Project SWAMPCAT

[swampcat14]

Spent some time playing at Northwest OHV in Bridgeport, TX yesterday. I'm ashamed to admit it's been over a year since I've hit any trails. It was great to get out again. Didn't get many pics cuz this trip was mainly for me, but here's a few.

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[swampcat14]

I'm gonna be detailing some more of the specific parts we used during the Offroad Addiction, Inc build on #ProjectSwampcat, since I haven't covered them yet. Might as well start from the ground up!

Wheels, Tires, and bead busting, oh my!

Not long after I was offered the sponsorship, I also learned that I'd been selected to participate in the first ever Ultimate Overland Adventure with FourWheeler Magazine. One of the event sponsors was Dick Cepek Tires, and I took advantage of a special offer they made for event participants on a set of 5 Extreme Country M/Ts in 37x12.50R17LT.

When the tires came in, I wanted to mount them myself. This was something I'd never done before, but I did some research and then dove right in anyway. I soon discovered that my Hutchinson Rock Monster wheels were not the easiest wheels to break the bead on, even when the two parts of the wheel are unbolted from each other! But I suppose that's a good thing, haha. Turns out, using traditional poor-man's bead busting techniques (tire spoons, hi-lift between the tire and the Jeep bumper, compressing the tire with a floor jack, etc) don't work because of the beadlock ring on the inside oof the tire. Pushing on one side of the tire just applies that force to the beadlock ring and then out to the other side of the tire.

So, I started looking for a new option. That's when I found the BeadBuster XB-550. This thing is awesome! Here's a quick video of it in action. It can bust ANY tire, can be operated by electric, pneumatic, or hand tools, and is small enough to carry with you on the trail!

After finding the XB-550, swapping out these tires was a piece of cake. I had all 5 done in about 1.5 hours. Then, after a quick trip to the dealership to get them balanced, and we were all set!

Since then, I've put 20,000 miles on these tires over varied terrain. Mountain passes, water crossings, sharp rock, a little sand, mud, and of course plenty of highway miles. I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about their 2 Ply sidewall, even though DC says it has "Next Generation High Tensile (HT) Body Ply Cord", but I'm happy to report that, despite a fair amount of trail scars, I've had no issues with them whatsoever. These tires are solid. I didn't measure the tread depth when they were new, but they currently have 3/8" of tread left, which I think is pretty good for M/Ts over that many miles. They do make a bit of noise (as all M/Ts do), but even on the highway I can't hear them from in the cab with the windows up and the radio off.

As for the wheels, I mean, they're Hutchinson Rock Monsters... what else do you need to know? Haha. Seriously these wheels are fantastic. DOT approved, two-piece, true beadlock, easy to assemble/disassemble (especially with the XB-550), compatible with TPMS, and they look awesome! They are heavier than some other options out there, so your gas mileage will suffer a bit, but that's an acceptable compromise for me, personally. AS for trail damage, sure they've suffered a bit, but they just take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. Scratches just add character, am I right?

 

[swampcat14]

A few more images of the beating my wheels/tires have taken...

 

[swampcat14]

Contractor dumped a load of sand in the driveway, so what's a Jeeper to do...

 

[swampcat14]

Swampcat is FOR SALE!! (Although you'll have to rename it...)

Link to the Marketplace listing --> https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...-jl-unlimited-rubicon-project-swampcat.57386/

 

[ExpeditionBuilds]

Swampcat is FOR SALE!! (Although you'll have to rename it...)

Link to the Marketplace listing --> https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...-jl-unlimited-rubicon-project-swampcat.57386/

Good luck with the sale. What's next?



-Steven

 

[swampcat14]

Good luck with the sale. What's next?



-Steven

Thanks! The plan is a Ram 2500 of some kind. Not sure yet if we're gonna go Power Wagon or Prospector or some other variant.

 

[swampcat14]

Well, we sold the Jeep over the weekend. It was bittersweet but I have no regrets. As a way of saying goodbye, I leave you all with pictures from the December issue of FourWheeler magazine (on shelves now), wherein lies a 4-page feature on Project Swampcat. I will likely not be very active in the forums for a while, but will leave my account and this thread open, and I will be available for anyone who has questions about my build or JLs in general.

See ya around!

 

[3VOLVE]

Well, we sold the Jeep over the weekend. It was bittersweet but I have no regrets. As a way of saying goodbye, I leave you all with pictures from the December issue of FourWheeler magazine (on shelves now), wherein lies a 4-page feature on Project Swampcat. I will likely not be very active in the forums for a while, but will leave my account and this thread open, and I will be available for anyone who has questions about my build or JLs in general.

See ya around!

Just read this hard copy and exclaim a congratulations! Great build, must be bittersweet since you just sold it.

 

[swampcat14]

Just read this hard copy and exclaim a congratulations! Great build, must be bittersweet since you just sold it.

Thanks! Yeah it was a bit sad to see it go, but I have no regrets, and eventually there will be another build.

 

[3VOLVE]

Can you share your experience with the Hutchinson’s?

 

[swampcat14]

Can you share your experience with the Hutchinson’s?

Apologies for the slow reply. It was a busy holiday.

Personally, I loved the Hutchinson's and I will definitely be buying another set eventually, but they aren't the right wheel for everyone so I don't recommend them universally.

They are heavier than almost all other beadlocks on the market, and you may not be required to have DOT certified wheels in your state (or you may not care whether it's required, haha). On top of that, they aren't cheap to buy, and they aren't cheap to have mounted (most shops will charge around $150 per tire to mount beadlocks in my experience), but more on that later.

To be honest, you probably don't even need a beadlock. All reputable modern offroad wheels will hold the bead in ~80% of wheeling situations. That number goes up to 85 or 90% if you stay above 15 psi, know how to drive offroad, and make conservative wheeling decisions.

For me, it came down to durability and versatility. I didn't want to be limited by my wheels. I wanted a wheel that could handle anything I threw at it, and gave me the flexibility to adjust to whatever kind of wheeling I wanted to do that day. If I wanted to head off across country and have some spontaneous adventures, the DOT rating meant I didn't have to worry about different rules in different states. If I wanted to play in the sand or try to crawl over the biggest rock around, the beadlock design meant I could air all the way down to 0 psi if needed. On top of that, the Hutchinson two-part design promised a much easier time mounting/dismounting tires.

On that last point though (and circling back to the mounting topic), I did discover that mounting and dismounting tires on these wheels isn't as straightforward as I'd hoped, and ended up requiring one of two specialized tools, either a professional tire mounting machine, or the Bead Buster XB-550. I didn't want to end up on the trail with a busted tire and not have any experience taking these wheels apart, so I did some training/experimenting in my garage over a couple weekends, and ended up buying an XB-550 to keep in the recovery kit. You can read all about that here.

Hope that helps!

 

[3VOLVE]

Hope that helps!

Very helpful indeed. Thank you for taking the time and sharing your experiences.

So, what are you building next?

 

[swampcat14]

Very helpful indeed. Thank you for taking the time and sharing your experiences.

So, what are you building next?

Well, I'm not sure. Our adventuring style and needs are best suited by a full-size truck, and it will likely be a Ram 2500 variant. However, I'm undecided as to whether I want to build one, or just buy a ProspectorXL and get straight to the adventuring part. I've also been tempted to restore a Willys, as well as maybe getting back to my muscle car days by doing a resto-mod on a classic mustang.

In any case, that won't be until next summer at the earliest. I'm working from home full time until at least June 2021, so we're taking the opportunity to be a one-car family and build some more equity in our home.

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