kevsmudsub

4/11/2024

Colorado native

Two thumbs up great podcast always find an entertaining learning new ideas tips and tricks as well. Can’t get enough. Thanks a bunch Kevin from Colorado. I hope a haste Blazer with Jeep Wagoneer axles is close enough to a jeep lol

I found out recently that many podcasts are seeing significantly lower downloads.  On the order of 27% less.  Seems Apple changed the way you can download episodes.  If you haven’t listened to those download episodes they turn the auto download feature off.  It’s good if you’re not listening to a podcast, but what does it mean when you have nothing to do and go to listen to a show and you’re not connected to the internet?  You’re SOL.

Fabrication Freezy, with Larry -JeepingMo

MOORE Expo  

I went to the Moore expo here in Springfield, Missouri on the 19th and 20th of April. We were in the Hella lighting booth, we did a collaboration with them to show off their new lights.

The place was full of everything overlanding if you wanted anything from camping, trailers, or any of the gear you might want to go with it.

I even took a test ride in a Rivian, and I don’t see myself buying an electric. But the build quality was very good.

I looked at several tow-behind trailers, and the price is still a shocker. It made me appreciate the camper Matt in the Zoom room built.

We bought a couple of things there, a tool roll from Atlas 46. And a storage system that attaches to the back of your seat from 23zero, even some cool mounting suction cups from Sea Sucker.

There was everything from mild to wild, we were looking at two behind, it had a small cabin that had a full-size bed in it. There was an air conditioner in it and a big awning also.

Once you plug into 110v or turn on a generator, you could be comfortable.

There was even what I think was a Ford 550 with a camper on it, it had all the amenities and was only $460k.

This was the fifth year for it and it just keeps getting bigger. While I couldn’t bring Duke, this year they let dogs in.

I’m looking forward to the show next year, and if you want to see my footage of the show, you can see it on our YouTube channel Jeepingmo.

Must-Have Stuff for Your Jeep!

Savadicar JL GrabTray Passenger Storage Tray Organizer Grab Handle Accessory Box for 2018-2023 Jeep Wrangler JL JLU & Jeep Gladiator JT, Interior Accessories, Black $13.55

https://amzn.to/3UzWzmk

Rivian Will PAY you to buy if you are a Jeep owner!

It wasn’t very long ago that we reported that Ford was bribing Jeep owners to buy a Bronco.  If it was a late 60’s or even the OJ Bronco I might have been interested.

Now it’s Rivian’s turn.  I’ve been hearing troubling news about Rivian, which may just be the EV market as a whole, but I’d be concerned about buying one right now.  I guess that’s why they’re offering up to $5000 off the purchase.

BMW and Toyota owners are the other two manufactures that are part of this offer.

Jeep Laying Off Workers

The company wouldn’t give details of when the indefinite layoffs would start or state specific reasons for them, but the trade publication Automotive News reported Monday that Stellantis had laid off 199 full-time workers at its Ram pickup truck factory in Sterling Heights, Michigan, north of Detroit.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has said his company has to work on cutting costs globally in order to keep electric vehicles affordable for the middle class. Electric vehicles, he has said, cost about 40% more than those powered by gasoline. Without cost reductions, EVs will be too expensive for the middle class, shrinking the market and driving costs up more, Tavares has said.

Stellantis reported that its vehicle sales were down nearly 10% from January through March compared with a year earlier.

Email from Listener

Tony

Man did I just lose any type of respect for you

Did you know Matt is a Texas native?

Do you know where Matt does most of his off roading? It’s at Windrock off road park, It’s in the Cumberland Mountains, MOUNTAIN!!! He spends most of his time on trails on the mountain.

Calling the Jeep he was driving “modified” is really overstating a mild lift and 37’s with some different bumpers. Oh, and that is his wife’s Jeep.

When you watched the video and seen the landslide (yes it’s a landslide, it’s a small one but it is a landslide) did you notice the running water that was going under it? Or how water was running down the side of the mountain on to the land slide?

And to say it didn’t look like it had a drop off on the side, you forgot about the part of the video you watched before they looked at the landslide where you can see tops of trees through the drivers window? Tops of the trees and I don’t think they were 5′ tall  trees either.

So, you that has a whooping 4 off road trips under your belt know more about what can be done with a Jeep/off road vehicle than a guy who has over 13 years of off road experience does? Plus the fact the other guy in the video who does some extreme wheeling said that they shouldn’t go over it gets trumped by your experience?

