The rigs that come to King Of The Hammers every year are really worth celebrating. Some are wild, the majority are practical, but there are those rigs that show what an owner’s all about. These are the 4x4s that will stand out from the pack, and this is about showcasing what makes these rigs amazing.
Whether these devices crawl over rocks, blast more than sand, rip through mud plus snow, they all embrace the rough-road lifestyle. We found them simply by driving around Hammertown and the around areas. If you’ve got a sweeping ride, then make sure to mark your own calendar and fill up on fuel, because KOH is the best place to end up being for one week every year.
Without further ado, let’s obtain right into this. The first rig that will caught our eye at KOH was Jamie Urias’ 2006 Kia Ranger, sporting a fairly unusual driveline setup.
You can see right away what drew all of us to Jamie Urias’ 2006 Ranger. In a platform better known for prerunner conversions, Jamie went the complete reverse. He made his a 4by4 rock crawler with solid axle assemblies front and rear.
Jamie’s formative years in rough-road took him to Glamis to have dirt bikes in the desert. As soon as he entered high school, he proceeded to go ahead and bought a Ranger, plus took the off-road rite of passage simply by rolling it. “Recently, I chose I wanted to get back in a Ranger, ” he said. “This period, I was going to do it a little in different ways. ”
The Ranger can really climb thanks to its listing four-link suspension setup. It was quite unique to see at King from the Hammers!
Beginning his build in early 2020, Jamie took his time plotting away the build. “I knew I needed to do one-ton axles underneath it, ” he said. “So I caused a friend of mine in Nyc, Trevor. He gave me all the measurements I needed. That’s how I could put it all together in 6-8 weeks. ”
The construct runs on 40-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Boss tires, held in position with KMC Machete beadlocks. The particular axles are Dana 60s from the Super Duty, using 35-spline axle assemblies, 5. 38: 1 gearing, plus equipped with Eaton Detroit Lockers to get better traction. The engine, transmitting, and transfer case are all share.
The drivetrain is stock, but it’s kept motivated with a fuel cell in the cargo area.
Suspension offers the Ranger four-linked arms front side and rear, which gives the vehicle insane amounts of flex. Jamie proven this firsthand when he went up on top of a buddy’s vehicle at camp, climbing all the way in the driver’s side A-pillar! “It’s two-inch DOM with quarter-inch wall width, so they’re pretty stout, ” he said. “We also powder-coated them in hammered bronze so that they look great. ” The suspension is certainly rounded out with
To maximize the suspension travel, Jamie removed the stock tank plus placed a fuel cell within the bed. “It uses the same push as before, and it also increased the particular fuel capacity, ” Jamie described. On the front end, he beefed some misconception with an Inexpensive Offroad bumper plus an X-Bull 14, 000-pound winch.
Bigger is definitely better when it comes to off-road, and Holly Fowler’s JK, “Mischief Maker, ” proves it. Holly’s passion to get off-roading came when she relocated from Scotland to the U. H. Her husband showed her a few videos of Jeeps, which was just how she learned about the hobby. “I was a very girly girl prior to, and I used to be an opera vocalist, ” she explained. After purchasing the JK stock, she and the girl husband set about ramping up the protection and ground clearance.
Visually, the JK sets by itself apart thanks to its Grabber Glowing blue paint and enormous tires. “These are the 40-inch Mickey Thompson Escasa Pro Xs, ” she mentioned. “They’re sticky and a lot of fun. I truly adore them. ”
Holly moved from Scotland towards the U. S., where her spouse introduced her to Jeeps plus off-roading. It was all downhill and then! She even started a Youtube . com channel featuring her and the 4×4. She’s even documented her encounters at the 2021 King of the Hammers.
The suspension system is, as Holly put it, “kind of Frankenstein. ” The front utilizes a TeraFlex four-link up front, while the back uses a Rock and roll Krawler three-link. Shock absorbers are California king 2 . 5-inch front side and 3. 0-inch rear. Your body rides 5. 5 inches over stock, offering plenty of room for your tires, but the rear Dana eighty still manages to “catch upon some stuff. ” The front is really a Dana 60.
