Long wheelbases and big travel work great in the open desert.
Shorter wheelbases and less travel are the best formula for short course.
We've found a truck that's good at both.
Steve Herrera originally used this Ranger as a prerunner with a full 125-inch wheelbase and rear leaf springs. When he experienced the handling and capability he decided to build it into a race truck.
C&D Fabworks was commisioned with the metal fabrication.
Steve raced the leaf-sprung version of the Ranger for a couple of seasons and then decided he'd like to try some short-course desert races such as SNORE's Battle at Primm and the Glen Helen Baja Cup series. To optimize the truck for these tracks, Chris and Danny (C&D) went back to work on the Ranger. Yes, welding was involved, but the major tools used in the latest version of Steve's Ranger were cutting tools. They cut enough metal out to bring the rear axle over a foot forward.
The rear axle is now 13 inches closer to the front. Meanwhile, the front beams were pushed two inches forward. These changes netted a 114-inch wheelbase. Take a look at the photo of the Airborne Ranger and you'll see that Steve sits midway between the front and rear wheels.
In place of the rear leaf springs, you'll now find a short course-style four-link system with King shocks connected directly to the axle housing.
This truck isn't plush, but it is well-controlled. It handles twisting fire roads and wide-open whoop sections with equal ease. Steve launched his crossover Ranger off of The Wall in Lucerne Valley--a jump that gives fits to long-wheelbase trucks and buggies. Steve's cut-down wheelbase handled The Wall in fine style.
I'll blog about this truck another time or two, but you'll be able to see the full feature in the April 2010 issue of Off-Road.