And saying that you’re not saying anything bad against Matt’s decision when everyone can tell that you are not sincere when you say that.

Get some trail time under your belt, put away the ducks, and try something besides a blue or 2 rated trails before you shoot your mouth off. Yeah, yeah, you went to Moab, Moab where the rock is like adding pimp juice (tire traction compound) at the dragstrip. Go to Windrock and try a few of the trails or anywhere on the East side of the USA and experience something taller than the parking brick at your favorite mall. Don’t take the bypass and actual do something

Why don’t you get Matt to do an interview with you? He really is a nice guy and most call him the Mister Rogers of off roading. But you’ll probably screw up the interview by stating wrong things about his channel like you did with Matt’s off road recovery, man that was embarrassing listening to it.

Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update

Jeep Talk Show team member, Chris, recently purchased a 2020 Jeep Gladiator.  If he puts the 4’x4’ Jeep Talk Show logo on it, we’ll start calling it the 2020 Jeep Talk Show Gladiator, but I digress…

He has factory tires and he desperately wants to get something bigger, 33” or 35” AT or MT.  Counting his pennies, like we all do, he’s trying to see how much it’s going to cost him.  Wheels and tires.

The 2021 Jeep Talk Show Gladiator came with aluminum 7.5” x 17” wheels, black.  I was tooling around YouTube and I found a video from the TFL people.  They had a 2020 Gladiator that they were building, I believe it was a Sport S like mine.

They decided to use the same wheel as the spare tire used on the gladiator.  They bought 4 of them and mounted 35×12.5×17 tires on them.  No rub lock to lock.

This is what I did on mine.  I am still running the factory aluminum wheels with the 35’s mounted to them.

No issues.  Several trips to Hidden Falls Adventure Park and two trips to Moab. UT.

I don’t need a reason to spend money on my Jeep, but sometimes it’s nice to know that you don’t have to.

Must-Have Stuff for Your Jeep!

E50 Fire Extinguisher Stick 40050, 50-second discharge NO MAINTENANCE $89.95

WORLD’S SMALLEST AND LONGEST LASTING FIRE EXTINGUISHER has been internationally tested and certified for A, B, C & K fire classes

DISCHARGES for 50 seconds, 5x longer than traditional extinguishers

FIGHTS ALL MAJOR FIRE CLASSES including cooking oil and grease fires

NO MESS, no residue, non-toxic, non-corrosive, environmentally friendly, and safe to breathe

https://amzn.to/3Ud9adM

Landslide, after the party

Wendy, on our last flagship episode Bill and I talked about a Black Bear Pass video where a man and his wife were traveling down the mountain and they were met with sleet, rain, and some rock slides.

It just dawned on me today that you live off-road in the mountains.  What would you do if the trail was covered in rocks?

New EVs may come with internal combustion motors?

Both the upcoming Wagoneer S and Recon—set to be the brand’s first EVs—could get internal combustion variants, according to Jeep’s new CEO

Other alternative fuels we have been promised, Compressed air, Hydrogen and unicorn farts, and pixy dust.  Do you want to really do something?  Fit a nuclear reactor in my Jeep…. Hmm, this is starting to sound like Fall Out the new series.

We told you so!

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

Part 3- Using a Spotter

Last two weeks we discussed using a spotter, their role, and verbal commands along with some do’s and don’ts on your part. This week I continue with non-verbal commands in spotting, also referred to as hand signals.

These tend to help the driver keep their eyes on the spotter and pay attention vs only listening and looking out their driver’s window. The commands should be easy to understand and obvious. In other words, make the hand gestures simple but large and not obscured by clothing/gloves. I learned that on a cold day, the gloves I had on were black, my jacket was black and the driver couldn’t see my hand signals as easily. Once I removed the gloves and got my hands away from my body, no problem. 

Some common non-verbal hand signals;

Point left: use your finger pointed left for the driver to turn right.

Point right: use your finger pointed right for the driver to turn left.

Come forward: hand up with palms facing the spotter and a come forward motion

Go back: palms facing the driver held out with a pushing motion indicate to go back or reverse.

Climbing up/down a rock: The spotter will point to the tire and use their open palm in a rising palm up or lowering palm down motion to indicate that the tire is about to climb up a rock or come down off the rock. 

