Four Wheeler August 2022

This month’s issue of Four Wheeler is jam packed with a mind-blowing collection of 4x4 features. Feature 4x4s have been a popular staple of Four Wheeler for decades and being able to publish them is one of the best parts of my job. It’s thrilling to help show off a fellow wheeler’s rig and detail the story behind the machine. The first feature I photographed for a magazine was in the spring of 1989. The 4-Wheel & Off-Road Jamboree was in Pecatonica, Illinois, at the Winnebago County Fairgrounds and I helped coordinate the use of some family farmland so Off-Road and 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazines could photograph 4x4s from the Jamboree. I was a wheeler, reader of the off-road books, amateur photographer, and a wannabe off-road magazine staffer, so I spent…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM RESCUED FC-150 PLOW RIG I enjoyed your article in the last Four Wheeler magazine on snow wheeling (Firing Order, Apr. ’22). My son and I have been old Jeep enthusiasts for many years. Attached are pictures of our ’62 Jeep FC-150 that’s still going strong. We use it at our northern Minnesota hunting camp to haul firewood and clear the many feet of snow that falls here each winter. I found this Jeep sitting in a rural junkyard in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan over 12 years ago. We hauled it home to Minnesota where my son Kyle completely rebuilt the driveline and tuned up the stock four-cylinder overhead-cam engine. We had four new leaf springs custom built with an extra 3 inches of lift along with four new Rancho shocks. A…

JERED.KORFHAGE@FOURWHEELER.COM 1 When discussing the durability of the battery in the Hummer EV, GM engineers cited various strength-adding characteristics designed to defend the SUV’s lifeblood from obstacles. Speaking toward the integrity of the battery’s armor, it was said that piercing it would have to be done by dropping the entire Hummer onto a hardened steel spike. • Vietnamese electric automaker VinFast has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of North Carolina for the establishment of the company’s first North American production facility. VinFast plans to produce the VF 9, a seven-passenger all-electric SUV and the VF 8, a five-passenger, all-electric midsize SUV. 2 Bilstein has teamed up with motocross rider and off-road racing driver Brian Deegan to represent the company and advance the development and promotion of a new line of…

Are Australians paying $245,000 (or $180,000 USD) for right-hand-drive Ram 1500 TRX pickup trucks? Award You Didn’t Know Existed Bridgestone Corporation was recognized with General Motors’ 30th Annual Supplier of the Year Award. QUOTE: “I WASN’T SCARED THAT MUCH, BUT IT WAS A SHOCKING MOMENT FOR ME”-Riley Leon, of Elgin, Texas, after his Chevy Silverado was rolled onto its side, and then back onto its wheels—while he accidentally drove it through what was reported to be an EF-2 tornado. Chevrolet caught wind of this situation and donated $50,000 to relief efforts for those affected by the twister, and partnered with Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet to furnish the 16-year-old with a new ’22 Silverado to replace the truck damaged in the storm.…

• Joining the Tremor and the Raptor is the ’23 Ford F-150 Rattler—and it’s way more than a sticker package. Built on the F-150’s XL trim, which starts just shy of $30,000 for model year 2022, the Rattler distinguishes itself stylistically through F-150 Rattler fender vent badging and rattlesnake-inspired Rattler bedside graphics. It’s available in Oxford White, Avalanche, Iconic Silver, Carbonized Gray, Antimatter Blue, Stone Gray, Agate Black, and Rapid Red TriCoat. The Rattler strikes the dirt with features from the F-series’ widely available FX4 Off-Road Package, including skidplates, an electronic rear locking differential, hill descent control, specially tuned off-road shocks, and all-terrain tires wrapped around painted 18-inch aluminum wheels. Four-wheel drive is standard on the Rattler.…

AMERICAN EXPEDITION VEHICLES JT370 AND JL370 • American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) has released a pair of attention-grabbing adventure vehicles. The ’22 JT370 Gladiator takes the familiar Sarge Green Jeep pickup and adds AEV’s 2-inch spacer lift and 2.5-inch DualSport suspension system. BFGoodrich mud-terrains (those are 37 inches) handle relations with the ground, AEV’s 7000 Series LED off-road lights are on hand for low-light situations, and there’s a Warn EVO 10-S winch up front, just in case. AEV’s ’22 JL370 Wrangler Rubicon starts with a Silver Zenith paintjob and a complementing black leather interior. The steel front bumper boasts AEV’s LED lighting package and Warn winch while the tubular rear bumper includes extra protection for the corners and stout recovery points. AEV’s DualSport RT suspension system is said to improve the Jeep’s on-…