V6E20 - Like a Whole New Jeep

For over two years, I’ve been exploring the backroads of the United States and Canada without having some essential equipment - such as an electric winch, or an on-board air compressor. If the Jeep gets stuck, how would I self-extract? If a tire goes flat, how might I repair it? During my travels, erring on the side of caution has been the name of the game. That mud hole might look innocuous, but if I’m not 100% certain it’s passable, I’d go a different way. There was zero margin for error. All of that was finally about to change, as I returned to OK4WD, in Stewartsville, New Jersey, to have some invaluable new equipment installed!   Front Driveshaft Upon rolling into the shop, the first order of business was to install a new front driveshaft. While in Tennessee, I had removed the front driveshaft due to a worn universal joint. U-joints are usually easily serviceable. However, Jeep decided to install a driveshaft with the u-joint permanently staked-in as opposed to being held in with removable clips. Since a simple u-joint replacement wasn’t viable, OK installed a whole new Dana-Spicer shaft assembly with serviceable 1310 u-joints at both ends. So next time a u-joint wears out, it’ll be a quick and inexpensive repair!   Safety Inspection With the front driveshaft in place, OK performed a thorough safety inspection, which involved checking fluid levels, inspecting the drivetrain, and going over the suspension components to ensure that there wasn’t anything worn or loose. Fortunately, they found a severe amount of play in the Jeep’s left, rear, upper control arm bolt, at the axle. In hindsight, based on the amount of rattling and squeaking I’ve been listening to while driving on rough roads, I think this part has been loose for quite some time! OK fixed this up by installing and tightening new hardware that would prevent the bolts from shifting in the mounts.   On-Board Air Airing down one’s tires to drive over rough terrain is standard operating procedure. There is no correct air pressure to deflate to in any given condition. It depends wholly on the weight of one’s vehicle, and on the size and load range of one’s tires - with a dash of personal preference. For example, on a gravel forest road, I might air down to between 25 and 30 psi, for the purpose of comfort more than anything else. On a beach or in snow, I might air down to 12 psi, to maximize floatation. On a technical trail with protruding rocks and debris, I might air down to between 15 and 20 psi, for comfort, traction, and greater puncture resistance. However, with airing down, there has always been the challenge of airing back up. Historically, I would seek out air pumps at gas stations and truck stops. These pumps would often be coin-operated and performance would vary wildly. To solve this problem, I had OK4WD install an on-board air (OBA) system so that I could air up my tires quickly and easily from the vehicle, the moment I return to pavement. We went with an ARB Twin High-Performance Air Compressor, mounted underhood with a bracket by Mountain Off-Road Enterprises. The air compressor is a very snug fit in the driver’s side of the engine compartment, just in front of the firewall. To operate the compressor, pop the hood, plug in the air hose, flip a switch on the dashboard to activate, and voila. The compressor draws a lot of electrical power when it’s in use, so it’s best to leave the engine running when filling up. However, I find the fill speed to be very good - much better than that of most public air pumps I’ve encountered!   Self-Recovery Winch Finally, it was time to equip the Jeep with an electric self-recovery winch. You can’t put a price tag on being able to self-extract when things go awry. I’ve had a few close calls where I almost got stuck during my travels, and while I was always able to get myself out, a winch would’ve made circumstances far less dire. The winch I selected was a ComeUp Seal Gen2 9.5si. It is a 9,500 lb electric winch with an integrated solenoid, an innovative braking system that features superior heat dissipation, and 100’ of ⅜” synthetic rope. Why a ComeUp winch instead of a Warn? I have nothing but praise for Warn and their line of innovative, high-quality winches. However, when a manufacturer dominates the market for their category, I like to acquaint myself with other offerings, as to not overlook a good product from a lesser known brand. I see it as an opportunity to gain experience with the ComeUp winch, which I will subsequently share with you during my travels! To install the winch on top of the Jeep’s factory plastic bumper, OK installed a Warn winch mounting plate, which shares a compatible bolt-pattern with the ComeUp winch. This mounting plate integrates with the frame and front crossmember of the Jeep at numerous points, yielding a trustworthy platform capable of handling a hard pull. As a finishing touch, OK added a winch cut-off switch just off of the battery. This switch, operated by a plastic key, remains in the off position until the winch is needed. So in the event of a collision, or some other unfortunate circumstance, the possibility of a dangerous short circuit is  greatly reduced.   Driving Lights With the winch installed on top of the front bumper, I no longer had space for the VisionX 6.7” ADV lights that I’ve become quite fond of. So I omitted the VisionX lights in favor a pair of smaller, high-performance Squadron Pro driving lights from Baja Designs. The Squadron Pros are available in a “pocket light” kit made specifically to replace the factory fog lights in the Jeep Wrangler JK. While the Squadron Pros aren’t quite as bright as the VisionX lights, they pack a lot of performance in a small package, offering ample light in a nice wide pattern. Shackles and Rope With the vehicle work complete, I took delivery of some new equipment from BubbaRope, to round off my recovery gear before I hit the road... The first of which is a 30’ x ⅞” length of Recovery Rope. This is a looped tow rope with a breaking strength of 28,600 lbs to replace my extremely old and worn out nylon tow strap. While my old strap was intact, its age and questionable condition made it unsafe for hard pulls. BubbaRope also sent two of their brand new GatorJaw Pro soft shackles. Soft shackles are short, braided loops used to connect two tow points. They’re a safer alternative to metal d-rings which can become dangerous projectiles in the event of a line break. The GatorJaw Pro shackles feature a no-splice design, a 47,000 lb breaking strength, and a unique rubber slider for ease of use. Now I just need to get stuck.   [gallery columns="5" size="medium" ids="https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-6.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-2.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-3.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-4.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-5.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-7.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-8.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-9.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-10.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-11.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-12.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-13.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-14.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-15.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-16.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-17.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-18.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-19.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/v6e20-20.jpg|"]