Jeep JK Wrangler Six-wheeler Pickup Defies All Logic
Right-hand drive, six-wheeled Jeep JK Wrangler wins over DeMuro with its high-quality conversion and surprisingly decent on-road handling.
Customization is a right of passage for many Wrangler owners. Some owners put larger tires on their JK or maybe even a lift kit on their Jeep. Others replace the bumpers and suspension with beefier components. In reality, many people install all of those things on their Wrangler.
But what happens when a Jeep Wrangler JK owner wants to really stand out from the crowd? They purchase a right-hand drive model and have it converted into a six-wheeled pickup. Doug DeMuro recently reviewed one of the craziest conversions ever. Basically, someone paid an aftermarket company to take some Wrangler parts and fashion them into a gargantuan beast of a Jeep. Fortunately, it seems like the next owner will at least get a quality product, because the company that performed the surgery did a fantastic job.
America’s Most Heavily Modified Right-hand Drive Jeep?
Perhaps the weirdest aspect of the six-wheeled Jeep isn’t the addition of two extra tires. It’s the fact that someone decided to have it done on a right-hand drive model. The existence of right-hand drive Jeeps in America isn’t as insane as it sounds. They’re used as mail carriers in rural parts of the country. Maybe you already knew that. But did you know they’re available to anyone? “And interestingly, if you special order it, you can still to this day walk into a Jeep dealer and order a right-hand drive Wrangler if that’s what you want,” says DeMuro.
Given the challenges of owning one of these Wranglers in a society structured around left-hand drive, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to buy one. But the option is there for people who really feel the need to stand out.
In addition to right-hand drive, this customized 2016 JK is crazy for at least one other reason. It turns out the Jeep can only send power to four wheels! “As for the six-wheel drive, well it seems to be an illusion. It doesn’t look like there’s actually a driveshaft going into the transfer case on the rear axle meaning it isn’t a true six-wheel drive,” says DeMuro. This Jeep defies all sorts of logic. We’d love for the previous owner to come forward and explain why they decided to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a converted six-wheel drive only to leave the rear wheels functionally useless.
Finding Rationality in an Extremely Irrational Jeep
Surprisingly, this Jeep actually has a lot going for it. DeMuro tried but couldn’t spot any frame welds. There is absolutely no way the company that performed the customization did anything other than weld two frames together. But the fact that he couldn’t spot a single weld indicates whoever worked on the Wrangler knew what they were doing. That wasn’t the only area where the overall craftsmanship stuck out. DeMuro quickly realized the components used to make JK Wrangler are authentic Jeep parts. The company essentially fabricated the rear window, tailgate, and bed by taking the rear cargo area of a donor Jeep and combined it with the six-wheeled body. Overall, it’s very impressive. “Because to me, aside from the custom wheels and tires, this thing looks stock. It almost looks like how it could have come from the factory,” says DeMuro. The next owner can take solace in the fact that he is at least getting a conversion built to last.
Better Than a Gladiator?
Ultimately, DeMuro, like everyone else, is baffled as to why someone would want something like this Wrangler. Especially because the previous owner didn’t spend any money on a V8 or Hellcat motor. It’s just got a stock Pentastar V6. Despite that omission, he actually found the driving experience acceptable. The extra two wheels weren’t a liability on the road. “Frankly, it just feels like a JK Wrangler that’s been lifted and modified a little bit,” says DeMuro. The reality is that this very weird Wrangler is much more than that. It is simultaneously useless and practical. Make sure to watch the entirety of his video because there are so many crazy little things that goes into the construction of a custom, six-wheeled JK Wrangler.
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