Author Archive for Benjamin
Benjamin Hunting is a freelance automotive writer who has been involved in racing, restoring and writing about cars and trucks for more than a decade. In his spare time he enjoys keeping the shiny side up on track days. You can find out more about Benjamin’s writing at his website, http://www.benjaminhunting.com.
Marshall Motoarts Sand Car
Playing in the sand with your truck can be a lot of fun, but it also carries with it quite a few risks. Primarily, jumping dunes and dodging pits can put a lot of strain on your vehicle, especially since stock pickups were never designed to take that kind of pounding abuse on their suspension and frame. This is why so many off-road enthusiasts opt for smaller scale entertainment in the form of a utility-terrain vehicle.
Some of the more interesting UTV options on the market come from the mind of Christopher “MARSHALL” Burke of Marshall Motoart. Located in Ogden, Utah, Burke has been building UTV’s for years. UTV’s are vehicles which started out in life as standard work or task-based vehicles but which evolved through customization to fill a sportier role in their owner’s life. UTV’s typically allow for side-by-side seating, unlike a smaller ATV, and they are also larger and more capable than their entry-level cousins.
The Marshall Motoart Sand Car in its natural element.
In addition to basing UTV designs on existing models, Burke also comes up with completely custom creations for individual customers.
TrophyKart – Fun Alternative to Full Size Trophy Truck Racing
Trophy trucks are some of the most exhilarating adult toys that most of us will never get a chance to drive. Pounding across the desert landscape at well over 100 miles per hour in a custom-built truck that can take all of the abuse that the harsh landscape can dish out might unsettle your kidneys, but the adrenaline rush that comes along with the experience more than compensates for any temporary discomfort. Check out this video:
While the upper tiers of trophy truck off-road racing might be out of the reach of anyone who isn’t a professional driver or a trust-fund inheritor, for the rest of us there are Trophy Karts. These pint-sized all-terrain thrill rides can be thought of us go-karts on steroids – or rather, go-karts with a lift kit and the kind of suspension that doesn’t mind the occasional aerial maneuver.
The TrophyKart Mod Kart.
Built by the aptly-named TrophyKart, these small vehicles come in three different flavors.
New Product: MAXTRAX Recovery System
Getting stuck while driving your Toyota Tundra is never a fun time, but getting stuck out on the trail can be even more of a hassle. While you can usually count on locating a tow service to haul you out of a ditch or tug you free from a snow bank, off-roading far from civilization car dramatically reduce your options should you encounter a loss of traction serious enough to immobilize your truck.
MAXTRAX is designed to easily slide under the drive wheels of a stuck truck.
Some all-terrain enthusiasts always make sure to buddy up when trail driving in order to avoid being stuck out in the wilderness alone, but there are situations where even a tow rope might not be enough to get your moving forward again. This is where a product like MAXTRAX can be a lifesaver.
Undercover SE Paintable Hard Tonneau Cover
Tonneau covers come in seemingly infinite varieties. One of the newer cargo-protection products to hit the market for the Toyota Tundra is the Undercover SE. At first glance, the Undercover SE seems similar to many other hardshell tonneau covers already available for the Tundra, but a closer looks reveals some intriguing features that make this particular product worth checking out.0
First, this tonneau cover is paintable. That’s a big deal to a lot of Tundra owners, especially considering that the official Toyota painted-to-match Tundra tonneau cover is a little pricey (about $1500). Of course, there are lots of fiberglass tonneau covers available that can be painted to match…but they’re heavy. Which brings us to the second benefit of the Undercover SE.
Rancho quickLIFT Leveling-Lift Kit
Rancho is one of the most trusted names in pickup truck suspension systems, and they build a variety of different shock options for the Toyota Tundra. One of their more recent products is the Rancho quickLIFT system, which has been so well received by the aftermarket industry that it actually won the award for “Best New Off-Road/4Wheel Drive Product” at last year’s SEMA show.
How exactly does the Rancho quickLIFT system live up to the hype? The main idea behind quickLIFT is to provide Tundra owners with an easy way to accommodate the bigger tires (as large as 34″) that are better suited for off-road adventures. Since the Tundra comes with a fairly appreciable factory rake, quickLIFT levels out the pickup by lifting the front suspension through the raising of the front coil spring seats, giving owners an additional 2 to 2.5 inches to play with.
Rancho quickLIFT Strut
Rancho aims to undercut traditional full lift kits in terms of purchase price (only $180) and installation costs with quickLIFT
