stock XJ
My XJ build isn’t as wild but i have an extremely capable jeep for about $11k. If i ever do an engine upgrade (not likely with only 138k miles), i will do a stroker.
Have had XJ & ZJ, prefer the factory v8 zj, the upcountry grand cherokee laredo currently have has provided 300k miles of reliable daily use and survived all the abuse I've put it through
Ok, so off the trot: 1 - It's great to see an "over-build" do the ranch. Had always presumed it would turn out this way, but TFL hadn't had one actually do it. 2 - But on the other hand, I can think of at least 3 trails west of COS that THAT rig would not make it thru where a factory rig would. Exclusively because of the way-too-wide axles. In conclusion, it's thoroughly possible to make all kinds of trails easier the more built the rig is. But it isn't a silver bullet. Not by a long shot. But even if it was, it would become so thoroughly boring to do even the hardest public trails. So, then what? It becomes a game of 'reversion". Taking capability out of a rig to make it harder to do trails. Putting more emphasis on driver skill and less on rig capability. Which in itself becomes boring when going "top-down". Especially if it starts 'bought' instead of 'built'. (admittedly not this particular case) And none of that takes into account actual sustainability. Meaning - at any build level beyond the intended, extreme factory design - how difficult would it be and what do need to carry-with to repair the rig in the field in the event of a semi-major failure? Just thoughts and imo as an active off roader. All that said tho, totally give guy props for the front end geometry tricks. Really cool. Revolutionary even. Super great thinking there. Even if as he said he's saddled with 'unibody'. All out a good build. 👍👍
Hey all, Graham here! Thank you so much for having me out for a little feature! It was a pleasure meeting the TFL folks and running your course. I'm thrilled to be stretching the jeep's legs after working on it for the last several years. Happy wrenching and wheeling and hopefully I'll see you for another run sometime!
*Edit to add some specs and answer some questions:
-Yes, it's wide, but not as wide as it looks. Total track width is 90" to the outsides of the tires, my Ram 2500 on 20x10's is 88" for comparison. Full width axles look huge under Cherokees, keep in mind they're a pretty small SUV! Wheelbase is about 104", I stretched it as much as I could without having to relocate the steering box forward or the fuel tank back (so the dana 80 diff wouldn't hit it)
-on the day of filming this it weighed 5100 lbs with me in it and a full tank of gas. Yes that's on the heavy side in my opinion, but keep in mind ~1600 lbs of that is unsprung. Believe it or not the LQ4 is about 60 lbs lighter than the all iron 4.0, all the weight I added was in running gear and armor/chassis stiffeners
-For the record, I whole heartedly believe the 4.0 is one of the most venerable straight 6's in history, absolutely magnificent little engines. That said, many, many 2000-2001 4.0's had issues with the 0331 cylinder head cracking and we were lucky enough to be one of those. It really reared its head in the middle of a roadtrip we were on and in a matter of minutes the oil milkshaked and toasted the number 1 rod bearing. The annoying thing is it didn't have a noticeable coolant or oil loss/mixing issue, or any questionable oil pressure, it happened very suddenly and this was of course before I knew about the 0331 head so alas, it got an LS!
-I thought I mentioned this during the interview but I think it got cut, I am in the process of a full hybrid endo/exo cage install from WelderD. Cherokees need all the help they can get being unibody so anywhere I can add rigidity, I am. I was hesitant to try to get it installed since I only had 1 weekend before we filmed this and I didn't want the interior all half assed looking for the video. Never half ass. Whole ass everything haha.
-I meant what I said when I said XJs don't get enough love! These things get bought used and absolutely hammered on so I tried to build mine really right before I beat the tar out of it lol.
-Yes it's still leaf sprung, leaves party harder, everyone knows that 😁. Leaves retain a bit of stability and predictability in the absence of swaybars and if I link and coilover the rear, which I absolutely may do some day, it's going to necessitate a TON of body and tub cutting to cycle as much travel as a coilover will allow. Maybe someday...
-Yes, obviously, this is trending way more towards an offroad only vehicle, so it absolutely isn't fair to apples-to-apples compare this to a Bronco Raptor, JK/JL Rubicon, etc. But keep this in mind too... I have roughly as much money in this as a RZR XP1000, and it'll eat RZR alive in the rocks (not the dunes, but the rocks). It is street legal, has a stereo, full climate control (sans AC lol), and I can seat my whole family. Just a different, slightly more old school way of building something. I don't have crawl control or overdrive, but I have a V8 and a lot of tire haha.
Anyway thanks again everyone for checking out the video!
Great ride!
Awesome crawler brother!!
Graham that is a badass rig! Id love to be able to do my 97 xj like this!! Great job man!!
