When Travis decided it was time for a change, he opted for what he calls an “a to z upgrade” when he swapped his older model JK for a brand new 2019 Jeep Wrangler JLU Rubicon. Check out his fully equipped new Rock Krawler build below.
What made you want a JL?
For starters I’m definitely a techy person. The new entertainment system is legit, plus it’s just more modern – more my style. I am the kind of person who likes to chase innovation, so I was attracted to the new styling and upgrades that the JK platform did not have. The JL seems like it was made to run a 40” tall tire, which is exactly what I had in mind when I bought this.
Everything from a-z was an upgrade over the JK, in my opinion.
How is wheeling the JL different than your previous JK?
This JL just works!. I love this 8 speed and it makes a ton of difference when wheeling. It’s funny, they do a ton the same but every day I learn something new about this Jeep when I’m on the trails and I sit back and just wow myself.
The JL feels more stable out of the box during the off camber parts of trails.
It climbs much better because of the torque of the 8 speed.
What components of the build do you trust and rely on?
Well this is a biased question because I work for Rock Krawler but its 100% this X factor kit. It works right out of the box and can turn any JL to a serious off road machine. Rock Krawler engineered this suspension with finely detailed parts such as the coil correction pads which prevents coil bow, and combined with solid control arms, massive control arm ends that have a ton of misalignment in them that prevent suspension bind give me confidence when wheeling. Another awesome part of this kit is the no limits sway bar system. I would say my second most important part would be either the Artec belly pan or RCV shafts. They are for sure necessary and also add confidence that I will be able to drive home once off the trail.
Where have you wheeled so far?
Because I live in North Carolina, I wheel a ton of east coast trails.
My jeep has 2k miles on it and half of that is trail miles.
My favorite wheeling trip so far has been to Waldens Ridge at Windrock. Not only was it a super technical trail, it’s very scenic as it follows the top of a mountain ridge the entire time. I have also wheeled at Adventure Offroad Park, Uwharrie, and Roush Creek to name a few! I plan to wheel in Moab this year as well, which is very exciting.
What are the future plans for your jeep?
Once the off season hits and it gets cooler out we are going to throw Rock Krawler’s coil overs, longarm with new generation geometry., a RIPP supercharger, and might start looking at cage designs soon. All of this will be done at Stacked off-road. I Can’t thank Diezel enough for his ability to help me with this build!
**And there you have it…Travis’ new Rock Krawler JL already has spent some time out on the trails. We know with time this build will only get bigger and better. What do you think? Be sure to show this article and his build some love if you’re into what Travis is putting down. **