I’ve been thinking about weight a lot lately. No, not my body weight, though I could gain to trade a few pounds of fat for muscle. I’m talking about vehicle weights, specifically gross vehicle weight ratings. “The gross vehicle weight rating, or gross vehicle mass is the maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified […]
Read MoreNitto is well known for its wide variety of performance tires, with many catered specifically to off-road and race applications. One of Nitto’s earliest entries into the all-terrain segment was the venerable Terra Grappler. A seemingly endless supply of positive reviews led us to pick up a set of 285/60R18 ( 31.5 by 11.5 inches […]
Read MoreSometimes things don’t go to plan. Like when your limited slip differential mysteriously goes out without warning. This is what we discovered last week after it began making the characteristic clunk and chatter of an LSD on the way out. I had the Jeep up on jack stands swapping to swap out the old rear […]
Read MoreI’ll be the first to admit shock absorbers are not the most glamorous part on a Jeep, but this week that’s exactly what were talking about. A little while back I put a fresh coat of emergency-red spray paint on my shocks. Why red? Everything is more glamorous in red. Yes, even shock absorbers. I’d been […]
Read More4x4s are designed to take a beating; for this reason, most are still made from steel. Steel skid plates protect vulnerable parts like your engine and fuel tanks from rocks and other hazards. The problem with steel is, if left unprotected, it rusts. When the bare metal is exposed to the elements, that gritty-red rot we call […]
Read MoreNo, the Wrangler isn’t dead, at least not yet, but Project Wrangler is on hold. It’ll stay in a state of suspended animation until I get my Jeep back from the dealer. The last two weeks it has undergone extensive engine repairs, thankfully all under warranty. The dealership has been great so far, but it’s a slow process […]
Read MoreThe space in my trunk where a great big footlocker containing all my camping gear, tools, and other equipment now sits empty. Actually, I can’t remember the last time my trunk was empty that thing was always in there. Removing the foot locker was a difficult decision. Throughout my childhood, this same footlocker, packed with everything […]
Read MoreI’ve learned a lot in the last few months, I’ve made some mistakes, like when I almost put my Wrangler into a ravine, or when I found myself surrounded on either side by mud-bogged Jeeps during a trail ride. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn and plenty of mistakes to be made. Probably […]
Read MoreBack in March, I bought my dream car, a True Blue Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I’d been drooling over this weird four-door convertible ever since I first saw one back in 2007. Growing up we’d always had 4x4s. In North-West Minnesota, it seemed likely everyone in the country owned at least one 4-wheel drive vehicle. During […]
Read MoreAs winter sets in, I have plenty of time to make plans for next years adventures. Better plans mean better adventures, less time spent searching for a campsite at midnight, and a happier traveling companion. From where I live on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border, along the Mississippi River, winter is no joke. Travel on “good” roads is […]
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Hi, my name is Tobias and this is my partner in crime Niecie and we are Adventure Bent. By day I'm a humble newspaper reporter and she's an English Teacher. When I’m not in he middle of an interview and Niecie's not teaching tomorrow's future, we're off exploring our backyard and planning adventures to far off places.
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