Rock Crawler - Farm Fresh

The three-link front suspension allows Joel to run a fully hydraulic steering system crafted from various components originally intended for duty in forklifts. By staying with the industrial application, Joel kept costs lower and ensured future parts availability. Keeping the forward profile low enough to offer excellent vision, an aluminum radiator resides behind the passenger compartment. The vehicle also sports a rather unique system of manual valves in the passenger compartment that allow Joel to lock up just about any combination of wheel brakes required to wiggle through the tight competition courses.

The vehicle still sports two seating positions, but the diminutive width would make for a very cozy ride with two bodies in the tub. The passenger would also share the second seating position with a custom aluminum fuel cell that is large enough to run a few competition stages between refueling. Joel wanted a look that was a bit different from the almost endless array of vertically slotted grilles. After a long search, he created a narrowed hood and grille from a Dodge Dakota to finish off his distinctive ride. Not only does the unique look turn heads, it allows great forward visibility when attacking the rocks. The tube frame is sheathed with thin aluminum panels for a finished appearance. A Ramsey winch resides at the base of the sloping hood to cinch down the front end when attacking the vertical ledges and provides (very) occasional power for extraction duties.

One of the more interesting features of Joel's creation is the ability to adjust the wheelbase to the specific conditions of a stage. The vehicle typically sits on a 99-inch wheelbase, but by changing out the rear links and using a long-slip rear driveshaft, the length can be extended to 107 inches for attacking the occasional gargantuan ledge. The changeover is fast and easy enough that the vehicle can be stretched for a single stage before returning to its typical length.

So how does all this weight reduction and low center of gravity work out on the rocks? Very well, thank you. Joel showed up at the first RCAA event in 2003 with literally zero time behind the wheel of the 2,800-pound ride. In spite of some inevitable early teething difficulties, the Extreme Team headed back home with a Fifth Place finish. They followed up the strong initial showing with a Second Place finish at the brutal Moab stop on the tour, and an Eighth Place finish in Cedar City, Utah. Heading into the final competition of the year, they're sitting in Fourth Place in the standings and are within striking distance of the top spot again.

Not only is Joel's home base a long, long way from any rocks, but spotter Mike hails from the Mesa, Arizona, area, which makes hooking up for a little weekend or after-dinner practice 'crawling almost impossible. Between the long distances involved and Joel's hectic year-round schedule of farming and driving a truck, the team doesn't do any four-wheeling outside of extreme rockcrawling competitions. One certainly wonders what competitive heights this smooth team could scale if it were able to hit the rocks with any regularity for practice.

If your travels take you up the broad green valley of central Nebraska's corn country, keep an eye out for an 18-wheeler headed west for competition, or headed back home loaded with more trophy hardware. Corn isn't the only gold that the Extreme Team knows how to grow.