4x4tographer

Interested in how that Raptor Liner adheres to the wood/primer you laid down. Looking great!

Saturday, December 7, 2019: Back Way to Crown King, 4x4 Moderate-Difficult How about a little pre-holiday CK action? Grab your coffee, a camp chair, a lunch, and some snacks for the road. We'll aim to be in "town" for a late lunch/early dinner. If you care to stick around, the CK Annual Holiday 4x4 Light Parade is that evening, followed by a visit by the jolly old elf himself at the Crown King Saloon! TRIP INFO: Meeting Location: Alongside Castle Hot Springs Road here (map) 33°54'11.4"N 112°19'32.1"W 33.903277, -112.325595 Timing: 7:00am meet up. Air down and depart by 7:30am. Sunrise is 7:21am for reference Trail Duration Time is approximately 6-8 hours Trail Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult This trail "changes" all of the time depending upon wear/weather. There are multiple (7) obstacles, all but 1 (to my knowledge) have a bypass. My stock JL Rubicon ran the trail fine in 2018 with a few rock rail hits, and a skid touch or two. Prior to that, I've run with groups of current generation 2015+ Cherokee KL Trailhawks, but with extensive use of skids, rock sliders. Extensive trail information/description and map track downloads can be found here: https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/1411-backway-to-crown-king-arizona Additional Considerations: Dress for the weather (layers). It's 20-30 degrees cooler at the top (6,400ft) Consider wearing an ugly Christmas sweater! Bring a chair! Bring a lunch and plenty of water Bring a camera! Recovery gear/traction aid Emergency supplies / Med kit VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: Vehicle Minimums: All vehicles are required to meet state legal requirements, (i.e.: current registration and insurance) Have functional seat-belts for each occupant Must have suitable recovery points front and rear Each vehicle must have a CB Radio or a Ham Radio in good working order High-clearance 4x4's with low-range 30"+ aggressive all-terrain or mud-terrain tires Vehicle Recommendations: Skid plates on important areas such as transfer-case & gas-tank, rock-rails, aftermarket differential covers, high-clearance metal bumpers, trimmed wheel wells, low axle gearing, upgraded axle shafts, 4:1 transfer case, 33"+ tires, custom roll-cage. COMMS: CB Channel: 4 Ham Frequency: 146.46 MHz SIGN UPS: Rig Limit This trip is limited to 8 total rigs. Once the limit is reached, anyone asking to sign-up will be placed on the standby list. Please don't hesitate to sign-up as a standby because people often do drop-out so you may get to still go. Post a reply in this thread saying you'd like to go and I'll put you on the roster! Attending: 4x4tographer (Ryan) - lead @REDROCK TONIHAWK @Rubicon 18 On Stand-by @theksmith

Riding together or separate vehicle?

That worked. Nice. I also pulled down a KML file from Gaia and uploaded it and the converted GPX.

^this. Sorry! That’s how Gaia’s web app spits them out. Next time I’m on my desktop I’ll replace the file.

Ooooooooh! Excited to see some interest in this one! Is it the 27th yet?

I came across Molle Platform Solutions - a pretty innovative small business the is pumping out great steel Molle panels for a wide variety of rides out there. They've got about 6-7 different solutions just for the JL. I currently have their front overhead (with my CB and a Molle pouch mounted) and their rear panel which I modified to mount my fire extinguisher holder. I'm currently looking around for a larger "tear away" style pouch to hold my first aid kit for easier access. At the moment it's locked up in the rear Tuffy storage box, but I figure having it more easily available would be a good idea.

For the 2019 Annual ORP Event, the family was interested in trying out that RV life. Fortunately I have the towing package, but have to dive down that deep rabbit hole into towing accessories, "how to, what to, why to", brake controllers, and safe towing practices. Ended up with a Husky weight distribution hitch and a Tekonsha P3 brake controller. We towed this 2013 R-POD (2,300lbs dry) from Peoria up to 7,000ft on the Mogollon rim without so much as a problem with the Jeep.

Armor up! Metalcloak's pricing and products are pretty tough to beat. That and: Installed their complete Undercloak system, rear differential skid, and CAD skid. Additionally, I installed their steering stabilizer relocation bracket, bringing it above the tie rod some some increased clearance and protection. The kit came with one of their Rocksport stabilizers, which I replaced the factory one with. Good thing too - the factory stabilizer ended up on a massive nationwide recall and mine was one of the ones affected.

