Build JHF Trail Chassis

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Ahh I see. I was thinking if you were driving and needed to silence the fan for a moment to hear someone talking, not on shut down. That makes sense.
woody said:
My IGN and FAN switches are less than 1" apart, so I'd like to think I won't forget...lol
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woody said:
85" outside of tire (top)
19-20" belly
112" wheelbase

Like most cracks, if you don't fall in, they aren't really that hard...lol
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For sure. Craig slipped into that one last time we were out and it hit a little ugly. He’s pretty narrow though.
 
ASTAR said:
For sure. Craig slipped into that one last time we were out and it hit a little ugly. He’s pretty narrow though.
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I got fished my first time in it....haven't had an issue since. Learned a lot that first time tho ;)
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
Do you think you could comp wheel with this? Or would it be too wide?
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Realistically too wide, true comp rigs are 5" or more narrower and 4" or more shorter. Good for a Sportsman's class, not ideal for Unlimited.

And the competitive cars are single seat and 1000# lighter.
 
Is there some magic world for getting the portals. There is a guy on ebay, JHF seems hard to reach, also curious on inner axle/stub info.
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
Is there some magic world for getting the portals. There is a guy on ebay, JHF seems hard to reach, also curious on inner axle/stub info.
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Message Jessie on FB around 3am Reno time. He and I usually discuss stuff around that time (like once every month-three....usually when I do something he disagrees with on my build...lol)

I DO know he's in the usual supply chain disaster that everyone else is in....he is working on new portal boxes and the ETA from the machine shop has arguably gone from weeks to months, with no set timeline. His RCV orders are quoted 14 weeks and turn into 20 or more.

I get it....hard to have interest in quoting stuff you can't get, only to have customers be frustrated that their 3 month timeline turns into 6 months or more.

You might consider contacting one of the shops that regularly use his stuff, like Steve at Sand Hollow Offroad and see if he can quote. Just remember to take any quoted timeline and double it....

edit: your quote will be somewhere between $20k and $30k, depending on what all you need. I know I never asked for pricing when I ordered my chassis and my axles....I just knew it would be in that range.

edit2: You'll need to know your WMS needs (mine was 70", comp cars are usually 65") your diff offset (I think mine was 10"), are you offsetting front/rear equally (I did), are you planning the RCV D60 setup or the Spidertrax u-joint setup (both are 50 degree steering), do you want it with/without link brackets (unsure if he still does that or not), do you want his ram bracket setup (personally I would do the BrandtBuilt style, better protection for a trail car)
 
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woody said:
Message Jessie on FB around 3am Reno time. He and I usually discuss stuff around that time (like once every month-three....usually when I do something he disagrees with on my build...lol)

I DO know he's in the usual supply chain disaster that everyone else is in....he is working on new portal boxes and the ETA from the machine shop has arguably gone from weeks to months, with no set timeline. His RCV orders are quoted 14 weeks and turn into 20 or more.

I get it....hard to have interest in quoting stuff you can't get, only to have customers be frustrated that their 3 month timeline turns into 6 months or more.

You might consider contacting one of the shops that regularly use his stuff, like Steve at Sand Hollow Offroad and see if he can quote. Just remember to take any quoted timeline and double it....

edit: your quote will be somewhere between $20k and $30k, depending on what all you need. I know I never asked for pricing when I ordered my chassis and my axles....I just knew it would be in that range.

edit2: You'll need to know your WMS needs (mine was 70", comp cars are usually 65") your diff offset (I think mine was 10"), are you offsetting front/rear equally (I did), are you planning the RCV D60 setup or the Spidertrax u-joint setup (both are 50 degree steering), do you want it with/without link brackets (unsure if he still does that or not), do you want his ram bracket setup (personally I would do the BrandtBuilt style, better protection for a trail car)
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Oooh wow. Lots to digest there. That quite the investment for portals. But great info. What do you mean brandtbuilt? Is that a member here, IG handle?
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
Oooh wow. Lots to digest there. That quite the investment for portals. But great info. What do you mean brandtbuilt? Is that a member here, IG handle?
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Devin Brandt has his own chassis design and I like how he incorporates the ram onto the housing. Kalif Redden is another builder, as is Sasquatch Motorsports, Fabn801, Jeff McKinley, James Treacy, and others. I was on the list for a BrandtBuilt when the JHF Trail opportunity arose. The McKinley chassis are newer to the market and I like the lines. The James Treacy chassis are also sweet.

Each builder has unique lines and setups, all the current offerings will be designed around portal housing/geometry. Earlier designs were often 3-link fronts, the latest are all 4-link and perform better. Early designs were also not configured around portals, and you don't just "add" portals to a chassis that wasn't designed for it.

Chassis choice is largely personal preference, but some offer greater space for taller drivers, wider cockpits, fiberglass hoods, etc. Some fit V8's, others are geared more towards a V6 or 4cyl. I researched for a LONG time, and had been around dozens of builds before I pulled the trigger.
 
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So, I did a thing last weekend April 30/May 1.... WE Rock - Cedar City Home

TL/DR: we won Sportsmans A.

