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By: Tiffany Tudyk
2006 Off Road Expo - Pamona, CA
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his year, the 7th Annul Off-Road Expo in Pomona, CA, presented by Toyota was the largest event to date. Thousands
packed the Pomona Fair Plex to see the latest and greatest that the off-road community had to offer. With the off-road
and 4x4 season ending for many, it was just starting for the millions of SoCal enthusiasts and this was a great
exposition to get knee-deep in the best the off-road community has to offer.
Since Toyota was the major sponsor, you couldn't help but bump into a shiny new FJ Cruiser, many of which already had
aftermarket lift kits, bumpers, interior upgrades and many other imaginable and unimaginable changes you can think of.
Hundreds of vendors, distributors and manufacturers from every corner of our industry lined the aisles of the expo,
which made for a great day to scope current and brand-new goodies for trucks, buggies, rock crawlers, and everything
in between. If the new products on display weren't enough for your fix, the smell of hi-octane fuel and sweaty Nomex
racing suits, combined with the thunder of pro rock buggies slamming the man-made course should be. Several professional
rock crawlers, courtesy of UROC, were on site for demonstrations too. And, if the pro rock buggies gave you the itch
for some action, attendees were enticed to partake in the 1/16th scale action with RC racecars set up on a mini track.
Freestyle MX also brought in a great crowd each time the guys did their aerial stunt shows.
The Pomona Fair Plex was completely invaded by thousands of attendees, monster trucks, rock crawlers, buggies and toy
haulers, which could have easily gotten Mr. Magellan lost, but each section was named after the places we love most like
Mikes Sky Ranch Road, Johnson Valley Trail, Rubicon Trail, Glamis Dunes, Sledgehammer Trail, Camp Rock Road and many
other trails.
Off-Road Evolution had a mammoth display showing off four ready-to-rock rigs with all of the after market product they
provide, such as their rock sliders, Dana 60's replete with ARB and/or Detroit Lockers, Race Runner shocks, Beard racing
seats, bead lock wheels and much more. See more of the great Jeep accessories and turnkey packages at
www.offroadevolution.com or call (562) 787-0215.
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U.D.S. inc. with Unlimited Trail Productions had
a nice set of equipment on display. The O2 Air Source Kit is a great
aftermarket product to have on the trails. It includes a heavy duty
air compressor, 5 Gallon Tank (larger ones are available), pressure
switch, 50ft air hose and install kit. Also on display were their
tire plug kits and unusually unseen train horns for your rig. For
more info on U.D.S Inc., go to their website www.udshardware.com
or call (310) 715-1356. |
Gen-Right Off-Road had a great set of metal skid
plates for gas tanks on display, as well as an enduro style gas
tank. The new enduro gas tank allows for an additional five gallons
with its new shape. It offers the same or better ground clearance
as compared to the OE gas tank, and other styles give your rig even
more ground clearance. Gen-Right also had lots of new body-armor
pieces on display and many other great components that they manufacture.
For more product info log on to www.genright.com
or call (805) 584-8635. |
RodSaver Marine Accessories (a.k.a. O'Neill Mfg.,
Inc.) showed off their all- new Up-Tite pickup truck rail systems.
Their design allows items to be secured in the bed of the truck
with bungie cords, cables, ropes, hooks straps and more by using
a moveable, locking universal hook. The only product of its kind
on the market, Up-Tite provides flexibility, strength (1,000 pounds),
simplicity, beauty, and workmanship. The come with a clean, anodized
finish and is fabricated from 6061-T6 aluminum extrusions for maximum
strength. Up-Tite installs in minutes using simple tools. The set
consists of two rails, four slides, four universal hooks, and all
attachment hardware. Visit www.rodsaver.com
or call (913) 541-1770 |
Wilco - For the pick-up truck guys who can't seem
to get their up-sized spare tires under the truck bed, and don't
want lose space by mounting it inside the bed, Wilco has the solution
with a product called Tire Gate. This special tubular tailgate replaces
the stock tailgate, and the full size spare is mounted on the gate
in one of three ways. A vertical series mounts the spare on the
outside of the tailgate, a horizontal series mounts the tire flat
with inboard or outboard mounting and a third choice - called the
PreRunner Series - mounts the tire leaning inward - this was the
most popular. All three gates allow easy access to the bed of the
truck by allowing the tire gate to swing open. Simple bolt-on installation
with no drilling or welding - cool! Visit www.tiregate.com
or call (877) 945-2684 or (714) 547-2000. |
Extreme Rhino Motorsports - This year's hot new
item was an off-road vehicle called the Rhino. They were everywhere
with all of the aftermarket products that you could imagine. Most
of the tricked Rhinos had King or Fox shocks, bigger tires and rims,
headers, race seats, harnesses, and many other after market products
that we see on the high end trucks and buggies. For more information
on where to get your Rhino modified, contact Extreme Rhino Motorsports
at www.extremerhinomotorsports.com
or call (951) 738- 0080. |
X-Treme Gate - For all of the times you needed
a bit more space in the bed and wanted to use your tailgate area
for additional storage, but didn't want to give up precious room
in your bed when not in use, X-treme Gate has the solution you're
looking for. This is a full truck bed extender that is constructed
right into the tailgate itself. The extender slides into the tailgate
and extends in seconds to add up to an extra 10 square feet of space
for cargo, dirt bikes, quads or just about anything else you can
shove into that area. The X-treme gate is made to last, constructed
with aluminum alloy, stainless steal and high impact plastic. For
more information about the X-treme Tailgate go to www.xtremegate.com
or call (805) 293-7790. |
Currie Enterprises unveiled a few brand new items;
one item in particular that was for the Jeep lovers. The new 1 ˝
inch x .120 wall D.O.M tubing doors powder coated black. There are
heavy duty premium latches and a key hole. The few 13 mm screws
and bolts that take the place of the stock door are included. To
find out more go to http://www.currieenterprises.com.
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While there wasn't exactly a plethora of new 4-wheel drive products on display, this year was starting point for many
new products, companies and ventures. Which means, if you have a new idea, a product that makes off-road life better,
or have built a better mousetrap, now's the time to get started so that we can see you and your product featured at
next years Off-Road Expo.
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