Finally a real wheeler on the course...shows the gap between even the best factory stuff and a decent build.
Nicely done. Even with the rear locker handicap!
XJs have always been a very useful vehicle. He did address the unibody weakness. Nice build and works well
That’s my neighbor! Sweet build Graham!
Finally we miss this kind of video
AGREED ! Iv had about enough reviews with 3rd row mall queen cross overs...back to the meat & potatoes guys ! This was a Pleasure to watch and for once in a long time, I wasnt Yawning !
These are my favorites! ❤
Now this is a jeep like it was meant to be very impressive by a master mind gear head . Well played sir 👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸
lmao that XJ probably has a harder time on the Highway than it does offroad
I'd be scared to drive it on road for sure. Like Graham said, 55 is scary. Which means 45 is the fastest I'd be OK with. But that's not the point, after all.
😂😂😂😂
@@TheJohn8765i drive mine like 80 across sams gap from tn to nc all the time lol. On 35s no sway bar. Takes some getting used to.
Starting this building with unibody stiffeners was the smartest thing he could have done. He went into this build planning for quality feom the start. Good on him. This is an impressive build.
"XJs don't get enough love."
Said no one except that guy.
For real, they get plenty of love
To the people who know yes!!! If a wrangler TJ pulls up next to an XJ Cherokee, 9 out of 10 people are not going to look twice at the XJ and will probably assume it is someone's beater! They are underestimated!
nah, everyone and their mother knows the XJ at this point. The secret has long been out
Lol, I caught that too. I would say ZJ's get no love, those can be just as capable as xjs, but with a factory V8.
@@trailrunnah8886 I would say yup on the ZJ! I even like the WJs.
In 2002 when Jeep replaced the XJ with the KJ people thought the folks at Jeep had lost their minds. In 2024 people still think the folks at Jeep have lost their minds. THIS type of vehicle is what people want...a boxy, rugged, inexpensive 4x4 that can be easily tailored to the needs of the owner. What we do not want is electric garbage and vehicles that cost $75k.
I love the XJ.
It's like a 4x4 Volvo 740, boxy and reliable.
"It's an American thing." ...mix-n-matching, dreaming, daring, working! Great ending! Let's keep this spirit alive 👍
Nice Video! I own a 99 XJ Sport. purchased new. Currently with 160K plus miles, modified, 4" lift all new heavy duty front end parts, 4:11 gear upgrade, upgraded wheels 17". EATON limited slip lockers (love) , upgraded audio system with new double DIN center dash replacement, love as well. Stock engine and automatic transmission. Runs amazing,! New 2024 upgrades will be additional sound proofing and new paint , new 17" rims with 265x70x17 Fallken Wildpeak AT4's. This can be a daily driver but I keep it garaged and only use it for task for towing, or picking up large box items and camping off road. I considered replacing it for fancy new Off Road SUV's, but opt to keep the XJ. This Jeep performs great and its all paid for. Total investment plus purchase about $33K over 24 years which includes maintenance and upgrades.
I would love to see the MORR vehicles come and run this course.
It would be a waste of their time.
Awesome Jeep man! I have a 96 XJ that my Grandparents bought brand new and that I have now. I have a 4-1/2 rough country lift with 32" Micky Thompson Baja Boss AT's. Only 111k original miles on it at this time. Drive it pretty regularly. Absolutely love it!
This versus the MORR Banana!
Yes, would be a nice comparison!
I’d take the banana. This one is running leaf springs and the banana is running a 4 link.
Banana is one notch above this sweet jeep
Matt should bring the banana out from Hurricane...😊
Hell yes he should!! I was gonna say the same thing the banana would do great on this course I've seen it get many people's rigs out of harry spots.
Wow. That is an awesome vehicle. I've never seen anything handle that course that easily. Your Jeep seems purpose built for it. Great build and great job
This guy has his sh** together. Nice work
A U.S. Company needs to buy Jeep off Stellantis, bring back a proper successor to the XJ and the just focus on that and the Wrangler. They need to be capable and they need to be affordable. Jury is still out on the Grand Cherokee, but scrap the Grand Wagoneer/Wagoneer and the Euro-toy models.
I'd have said US company also keep the JT Gladiator, as it just seems Stellantis is chasing everyone else with the luxury and EV strategies. I don't mind the Wagoneers, but that should have been the new Durango, honestly.
They can't do that because the XJ is better offroad than any Wrangler due to the wheelbase being magic and it's lightweight. They have to preserve the Wrangler as the top-dog. Similar to how Porsche has to keep the other models crippled and with ugly headlights to protect the 911.
@@ColJonSquall1I love my Gladiators and my XJ
This is a true off roader, and capable!
