After 7yrs and 90k miles it was time to say goodbye to our beloved JKU. After a great deal of thought and introspection I realized I wanted something a little (okay, a lot) more civilized that could still do a forest service road and boondock with that my wife could actually drive and stand to ride in for more than an hour. Sacrificing comfort and driveability for an activity that consumed maybe 5% of my life behind the wheel wasn't worth it anymore, at least in the near term. My choice is a little unorthodox and unconventional, but after a few subtle mods it will suffice and allow us to enjoy the entire journey more as we pull our tear drop further than we would have with the Jeep. So what did I replace a heavily modded JKU with you ask? A Mercedes ML550. New wheels and tires get installed next week, the 1.5" lift arrives early next year (some crazy Russian actually came up with one), and skidplates should be fabbed up this winter. I am under no illusion of the significant downgrade in off road capability but life is all about trade-offs. It's going to be an interesting journey as I discover its limits while saving up for a well sorted G-wagon.

1942 Bantam T3 w/ Tepui Autana $2500, Washington title in-hand Local Only, I'm in Woodinville I hate to see it go, but we've bought an offroad teardop trailer and need the space in the garage. This is a very functional trailer that tows well on/off road but it isn't going to win any beauty contests. If you care about stack of dimes welds... this is not the trailer for you. The tub and floor are original and show its age. The prior owner (who bought it from DRMO back in the 50s) cut the back out of it and I have since replaced it. The floor is bowed a bit between the supports and definitely looks rough even though it has been painted. I have had it fully loaded and bounced it around on the trails to no ill effect. The front of the trailer tub has been patched where it was simply too rusted out when I bought it. The original round fenders were shot and have been replaced with custom M416 style fenders. When not on the trail it has been stored in my enclosed garage. - Timbren 2000HD suspension w/ 3.5k hubs - 4 pin wiring harness (no brakes) - Pro Comp Steel Wheels Series 97 Wheel with Gloss Black Finish (15x8"/5x5.5") - BFG KO2 30x9.5R15 TiresContractor rack modified to fit - Pintle & lunette w/ landing leg (will include 2" reciever pintle hitch for tow vehicle) - I have an original parking brake mechanism (not installed) I will include - Tepui Autana w/Annex and anti-condensation mat(tan) - This tent has been well used and has some discoloration in areas, but I have cleaned it thoroughly to ensure it is only cosmetic. - The zipper track for the annex is missing two teeth along the run, but it works as long as you have an ounce of patience. - 12V LED lighting under annex w/remote Picture from a trip last weekend. Will update with more pictures after I get it washed up.

After four years of faithful service, my Chinese 40" LED light bar needed to be retired. I decided it was time for a change and was faced with two choices- buy a Ranger hoop or modify my Stealth hoop. I chose the latter because who doesn't love a project. If I was going to take the time and effort to essentially make my own light hoop I figured why not go big. Before diving in I made a mock-up to at least see how ridiculous my concept was using some 9" pots from my summer landscaping project (that somehow never made it into the trash) and some scrap wood. Armed with faith, a half baked plan, and a case of cold ones here's what I came up with: Before you ask, the notch on the passenger side is to allow me to still mount my kayak up there. Surprisingly, I haven't noticed very much new wind noise although this is likely because I'm hard of hearing and there's already plenty of stuff contributing to wind noise. There's also the side benefit of four 9" lights up top, I'll never lose my Jeep in a parking lot 😂 Materials needed: - 8x 90* 3/4" EMT elbows - 1x 10' 3/4" EMT conduit - 6x EMT connectors (great for mock-up and being able to use lap vice butt welds on the straight sections) - 6ga or 8ga steel strip - rubber gasket material (optional) - Grinder, cutoff wheel, knotted wire wheel - MIG welder (I used a crappy one from HF) and associated gear ***N99 or better mask that fits under your welding hood*** - EMT is galvanized and welding it WILL give you a headache at best, put you in the hospital - Case of your favorite beverage (if you've met me, this goes without saying) - Paint and primer - 9" Lights - A willingness to ruin a perfectly good $500 part Lessons Learned & Tips: - The off-gassing is no joke even after cleaning up the galvanization from the conduit as best I could/was willing to do. Wear the mask even for grinding. - 3/4" EMT is almost the exact diameter of the smaller tubes used on a Gobi Rack - 1" is closer to the larger ones. - Fishmouthing/notching is significantly easier using a template (http://harderwoods.com/pipe.html)