What's Up with Potential New Products

In response to several inquires I agree I have been remiss in not communicating here on the plans and status of our R/D projects. Of course we hesitate doing so, because it then comes to pass that perspective customers get anxious and the email messages of "when" start pouring in. Be that as it may we have always tried to be as open and forthright as possible relative to all aspects of our business, be they "good" news or "bad". That said, here is the latest (and hopefully at least in some eyes the greatest).

During our five years of trying to develop a front swaybar disconnect system we have encountered many, many setbacks. And at the brink of success we are again faced with a setback. There are two underlying issues on this potential product: 1) the extreme forces on the swaybar link, which I would argue are in the "extreme" catagory (if there is such a ranking?), and 2) the tendency of the unibody construction to transmit any suspension noise to the cabin of the vehicle. Many of us have found that both OEM AND aftermarket (Superlift, BDS) links start failing after a relatively short period of time, the result of which is frontend noise. Our current problem is that we finally found a setup that performs well as a disconnect, but in doing so has enough internal "looseness" that irritating noises are generated. Recently we conquered the "looseness"/noise issue only to be confronted with a potential product that is not user friendly--i.e. it is too tight for easy removal in order to disconnect. That is where we are right now: trying to find a compromise or other solution to this dilemma.

Related to the disconnect system we have also looked atreplacment (non-disconnect) swaybar links, and have recently decided on a package of components that can be used for 0 to 5 inches of lift, mounted either front or rear, and incorporate much stronger bushings as well as Heim joints to increase longevity and decrease suspension noise. These should be available very soon.

It took us longer than expected but the Commander version of our popular Side Guard 2 will be out very soon. Production is now completed and all that needs to be done is a final fit check (first batch and all!) before we can start notifying those on our list of potential buyers and shipping.

Last but not least is the replacement product for our Rear Guard, which we recently discontinued. This product will be available for both the Grand and Commander, but it will not be a skid plate per se. We will call it the Rear Guard Slider, and as the name implies it is designed for carrying the full weight of the vehicle as it might slide down off a rock ledge, provide an increased level of protection for the rear fascia corners of the vehicle during this and similar situations, and allow installation of D-Rings/Bow shackles (by which one could conceivably lift the vehicle with a HiLift jack). With relatively minor modification the previous Rear Guards will be compatible with the Slider, a combination which would offer the ultimate in protection and as well as rugged, offroad good looks. We will likely also re-design the Rear Guard for those not having one or not wants to do the "modification".

That's it for now--let the emails begin :)

I’d give the WK a 9.5 (“on my scale there ain’t no 10’s, you know”)

Having just returned home from a 2,965 mile RT road trip from Denver (cold) to Brownsville, TX (warmer) I thought it a good time to post—again—an “I love my WK” comment.

My WK is a CRD and I averaged a calculated 12.97 mpg pulling a 28 ft travel trailer on all but about 200 of those miles (now with the Bully Dog setup about 2 mpg better than I got pulling the trailer to Canada last summer). Equally important IMO was the comfort/convenience we were afforded, from the all important auto-dimming headlights to the auto wipers to the wonderful navigation system (loaded with 1800 of our favorite tunes). Due to an unexpected family matter we had to return quickly and I drove 1300 miles in two very long days. I have NEVER had a vehicle where I could drive 10-12 hours straight without extreme fatigue—until my 2005 and now this 2008. Obviously this would not hold true for everyone, but I find the seat, sitting position, quiet cabin, and ride to be near perfect. Lastly, the final few hundred miles across western Kansas and eastern Colorado were fairly treacherous early Saturday morning. The road was snow packed and icy; there were numerous accidents involving tractor-trailer rigs, SUVs, etc. It was not the best time to be pulling a trailer to say the least. But QDII performed as advertised and kept me on the straight and narrow without slipping even once.

Yes there have been, and perhaps continue to be, quality issues that are frustrating, but I continue to be impressed with the WKs versatility, comfort, performance and value. Not a perfect 10 to be sure, but a darn nice rig IMO.