STOP:  With a closed fist: Means STOP.  A closed fist signifies that the driver MUST NOT move. This means don’t turn the wheel and DON’T let your foot off the brake, don’t put it in park or set the parking brake. The Jeep might move and pinch or trap someone’s fingers, or worse. This is really important if a Jeep is stuck and people are helping to move rocks under the Jeep, etc.

 Now these commands may vary between spotters so if you aren’t sure what something means, ask them. The only time I would use verbal commands while using non-verbal cues was if I needed to explain or talk to the driver. I would talk to them quietly at their window while they were stopped. Of course, if there is something that could happen and the driver is not stopping I am not afraid to yell STOP. Again, doesn’t happen very often but every once in a while excitement overcomes a driver and the brain isn’t watching me. I really love non-verbal because it’s calm, and quiet and when we roll up to an obstacle and there are other jeepers, we watch. And when it’s our turn we simply guide each Jeep up and over obstacles with no yelling, no confusion and the drivers have a great time. The looks on other jeepers faces is priceless (that’s my favorite part LOL). Being able to get a Jeep through with no verbal commands.  

My absolute favorite way to spot non-verbally is when I have the driver mirror what I am doing. I learned this technique from Don Alexander with Trails 411. The spotter holds their hands up as if they were holding the driver’s steering wheel with their hands in the 2 o’clock and 10 o’clock position. I move my hands (as if turning their steering wheel) in the direction I want the driver to turn. The driver sees this and applies the same motion. It’s amazing to watch this actually work and takes some time to get used to (if you are a spotter). The best thing I can say is this mirror image can show small or large movements. Compare that to someone saying “driver”. Does that mean a tiny turn or a full lock turn? With the mirror image, the spotter is showing you how much to turn. If they move a tiny bit, you move the steering wheel a tiny bit, if it needs to go full lock, then you go full lock. Visually it’s the best, in my opinion. If you are being spotted by non-verbal commands and they use this mirror image, it’s important to mirror the exact movement the spotter is asking of you. If it’s tiny, move a tiny bit and stay there. I see this sometimes; after directing a driver to turn the wheel, we have to “let go” of the wheel, straighten our hands and give them the “move forward” motion with our fingers or hands. The driver typically straightens the wheel and puts the wheel back where they started. It’s normal to want to “return” to the starting point. We then explain that they need to leave the wheel where we left them until we give them another “steering direction.” We’re just trying to get them to move forward with the steering wheel in the position we left them in. Once the driver feels comfortable with what I am asking/showing, it’s seamless.

The visibility of the spotter is also very important. It’s vital for the driver to see the spotter clearly at all times and for the spotter to clearly see the driver. The spotter may need to adjust their position so that you can see them. If you can’t see them, speak up. Sometimes the Jeep may be in a climbing position and the spotter needs to get to a higher position so you can see them or coming down off an obstacle, the spotter may need to adjust lower down so you can see each other. When you are driving, if you can’t see your spotter, ask for them to move so you can see them.

As a newbie driver, I am always suggesting you get out and look at the obstacle for yourself before driving through it. Watch other Jeeps go through and watch how that spotter is getting them through. You will also note if they are using verbal vs non-verbal commands. If you watch others and you aren’t quite sure what form the spotter is using, please ask. Don’t be afraid to get some clarification. This is your chance to learn and experience what your Jeep can do over obstacles. Once you start driving over obstacles, you will love the exhilaration of accomplishing that obstacle. Using a spotter, in the beginning, is beneficial to learning what your Jeep is capable of and how it feels.

BTW using a spotter is a badge of honor. It means you tackled a tough obstacle (whether it’s your first time or you are an experienced driver). Having an extra set of eyes is so powerful. Don’t be afraid to use a spotter – that goes for all you experienced drivers too!

 Next week I will finish this series with how to pick a line.

(https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver)

Overlanding Vehicle Builder’s Guide

https://amzn.to/3U6Nf7J

Must-Have Stuff for Your Jeep!

Jeep® JL (2018-2023)/Gladiator(2020-2023) Series 55 Rail + Trackballs Packs $ 69.00

Fits the JL (2018-2023) and Gladiator (2020-2023)

Use the included US-sourced and custom-cut 3M branded VHB materials for installing the base.

2 x fasteners are included and are recommended to be installed.

Allow 10-20 minutes to install.

Jeep® JL (2018-2023)/Gladiator(2020-2023) Series 55 Rail + Trackballs Packs