Listen, you and I know our spousal units squirrel away money all year long. It's part of what they learn in school. But we also know that, as wonderful as our wives are, they seldom have the money for what you're about to see--not that you or I do, either. If your wife is anything like mine, she's great at stashing money away for use on things we do need; things listed under categories like, say, "New Sofa" or "Insurance Payment," instead of categories like, "New Truck" or "Playtoys."
But think about it: Christmas morning dawns, we tiptoe downstairs, inhale a whiff of the turkey she's already got slow-roasting, pour a cup of Christmas coffee, and head out to pick up the Christmas-day edition of our local newspaper. To our surprise, parked in the driveway is a brand-new diesel-pusher motorhome, sufficient for use as a tow rig, with a big red ribbon tied around it. Wouldn't that be nice? For me, it would be proof that somebody had parked in the wrong driveway. But, hey, we can dream, right? After all, we're only a single lottery win away from any of this stuff. With that, then, here's just a sampling of the sorts of things every
Truck Trend reader needs for Christmas. Or, at least, here are a few ideas to suggest for your significant other to get the hint.
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FLEETWOOD REVOLUTION Some of us drive our rigs to the trailhead, some of us prefer to tow them. That presupposes we have tow rigs, as well as trail rigs. Hey, if you're going to have a tow rig, you might as well be able to live in it. We're talking lottery win, here, after all. So consider the Fleetwood Revolution, powered by a rear-mounted 8.3L Cummins diesel that produces 330 hp. But wait, it gets better. This baby is rated for 1000 lb of tongue weight and will tow up to 10,000 lb. It comes in two lengths--the longest is 39 ft 11 in., and that's the one we'd advise your wife to park in the driveway. Have her select the leather seat option, the compact-disc changer, the home-entertainment center, the GPS system, air horns, aluminum wheels, washer and dryer (she's got to have something to do, after all)--the works. Loaded, this baby's suggested MSRP for the base model is $180,000. But what do you care? You just won the lottery. Hitch up and go 'wheeling! Fleetwood RV, 800/351-3607, www.fleetwood.com
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COLEMAN CENTENNIAL COLLECTION Sometimes lottery wins are flat out of the question. But that doesn't mean you don't still deserve the best new stuff when you go camping. So for those wives in the under-500-bucks crowd, Coleman offers what it calls its Centennial Collection. This is an aggregate of gear designed to celebrate Coleman's 100th anniversary, and darned nice gear it is, too. Start with the three-room Weathermaster tent ($200), sewn, taped, and sealed in such a way as to almost completely preclude leakage even in the most fearsome downpours. This thing measures 9x17 ft and will sleep up to eight people. It comes with zippered room dividers and a fitted fly that adds an additional layer of weather protection. But once you get the tent erected, the job of setting up camp is only partially done. You've also got to eat. That's where Coleman's redesigned Steel Cooler ($99) comes in handy. Its capacity is 54 quarts, and Coleman assures us that it'll maintain ice for three days at temperatures of up to 100* F. But you've also got to cook what the cooler holds, so the Propane Grill Stove ($90) will come in handy. Sure, you can still buy stoves that burn liquid fuel, but why would you? This one will run for up to four hours on standard disposable 16.4-oz propane cylinders. For light to cook by, you'll need the NorthStar propane lantern ($50). This lantern uses an integrated electronic ignition system, and produces up to 20-percent-more light than Coleman's other propane lanterns. Just the thing for those after-dinner card games. Eventually, every camper wants to go to sleep, and for that, consider the Transformer XE sleeping bag ($50). This bag transforms from a standard rectangular bag to a more energy-efficient tapered semi-mummy bag for maximum retention of body heat. It's said to be comfortable in night temperatures from 50-20* F. The entire collection has an MSRP of $489. Coleman Company, 800/835-3278, www.coleman.com
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WELD STONECRUSHER WHEELS We all know about bead-lock tires, right? We know how cool they look and how right they are on any four-wheeler. But we also know that no matter how well they work when you're aired down to minus 7 lb of air pressure, or whatever it is you run when you're wheeling, bead locks are not highway-legal, and we know they can be tough to balance. But never mind. If you like the look but don't want to mess with the legalities and the balance issues, Weld Wheels are your Christmas present. It's a wheel called the StoneCrusher, and it features the bead-lock look without the bead-lock hassles. Weld tells us the double-rolled outer lip adds to the StoneCrusher's already impressive strength, and it's made from high-quality 6061 aluminum alloy. Naturally, since they're not bead locks, they can't prevent the separation of the tire from the rim when using low tire pressures. But they can signal to the world you're serious about making sure your rig looks like a million bucks. Available in sizes 15-17 in., they feature the correct widths and offsets for most domestic trucks and Jeeps. Prices range from $280 each to $450 each, depending upon size. Weld Wheel Industries, 800/488-9353, www.weldracing.com
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THE UNSHAKABLE WORKBENCH The first thing we do when we move? If you're like me (not that we move all that often), she's inside unpacking her silver, I'm out in my new garage hammering together a workbench. And, if you're like me, that workbench is composed of cheap lumber and not terribly expensive plywood. It works, but it's no beauty. Wouldn't it be great to have a professional-quality workbench, something you'd be proud to work on? Hey, I'd be proud to sleep on this baby. It's the Unshakable Workbench from Griot's Garage, a mail-order company that regularly teases me with its gorgeous catalogs. The bench is available in three lengths: 60, 72, and 96 inches, with your choice of tops--plastic laminate, steel, or maple. Prices range from $430, for the 60-incher with the plastic top, to $600 for the 96-incher with the maple top. Obviously, you've also got to have the drawer set shown in this photo, and, just as obviously, that's an optional piece. It adds $429 to the total cost. But, hey, look at what you'll have when the thing finally is delivered to your garage. You'll never want to go into the house again. At least not until dinner time. Griot's Garage, 800/345-5789, www.griotsgarage.com