Headlights! Picked up these new-to-market JW Speaker "dual burn" LED headlights. I'm digging the darker look, and the fact that in "high beam mode", all of the headlight optics are lit, producing some pretty incredible light on the road. I'm not terrible happy with the fit and finish of Quadratec's headlight mounts though. There's a good 1/4" to 1/2" gap all around each housing. Unfortunately, there are very few adapters on the market at this time. I'll upgrade sometime in the future. Don't mind all of the smashed bugs!

Having a soft top, I'm a little paranoid about keeping any common gear in the Jeep. Found this pretty slick Tuffy storage lockbox that mounts to the tailgate and doubles as a small table. Install took all of 20 minutes.

Was looking for a platform for mounting my remaining lighting from my previous Cherokee and a way to mount my CB antenna over the cowl area. From what I've read, this is the best location for an optimal CB setup on a Wrangler due to the metal hood serving as a plane for the antenna, as opposed to mounting it rearward on a tire carrier. Grounding was easy too with a short strap. My one concern is it getting snagged on a tree, but a quick disconnect solves that. The cowl mount I ended up with came from Diode Dynamics. It provides a TON of flexibility for mounting up to 3 lights on each cowl, plus my CB antenna. I set up a pair of forward facing hyper spots for some distance lighting and a pair of "scene lights" as ditch lights. The antenna is a 2ft Firestik paired to a Uniden CB.

I'm a complete noob when it comes to a lot of the stuff related to modifying a Jeep. I was amazed at how simple it was to install a new stubby bumper, solo, with just some hand tools. Went with a GoRhino Rockline Stubby bumper due to the really low, but protected lighting option. I also love the look and how much it opens up the wheel wells. While we were at it, installed a Quadratec Q-Series Stealth winch, a 10k model, with synthetic rope and a Factor55 thimble for a closed system set up. The lighting I was able to carry over from my 2015 Cherokee KL Trailhawk - a pair of Rigid lights in Amber and my fogs. That push-button sway-bar disconnect motor is awfully exposed - I'm really glad I pick up a skid plate for it! side profile Test fitting everything before mating it up.

67designs makes a fantastic rail system for the dashboards of many vehicles. Its modular, allowing multiple different attachment types that can slide along the rail until you're happy with placement. It'll support a variety of devices all the way up to an iPad mini. The phone clamp is rock solid. I've since added on their GoPro mount.

A little cosmetic upgrade on the fender indicators. The LED package for the JL is crazy expensive. Going aftermarket saved a boatload of cash. These are Morimoto sequential indicators and side markers.

First mod - Rugged Ridge's rocker guards for some better protection. Unfortunately, I'm a little disappointed in the design due to the use a very exposed u-bolts that hold on the fronts of the rails on each side. A well placed rock can bend them beyond recognition. I likely upgrade sometime in the future to something that mounts to the body bolts or the factory rail mounting points on the pinch seams.

Welp, I've never done one of these ongoing logs on my vehicles before, so it's high time I get to it! Seems like a fun way to chronicle progress and the transformation of the Jeep. Here's my brand-spanking new and bone stock 2018 Jeep JLU Rubicon on its very first trip off road on the Backway to CK in December 2018. October 2019 - Hyde Creek Mountain, Prescott: July 2020 - Dupont Cabin Trail, Sierra Anchas: May 2021 - Lake Pleasant: February 2023 - Lake Roosevelt, Tonto NF: January 2024

Having only been a member for 2 years now, I really enjoyed the "last ever" Cinders event, but I also really enjoyed the new "Rim" trip. The one thing I missed this year was a trail ride. The family and I really enjoyed the Cinder's afternoon adventure and seeing 30-some-odd rigs all conquering the volcanoes. However, we also loved the peace and quiet of rim country, and both of my daughters are STILL talking about how much they enjoyed the hike. Bottom line for us - the people. We love you guys!

