Looks good, I want to see it in person
BoldAdventures 2015 Power Wagon Build
- Thread starter BoldAdventure
- Start date
BoldAdventure
Adventurist
So got to Moab, and the first thing I did was put the truck through it's paces. Went up Strike Ravine.
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BoldAdventure
Adventurist
Yeah it does!
Yea, I am pretty smitten about the way the truck has turned out.
We ran Steel Bender Loop today. Our track is here: https://www.gaiagps.com/public/hBpyQgMNl9tmjvtxYPt1TGTQ/?layer=CalTopo
More fun to be had!
BTW, shout out to @Dave - I copied your ipad setup with Gaia and I'm really enjoying the app too. A lot better than trying to manage my phone. And now I can just jump out and take photos and not worry about getting back to my map.
BoldAdventure
Adventurist
Really been putting the Power Wagon through the paces again in Moab this year. It's been interesting leading a group of other Power Wagons. Learning the new bumper and how I can better approach and take on new lines has been a lot of fun.
Yesterday was one of the easier days. The second time the Power Wagon has been on Top of the World.
Yesterday was one of the easier days. The second time the Power Wagon has been on Top of the World.
Aust249
Adventurist
That's frame worthy!Really been putting the Power Wagon through the paces again in Moab this year. It's been interesting leading a group of other Power Wagons. Learning the new bumper and how I can better approach and take on new lines has been a lot of fun.
Yesterday was one of the easier days. The second time the Power Wagon has been on Top of the World.
BoldAdventure
Adventurist
This one makes me really proud. Yesterday we completed the Moab Trifecta. Poison Spider, Golden Spike Trail & Goldbar Rim.
Our Power Wagon made it across the Golden Crack
And both down and up the waterfall on Goldbar Rim.
We're now in the minority of Full Sizes to have run the crack.
I'll be posting a separate adventure report when we get back to Boise, and a write up on my thoughts of the Kinzer Offroad Bumper after testing the hell out of it for the past 13 days.
Sad to be leaving Moab tomorrow.
Our Power Wagon made it across the Golden Crack
And both down and up the waterfall on Goldbar Rim.
We're now in the minority of Full Sizes to have run the crack.
I'll be posting a separate adventure report when we get back to Boise, and a write up on my thoughts of the Kinzer Offroad Bumper after testing the hell out of it for the past 13 days.
Sad to be leaving Moab tomorrow.
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BoldAdventure
Adventurist
So spent around 15 days in Moab total. And have wheeled the truck almost every day with the bumper. What follows are my thoughts on the ordering process, dealing with Kye and overall impressions of the bumper. I know some of you have been PMing me asking what's up and if I got my bumper yet. And where I got it from.
I placed my order on February 28th, 2017 for one of Kye's bumpers. I paid a total of $1,998.00 USD via Paypal.
http://www.kinzeroffroad.com/
My initial quote for a lead time was exactly this:
However, Kye informed me on March 10th, that he was still waiting on his truck. And I sent him another email on March 20th asking him for an update, if he had received his truck. I heard back later that day that he would be receiving it the following Friday. On March 30th, I sent another email, asking for an update on the status of the bumper build.
I received an email reply that same Friday evening from Kye that he was getting his truck the following Friday.
Now, here is where I get annoyed, I sent him a follow-up on April 7th, seven days later hoping for an update. And another one on April 9th, after no reply. And finally got an update and a ship date of April 14th.
However bumper didn't actually ship out until the 17th of April, and I received it the day before we left for Moab on April 26th. Overall though, I suppose 8 business days isn't terrible for freight. But TheDirtRoad had his bumper shipped on April 21 and received his at his door, the same day I picked mine up.
I don't think Kye thought out in advance the shipping process. Kye chose a transport company that doesn't service the area he was shipping the bumper too. They sent the bumper to El Paso, Texas, then handed it off to another company Estes. Estes operates near where the bumper was shipped from. I lost tracking for a few days as the bumper didn't move before it finally arrived in Boise at their distribution center. Which I had to pick up myself. Also, it was in a crate, which was a bit unexpected.
