Episode 94 – XJ Talk Show and King of the Hammers – audio fixed

On the 94th episode of the podcast, we talk about Craig’s experience at King of the Hammers and finally have Tony from the XJ Talk show on.  I don’t know how we’ve gone 94 episodes without having Tony on the show.  Tony is the host of the XJ Talk show but also runs the XJ Talk forum.  Tony talks about how the XJ Talk forum got started as an effort to escape the abuses of other less friendly forums.  He also discusses how he got into building his Jeep XJ as a hurricane escape vehicle.  If you ask me, that is a brilliant use for a lifted vehicle!

 

XJ TALK SHOW! A 4×4 Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler podcast

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Rudolf Diesel: A Man Ahead of his Time

Editors note: Harold is one of the co-hosts of the Centre Steer Podcast.  The Centre Steer Podcast is a podcast about all things Land Rover and British motoring.  I recommend that you subscribe to be a well rounded offroading enthusiast.

One hundred years ago, the world lost a great engineer, and a great social visionary.

The son of Bavarian immigrants, Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel was born in Paris in 1858.  He spent most of his childhood in France, but returned to Bavaria to complete his schooling.  He went on to study engineering, and in 1880 he graduated with highest academic honors from the Royal Bavarian Polytechnic of Munich.  After graduation, Diesel’s first job was in Paris,  assisting in the design and construction of a modern refrigeration and ice-making plant.  A year later, Diesel was managing the plant.  He stayed busy doing research and development for the refrigeration industry, and received several patents.

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Taking the Scenic Route – Hwy 67

There are several factors to take into consideration when wanting to explore a new area. Most people love exploring new places and discovering things that aren’t readily available right outside your own front door, and sometimes these adventures take different turns than expected. Scenic highways are a great way to travel to explore new areas, often with scenic overlooks, spots to pull off and take photos, and look in on rural living.

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Episode 93 – Oregon Trail Offroad

On this 93rd episode of The 4×4 Podcast, we interview the Oregon Trail Offroad team.  This group of friends in Oregon are planning an overland-style trip that will retrace the historic Oregon Trail, but in reverse.  The Oregon Trail originates in the Kansas City area and then heads west and ends in the Portland, Oregon area.  They will work to retrace as much of the trail as possible on dirt roads.  I found out about their adventure on an Expedition Portal thread and volunteered to help scout some trails.  If you’re interested in helping scout some sections of the trail, just chime in on the thread or send them a message.

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Poison Spyder Customs acquired by Transamerica Wholesale

On 30 January 2015, Poison Spyder Customs announced that they had been acquired by Transamerica Wholesale.  Transamerica Wholesale is already the parent company for many other offroading brands that you are likely to be familiar with such as Rubicon Express, ProComp, 4Wheel Parts, 4WD Hardware, and Smittybilt.  The CEO for Transamerica, Greg Adler, is an offroad fanatic who even races in a Pro-4 short course truck.  Here’s what Cheri McRae said about the acquisition:  

 
“We’ve been keeping a secret for a little while, but it’s now official. Poison Spyder has been sold to TransAmerican Wholesale. We are proud to have built this brand into something that Trans would like to see as their premiere label. Larry will remain the President and all our employees stay in place continuing the great job that they do. With the support we’ll gain the sky is the limit on how we will continue to grow. American dreams do come true, I know because we have been living it!’
 

Based on this, I think we’ll still see the same top notch quality work coming from Poison Spyder Customs as we saw before the acquisition.  What I hope we don’t lose is the friendliness and continual innovation that we’ve all come to love.  One thing is for sure, the corporate power and logistics network from Transamerica will give Poison Spyder Customs a huge boost and will allow the parts to become more accessible to more people.

 
How do you think the acquisition will impact Poison Spyder Customs?

Transamerica acquires PSC
Photo credit to Cheri McRae on Facebook
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Episode 92 – Campfire in a Can

On episode 92, Dan speaks with Leo, the inventor of the Campfire in a Can!  Leo is a very innovated thinker that has designed an extremely versitile product that will certainly increase your enjoyment while out camping.  At the end of a long day on the trail, you can use the Campfire in a Can to transition to relaxing mode very fast.  I can’t wait to get mine and start putting it to use!  I highly recommend that you back this project on Kickstarter and get about $90 off using this introductory pricing.

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EnerPlex Packr Base Review

EnerPlex first sent me a message back in September 2014 asking if I would be interested in evaluating some solar charging and battery gear.  In terms of what I think is interesting content for The 4×4 Podcast audience, I assume that you are generally the same as me.  That being said, I often find that I’m always looking for a solid gadget charging solution while out exploring.  Now there’s many times that we’re operating in close proximity to our vehicles so we’re comfortable having that 12 volt power point in close reach.  Since I feel that the offroad vehicle is a mechanism to launch other adventures, I look for ways to enable me to be enjoy adventures away from the vehicle.  That means keeping gadgets charged while away from that 12 volt power point.  Many modern gadgets are powered by proprietary battery packs and not AA or AAA batteries so that means that an actual charging solution is required. 

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Episode 91 – Offroad Jeep Girl Gina Goes to King Of The Hammers

In this episode, we interview a rookie competitor in this year’s King of the Hammers competition. Gina Guccione discovered the world of off-road travel a few years ago after buying her first Jeep. She wasted little time diving in and modifying her Jeep to allow for tackling the tougher trails in her local off-road parks. In March of last year she purchased her second Jeep, a bone stock 97 TJ, and well… we will let her explain the obstacles she has faced thus far to get her Classy Pink Jeep ready to compete in one of the most challenging and technical competitions held in the United States.

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2017 Ford Raptor

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The Ford Raptor has been widely accepted in the offroading world as not just a halo vehicle for Ford, but as the gold standard for offroad trucks. There had been much speculation on the future of the Ford Raptor but now the speculation can stop. The next Ford Raptor will come late in 2016, probably as a 2017 model. Here’s the quick hits.  The bottom line up front is that the next-gen Ford Raptor will continue to be awesome! The full press release is at the bottom of the post. Image credit to Drew Phillips.

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2016 Nissan Titan Diesel

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The first big announcement from the North American International Auto Show in Detroit has happened. The Nissan Titan has rolled out with a totally fresh new look and drivetrain. The most expected news is that it has the 5.0 liter Cummins diesel V8 engine. Towing capacity is stated as 12,000 pounds with a “20% fuel savings compared to the competition.”

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