Charles, I should have kept the video, but better yet it was a great teaching moment for my daughters. I have a few other stories probably best shared around a fire with some bourbon.

Anyhow another great example of multigenerational inbreeding at its best. 

Keep an eye on the arms for stress cracks etc, usually first sign you’re pushing it a bit far.

Just making sure I don’t start a duplicate thread etc.

There isn’t already a pool going for the date when he first puts this on its lid? If not I’ll be happy to start that thread and oversee the pool......

Imgur, nice to see you’re still plugging away. Couple different guys have asked about you from here over the last few months btw so you have not been forgotten.

I see this post and immediately think of the paperwork I'd have to do when I train someone on skid steer useage.

Can you cover the portion on how to keep it off it’s lid for us?

I vote some super swamper bloggers!


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I had 37” cut boggers on my eb before I parted it out & moved to hippy land. I cut every small lug off of them...

Looking good Charles!

I make one heck of a PB & Jelly sandwich & my nickname is lunchlady!

Quote from: cudakidd53 on January 13, 2018, 11:10:14 AM

On a serious note:

When you DO decide to try and use it like a chainsaw, DON'T - They make a hydraulic cutting claw - equipment company might have one you can rent and attach to "Spud" and use it to shear cedars and SMALL trees off at the base instead of trying to run/ruin your new brush cutter thinking it's a buzz-saw!

 

The extreme cutter is rated to cut 10" material!!!!!!!!!

That's all day long mowing trees with a 10" caliper!

It weight over 2,000 lbs, has a flywheel made of 1" thick high strength steel and can even cut up fence wire. Takes trees all the way down to the ground and turns the whole tree into mulch in seconds. One amazing cutter!

You say mulch huh? Darn nemesis stuff will be everywhere now and you may be lost to never be heard from again.

Wait isn’t that what happened to sq d?

 

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-13/vegas-gunman-sent-cryptic-email-about-bumpfire-ars-100-round-magazine-massacre

I'm with Shawn (did I say that??)  take a longer term view.

Make sure you keep your family's needs in mind too.  I'd love to do something different and work with my hands too, but I can't in good conscience walk away from the money I make until my job of getting the kids grown and on their feet is done.  Thus why I work with my hands every chance I get on the weekends.

Degrees and advanced degrees are not a bad thing, but a 40 year harvard study showed that all things being equal, emotional intelligence is the biggest key to success.  Invest in yourself and consider a personal coach.  In any field, being the best, and surviving any downturn means being better than those around you.  You don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun the rest of your group.

Learn how whatever you do helps the company make profit and then innovate to drive more profit.  You'll rise quickly and be considered irreplaceable.

So think about where you can be 5-10 years from now and what the income potential is for the job/role/path you decide to take.  Money is not everything but when you have a family to support, its an important part of your role.

Interesting enough we have a book on emotional intelligence on our mantle at home currently.

Yeah, those won't make any noise on road.....

Better upgrade the stereo

It’s a Jeep.......

Road noise is part of the experience, I love how these yuppies out here add sound deadening / insulation to the hard top roof panels to make it more “landroverish”. I have a friend who I will call a “yuppie wheeler” who is too good for swampers and said you don’t need that “type” of tire for Colorado. I’m old school a bit, this Jeep build is a like a wedding. A mix of old tech and new, the swampers are just old school cool imo. Add that & I don’t care what most think & well there ya go!

Heck yeah, swampers FTW !!!

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A true 37” tire too (at least that is what four wheel parts website claims)!

Ok, so lets switch gears or into tires specifically.

When I started acquiring pieces and parts I was thinking 39-40" tire. Then the more I thought about it the 38" tire seemed to be a better fit since once you go over that the more drastic you need to get into suspension and trimming etc on the body and fenders.

I started researching these 38" tires and part of my criteria is to keep non beadlock wheels per unit cost reasonable in case I destroy one. At the end of the day this JK is a tool in my mind, a point A to B tool and well tools break occasionally. Wheels are not worth $300 each to destroy when a $100 unit will destroy just the same and carry the tire from A to B if you follow my logic? I'm cheap so reasonable to me is $150 or less and $100 is even better.

Then once you look at the small amount of 38" tires available and varying costs of those & you still need to decide wheel size. Now here is another criteria that limits us, the mount pattern of 5 on 5.5 is limiting on reasonable priced wheels. I really like 16" wheels, I'm a bit old school and I like a lot of rubber on my tires in relation to the rim and airing down for real world off road use that sidewall if tough enough will give you traction. However, 16" wheels are not reasonable really for that mount pattern.

Long story short after all of this deciphering 17" wheels and 37" tires are in abundance and in the world of supply and demand they have reasonable options and many. So here I find myself with a JK that will be sporting 17" wheels and 37" tires. So wheels, well those will come after we decide what tire.