I will cut him some slack though being an early customer and having received the bumper.
Kye is new to this, and this is a new business venture. Not sure how old he is, but it's obvious the business end wasn't thoroughly thought through. I was told by the other parties that purchased a bumper, that the bumper was actually cut and welded by someone other than Kye. And that he might have just been doing the finish work...
This would seem to jive a lot with Kye's initial decision to tell us he wasn't going to sell anymore and complaints about not making any money off the bumpers. I think this is just growing pains, and if Kye can figure out the shipping and build process he can find the profit. But if he's paying everyone else, well....
-----
Now as for the bumper itself, the finish work, needs some work. It was welded and then the welds were ground down, but there are a lot of noticeable scratches in the metal that will have to be reworked. That being said, it was GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. I already put a dozen +++ dings and scratches in the bumper while in Moab over the past 10 days.
The other problem I have is that the back side of the bumper was not welded. With what I want to do with this bumper, a couple good hits and you could get cracks in the welds and have a plate separate. Not good. I'd recommend and hope that he starts having the back side of the bumper welded as well as the front. That should increase the strength of the bumper.
That being said, as is, it's pretty damn tough. I accidentally drove straight into a good sized boulder while fiddling with my GPS on the trail.
As for DESIGN, this bumper is EXCELLENT. THIS IS A REALLY GOOD LOOKING BUMPER. This is a truly great design. I have ZERO complaints and tons of PRAISE for the design and the ease of installation. Kye didn't provide instructions in time for my install, he did send an email. But it was so easy, I had it installed before he could reply to me. It's really self-explanatory. And very secure.
The bumper works as intended as a high clearance bumper. It will take you some time to learn the new approach of your truck. I have smacked mine a bunch. With your factory bumper, you're usually afraid to get up on things. So there is a learning curve since now you have a skid and high clearance in learning where the front of the bumper is when approaching.
Another nice touch is the full wrap-around protection the skid offers. The bumper wraps down and around the back. Really, very nice design overall.
One area that could use improvement is maybe to weld 1-inch strips to the lower skid, this would act as a grip plate to prevent sliding off rocks.
Overall I have no complaints about design or functionality. Really, this could be the best aftermarket high clearance Power Wagon-specific bumper. All that really needs to be improved here is business end process stuff. As for the product, it's great. I'm 100% happy with this bumper.
If you want to wheel your truck hard, BUY this bumper. It will greatly improve your approach angle, going up and coming down. It will also make your flex shots that much cooler.
Now for the photos:
So as far as finishing the bumper, I'm going to get the back side welded. Then I'm going to get it blasted and powder coated. I plan on having the lower skid part Line-X'd when I do my sliders. And I'm still planning on LED's.
I placed my order on February 28th, 2017 for one of Kye's bumpers. I paid a total of $1,998.00 USD via Paypal.
http://www.kinzeroffroad.com/
My initial quote for a lead time was exactly this:
However, Kye informed me on March 10th, that he was still waiting on his truck. And I sent him another email on March 20th asking him for an update, if he had received his truck. I heard back later that day that he would be receiving it the following Friday. On March 30th, I sent another email, asking for an update on the status of the bumper build.
I received an email reply that same Friday evening from Kye that he was getting his truck the following Friday.
Now, here is where I get annoyed, I sent him a follow-up on April 7th, seven days later hoping for an update. And another one on April 9th, after no reply. And finally got an update and a ship date of April 14th.
However bumper didn't actually ship out until the 17th of April, and I received it the day before we left for Moab on April 26th. Overall though, I suppose 8 business days isn't terrible for freight. But TheDirtRoad had his bumper shipped on April 21 and received his at his door, the same day I picked mine up.
I don't think Kye thought out in advance the shipping process. Kye chose a transport company that doesn't service the area he was shipping the bumper too. They sent the bumper to El Paso, Texas, then handed it off to another company Estes. Estes operates near where the bumper was shipped from. I lost tracking for a few days as the bumper didn't move before it finally arrived in Boise at their distribution center. Which I had to pick up myself. Also, it was in a crate, which was a bit unexpected.