Love the XJ, we are working on one ourselves but plan to put a diesel in it as ours is a 91 and our state doesn't do the emissions thing. Really like what you did!
Wow, great build.
It’s good to see the course back in action
My first car was a white XJ. Every time I see one, I miss it. 211k miles when the rust finally got to it
I have always said the best bang for the buck used 4x4 vehicle is a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Edition from the 1990's up to 2017 with big lifts and 37 inch offroad M/T tires and upgraded oil and transmissuon coolers plus a new Mishimoto brand high end radiator plus full skid plates, front and back heavy duty bumpers, ful width and heightl bush bars and winches both ends, big light bars and fog lights, roof tent and extra roof rack plus lots of Line-X truck bed liner on the entire underbody and wheel wells, engine bay and interior floors.
Best 4x4 vehicles around when you upgrade them properly!
At 5:45 now THAT is proper off-road 4x4 trucking the way it was meant to be! This Jeep is the quintissential DEFINITION of a proper off-road vehicle! I want this!
Hey, first Tumbleweed video in a long while! Happy to see them back. Also, that XJ did so well because, while it's true it's insanely built, its also relatively lightweight and those are big, super aggressive mud tires. That Braptor is way heavier and was running KO2s which, while a great all around tire, is notoriously poor in mud.
That XJ is insane!
F'n hell. That thing is a *beast*. It didn't even need the rear locker... not even a little bit. And that funky transfer case/ gearing setup is *amazing*. Wow. Incredible to see what a mere 35K can do when intelligently implemented. I fully expected a 100K+ cost, frankly. Hats off to Graham. Great job!
Well done with this Jeep, Graham. This is sick build. 🎉
Cool toy! Graham has some design and fabrication skills.
Badass XJ!
I think it's probably the only true off-road rig that's been on that course.
Just an excellent build! 👍👍
Love a legit XJ. Awesome build.
What an amazing rig! Not surprised that it made short work of Tumbleweed Ranch. I suspect he’s going to have to try very hard to find trails he can’t run. I had an ‘87 and we ran the 4.0 and Renault 5-speed for 130K miles before selling it on. My first Jeep and we had many great adventures in that Jeep. Really the only mod was bigger and better tires. Otherwise, it was really a much younger self and his ability to push the limits a lot farther. Truly a great vehicle to start with, but Graham’s is so far beyond that it’s really to his credit that it’s as amazing as it is. Well done!
Nice ride man went through the obstacle effortlessly, never seen it done that easy before. I’d like to see something go through something you get stuck in. 🤯
Outstanding, well done!!!
Andre is growing quite the beer belly, haha
Awesome video!
What nost people don't understand is that the tires on this Jeep are what makes the difference. Put aggressive mud tires on the others and you'll be surprised!
on Tommy's demise the angles matter a lot as well, it don't matter what tires you got if they are in the air due to the bumpers touching... However yes aggressive tires make easy work in greasy mud.
Awesome! Simply Awesome! JCR (unibody frame stiffeners on Graham's rig) is just a few miles away from my house!
I have never wanted a jeep until now. Now I need an xj
That is an awesome XJ, good job on the build.
I few things to note:
- Jeeps aren't the only vehicles that made it through Tommy's demise as I overheard on the video... Another vehicle did(but that vehicle could also trace its roots back to AMC).
- You should have sent him up a couple of the bonus lines that the vehicle from the previous point is referring to... Jordan's HMMWV.
Excellent presentation. Thank you. More of these please.
Glad to see you wore you business casual shirt! Looking good, Graham.
Okay, that's it - I'm moving to CO and getting a rig like that! What a beast!!!
Who's coming with me man
That is one awesome shitbox ❤
Great feature, very cool guy...and what a badass rig!! Heck, it's heat rate didn't even go up when going through the course! Just a little stroll...
That was awesome thanks guys
Glad you enjoyed it
What an absolute unit.
Cool build. Thanks for sharing.
Thats a good looking rig
Two things I miss , my XJ & Colorado
That thing is a beast! Love the XJ.
We need more videos like this!
Beautifully done bro!!!
Would love to see this on This vs That
Love it! I’d love to build one of those myself someday.
Impressive build, impressive rig!
Badass unit.
He said XJ's don't get enough love but seems to me he doesn't love them much either since the body is the only XJ thing about it. His looks just like every other one i see today.
2006 was the last good jeep 😢 had an 01 Cherokee freedom edition. Wish I still had it
i know that it requires doing a lot of labor yourself, but I like how even with all the mods, he said is in only in the $30k range. it just shows you that if you want to do this, you don't need to buy a $60k vehicle and then add another 20k mods. I would bet with a good mechanical skills and tools, you could have a similar setup for $18k
Tires are everything. I’m glad he didn’t have scorpion tires🤣😂🤣😂
I think it's time to bring out some heavy equipment and do some track building in the ranch
Maybe cut back some of that long grass
I'd like to have my '98 XJ 4dr really similar to that set up 😅
Totally enjoyed this!