Sun, Oct 27, 2019: Prescott NF/Hyde Creek "Overland Loop", 4x4 Easy Take in a wide range of views on this 140mi "overland" loop. We'll enjoy the cool pines in Prescott, multi-creek crossings around Hyde Mountain, Wild Horse Basin north of Bagdad, ending outside of the White Spar campground just south of Prescott. My hope is for some fall color up in the forests. TRIP INFO: Meeting Location: Chevron 4155 Outer Loop Rd, Prescott, AZ 86305 (map) The meeting location has fuel, food, snacks, and some "souvenirs". Timing: 8:30am meet up. Depart at 9:00am. Trail Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. My stock JL Rubicon kissed the rock rails once or twice. There are some minor creek crossing areas that are a little rocky. Trail Description: Dirt roads/trail - 50% / Pavement - 50% This trail consists of 2 loops. The greater Prescott NF loop, and a side loop we'll take around Hyde Mountain. GPX file is attached. About 70% of the ride is 2WD. We'll begin on a smooth dirt road and veer off to run a loop around Hyde Mountain. This is the "rough" section of trail with several creek crossings. There are several fantastic camping sites along this loop, many right along the banks of the creek. After taking the side loop, we'll get back onto the main loop westbound to Bagdad. This will take us right along the edge of Wild Horse Basin and some pretty incredible mesas. Once we reach Bagdad, we'll air up, gas up (if needed), and take the always scenic 89A into south Prescott where we'll end up at the White Spar campground parking lot for our farewells. Approx. Itinerary: This is an ALL DAY trip. All times are wild guesses. 8:30am - Meet Up (map) 9:00am - Depart 9:30am - Dirt Road / Air Down 10:00am - Hyde Mountain side loop 11/Noonish - Break for Lunch 2/3ish - Bagdad (there is a gas station here in town) and link up with Route 89a 4/5ish - End (just south of Prescott - map) We'll take breaks along the way to take in the sights! If you're interested in staying at the White Spar campground, information can be found here. Additional Considerations: Dress in for the weather (layers) - We'll be at 6,000ft for the majority of the trip, but will decent down to a warmer 2,000ft for a time. Bring a chair! Bring a lunch and plenty of water Bring a camera! Spare fuel - due to length of trip, spare fuel may be advisable depending on how thirsty your rig is. We will have the opportunity to grab fuel at the 1/2way point in Bagdad. Emergency suppliers / Med kit VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: Vehicle Minimums: All vehicles are required to meet state legal requirements, (i.e.: current registration and insurance) Have functional seat-belts for each occupant Must have suitable recovery points front and rear Each vehicle must have a CB Radio or a Ham Radio in good working order High-clearance 4x4's with low-range 30"+ aggressive all-terrain or mud-terrain tires Vehicle Recommendations: Skid plates on important areas such as transfer-case & gas-tank, rock-rails, aftermarket differential covers, high-clearance metal bumpers, trimmed wheel wells, low axle gearing, upgraded axle shafts, 4:1 transfer case, 33"+ tires, custom roll-cage. COMMS: CB Channel: 4 Ham Frequency: 146.46 MHz SIGN UPS: Rig Limit This trip is limited to 8 total rigs. Once the limit is reached, anyone asking to sign-up will be placed on the standby list. Please don't hesitate to sign-up as a standby because people often do drop-out so you may get to still go. Post a reply in this thread saying you'd like to go and I'll put you on the roster! Attending: 4x4tographer (Ryan) - lead AZRNintheJeep242 ob1jeeper & ladybug CAVU2 theksmith SlyDawg Johnpa Mynr1 On Stand-by KC4x4 Prescott-Hyde Mountain Loop.gpx Prescott-Hyde Mountain Loop.kml

Here's a few I grabbed with my Fuji. Had a great time with ya'll!

Thanks for joining me tonight everyone! Killer sunset, shame about the clouds, but we had a good 15min of great stars! Was great seeing everyone and meeting some new faces.

Saw in my feed that On The Rocks Offroad pre-ran the trail today and it’s in good shape despite being hammered by the recent storms plowing through the west side this week.

Hey ya'll! Just some reminders: Its been getting "chilly", so don't forget your layers for the summit! Bring dinner/snack and plenty of water - we'll be up there for supper and a midnight snack! Don't forget your folding chair Flashlight - we'll be in a new moon, so ambient light will be minimal See you tomorrow afternoon!