Placing power to the axles are Tom Wood’s driveshafts. Each of the axles furthermore sports ARB air locking differentials, which Holly powers up with the Power Container hanging off of the GenRight cage. “I like it better than getting a compressor, ” she said. “I’ve never been a fan of the air compressor noise, and the tank can last me personally an entire year on a single charge. ”
With ample suspension system and safety upgrades installed, Holly and her Mischief Maker JK are well-equipped for any adventure, specifically out at King of the Hammers.
Holly maintains her adventures documented on her Youtube . com channel, Mischief Maker TV . She began it in 2019 and has held it going ever since. “We’re fairly excited about what’s coming soon, ” the girl hinted. “We’ll be building a competition vehicle in time for 2022, ideally. I think it’ll be a 4400 vehicle, so you’ll see us race the main event! ”
The Gladiator is quickly making its existence known in the off-road world, with it have come some jaw-dropping creates. Case in point – Joe George’s 2020 JT, a veritable off-road animal that we spotted roaming King from the Hammers.
This prominent machine started life as a Rubicon. “We went to work on it inside my shop, Off-road Customz , ” said May well. “We took everything, from the suspension system to the drivetrain to the fenders, plus upgraded it. ”
Suspension is comprised of EVO surprise towers, Rock Jock control hands, and King coilovers and avoid shocks. At King of the Hammers, this type of suspension setup makes fast work of rocks, dirt, plus sand.
Because it stands now, the JT utilizes Dynatrac Elite axles, with a sixty front and 80 rear. The particular driveshafts were swapped out for J. E. Fishing reel 1350 units. The particular tires shot up to 43-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Pro XSs. “These things are amazing on-road and rough-road, ” commented Joe. The auto tires are wrapped around Black Rhino beadlock wheels, ensuring Joe may run the tires at a reduce pressure without fear of them de-beading. The larger tires required upgraded guiding, and Joe ensured that having an RPM Guiding 2 . 5-ton package and a PSC big bore package.
Joe equipped the particular JT with GenRight fender flares and bumpers for added safety and clearance. Lighting came with Baja Designs LP60s on the front fender, XL80s on the pillars, and S2 Pros for the back. Out back, May well gave the Jeep more ability through an EVO bed rack. RotopaX canisters and a Hi-Lift jack discovered a home here, so Joe can also enjoy more of nature and still make their way home. The Warn winch on the front helps out a great deal, too.
The JT got an LS3 installed thanks to Bruiser Conversions. Complete with a Whipple supercharger, the Jeep can rip via any terrain. It generates over 800 horsepower, according to Joe.
Power comes from a good LS3 V8, but that’s not every. “We installed a Whipple supercharger on the engine, ” said May well. “It’s now making 807 hp. We got it from Bruiser Conversions , also it definitely woke this thing upward! ”
From a very humble JT Rubicon to a massive overlanding 4×4, Joe is definitely proud of the task he put into his Jeep. “This rig was something I wanted, ” he commented. “I never believed I would go this extreme by it, but I’ve had rock-crawling inside my DNA for the last 20 years. And it really does get used! It’s not a truck queen, as you can see. ”
Joe’s taken the JT throughout California in search of impossible trails in order to conquer. “I’ve done the Rubicon Trail in it, as well as Dusy-Ershim upward there near Fresno, ” this individual said. “It’s got some great appears, but the Jeep does get unclean. ” It looked right at house driving around Johnson Valley throughout King of the Hammers.
As the brand new Ford Bronco made waves with King of the Hammers, we held our eyes peeled for the classics that were sure to be around. Affirmed, we found this highly altered dark green Bronco near Hammertown, plus stopped in to find out more from its proprietor, Mike Mills.
