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Harold Charles Off - We've Lost A LegendHarold Charles Off, 1946 to 2011 From the April, 2012 issue of 4 Wheel Drive By Ned Bacon Photography by Nancy Baily, Ned Bacon
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Harold is Off Again. But this time he went 'wheeling on his own. On June 1, 2011, the four-wheel-drive community lost one of its own when Harold Charles Off lost his battle to pancreatic cancer. Harold was a pioneer in the sport of four-wheeling. A true, soft-spoken gentleman, Harold was always there to lend a wrenching hand, give a spot, encourage a fellow competitor, or share his beloved Farmington trails - and then serve ice cream from the back of one of his well known pink Scramblers at the end of a long day. Originally from Alamosa, Colorado, the Off family moved to Farmington, New Mexico, in the early 1960s and started Truck & Auto Dismantlers. Young Harold cut his early 'wheeling teeth with the family hunting Jeep on trails in Colorado and Chokecherry Canyon near Farmington. A born modifier and innovator, Harold, by the mid '60s, had improved the Jeep with a flathead Ford V-8 procured from the family business. Throughout his life, Harold would find economical ways to improve a Jeep's performance, using parts the everyday guy could find in a wrecking yard without breaking the bank. His popular Navajo Brake System was developed along these lines. October 2, 2011, dawned a... October 2, 2011, dawned a beautifully warm day in Farmington, New Mexico. By 9 a.m. a large group of Harold Off’s family, friends, and admirers gathered at the head of Chokecherry Canyon to be led to the trailhead of Harold’s Highway. There, a dedication of the trail was held. Then the Rat Pack tried out the new trail for the first time, followed by anyone else who felt up to it. In 1966 Harold married his high school sweetheart, Phyllis Downs, and, while serving in the National Guard, pursued his automotive interests by taking over the family dismantling business. He further honed his skills at making “something out of nothing” by building successful drag racers from bits found in his wrecking yard. The off-road bug was there, too, with a succession of Jeep CJs that allowed Harold and Phyllis to introduce their growing family to the fun of four-wheeling. The Chokecherry Canyon area just outside of the Farmington city limits was their play area of choice, and children Brett, Cody, and Amy remember family picnics and learning to drive among the deep canyons and huge rocks that define this area. Off Again Grows
As the 1980s went by, Harold found more and more of his business gravitating toward the 4x4 world. By 1990 it was time for a change and the business name became Off Again 4x4. The business continued to grow with son Cody and son-in-law Shane Spellbring coming on board to lend their talents. Many well known, brand name aftermarket products joined the salvage engines, trannys, T-cases, and axles available to the Off Again customer. Technicians were (and still are) waiting in the service bays to install the parts or were/are available on the phone to help the do-it-yourselfer. Throughout it all, Harold never lost sight of the enthusiast who was trying to build his rig on a budget. He was always eager to share his knowledge of what fits and what works when mixing and matching used parts. At the trailhead, a very cool... At the trailhead, a very cool plaque has been erected to mark the trail, and also to memorialize Harold Off. It is powdercoated in Harold’s signature colors of pink and white. Hopefully it will stand unmolested for years to come, reminding ’wheelers of the man who so loved the awesome ’wheeling in this area. Seen here with the plaque are (left to right) Stanley Steele, Jerry Edgar, and Jim Petersen, the three members of the Cliffhangers 4X4 club mainly responsible for creating “Harold’s Highway.” With his easy-going way and helpful personality, Harold Off made a lot of friends worldwide in the 4x4 hobby. By the end of the 1990s he was one of a small gang of 'wheelers who were pushing the envelope in the budding sport of rock crawling. The early competitions in Farmington and Las Cruces, New Mexico, found him competing against his buddies in his familiar white and pink Jeep Scrambler. Throughout the '90s, this growing band had been comparing articulation and traction ideas and 'wheeling together throughout the southwest. When organized competitions first appeared, these guys were the first to sign up. Early events were just a continuation of the 'wheeling we had already been doing, they just added cones and stopwatches. Harold was one hell of a driver and a formidable competitor but he never lost his core. He was first and always a helpful friend and fellow inventor, just along for the ride as the sport grew. While some guys sunk their soul into competing, others remained recreational enthusiasts, in it for the fun of it. Harold was one of these guys.  