The Jeep Blazed a Trail For Now-Booming Accessory Business

by Ian Harwood on Thursday, October 30th, 2014

“The XRC bumper is formed to manoeuvre your Jeep over obstacles such as those large boulders that seem to jump out at you at every turn…”

It’s fitting that there should be such a thing as a Jeep Trailblazer.

But it’s not the aforementioned vehicle that I’m writing about today – rather, the accessory range that adorn so many Jeeps today. The truth is that Jeep trailblazed what is now a booming accessory business for all makes and models of trucks.

Smittybilt has been around for years and it has a lot to offer in the way of Jeep add-ons. An XRC front bumper is available to fit Jeeps from 1976-2014, manufactured from 3/16” cold roll steel. The XRC bumper is formed to manouevre your Jeep over obstacles such as those large boulders that seem to jump out at you at every turn. There is a built in winch plate that can accept up to a 10,000lb winch. Painted in a matte black powder coated finish and features a five year warranty.

(Cost is $515.99.)

There is also a matching rear bumper that has a built in tire carrier. This carrier can handle up to a 37” tall tire and is also matte black. It has a class three trailer hitch and d-ring mounts welded inside and out. (This costs $337.79.)

XRC rock sliders are ideal for rock crawling; they protect the side of your Jeep from unwanted body damage and cost $368.59. Armor corner guards provide a larger wheel well opening and feature a fender flare and fuel filler door. SRC tubular doors replace the factory doors and bolt up to the factory door hinges, a very easy install. ($368.)

Roof racks are another popular item for Jeeps especially with the limited space. The SRC rack has removable cross bars for easy soft or hard top removable and is designed to work with Thule or Yakima roof rack accessories. It can hold up to 300 lbs and its contoured design flows well with the jeeps body lines. (The cost is $429.)

Interior soft good items are available to attach to the factory roll-cage and can hold a variety of items such as cellphones, flashlights, fire extinguishers, and even a bottle of water. Smittybilt also offers a centre console that has a security compartment and additional cup holders. (This console is $110.00.)

There is a full line of trail equipment available. A clinometer that can be mounted on the dash and show you what angle you are on, side to side and front to back. It features a cool picture of a jeep in the dials. Cost is $24.59. A Trail jack is a very useful item to take with you into the back country. It is rated up to 4660 lbs and is constructed of solid cast steel that is powder coated. ($92.19.)

Recovery straps are another valuable item to have and are available in 2×20, 2×30, and 3×30 feet lengths. (They range in price from $24.59 to $49.19.)

The Recovery utility tool is a collapsible shovel that is very similar to the ones used in the military; it features two serrated edges for cutting and digging. Fully extended it is 26 inches long and collapsed is 9 inches, an easy item to pack and a great tool to carry with you. (Cost is $20.89.)

Contact: ian [dot] harwood [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca