Power Wagon Archives - Family Off The Map

How the Wilco Hitchgate helped me sleep like a baby

April 7, 2019August 2, 2017 by Crismateski (BlkWgn)

Hitchgate Classic from Wilco Offroad with a 37" Falken Tire MT

One of the most common modifications done to an offroad vehicle is the tires, and like many things in life, modifications on a vehicle have consequences. When our rig rolled off the assembly line it was equipped with a 285/70/r17 AT tire which specs out to 32.7 inches or a small “33”. For a factory tire, it is a pretty respectable size and on a short wheelbase vehicle, they can be quite capable, but we don’t have a short wheelbase vehicle. This is one of a number of reasons that we went to a much larger 37×12.5r17 Falken Wildpeak MT01 tire, and that change leads to a lack of sleep.

200,000 the hard way

June 14, 2016 by Crismateski (BlkWgn)

BlkWgn has hit a milestone, that’s right 200,000 miles. While its early life appeared to be easy, in the time that we have had it, the miles have certainly not been. After a long search we found the perfect rig on at a used car lot in Orange County Ca. The body was straight, the paint was shiny and without a scratch. The hook for the Warn winch was missing, but the line looked unused. The lockers engaged with a solid pull of the steering, and the sway bar disconnected quiet and smooth. Not a scratch or speck of dirt in the undercarriage, and a set of street tires. This was obviously somebody’s pavement queen and had rarely, if ever, seen a dirt road in its 73,000 miles. Oh, I almost forgot Paige’s favorite features, dual climate control and heated seats.