JcrOffroad

It's that time again here at JcrOffroad! Mike and I (Brian) are back at prototyping and trying to come up with new products. Our list for 2014 is pretty large, but we are going to try to get as much done as possible! Currently, we are planning the following: New Full-width Bumper, New Mid-width Bumper, Tailgate swinging Tire Carrier, Tube Fenders, Stretch Corners for 2-Doors, Light mounting brackets, and a new underbody skid system.

But before we get started, have you ever wondering how prototyping works at JCR? We'll here's your chance to look behind the scene with one of our new videos!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlfE5wGnnTs Anyways...as you could see in the video, we started with a new full-width design (the Vanguard). Here's what we have so far:



Stay tuned for more updates as we motor through some new product! If you have some suggestions of what you would like to see, shout it out and we'll see if it fits with our current plan!

~Brian

County98

I'm interested for sure. I'm bumper browsing right now since I'm deployed to Afghanistan again.

Any chance you guys are doing a rear bumper thats full width? I like the one you've got, but it stops at the body pan. Would really like it to come out under the flares. It's useful to have a corner step for roof rack folks.

Good job!

PS- I know WHY you ship naked steel, but already powdered option would really be enticing...

JcrOffroad

First off, Thank you for your service! Without fine people like yourself, we would not have the opportunity to do what we do here at JcrOffroad everyday!

We plan to make a Vanguard (wider) rear bumper as well.

Over the last 6 weeks, we've been working on some things to possibly allow for coated products through Jcr. We still have some more details to work out, but hopefully we'll be able to make this into a reality.

~Brian

County98

Great news on all counts!

Vanguard rear sounds great. Hopefully with lights/provisions and high lift jack points?

Vanguard front is looking good too. Are the pencil marks on the front lower for high lift cutouts as well? And since I'm building my dream bumpers through you, my favorite you have now is the full sunk pre-runner. Will there be a full sunk/hidden winch Vanguard? Just my personal taste, but the front blade edge design of the half sunk would take second place to the cleaner lines of the full sunk (maybe an explorer vs crawler thing).

I'd love to see another competitor to ARB, AEV, Expo-one. They are all very nice for sure for the explorer/expo market, but for me they are all lacking one thing or another.

My wish list:

High lift provisions as well as D-ring mounts front and rear
Fog light cutouts (front, widely spaced), rear bumper lighting/provisions for it
Front skid for Rubi disco
Winch guard hoop
full sunk front

Tentative availability?

And of course the "Not so subtle ploy for free stuff"...If you need a Joe Schmoe beta tester for powder shipping and garage instructions, I might know someone, lol.

Seriously though, thanks for taking the time to listen!


-Shayne

JcrOffroad

We will do hi-lift provisions if they are needed. The rear bumper will have built in LED lights like our current Crusader does.

We'll have PrototypeV2 done here after lunch. I'll get some pics of the updates then. Fully sinking the winch is a tricky process. It takes away ANY creativity you may have with the design. This second Vanguard front prototype is sunk. We were able to work it out, but we were not able to fully sink the winch. It's a happy medium that allows us to still have a trick design!

Lots of variables, but I would like to get this into product within a month. I'd say look for it around Valentines day.

~Brian

Septu

What's the time frame for the fenders? When can we see pictures and such?

icrashbikes

I would LOVE to see a new underbody skid system. There are a few out there, but I don't feel like any of them are really complete for one picky reason or another. I'd like to see:

1. Interlocking pieces that can be purchased and mounted individually or as a set.

2. Options in steel and aluminum, but both reinforced/gusseted to take a beating and not fold in half.

3. An actual option for a replaceable poly slider. Lots of manufacturers have mentioned this but I've never seen one.

4. Protected hardware. Bolt heads get destroyed, flush hex heads get destroyed, everything gets utterly obliterated on a skid plate. At least for me.. There has to be a way to either protect the hardware that's in harms way, or move the hardware somewhere else.

5. Drainage and oil drain plug access would be nice.

6. Weight. Skids weigh a ton and I get that. But with a little innovative engineering, they can weigh a ton out of necessity instead of 8 tons unnecessarily.

7. Mounting solutions that don't put other 'protected parts' at risk of damage. I'm happy to go out of my way to mount the skid to something solid even if it makes for tougher installation.

Yes, I realize that this is a list for only NASA to satisfy completely, and I certainly don't expect any manufacturer to actually put out a system that includes all of these for a price we mere mortals can afford. But you asked for suggestions so there's a bunch! Oh! Oh. And please, don't neglect the 2 door community. We know the 4 door crowd is the meat of the market, but us 2 door folks need a little love once in a while too.

JcrOffroad

Some progress on the Vanguard! Here's PrototypeV2.0! Mike managed to shovel 20lbs of options in a 10lb bag!

-Sunk winch, fits Zeon AND Powerplant.
-Flip-able fairlead mount, allowing for the best ascetically pleasing winch location.
-Hi-lift Jacking spot, needed because of the aggressive approach angle.
-Mounting locations for factory fogs.



Next up, we try to determine what kind of tube work it will be getting. Hopefully I'll have some updates later tonight or first thing tomorrow.

~Brian

JcrOffroad

As soon as we get rolling on these, we'll be sure to share! Probably in the next couple months.

pbujku13

Interesting thing about the fenders, will it match the full bumpers? I don't think I have seen a metal fender yet (maybe 1) that goes well with full width and adds clearance.