Off-roaders have it easy. If our rigs start acting up, we always have the side of the trail. Simply pull out of the way, bust out the tools and spares, and get the problem handled. Pilots, on the other hand, have no such luxury. Mechanical trouble during flight means an emergency landing, or worse.
When we saw Gary Graves's 2004 TJ Unlimited during the Cal 4 Wheel Hi-Desert Roundup, we knew we were looking at a clean rig adorned with hardcore hardware. When we read the tech sheet Gary gave us, it all made sense. Gary makes his living as an airline pilot. As such, he's used to preflight inspections and the stringent requirements that aircraft must meet before flight.
Gary's rig is good to go... and then some. Trail fortifications begin at the tires and flow throughout the rest of the Jeep. We'll get to the details within the captions.
Preparing to fly involves much more than having a flight-worthy plane. Training takes thousands of hours in the classroom, in the flight simulator, and in the air with a qualified instructor. Of course, there's no similar series of hoops to jump through before getting out on the trail, but it still takes the right combination of hardware, judgment, and driving skill to make it through the trail sans breakdowns and unscathed. With hardcore trail hardware and a skilled pilot at the controls, there's only one logical conclusion: Gary and his TJ are licensed to crawl.
 Another Pro Rock 60 brings...  Another Pro Rock 60 brings up the rear. Dynatrac offers its customers their choice of brakes and bolt patterns. Gary went with Explorer-style discs and a 5-on-5-1/2 bolt pattern. Like the front, there's an ARB Air Locker and a 4.88 gearset behind the beefy diff cover. There's a Gen-Right gas tank and skidplate aft of the rear axle. Skilled driving and the generous 37-inch tire size means there aren't too many scratches on the Gen-Right skidplate, but it's built to take it if the rig's tail does meet a boulder the hard way. |  It's low-tech compared to...  It's low-tech compared to a jetliner cockpit, but there's still enough high-tech equipment to navigate the trail and communicate with other rigs. While the overhead-mounted CB radio is almost standard-issue in the dirt, racing-style GPS receivers, such as the Lowrance 7200C seen here, are becoming more commonplace in trail riding. The Lowrance has a large display screen that's easy to read. |  A Dynatrac Pro Rock 60 leads...  A Dynatrac Pro Rock 60 leads the way. The diff housing is contoured for maximum ground clearance, giving the Pro Rock 60 better clearance than the smaller Dana 44. There's an ARB Air Locker inside, along with a 4.88 ring-and-pinion set. Steering effort is reduced by an AGR Rock Ram; this hydraulic wonder takes strain off of the driver and off of the frame's steering box mount. |