Monday, February 26, 2018

Tire Deflators Pro Review

J.T. Brooks Tire Deflators
Off-Road Gear Must Have

Rausch Creek Off Road Park

One of the first accessories I bought for off-roading were my tire deflators. A set of four J.T. Brooks Automatic Tire Deflators. They make for a quick, easy airing down. The orginal set took quite a few steps to calibrate. When they came out with the Pro series I went right out and bought them. 


This accessory has been an awesome addition to my off road gear. I use them every time I go off-road. I even loan them out to others when I am on the trail. The pro series are so easy to set. You just dial in your desired PSI and start deflating. Spot on every time. 



Depending on where you get them the Pro version are about $30 more. They are so worth the extra money. They are super easy to set.


They are super easy to set. Loosen the lock ring (nut) until you see the PSI Scale. 



Then you turn the adjustment knob or body until your desired PSI lines up with the top of the body. Then tighten the lock ring carefully. You don't want to turn the adjustment knob. 


This is an approximate PSI. You will want to test them out to verify your PSI. I suggest you do this before you hit the trails. That's precisely what I did in the video below. Thankfully I tested them out, because I adjusted mine all wrong. They ended up being set to zero. I set the PSI to the top of the lock ring not the top of the body. I should of read the directions. Lesson learned, read the directions carefully. 

I didn't the first time and dialed them into the wrong place.   
These are super easy to set (if you read the directions). And super easy to use. Plus you can see how close I was to 15 PSI in the video below. Well worth the $99 for the set of Pros. 

JT Brooks Tire Deflators Pro - https://amzn.to/44G0xvk - $99.95

Craftsman 120 volt portable inflator - https://amzn.to/3YZrbOs - $79.00

Tire Pressure Guage - https://amzn.to/3R3HkAu - $27.90

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Sunday, February 25, 2018

JK Pockets Install & Review

Jeep Momma Winner 


The amount of Cool Jeep Stuff out there for your Jeep is so amazing. I am always adding to my wish list, which is getting quite costly. So it was a nice surprise when I found out I won a social media contest I entered. A big shout out and thanks to Slickrockgear.com, and CPO from O3DJeeps for putting on this contest! 

JK Pockets

I won a set of 5 JK Pockets for my Jeep Wrangler. These things are a really cool idea. The first "real" door pockets for the Wranglers.  Two pockets for the front doors, two for the rear, and one for the center console. 


OEM Jeep Pockets with Cargo Mesh



The OEM cargo net pockets were really bothering the OCD part of me. Granted you can stuff a lot into the netted pockets, but that only stretched out the netting. You were also limited on what you could put in those OEM pockets. Small things would fall out. 

With the new JK pockets I can stuff smaller items into the pocket. Plus they look awesome. They are made from aircraft grade plastic. They don't get in the way and are perfect for storing your stuff! I recommend using some sort of adhesive to help keep them in as I would always bump them with my feet getting out of my Jeep.  



They are very easy to install. Check out the install video below


 

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Working Through My Fears



On a chilly day earlier this February, I geared up my Jeep for a day on the trails at Anthracite Off Road Adventure Area. AOAA is about 30 minutes North of Rausch Creek Off Road Park in Pennsylvania. It was an up and at 'em early morning as I met up with other Jeepers, my first big Jeep convoy.





I looked forward to this day as it was only my second time at the park.  A day for new trails as well as wheeling with some great Jeep friends I met through the internet. It was also the first time wheeling with a fellow YouTuber, and Jeeper, CPO from 03dJeeps. We met a couple of years ago, but were never able to get our calendars to mesh for some wheeling time. 



Nate, AKA SWBCrawler, was our appointed guide as he knows the park well. He is also a fellow podcaster who contributes content to the Jeep Talk Show podcast, and fills in as host from time to time. He also trail guides for Off Road Consulting and Driving Instruction. He is an awesome spotter!  






The plan was to wheel as many blue trails as we could hit. In the past the mention of blue trails terrified me. But this day, I was filled with excited anticipation. 




Trusting in Nate's spotting abilities I put my Jeep in his hands.  Well that, and I was in a Rubicon. AND... I have had several good teachers over the years. It was time I trusted in my driving abilities.




Another reason my mind was at ease, I knew the type of Jeepers I was hitting the trails with.  All with the same mindset of, out on the trails with our daily drivers looking for adventure in some more difficult trails, but not wanting to go home with damaged Jeeps. 






As we traversed our first blue trail we came upon Trail "W", a black trail. I was met with indecision. Should I try it? I knew my Jeep could do it easily. It was my abilities that I questioned. I stepped out of my Jeep, and walked the trail myself. 


Yep, I decided. I needed to up my game so Trail W it was. I made it through the trail, over the rocks to the end with no damage. However, not with out a few expletives.
See my video below. 



All in all it was an amazing day, on amazing trails, with amazing friends. I gained so much confidence in my driving skills, knowing I am great at picking out lines. I do need to work on my confidence on the fact my Jeep will not tip over. Actually I don't think I will ever loose that fear nor the fear of heights. It makes for a fun adrenaline rushing day. 





Here's the complete Trail W






Thursday, February 8, 2018

Top Must-Have Mods to Your Jeep

Off-Road Readiness

Here are my Top 5 Modifications to make to your Jeep Wrangler for off-road readiness. These Top 5 aren't all the modifications you can make, but a great basic start. 

Top 5 Jeep Mods for Off-Road Readiness - 👉 Watch Here



Front Bumper Install

Tow Points

When you go off-roading there is always a possibility your Jeep could get stuck. To help in your recovery efforts you should have good, strong tow points on your Jeep. I decided this was the first place for me to start. I replaced my plastic bumper and hook type tow points with a steel metal bumper.



Rock Sliders

While I off-roading in my stock Sahara my plastic side step would get caught up on a rock. One time a rock pulled off my side step. However, I was able to knock it back into place.  I would have been better off with out them. Jeep states in the owners manual that the side step needs to be removed for any sort of off-roading. 

If you are in a Sahara with the side steps the Jeep manual states they must be removed before you hit the trails. I learned this lesson the hard way. 

 

Aftermarket Diff Cover

It seems I am always running into rocks. The first thing they hit are my diff covers. I replaced mine with the Riddler Diff Covers which are cast from high grade iron with a lip free transition. This helps prevent a rock from 'grabbing' the cover. 



Skid Plates

Your stock Jeep is outfitted with some skid plates and they hold up well in mild to medium rock crawling. Your transmission and oil pan are not protected. I added the M.O.R.E oil and tranny skid plate. 


I also added skid plate to the rear control arm and shock mounts. That's another place I tend to get hung up on. I used the EVO Rear Lower Control Arm Skids.

  
Air Dam Removal

What is an air dam? It is a piece of plastic under the front of your Jeep. Some say it's to help hood flutter, some say it's to prevent debris from flying up into your engine or possibly to keep your engine cooler or even lowering your MPG. Whatever it does I ended up removing mine when I installed my new front bumper. This plastic piece also has a potential to being ripped off while rock crawling. 


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