Researching tires, many options all basically the same. From dick cepek to pro comp to cooper etc. & they are all fine and dandy except for those darn BFG KM2's they still suck. Then I come across my old friend in a new updated version at a price I (recall I am cheap) can hardly resist.

http://www.intercotire.com/tire/148

in 37 x 12 x 17R

So me and this tire have history, it's like that one friend you have not hunted with since you were teenagers and you bump into him at the gas station getting coffee on opening morning deer season 20 years later. It's gunna be real hard to drink that coffee and leave without him.

My EB originally had 36" SX's on it that I traded something for, they were cheap (perfect right?) and were a great off road tire. They have a bit of an attitude on the pavement but nothing a seasoned guy can't deal with.

So after writing all of this I think my mind is made up & DOT approved for those commies who make me do emissions tests occasionally.

When you bore that unit bearing out to accommodate the 35 spline shafts the needle bearings go away.

Edit: this is what I have read & it is what certain machine shops have been doing to these unit bearings for a few years now. I will take some measurements tomorrow on my used ones.

Hmm good question. The support bearing inside is not very heavy.. that seal is pretty beafy...it might unintentionally provide some support, but more importantly keep moisture out. Ford also redid the seal on the axle tube side so you might want to go OEM on that one.

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I know guys are running 35 spline shafts through the unit bearings (after having them machined, I have a shop that will be doing it for me). So earlier I sent a message off to Tate asking if those guys are using say a f450 seal or just leaving it out. I’ll have to look at the unit bearings closer but I thought they were sealed pretty tight.....

Quote from: stlaser on January 12, 2018, 06:11:37 PM

About time  how many lawnmowers with loafers ago did we recommend this? Where’s ash when you need him?

Where is Ash???

So ya like it?

I do, I’d buy another they are so versatile it will be first purchase on my next farm...

This one is quick...^^^^^^^^

Tate, Ken possibly, the inner knuckle seal on these superduty axles is only there to to help create the vacuum needed to operate the stock vacuum operated locking hubs? This is my assumption anyhow, can you guys verify that seal doesn’t stabilize the stub shaft going into the unit bearing or some crazy thing I’m overlooking does it?

When weaver machines the knuckles they machine the vacuum port off the knuckle anyhow and my plan was to run drive flanges.

Quote from: cruizng on January 12, 2018, 08:29:57 AM

That is my style of cooking. I can burn water. My wife does all of the cooking and it is probably a good thing or I would weigh 65 pounds or have a standing table at Taco Bell. I do grill hamburgers and hot dogs when she asks and they come out ok. Or at least kids will eat them. 

I'm runnin' about 50/50 on the burgers...

Whatever you do, do not answer Nate’s texts or phone calls. In no time flat he will have you spending a grand on equipment that will make you look like you know whatcha doin.....

Case in point, my GMG & Christmas dinner that included prime rib (holy cow my Christmas dinner budget tripled thanks to Nate )

So the next step or my next step as I await the artec kit is to start getting additional hard parts machined and or in process. For the 99-04 Dana 60 front axle there are only a couple current options for knuckle upgrades. After quite a bit of due diligence the one company that stood out & looks to have it down to a science is Weaver Fabrication.

https://www.weaverfabrication.com/

The product I will be purchasing is the 99-04 machined knuckle and high steer arm kit. They machine the top of both knuckles to accept their 1" thick arms that are not drilled which for me is perfect as it allows me to configure the steering in a way that works best for my setup. Once I get the old ball joints pressed out I will have these on their way to get machined. I just contacted Weaver this morning and gave them a heads up on the inbound parts. I will keep you updated on the process with them.

https://www.weaverfabrication.com/product/1999-2004-hi-steer-complete-kit/

I justify it as renting, I'm renting this place because in 5 years I will no longer be here. It is not a forever home, it was purchased to live out of for a set time and with the intent it would be easy to move when we need to do so. I don't like neighbors or HOA's and a place I buy and not rent will have neither, well it may have neighbors but 1/4 mile away would be minimum distance in my mind.

Yeah it’s s High cost for sure!! Imagine out where Jr is and that value change


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Denver was ranked higher cost of living than San Fran last summer fyi.......

Dave, my estate in Indiana was 17 acres, 3.5 acre stocked pond, custom 3500 sq ft home with oversized 3 car, separate 4000 sq ft shop and I sold it for 500K

My home here in Boulder County Colorado is 2500 sq ft with a small 3 car garage on postage stamp lot and it appraised right at $480K 4 months ago........... this house is 3 years old and compared to my old place is a POS but unless you want to spend a mil here and I didn't then that's what you get.

Coworker just moved to Denver, he paid double for his house,


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