In the Faux PW, I usually put it on top of the ladder rack, but when the SxS was in there, I just put it on the bed floor below. I folded the crane into a pretzel a year ago picking up a steel flatbed, so I haven’t stuck one on the new truck yet. The new one I’m planning to build will pivot at the lifting point, folding basically flat so it can tuck away.
The XJ had an external roll cage made out of 1.75" DOM steel, the entire unibody of the Jeep had extra plates welded to the outside of the unibody from front to rear to reinforce the unibody, the axles were of the 9" Ford flavor but made from steel plate rather than stampings like factory ones, the front third member was a special high pinion 9" for maximum strength in a front application (standard Ford 9" third members are low pinion) and it had an ARB air locker for traction, the rear third member was a standard low pinion design with a mechanical locker, the gear ratio for both differentials were 5.38:1 for more gear reduction to go with the taller tires normally the XJ would have 3.73:1, the 4 speed Atlas is a transfer case with a reduction box to allow for multiple gearing options and lower overall gears for rock crawling most 4x4s only have 2 speeds high and low, the beadlocks hold the tires to the wheel even at very low tire pressures, suspension seats have foam over a nylon webbing base to make the jarring hits offroad feel a little smoother, the front coil and shock set up was changed to a shock that carries the coil over the shock body for more compact packaging and adjustability.
No, he is a difficult and stubborn man who is almost intolerable. He called the hunt on the second afternoon and by his own admission didn't take the hunt seriously. I'm not surprised, this is his MO. He will always be a part of our hunts, but I don't think I'll be 'outfitting' his hunts anymore, his behavior is not that of a man who is there for the memories.
There are DOT approved beadlock options out there, I've not used any of those systems though. The Racelines I ran on my XJ were an excellent wheel, and I will use them again in the future. You'll see beadlocks in Baja for racing, mostly as added insurance, and you'll see them a ton on the dunes and in rock crawling where they are indispensable. For my use case with this truck, they're not something I need. Beadlocks are pretty maintenance intensive, not something that's fun on a street driven vehicle that sees a lot of miles.
