Accessories can help make that Jeep your own

Customizing: Options from Smittybilt assist with enhancing performance, cabin space, off-road function

 

Jeep owners like to think they march to the sound of a different drummer, with many of them customizing their babies to make them more their own.

 

Smittybilt has been around for years; you may remember their front tubed winch bumpers from the ’80s. Just about every Toyota truck owner had one.

 

Well, the aftermarket maker is full swing into Jeep accessories these days, and they have a lot to offer.

One of the more popular add-ons in the XRC front bumper, available to fit Jeeps from 1976-2014, manufactured from 3/16” cold roll steel and designed to help manoeuvre your rig over those obstacles like large boulders that seem to jump out at you at every turn. There is a builtin winch plate that can accept up to a 4,536 kg (10,000 lbs.) winch.

It comes painted in a matte black powder coated finish and features a five-year warranty. There is also a matching rear bumper that has a built-in tire carrier. This can handle up to a 37-inch tall tire and is also matte black. It has a class-three trailer hitch and d-ring mounts welded inside and out.

XRC rock sliders are ideal for rock crawling; they protect the side of your Jeep from unwanted body damage.

Armor corner guards provide a larger wheel well opening and feature a fender flare and fuel filler door.

SRC tubular doors replace the factory doors and bolt up to the factory door hinges, a very easy install.

 

Roof racks are another popular item for Jeeps especially with their limited cabin space. The SRC rack has removable cross bars for easy soft or hard top removal and is designed to work with Thule or Yakima roof rack accessories. It can hold up to 136 kg (300 lbs.) and its contoured design flows well with the jeep’s body lines.

 

Interior soft good items are available to attach to the factory roll cage and can hold a variety of items, including cellphones, flashlights, fire extinguishers, and even a bottle of water. There’s also a centre console that has a security compartment and additional cup holders.

There is a full line of trail equipment available. A clinometer that can be mounted on the dash can show you what angle you are on, side to side and front to back. It features a cool picture of a jeep in the dials.

A trail jack is a very useful item to take with you into the back country. It is rated up to 2114 kg (4,660 lbs.) and is constructed of solid cast steel that is powder coated.

 

Recovery straps are another valuable item to have and are available in 2x20, 2x30, and 3x30 feet lengths. They range in price from $24.59 to $49.19.

 

A recovery utility tool is a collapsible shovel that is very similar to the ones used in the military; it features two serrated edges for cutting and digging. Fully extended it is 26 inches long and collapsed is nine inches, an easy item to pack and a great tool to carry with you.

For more information on any of these products or other products mentioned above, go smittybilt.com

 

Article written by: Ian Harwood - "The Truck Guy"
Corporate Sales and Operations Manager for Custom Truck Parts

This Big Ram has Plenty of Jam

Strong contender: Dodge provides drivers
with comfort to enjoy and power to spare

The final competitor in Truck Guy’s 2013 Truck of the Year competition is the Ram 1500.

Easy to get into

Few cosmetic changes were made to the 2013 Ram 1500, including the front-end modifications required to facilitate the new active grill shutters.

Full-length side boards make it easy to climb in and out and prevent rocks kicked up from the tires hitting the body. My tester was equipped with the available Ram box that is built into the sides of the truck box.

Great place to lock away items such as fishing rods or golf clubs.

One change that is a real standout is the fully adjustable air-suspension that allows you to increase the truck height for off-road. It also automatically adjusts to a lower height when at highway speeds.

Roomy and comfortable

I was using the Ram 1500 Outdoorsman crew cab 4x4 for my evaluation. The seats were cloth and big and comfortable.

The rear seats are a 40/20/40 bench that fold to allow for more cargo space. The rear sliding window is controlled by a switch just above the
rear view mirror.

The entertainment centre is an 8.4-inch touch screen with a 30GB hard drive that has a capacity of 6,700 songs. There are nine speakers located throughout the cab area in addition to a subwoofer throughout the cab area.

The Uconnect system is one of the easiest systems in which to connect your smartphone and allows you voice commands to do a variety of functions without distracting you from the road.

A rear video entertainment system is also available as an option.

The Ram 1500’s drive selector is mounted on the dash next to the volume control for the radio. This positioning means you need to be careful when turning up the volume and not switching into reverse.

Most truck owners like the feel of a shifter that you can grab and feel going into gear as opposed to a dial. The other hang-up I have is the manual mode shift buttons mounted on the steering wheel. They’re too small and located too close together.

The last thing you want to do coming down a long hill hauling a heavy trailer is searching for a small button to shift down.

Not short on safety

Plenty to offer here, including driver and passenger front airbags with occupant sensor, side curtain airbags, Sentry key engine immobilizer, tire pressure monitoring system, electronic stability program (ESP), all-speed traction control, trailer sway control, brake assist, hill start assist, electronic roll mitigation, park sense Rear Park assist system, security alarm and a rear park view backup camera.

Choose your power

Three solid power plants to choose from:
A 3.6-litre Pentastar that produces 305 hp and 269 lbs.-ft of torque
a 4.7-litre flex fuel V8 with 310 hp and 330 lbs.-ft of torque
the last is a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 with 395 hp and 407 lbs.-ft of torque

Pump frequency

V6: 13.0/8.5 L/100 km (city/highway)

Warranty support

Basic 3 years/ 60,000 km
Powertrain 5 year/ 100,000 km

Roadworthy

My test vehicle was equipped with the 3.6-litre Pentastar engine mated to the eight-speed torqueflite transmission. This transmission coupled with the highly efficient V6 engine is the key to a fuel efficient truck.

Throw in the stop-start system, active grill shutters, and automatic levelling air suspension and you have a gas miser that is fun to drive. The towing capacity of this particular truck is 2,653 kg (5850 lbs.) with a gear ratio of 3.55.

I towed a 2,700-pound trailer with a 1,200-pound UTV on board. Handled well and power wasn’t a concern.

Check out next weeks article where we'll announce the winner of Truck Guy’s 2013 Truck of the Year competition.

Sticker price

ST $19,995
Tradesman $20,695
SXT $20,495
SLT $24,795
HFE $25,295
Outdoorsman $28,045
Big Horn $30,145
Sport $31,745
Laramie $36,095
Laramie Longhorn $42,595


Article written by: Ian Harwood - "The Truck Guy"
Corporate Sales and Operations Manager for Custom Truck Parts