I’d like to see the Bronco Raptor with a MT. Also, throw a mud tire on the cybertruck and take it through, at least it won’t get scratched.
This thing would knock the socks off the bronco raptor and cyber truck every day of the week.
I have a 1999 Ram 1500, and honestly, completely honestly, it would make it through everything that XJ just did, with the same crawl, just taking it easy. Note, I mean match, not supersede. Both would do a five job at the same thing. And.. I own a stock XJ
For now
Finally a Jeep and not a Fiat/ jeep look alike. The XJ is legendary.
Legendary with its stamp suspension parts, unibody and twig sized axles 😂
@@flight2k5 yet most are still on the road 🤔
@@user-cg7cc7zj3e yet most tundras are still on the road 🤷🏼♂️
@@flight2k5 even with their rusty frames. I would take both over their modern equivalents.
@@user-cg7cc7zj3e ya know domestics rust just as bad right 👍🏻
A awesome XJ... !!!
My XJ build isn’t as wild but i have an extremely capable jeep for about $11k. If i ever do an engine upgrade (not likely with only 138k miles), i will do a stroker.
He should have a channel to follow. Awesome build.
Awesome build!
To me it looks way too wide, but it certainly performs as long as it fits on the trails!
I usually hate on the XJs... but holy cow that thing is B.A!!
It's Justin King!
What a cool Truck !!!
This xj and that one jk have been the best
The HMMWV was very good as well.
When I was in high school, no fancy off-roader could ever compete with the poor kid who paid $2k for a stock XJ. They could go anywhere lol
they still are best ever, zjs wjs too
All that work and still running leaf springs in the rear 😂😂
Where can I get?😊 more details on this jeep? Does he have a channel?
This is the content I want
That thing was a freaking monster. But I would like to see those tires on other vehicles and see if they have success like the Jeep
that was cool. also so interested to hear the cost. Awesome!
It's an AMC thing.
American Motors Corporation. Yes, some of us are that old. But not too old, lol.
Frameless & shameless.
Love it
Great build. It has eaten the entire ranch off-road course like nothing!
That's an awesome rig.
Since he won't ever need that front winch, could I borrow it 😂
That oughta do it. Nice truck. Seems a little familiar...
Amazing Jeep!
What a beast.
Nice build.
Big lift, BIG tires & Big POWER - whats not to like ?
Have had XJ & ZJ, prefer the factory v8 zj, the upcountry grand cherokee laredo currently have has provided 300k miles of reliable daily use and survived all the abuse I've put it through
When people talk about stance cars, this is the kind of thing that tickles my brain.
Yeah, I'm _that_ guy.
Ok, so off the trot:
1 - It's great to see an "over-build" do the ranch. Had always presumed it would turn out this way, but TFL hadn't had one actually do it.
2 - But on the other hand, I can think of at least 3 trails west of COS that THAT rig would not make it thru where a factory rig would.
Exclusively because of the way-too-wide axles.
In conclusion, it's thoroughly possible to make all kinds of trails easier the more built the rig is. But it isn't a silver bullet. Not by a long shot.
But even if it was, it would become so thoroughly boring to do even the hardest public trails.
So, then what?
It becomes a game of 'reversion". Taking capability out of a rig to make it harder to do trails. Putting more emphasis on driver skill and less on rig capability.
Which in itself becomes boring when going "top-down". Especially if it starts 'bought' instead of 'built'. (admittedly not this particular case)
And none of that takes into account actual sustainability.
Meaning - at any build level beyond the intended, extreme factory design - how difficult would it be and what do need to carry-with to repair the rig in the field in the event of a semi-major failure?
Just thoughts and imo as an active off roader.
All that said tho, totally give guy props for the front end geometry tricks.
Really cool. Revolutionary even. Super great thinking there. Even if as he said he's saddled with 'unibody'.
All out a good build. 👍👍
Government regulation is the reason no company will ever make a vehicle as capable as the XJ is. Weight/contact patch = capability
Test the Gen 2.5 Mitsubishi Montero and take review of it!
100% It’s an American thing 💪🤗 very cool ride 👍🤗🤗🤗
Man could use some flares+flaps to keep things a bit cleaner in the mud 😅
Is this street legal (I see a license plate) with those 4 stone chippers/mud throwers or does he mount wheel arches for the road?
Wow that’s crazy
It's old but well prepared for real off-road 4x4