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By Steve Hanson
The 2005 Off Road Expo - Pomona, CA
W
hile most people think that spring and summer months of the year are the busiest for our off-road market, there's nothing like ending it with several explosive off-road events. All this off-road exposure has shifted my gears from park, to overdrive.
October ended with W.E Rock's Grand National Championships in Columbus, OH and UROC's own SuperCrawl in Sin City, which lead straight into the greatest car accessory show in the world, SEMA (See 4X4REVIEW's coverage). Pomona, CA played host to yet another season-ender, the Off Road Expo presented by Toyota Trucks.
Toyota's Off Road Expo, is the show to be at if you want your finger on the pulse of the off-road industry. The size and energy of this event certainly reflects what is going on in the dynamic world of off-road.
Before I even made it into the first hall, I bumped into legendary off-roader, Pat Gremillion - owner of Pull-Pal and Premier Power Welder. Pat was demonstrating his new military-grade Pull-Pal, designed for military and extra large truck use. Just about the time I finished up marveling at his new creations, he had just finished welding for another vendor, which isn't a surprise for anyone who knows Gremillions, they're always a first to lend a hand.
Pat's new military-grade Pull-Pal comes equipped with it's very own carrying case that doubles as a mat for working under a rig.
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Once inside, I wandered to the Mountain Off-Road Enterprises (M.O.R.E) booth. M.O.R.E. is a haven for Jeepers looking for any heavy-duty, hard-core aftermarket replacement parts. M.O.R.E. specializes in motor mounts, shackle reversal systems, bumpers, cages, body lifts, bump stops, rod ends, shock mounts and transmission mounts just to name a few of the endless list of factory replacement parts M.O.R.E has to offer.
One of MORE's new products: a rear bumper available with or without a tire carrier. Built wicked strong, M.O.R.E. makes this industrial strength bumper out of 7-gauge steel with an incorporated 2" receiver hitch, and high lift jack mount. The tire carrier will handle tires up to 37" and safety latch locks it opens when digging for gear in the back of a TJ, YJ or even CJ.
Also on display in the middle of the booth was Allan Ball's very own all go no show TJ. I had the pleasure of watching Allen compete week's prior in Phoenix, AZ at the UROC Extreme series. Trust me, he doesn't hold back; proving his products are of the highest quality and by testing them in the most extreme motor sports. If you're looking for some of the best off-road products available for Jeeps, contact Mountain Off-Road Enterprises at www.mountainoffroad.com or by phone at 970.625.0500.
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Next on the hit list were Allied Wheel Components and their assortment of wheels. AWC offers aluminum, and composite (steel rim with aluminum center) wheels in sizes up 22". The wheel that caught my eye was the new Rock Crusher. Look for full feature on this wheel in the near future through 4x4review.com.
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I am still a kid at heart and some things never change. One toy that caught my eye is displayed at Cen Racing. I'm not sure what the fascination is with RC cars, but I want one. Maybe it's that I never had one as a kid, or the fact that I've never grown up, or that I had to walk 5 miles to school everyday, in the snow, uphill. These RC's are really cool - 4.4" suspension travel, 4-wheel disk brakes, 4-wheel steering, limited slip differentials front and rear, skid plates, 5.0 horsepower motor and of course, a shaft driven 4-wheel drive drivetrain. Somebody better warn the neighborhood cat!
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Rancho continues to set the industry bar up even higher, especially in the shock absorber segment. Rancho was introducing their all-new Pro Series race performance RS9000x adjustable, gas-charged shock with remote reservoir. The 9-position shock can be mounted for manual adjustments or adjusted on the fly using their remote control kit.
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This show had it all from off-road racing to rock crawling, trail riding to sand sports, motorcycles, ATV's, camping gear, adventure travel and much more. My only regret - scheduling one day to try and take it all in - one mistake I'll not make next year.
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