“The Bronco was a barn find, ” explained Mike. “The owner experienced owned it for 25 years plus done some modifications to it, such as pinching the front and rear body rails. It came with the Sno-Fighter front end, which was a rare snow plow package from the late 1970s. ”
Mike bought the particular Bronco in 2018. His objective was to make a “wild” build to fit his “mild” 1971 Bronco construct.
Mike substituted the rear end for a GM 14-bolt, and supported it with a four-link suspension setup and coilover shock absorbers. The engine is the standard 351 cubic-inch V8, but reinforced along with Edelbrock heads and Pro Flo 4 fuel injection. “I simply put in better parts to help this run smoother, ” commented Paul.
On the suspension part, Mike installed 2 . 5-inch-diameter Sibel coilovers on all four corners. These types of offer 14 inches of take a trip on the front, and 16 ins in the rear. A TK1 swing bar was installed in the back for better handling. For tires and wheels, Mike runs on 17-inch beadlock wheels and 41. 5-inch Hole Bull Rockers, giving the VEHICLE an aggressive stance.
The motor is a factory 351 cubic-inch OF V8. It sports upgrades to the minds and fuel injection thanks to Edelbrock and Pro Flo 4.
Mike added that will his Bronco has never given your pet problems since its rebuild. “So far, I haven’t had any kind of issues with anything, ” he mentioned. “It’ll go up anything, and it is taken a lot of hard work to get this finished. ”
Their favorite aspect about the Bronco had been its form and function. “I love the lines on these old Broncos, ” he said. “Plus, these Broncos, even stock, goes just about anywhere. ” This was especially true from the terrain seen at King from the Hammers.
Mike cherished taking his Bronco out to generate around during King of the Hammers.
Something we weren’t expecting to notice but were thrilled to find had been this vehicle, a BC Traditions SRTV. Founder and owner Brandon Johnson was driving it round the valley between Hammertown and Chocolate bars Thunder when we happened upon your pet. It was a great opportunity to learn more about these types of military vehicles and how they were created.
From talking along with Brandon, we learned about BC Traditions and what set it apart from some other custom builders. “We started in mil novecentos e noventa e seis as an off-road company, ” this individual said. “In 2007, we began working primarily for the U. S i9000. government. Our goals shifted in order to tactical vehicles for special energies. ”
The measurements of the SRTV – 6. five feet wide, 16 feet lengthy, 6 feet tall, 5500 lbs dry weight – make it possible store in military transport helicopters. It can air-drop into hot specific zones and assist with para-rescue missions.
This SRTV had been one of those vehicles, and it looked just the part of a 4×4 destined intended for warzones. Its narrow profile, wedge-shaped chassis, and sand-painted exterior had been just some of the cues that this rig was meant for more than just off-road joyrides. “We designed this SRTV especially for Air Force para-rescue forces, ” explained Brandon. “It’s made to become air-droppable in remote, austere places and recover isolated personnel. ”
When designing the SRTV, Brandon and his team had to aspect in the “first cube. ” “Basically, we had to consider the smallest aircraft it might fit in, ” he said. “This vehicle is rated to fit within a CH-47 Chinook, which is an Army transportation helicopter. It also fits in the CH-53, which the Marines still use. ”
On top of its form factor, BC Customs also took into account the particular vehicle’s weight and mission user profile. “The weight was important, because it had to be air-droppable and survive the particular landing, ” he said. “It also can adapt to a mission user profile, so it can run lighter or even heavier with extra gear, weaponry, supplies, as the mission demands. ”
Powering the SRTV is an LS3. It uses an Atlas II transfer case, which ways power to Spidertrax axles front plus rear. The tires are forty inches in diameter. The SRTV’s configuration allowed for a three-man team, plus space in the rear to obtain up to four patients for save. On top of this, pintle mounts on possibly side of the vehicle (plus the mount up top) could keep machine guns and offer firepower in the event that need be.
A army 4×4 like the SRTV was amazing to see at King of the Hammers!
The automobiles that race in King from the Hammers are some of the most incredible on the market. But spectators bring out terrific automobiles, too, as you can see. Which of these rigs is your favorite? Let us know in the feedback below.