New Website Launched

With a great deal of pride and satisfaction, but with unfortunately little fanfare, our new website was launched on January 17, 2010. It represents the culmination of a great deal of time and effort on the part of my two sons, Lance and Mike; I did little but try to stay out of the way. I am extremely proud of the many accomplishments of my sons. I suppose many can say that but I feel it is more accurate and honest in my particular circumstance. From the time they were youngsters until today they have given their mother and I very little cause for concern and tons of pleasant memories to carry with us during the waning years of our life. No father can ask more than to sincerely feel their sons (or daughters, for that matter) are leading productive and apparently happy lives, and becoming more each passing day the kind of father and husband that I hoped they would become one day. It is easy to say it is the parents that set the foundation, and that of course is true to some degree. But in this day and age I feel there are so many distractions and negative pressures that the heart and soul of each person is what most dictates the kind of person they ultimately become in life. Irrespective of the reasons they are fine men, and I thank them from my "heart and soul" for doing such a great job of me on this new website.

It was a very good year

This phrase pretty much summarizes 2009. It is also the title to what I regard as a rather nice song by Frank Sinatra--not that is has anything to do with me and certainly not 4xGuard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwv-DxOPhSc

Anyway for 4xGuard we experienced a fairly substantial increase in sales despite the economic downturn, had the opportunity to meet lots of nice folks that were either customers or other enthusiasts, wheel'd some fantastic trails on the public lands of our great nation, and attend some exciting and interesting events such as the SEMA tradeshow. There were, of course, some tough times as well, primarily adjusting to a new fabricator and keeping products in stock, but like child birth those times seem now to pale to the good times. We are extremely fortunate to have come so far these past 3 years--a period that allowed us the opportunity to not only build a business but also to experience the personal growth associated with that process. I feel I have a better appreciation of the many aspects of owning a business, have more skills in terms of product design and website maintenance, and have in the process met so many great folks. Again it has been a very good year, and we look forward to the challenges and success that 2010 will bring. We expect the new year will include introduction of a few new products, expansion of affiliate products that we test and sell, and an increase in our participation in off-road events around the country. I wish for all a happy and healthy New Year, and for our country a solution to the economic and military/security challenges it faces.

Thoughts on the end of summer

The past 9 months have brought a number of challenges, not the least of which was moving our fabrication to Metalforms while at the same time finalizing the Matrix series of products. Though more work needs to be done to improve the overall operation of the business I at this point feel pretty good about things. Metalforms is now doing a great job on the fabrication end of things, Superlift is shipping products without too many issues, and 4xGuard sales are far ahead of last year despite the nation's economy. In addition we continue to hear from customers how much they like the products and service, and we have even gotten "press release" articles in Four Wheeler and 4 Wheel Drive and Sport Utility magazines as well as a nice editorial statement and our first advertisement in JP Freek magazine. We count ourselves very fortunate for these and many other reasons.

The summer also brought the loss of an old friend and companion, our trusty 2005 Grand Cherokee Limited. It was the acquisition of this vehicle, and subsequent desire to improve its off-road performance with custom skid plates that launched 4xGuard over 3 years ago. It was very sad to see it in the hands of another, but it was time to move on. In its place is a 2008 CRD Overland that is still undergoing modifications to bring it up to the level of the 2005. Overall we are very pleased with the towing capability of the CRD and creature comforts of the Overland model. Time will tell if we become as attached to it as we were with "big red".

Matrix--the end is in sight

I have been struggling for several years on the Matrix concept. I wanted something that had lots of versatility so customers could obtain only what they wanted and needed, as well as good looks and lots of enhanced vehicle capability. I suppose there have been at least 3 versions that have been designed, prototyped and tested, and many more that never got that far in the overall process. Fabrication if the "final" version was completed last week and my copy will arrive shortly for QA/QC before the backlog of orders is filled. As with all new products I enter this stage with a great deal of anxiety concerning fitment, instruction errors, etc., and of course the response of the WK community. I guess time will tell in that regard. For the moment it's time to relax a bit and perhaps feel a little sense of accomplishment.

New fabricator on board--Matrix is back!!

This week I spent several days with a new fabricator and came away extremely pleased with the services and quality that we have been offered. The Matrix has seen several improvements and we have opted for another prototype to make sure the final is all that it can be. Production of the Side Guard HC will commence soon so it soon will be available for sale on the website. Thanks to all for your patience.