Four Wheeler July 2020

I’d like to start by saying thank you for reading Four Wheeler and welcome to all the Jp and 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine readers that have joined us. As you turn the pages in this month’s issue you’ll see some exciting new elements. The most obvious is content written by authors you’ll recognize from the off-road world that may not have published in Four Wheeler in a while, or often. You’re going to see work from authors and wheeling gurus like Harry Wagner, Brian Sumner, and Trent McGee. These gents all have years of off-road and wrenching experience and they bring to the table some fascinating trail ride coverage as well as insightful tech and new product tests. We’re also excited to announce that beginning with this issue, Christian Hazel, former editor…

There’s a big difference between cats and dogs. Growing up, my mom would collect stray cats as if she were picking up interesting seashells at the beach. We always had between three and four living in the house at any one time. As former outdoor strays, they were allowed to come and go as they pleased, but only after some human opened the front door to let them in or out. And to me, it’s in crossing that threshold between indoor civilization and outdoor wilderness that underscores the biggest difference between cats and dogs. When my dog wants out it sits by the door and politely whimpers while looking at me with big puppy dog eyes. I get up, open the door, and the dog immediately flies out into the yard.…

ARCTIC CIRCLE TOWING I recently read an article of yours about towing trailers off road. I want to share this picture of my ’11 F-350 6.7L towing my 32-foot gooseneck with a newer F-150 on it and a 20-foot shipping container with an estimated 5,000 pounds of materials inside. The container is connected to the trailer with a tow bar. Both my trailer and container have sleds underneath them and the truck is on Mattracks and we are over the Arctic Ocean between Utqia˙gvik (formerly known as Barrow) and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. I own and operate a small freight transportation business primarily moving vehicles between the two locations. There isn’t a road, but I make my own trail over the snow-covered ice following the coast for the majority of the way between…

That’s Interesting • The ’21 Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, and 4Runner Trail Special Editions are vehicles that, as the name clearly implies, focus on “extra storage and convenience.” • Mercedes-Benz is offering its first pop-up camper van for the U.S. It’s called Weekender. • 2020 Automotive Hall of Fame inductees include Jay Leno and Helene Rother, who was one of the first female car designers, including for GM. She launched her own design studio way back in 1947. • The ’20 Nissan Frontier has a new 3.8L V-6 and an also-new nine-speed automatic transmission. • If the ’20 Nissan Titan is more your thing, here’s the starting-at pricing for the 4x4 models: King Cab is $39,390, Crew Cab is $41,990, and XD Crew Cab is $44,580. The most spendy Titan would be the Platinum Reserve Crew…

SLIM KCS The new KC Slimlite uses Cree XD series LEDs, which maximize lumen density. Each light contains 10 LEDs, producing 50 total watts and 7,260 raw lumens—claimed to be 60 percent more output than KC’s 100-watt halogen predecessor. Other features include a black housing with cooling fins and a treatment to protect from UV light, a breathable membrane barrier, and an impact-resistant polycarbonate lens. Optics combine a long-range spot with fill light for shorter distances. Dimensions are 6.21x6.71x2.70 inches. The Slimlites are backed by a 23-year warranty. INFO: KC Lights, 888/689-5955, kchilites.com TJ EXHAUST A new Hooker BlackHeart exhaust system is designed to work with LS, LT, or Gen 3 Hemi engine swaps. Using 3-inch-diameter tubing, this kit is engineered to tuck high, clearing stock and lifted suspensions systems and larger tires…

“I’ve had this truck since high school,” Tom Major told us when we met him on a lakebed in the California desert. He drove the ’02 Dodge Dakota stock for quite some time, getting into whatever mud and rocks he could in central New Jersey, before significantly modifying the truck. After stockpiling parts and honing his fabrication skills, Tom was ready to give his rig the off-road chops it deserved. Tom chopped the truck’s frame from the firewall forward and rebuilt it using 4x3-inch, 3⁄16-inch-thick box tube. This allowed him to get rid of the Dakota’s wide framehorns and also gave him space to mount the steering box he gleaned from a Ford Bronco, replacing the factory rack-and-pinion setup. Out back, Tom rebuilt the frame from the cab to the rear…