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BACK COUNTRY TRAILER Sure, you can camp like a durned backpacker, sleeping on the ground, eating freeze-dried food, and living out of a tiny camp box. But why would you? Why, especially, when your wife can get you a Back Country trailer to tow behind your rig? With one of these babies, you can haul all the comforts of a decent gentleman's camp--including a cooler big enough to hold real food and beverage--none of that freeze-dried nonsense. The Back Country trailer is made of tough fiberglass, and when your wife orders yours, she can match its paint color to the color of your rig. She also can match the trailer's wheels to the wheels on your rig. The trailer's overall length is 9 ft, while its width is 5 ft. It weighs 700 lb and rolls on a Torflex independent-suspension axle capable of hauling 1000 lb. Best of all, the lid, with its standard top rack, is said to be sturdy enough that you can haul 100 pounds of cargo on it. If you go for the tent option, you'll appreciate knowing the tent comes with a 48x88-in. folding mattress. Base price, without the tent, mattress, wheels, is $3995. With wheels and the tent, expect a price of about $5000. Back Country U.S.A., 800/558-5512, www.backcountrytrailers.com
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BRE PLUS 383 SMALL-BLOCK ENGINE Horsepower! That's what we all need for Christmas. If you agree with that statement, if you 'wheel a General Motors product, and if you 'wheel in a state that doesn't have stringent emissions requirements, Beck Racing Engines suggests its 383-cu-in. small-block stroker Off-Road Plus engine. This little beauty builds, according to its dyno sheets, 402 hp at 5300 rpm and 448 lb-ft of torque at 4100 rpm. It's filled with premium parts, including a Crane cam, a BRE cast-steel crankshaft, BRE steel rods, Keith Black pistons, Dart Iron Eagle heads, a Melling oil pump, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold and an Edelbrock carb, ARP fasteners, Fel-Pro gaskets, a Moroso oil pan, and spiral-core plug wires, and a Holley fuel pump. The complete package, in turnkey form, lists for $5499. Beck Racing Engines, 623/780-1001, www.beckracingengines.com
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SUPER-DUTY HORSEPOWER So, okay, you're a Ford guy, and the 383 Chevy off-road engine listed here just doesn't stir your coffee. What you need is the kind of horsepower you can bolt on--like Vortech's 6.8L supercharging system Vortech tells us one of these will bump the horsepower on your Super Duty's 6.8L V-10 by 148, to a total of 363 rear-wheel hp, and 390 lb-ft of torque, again at the rear wheels. The system comes complete with all mounting plates, fuel-system-upgrade parts, an intercooler, a reprogrammed ECM chip, and remote-mounted air-intake assembly. The system is said to install unobtrusively, and allows retention of all stock underhood accessories, including air-conditioning. The system is approved by the California Air Resources Board and comes with a limited three-year warranty. Retail price is $5632.95. Vortech Engineering, 805/247-0226, www.vortechsuperchargers.com
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COMPLETE CRAFTSMAN TOOL SET WITH ROLL-AROUND BOX What guy wouldn't want this for Christmas? And what wife wouldn't see its practical value? It's Craftsman's all-singing, all-dancing zillion-piece tool set, complete in a set of two new roll-around boxes. Think of the possibilities. Actually, it's not a zillion pieces. It's 1103, broken down this way: 415 sockets, 60 drive tools, 311 wrenches, 72 screwdrivers, 36 pairs of pliers, and 209 additional tools. But those numbers don't do this set justice. What we're talking about here are sockets, ratchets, and extensions in four drive sizes, as well as a wide variety of special-access wrenches to get to the toughest spots. The set includes crowfoot wrenches, stubby combination wrenches, deep-offset box wrenches, as well as regular combination, open-end, and box-end wrenches. Retail value of all this so far is $4199.94. But now you've got to have something to put all these tools in, so you need the Craftsman professional 52-in. tool chest and roll-away, $649.99 and $889.99, respectively. A lot of money, sure, but just think how tidy this will make your garage look. Listen, just tell her it'll be perfect for all those honey-do items she's got you working on during the weekends. That ought to do it, right? Sears, Roebuck and Co., 800/377-7414, www.sears.com/craftsman
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ARB PORTABLE FREEZER FRIDGE You've seen these before, most likely, but your wife probably hasn't. We're talking about the ARB Portable Freezer Fridge, one of those special items that seems specially designed to transform any four-wheeling or camping experience. That's because use of one of these--they come in 31-, 41-, and 63-qt capacities--will free you from the tyranny of ice. All you've got to do is plug the Freezer Fridge into a power port and you're set--steaks and fish stay fresh or frozen and beverages stay cool. Made with a steel outer casing, the Portable Freezer Fridge is CFC-free and uses a thermostat that allows you to adjust the unit to the coldness setting you prefer. It comes with steel handles that double as tie-down points and is built with rounded corners designed to be easy on vehicle interiors. Inside, there's a removable basket and a plastic liner that also features rounded corners for easy cleaning. Prices range from $845 to $1280, depending on size. ARB 4x4 Accessories, 206/264-1669 www.arbusa.com
