Four Wheeler July 2016

Remember my Firing Order editorial from a couple issues ago in which I rant and rail against hacky editors who just rebarf info about what’s “in this issue”? Well, in this issue you’ll notice a lot of mud-themed content. If you love it, you can thank our long-time senior editor, Ken Brubaker, ’cause he put this issue together. I just babysat the workflow while I was on an editor-vacation-beach getting pedicures and sipping frosty lady-drinks in the sand. OK, that’s really not the reason why Ken built the runsheet for this issue. How do you keep a monkey in suspense? We’ll tell you the real reason a bit later, but for now, it’s time to segue into one of my patented transitions from the opening paragraph. I’m writing this little piece…

CHRISTIAN.HAZEL@FOURWHEELER.COM FLAT-TOW JOE I’m writing in regards to “Flat Tow Basics” (Mar. ’16). It was a great and informative article. I understand fully that it’s impossible to cover every aspect of a subject when doing an article. The title even states “Basics.” This story is perfectly timed because this coming summer I will be taking my friend’s rollingchassis (no glass, interior, engine, trans, or T-case) ’89 Chevrolet single-wheel 1-ton 4x4 six-pack (3+3) from my place in Michigan to Belgrade, Montana. I am considering flat towing versus trailering so my family can come, and we make it a vacation and explore on the way back without having to drag my car trailer all over creation. I read the article a few times, and the only flat towing concern I have that was not addressed…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM → About 100 pounds of heroin were found hidden in the axle and driveshaft of a pickup in Queens, according to The New York Times. Street worth? $14 million. → Ford is the first to make volume-production wheelchairaccessible SUVs via the BraunAbility MXV ’16 Explorer. It has a patented sliding door, removable driver and passenger seats, and more. → Jeep head Mike Manley and his team at Jeep have won the Automotive Difference Maker award from The Detroit Free Press for how they handled global expansion of the brand. → American Airlines has teamed up with Uber to coordinate on your travel itinerary. → In 2016, Jeep is going to offer three models in India: Wrangler Unlimited, Grand Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee SRT. → Better update your contacts. GM is renaming GM Powertrain to GM…

GRIP STOP Dynatrac now offers the ProGrip II Performance Brake System for the ’07-current Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited. ProGrip II is a complete, four-corner system that includes new high-performance rotors, calipers, brake pads, brake lines, and hardware. The system is said to provide about double the brake torque compared to stock brake output, improve pedal feel and reduce pedal travel. Each kit includes 131⁄2-inch two-piece lightweight front rotors, 141⁄4-inch onepiece rear rotors that retain the integral parking brake system, six-piston front and four-piston rear hard anodized and painted brake calipers with forged bodies, and ProGrip front and rear brake pads. The kit is designed to be a direct-fit bolt-on system for the Jeep JK with stock or aftermarket Dana 44 axles that retain the factory wheel ends. It is available…

editor@fourwheeler.com ONE OF THE OLDEST AND MOST ENJOYABLE WAYS TO SPEND TIME OFF-ROAD is wheeling at your local mud pit. Sure, mud isn’t for everyone, but it’s something that all off-road enthusiasts encounter to some degree. For the hardcore, it’s as competitive and serious as it gets. While the recreational side of the off-road hobby see’s the most mud grins, the slick dirt is also something many workers deal with as part of their daily commutes. From farms and work sites across the nation, getting bogged down can cost you more than a little time. Here we’ve compiled some sure-fire ways to keep your vehicle moving and, more importantly, surviving in the wet dirt. Some of these items are better suited for competition-only vehicles, but most apply to any one who sees…

ken.brubaker@fourwheeler.com SOUTH BERLIN MUD RANCH SITS A FEW MILES FROM THE town of Moultrie, Georgia, and a smallish sign across from a driveway-like dirt road was the only clue that this awesome playground lay deep in the Georgia backcountry, unseen from the main road. We pointed our rental car down the dirt road, which wound through cropland before dropping us smack dab in the middle of a massive, muddy, off-road paradise punctuated by the sounds of engines big and small. The Ranch is four years old in 2016, and like a four-year-old, it’s full of energy and growing. There are four events per year on the 300-acre property, and Ranch features include the “Main Hole,” the “Back 40,” and the “Side 20” mud holes. In addition, there’s also a horseshoeshaped racetrack, miles…