I will cut him some slack though being an early customer and having received the bumper.
Kye is new to this, and this is a new business venture. Not sure how old he is, but it's obvious the business end wasn't thoroughly thought through. I was told by the other parties that purchased a bumper, that the bumper was actually cut and welded by someone other than Kye.
And that he might have just been doing the finish work...This would seem to jive a lot with Kye's initial decision to tell us he wasn't going to sell anymore and complaints about not making any money off the bumpers. I think this is just growing pains, and if Kye can figure out the shipping and build process he can find the profit. But if he's paying everyone else, well....
-----
Now as for the bumper itself, the finish work, needs some work. It was welded and then the welds were ground down, but there are a lot of noticeable scratches in the metal that will have to be reworked. That being said, it was GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. I already put a dozen +++ dings and scratches in the bumper while in Moab over the past 10 days.
The other problem I have is that the back side of the bumper was not welded. With what I want to do with this bumper, a couple good hits and you could get cracks in the welds and have a plate separate. Not good. I'd recommend and hope that he starts having the back side of the bumper welded as well as the front. That should increase the strength of the bumper.
That being said, as is, it's pretty damn tough. I accidentally drove straight into a good sized boulder while fiddling with my GPS on the trail.
As for DESIGN, this bumper is EXCELLENT. THIS IS A REALLY GOOD LOOKING BUMPER. This is a truly great design. I have ZERO complaints and tons of PRAISE for the design and the ease of installation. Kye didn't provide instructions in time for my install, he did send an email. But it was so easy, I had it installed before he could reply to me. It's really self-explanatory. And very secure.
The bumper works as intended as a high clearance bumper. It will take you some time to learn the new approach of your truck. I have smacked mine a bunch. With your factory bumper, you're usually afraid to get up on things. So there is a learning curve since now you have a skid and high clearance in learning where the front of the bumper is when approaching.
Another nice touch is the full wrap-around protection the skid offers. The bumper wraps down and around the back. Really, very nice design overall.
One area that could use improvement is maybe to weld 1-inch strips to the lower skid, this would act as a grip plate to prevent sliding off rocks.
Overall I have no complaints about design or functionality. Really, this could be the best aftermarket high clearance Power Wagon-specific bumper. All that really needs to be improved here is business end process stuff. As for the product, it's great. I'm 100% happy with this bumper.
If you want to wheel your truck hard, BUY this bumper. It will greatly improve your approach angle, going up and coming down. It will also make your flex shots that much cooler.
Now for the photos:
So as far as finishing the bumper, I'm going to get the back side welded. Then I'm going to get it blasted and powder coated. I plan on having the lower skid part Line-X'd when I do my sliders. And I'm still planning on LED's.
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BoldAdventure
Adventurist
Looks like I need to fix my posts, a lot of double images.
On another note, I slapped together a little highlight reel of our time wheeling in Moab.
On another note, I slapped together a little highlight reel of our time wheeling in Moab.
BoldAdventure
Adventurist
I plan on removing my White Knuckle Sliders and moving them closer to the body and then welding them to the frame. This year in Moab they smacked on too many things. Things that the rocker panels themselves wouldn't have smacked. That's what they are there for, but it's annoying when your slider is a hang up.
Been conversing with the guys over at DPP about their awesome build. And working out some details with a friend. Future plans, bye bye pinch seam.
About 2 inches of lower pinch seam will be removed from the truck, rewelded with a new 2 inch lower seam and then over to the Rhino Liner guy for color matched white on the lower rockers, both sides of the truck.
Then the sliders are getting blasted, cut and modified. They'll be welded back to the frame and tucked close to the body.
Been conversing with the guys over at DPP about their awesome build. And working out some details with a friend. Future plans, bye bye pinch seam.
About 2 inches of lower pinch seam will be removed from the truck, rewelded with a new 2 inch lower seam and then over to the Rhino Liner guy for color matched white on the lower rockers, both sides of the truck.
