1994 Jeep Cherokee XJ - Santa's Other Sleigh

Hella Comet 500s light up dark trails. The Warn XD 9000i with a synthetic winch line sees good use; it's much more than a bumper ornament.

It's easy to try new trail obstacles when you know you can stop on a dime.

Just in case you forgot your bottle opener...

Extended shackles and mild-height lift springs make up the rear suspension. Ken called on Wagoner Machine Shop for a rear diff cover, too. As with the front axle, there's a 5.13 ring and pinion and a Detroit Locker behind the WMS cover.

Smashed transfer cases are no fun. Ken built this stout crossmember with an integrated skid plate to keep errant rocks from doing harm.

Jeep's well-loved 4.0L inline six takes the place of reindeer for this sleigh. It's largely stock, but has been treated to an AEM intake and an Optima yellow-top gel cell battery.

Maxxis Creepy Crawlers are burly, bias-ply treads with great grip and durability in the rocks. This photo also shows the wisdom of ordering your aluminum TrailReady beadlocks in natural silver. Even though they're well-scratched, they remain the original color. The front and rear wheel openings have been trimmed back to make room for the Creepy Crawlers. Ken likes the 37s, but will probably go with 40s the next time around.

With an air tank, a breaker bar, and a Hi-Lift jack on board you're prepared for many a misadventure. The big news here is that Ken has his essentials securely fastened to the 'cage so they won't drift around during a rollover. In case something does get loose, Ken installed a safety net just behind the seats.

A high-steer drag link and tie rod are perched high above the rocks. At first glance, it looks like there's a lot of torque on the mounting bolt atop the passenger's side knuckle. Further study shows a PSC ram assist that absorbs much of the steering load.