
Moab Jeep Safari 2006: The Expo and Potato Salad Hill
Story and pics by Mike Troy
Winch lobster was showing their elegant way to respool the cable onto the drum of a winch. Beats a pair of gloves and a tug-of-war with your winch.
The Superstrap does not have a sewn-in eye at each end of the strap but rather is sewn into loop sections throughout its length allowing the strap to be woven back on itself for attaching to things. Neat.
I picked up a 'Jerry" can from Equipt in tough plastic and not metal. This can meets military specs and I understand is legal for sale in California. Yay!
TDK was so excited about selling this bumper to Brad Austin, star of the 2004 Top Truck Challenge that they included a Dodge truck to go with it! Actually, the truck was Brad's but they did install it right there on the spot. They also had a very blue/purple Jeep on display. They make some awesome Jeep frames too.
Ron from Alloy USA was pretty excited about the new seen-here-first X-Joint. The combo of Alloy USA axles and the X-Joint carries an impressive warranty.
Things were getting a little slow, so David Austin and son Brad lined up at the bottom of the hill side by side and drag raced up Potato Salad Hill. I have no pics of that cause I was riding with Dad as he lit the fuse in Big Yeller 2. Brad won cause "He had the good line" according to Dad. The crowd loved it. I was pretty impressed. Engine roaring, tires spinning, Big Yeller bucked and leapt like a Jeep possessed and clawed its way over the top unharmed. I can't imagine what it takes to break a Rockwell axle, but I don't want to be in the Jeep when it happens!
Back at camp the nighttime offered a chance for Stan P. to try out his newly purchased tire groover. We all stood around offering our expert advice. I was Quality Control, David Austin was Safety, Brad Austin was Engineering and Design. Robin's White Knight was the donor of the Boggers for the mad experiment. It was a lot of fun as only those kind of moments can be and for me, it was a cool end to day 4 and the end of my days in Moab. Tomorrow was the long drive home to So Cal.
One of the big events during Easter Jeep Safari is the vendor show where the large and small show the best they have to offer. Typically you see things here for the first time as new products are tested and displayed before the coming year.
I saw some cool new things and met some old friends.
JB Conversions had the new Lo-Max NP205 gearset and case on display. This is the cheapest low range beef I can think of in a single case application.
Look at the bling here...cool machined aluminum shifter knobs by Litegrip.
Day 4 1/2: Potato Salad Hill: Would you like beer and nuts with your potato salad?
No visit to Easter Jeep Week is complete without a trip to watch the loonies on Potato Salad Hill. The hill itself is not that extreme, but it is enough when combined with alcohol, sunburns, tattoos, loud music, and the cheers of the bloodthirsty crowd that it spells trouble for the unlucky few who exceed the limits of the vehicle or driver.
A well built or well driven rig will go right up with some or no difficulty. This will be cheered by the crowd, especially if there is good style or horsepower involved. Even the farm truck got it's share of hoo-rays.