Then the sliders are getting blasted, cut and modified. They'll be welded back to the frame and tucked close to the body.
BoldAdventure
Adventurist
So, I'm still waiting on my friend Marcus to finish his move to Portland before the major work on the truck begins. In the meantime, I've been just exploring Idaho and SE Oregon more on the weekends and doing some camping with the family to gauge what we need as we move this truck to the next phase. And more towards a hybrid overland/tow rig.
Over Memorial Day weekend, we loaded up the truck and did our first camping trip in years! Wife and I haven't been camping since 2013. We don't really count living in or traveling in the Airstream as camping. (It's more like our mobile house) We attempted to do the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route, however, most of it was all closed and we got turned around on several sections that were opened by downed trees and washed out roads.
Overall, we had a really great time. Our girls did great and seemed to have a good time.
The trip helped us cement some ideas, about ground tent vs RTT. We're sure now that we do want to build a custom rack and add a RTT to the truck. Ground camping just isn't for us anymore. And we can see ourselves moving from spot to spot a little more frequently.
We did find a beautiful dispersed spot along the South Fork of the Payette River.
Over Memorial Day weekend, we loaded up the truck and did our first camping trip in years! Wife and I haven't been camping since 2013. We don't really count living in or traveling in the Airstream as camping. (It's more like our mobile house) We attempted to do the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route, however, most of it was all closed and we got turned around on several sections that were opened by downed trees and washed out roads.
Overall, we had a really great time. Our girls did great and seemed to have a good time.
The trip helped us cement some ideas, about ground tent vs RTT. We're sure now that we do want to build a custom rack and add a RTT to the truck. Ground camping just isn't for us anymore. And we can see ourselves moving from spot to spot a little more frequently.
We did find a beautiful dispersed spot along the South Fork of the Payette River.
Nice rack Mike!
BoldAdventure
Adventurist
Time to start working.
BoldAdventure
Adventurist
I've got a host of updates coming by Labor Day. Almost done with the build. Pretty much bought everything on my wish list almost.
BoldAdventure
Adventurist
I've done a lot of upgrades in the past few months, but have been behind with my build thread. But here are some highlights.
Modified Front Bumper
I had some problems with my bumper the way it was. Had a good friend rework all the welds, and weld the back side which originally was not welded. Also removed 2 1/2 inches from the bottom of the bumper.
Thuren Parts Galore!
Installed Thuren 1.5 inch front Hemi coils, Thuren Rear Trackbar, Thuren Boogie Rated Front Bumpstops and King Steering Stabilizer.
Also Dodge Off Road Steering Brace
Modified Front Bumper
I had some problems with my bumper the way it was. Had a good friend rework all the welds, and weld the back side which originally was not welded. Also removed 2 1/2 inches from the bottom of the bumper.
Thuren Parts Galore!
Installed Thuren 1.5 inch front Hemi coils, Thuren Rear Trackbar, Thuren Boogie Rated Front Bumpstops and King Steering Stabilizer.
Also Dodge Off Road Steering Brace
BoldAdventure
Adventurist
Tire Upgrade
After installing the Thuren 1.5 inch Hemi coil up front, I went ahead and installed Toyo Open Country M/T's in 37x12.50R17
I love these tires. They fit the truck so well. And I'm going to be honest here, when wheeling in Moab, I feel like the 37's are a bigger difference compared to the 35's. I did not notice a huge gain with the 35's when wheeling compared to the stock 33's. But the 37's are very noticeable in terms of gains compared to the 35's.
After installing the Thuren 1.5 inch Hemi coil up front, I went ahead and installed Toyo Open Country M/T's in 37x12.50R17
I love these tires. They fit the truck so well. And I'm going to be honest here, when wheeling in Moab, I feel like the 37's are a bigger difference compared to the 35's. I did not notice a huge gain with the 35's when wheeling compared to the stock 33's. But the 37's are very noticeable in terms of gains compared to the 35's.