The Rat Pack is a tight knit...  The Rat Pack is a tight knit group of about 15 couples from all over the country. They were some of Harold’s closest friends both on and off the trail. These hard core ’wheelers were asked to come to Farmington and officially open Harold’s Highway after the dedication ceremony. Shown standing (left to right) is Frank Bartlett, John Bundy, Doug McBurney, Morris Hansen, Walker Evans, Steve Williams, and Jim Sims. Seated (left to right) is Mo McBurney, Phyllis Off, Gail Sims, and Camille Williams.  Rat Packer Morris Hansen drops...  Rat Packer Morris Hansen drops Harold’s Scrambler No. 3 off the initial ledge that marks the beginning of Harold’s Highway.  Harold’s three pink Jeep Scramblers...  Harold’s three pink Jeep Scramblers were all driven out to the trailhead and parked with the plaque. On the right is the first one he built sometime in the early1990s from a wreck that came to his salvage yard. Harold liked Scramblers from the first time he saw them because he knew its longer wheelbase would work well on Farmington’s steep climbs. This thinking came from back in the days when we didn’t even think of changing a 94-inch wheelbase CJ-7 to 109 inches or more! Jeep modifying has come a long way. This 401 V-8 powered Scrambler was used as the prototype Jeep for Warn’s Black Diamond Suspension system that put the aftermarket suspension industry on its ear back in the late 1990s. Harold competed with this rig in several early rock crawling competitions. In the middle is Scrambler #2, which was built by Joe Brown at Off Again around 2001. It features a JP aluminum body and a tube frame with a 4.3L V-6. It was arguably Harold’s most favorite rig to compete with. On the left is the most radical Scramble  After an official start with...  After an official start with one of Harold’s rigs leading, Jerry Edgar took over lead dog duties in his four-wheel-steer buggy and led the seven Rat Pack rigs present down the new trail to the first of 28 obstacles.  The Farmington terrain consists...  The Farmington terrain consists of huge rock formations that sport many steep ledges and cliffs. ’Wheeling in Farmington is not for the faint hearted or the beginner. Pick a slightly wrong line and you can get hurt in a hurry.  As if the plaque wasn’t enough,...  As if the plaque wasn’t enough, the Cliffhangers have marked the entire trail with these cool Carsonite signs to keep you on track. They will be very handy to the early birds who try this trail since, being brand new, it isn’t very burned in yet.  This was just a taster of...  This was just a taster of what was to come. Morris Hansen, looking very much like Harold with the hat and white t-shirt, pilots Scrambler #3 up one of the smaller ledges on the trail.  Rat Pack member Walker Evans,...  Rat Pack member Walker Evans, doing his signature arm dangle, pilots his Shannon Campbell-built “Jeep” along Harold’s Highway. Walker and Harold became good friends when they were both competing in the early rock crawling competitions.  Doug McBurney points “Bubba”...  Doug McBurney points “Bubba” up one of the ‘Highway’s steep ledge climbs while Jerry Edgar looks on. Homebuilt Bubba sports a narrowed YJ body on a semi-tubed frame with a Cadillac Short Star V-6 for motivation of the Currie axles. Note the pink paper cage wrap the Rat Packers applied to their rigs to honor Harold’s favorite Jeep color.  This notch was christened...  This notch was christened “Bundy’s Notch” after John’s red rig refused to climb it despite numerous different approaches and attempts, including low level flying!  The low level flying did not...  The low level flying did not work and the Jeep wound up on its side with its broken windshield being the first carnage of the day.  The Cliffhangers have included...  The Cliffhangers have included everything on Harold’s Highway. They must have known that “Bundy’s Notch” would become a winch hill for some. Poor John became the first to use this cool pink winch anchor, strategically placed by the club for just such a hapless victim. Second carnage of the day went to Joe Brown, driving Harold’s Scrambler #2 when the right hub let go. Of course, extra parts were aboard and Harold’s favorite Jeep was moving again in no time. Joe built this rig back in 2001 in the Off Again shop.
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