The Pros And Cons Of Building A Unique Off-Road Rig | Harry Situations

The Jeep Wrangler is the undisputed king of rockcrawling and it is easy to see why. These vehicles come from the factory with solid axles and coil springs, and Rubicon models even have locking differentials, a 4:1 transfer case, and a disconnecting sway bar straight off the showroom floor. Want coilovers or one-ton axles? There are a variety of companies happy to provide you with bolt-on products to transform your Wrangler into whatever you (and your wallet) can dream up.

By contrast, there is no aftermarket support for the Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Mitch Bergstrom’s 2007 Sport Trac didn’t even come with 4WD, making it an unlikely candidate for a rockcrawler. So why build a 2WD Sport Trac into a crawling rig with coilovers, locked Super Duty axles, and 40-inch Nitto Trail Grapplers? “You can find these all day for around five grand,” Mitch explained. A longtime Ford enthusiast, Mitch has built Rangers and Explorers in the past and is accustomed to fabricating parts himself with his friend and business partner Lance Morgan from Silver State Off Road. The Sport Trac came with body-on-frame construction, a V8 engine, and a six-speed automatic transmission with a 4.20:1 first gear. That’s the good part. The bad part is that these vehicles use independent suspension front and rear.

Mitch remedied that issue with Super Duty axles with Yukon Zip Lockers, 5.38 gears, and Yukon chromoly axle shafts and Hardcore locking hubs. The Dana 60 front axle is located by a Ruff Stuff Specialties link kit and 14-inch travel Fox coilover shocks, while the rear Sterling 10.5 axle was slung under Alcan leaf springs and 12-inch travel King bypass shocks. The 133-inch wheelbase falls between a four-door Wrangler and a Gladiator pickup. Mitch gets through tight trails with the ability to “front dig” by putting the divorced Advance Adapters Atlas II transfer case in front drive only. Like the suspension, the bumpers and rock sliders were custom fabricated by Mitch and Lance. “If you can do the fabrication yourself, I think it makes sense to start with a less expensive platform and spend your money on parts,” Mitch shared. “If you need to pay someone to build the vehicle for you though a Jeep is a better choice due to aftermarket support.”

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