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So, Wednesday 4/27 I reply to Tyler Harper's post on WE Rock....that I have dusted off my lawn chair. I'm on my way to Moab for a 2023 Sequoia thing, and between replies to my post and a handful of direct messages, I decided to compete....that means finding a spotter. As I clear Green River, I called Logan Backus...he's building a JHF Trail too (chassis #1) and has WE Rock experience....,having someone that knows the rules AND needs to learn his pending car's capabilities turned into a win for both of us.

I turn and burn from Moab on Friday and got home about 1pm...unloaded my FZJ80 and loaded the Sprinter, did a once-over on my car, and loaded up. Fortunately, prep was easy....Sportsmans A requires a DOT helmet and 4-point harnesses, easy stuff. While I sat in the shop, I registered for the event...$175 I think. Well worth it for the experience.

Sportsman's A-B-C all run the same cones/courses. Using rear-steer is a -10 penalty....so a perfect course score without rear steer is a -30...using rear steer puts the perfect score at -20 (assuming you run both bonuses).

Saturday started well...our first course was C2...we thought it could be done drag axle and score a -30, but the rear tires on the gate 2 crack/climb decided to actually stick, rather than slide (darn Milestar DOT's)....and we were forced to use rear steer. Ah well, no cones or backups, so a -20 score. C3, -20. C4, -20. C1 was our final course, and we believed it could be done drag axle too, but the final bonus would be tight....Logan positioned a rock in JUST the right spot and we cleared it for a -30. Day one final score: -90.

Sunday was simply the reverse of Saturday....climbs became drops, etc. C2 opened with a climb....again, we tried to drag it but aligning up the wall was not working, so we opted to use the rear....then the climb was not crawlable....two backups for -1 each to get aligned. Then the L67 supercharger shined and a little 2nd gear bump put the front tires on top and it crawled the balance (I believe we were the only car to make the gate 1 bonus climb on C2). Since we already had our -10 rear steer penalty, the balance of the course was easy. C2 score -18. C3 was another drag attempt but the gate 1 bonus ended up needing rear steer AND because we opted for it so late in the gate, cost us a cone. UUGH....C3 was a -10.

Sunday C4 was another drag attempt....gate 1 was a solid sidehill. Pointed the front uphill-ish and the rear tires again stuck too well, so I needed to either rear steer down to clear the upper cone OR skid the rear about 1-1/2" downhill...and not hit the lower cone. The Midnight D300 shined here....shift the front into N, lock the rear ARB, line lock the front brakes, and gently slide the rear downhill....then unlock the rear ARB, clear the line lock, hold the high cutting brake and engage the front while easing forward. Work perfectly. The transition from gate 2 to 3 required a front burn, and clearing gate 3 required a rear-burn/slide. The Midnight makes this stuff so easy. Score: -30.

C1 was our final Saturday course....Gate 1 was tore up, so we opted to take it simple and run the normal line....then a mistake on gate 3 cost us our 2nd cone of the weekend. Our score on C1 was the worst, a zero.

Logan killed it with spotting....great communication, good feedback, and good advice on car positioning between the gates (more critical than you'd think). We worked great together, especially considering there was zero practice.

For the weekend, final score -148. Two cones, two backups. Next closest was Jason/Jacob Reeves with -128 and then Tyler/Steve Nantz with -111. Considering the last time I comp'd at ANY level was in the late 90's, I'm not complaining. I did get a little flack for sandbagging, so we'll see what I decide for future comps...the JHF Trail IS a bit big for the Unlimited courses, but that simply adds to the challenge ;)

Well, that and I'm on DOT tires....

Huge thanks to the companies and products that make this car work so well:
Milestar Tires
Midnight Metalworks
JE Reel drivelines
Radflo air shocks
JM Rigging winchlines
PRP Seats and harnesses
JHF portals and chassis
Raceline wheels

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Nice job, although I was surprised you were a sportsman. (disclaimer; I know nothing about werock rules).

So, once you take a rear steer penalty, you can continue to use rear steer without additional penalties?
 
whiterhino said:
Nice job, although I was surprised you were a sportsman. (disclaimer; I know nothing about werock rules).

So, once you take a rear steer penalty, you can continue to use rear steer without additional penalties?
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Correct, once used there is no additional penalty on that course.
 
Nice work.

Majorly important question.. you have a part number or link to your knee pad? I remember you talking about them while we were out there and thought I had it in a text but can't find it.
 
JohnnyJ said:
Nice work.

Majorly important question.. you have a part number or link to your knee pad? I remember you talking about them while we were out there and thought I had it in a text but can't find it.
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This might be my most popular mod....lol

Ankey 4 Pack Soft Leather Car... Amazon product ASIN B08HV4Y5N3
Remove panel, lay flat. Clean/stick pad. Set battery on top to press down, minimum 24 hours. I shorted that time on one side and regret it...
 
JohnnyJ said:
Nice work.

Majorly important question.. you have a part number or link to your knee pad? I remember you talking about them while we were out there and thought I had it in a text but can't find it.
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if it helps any, I used a SXS door bag. found some cheap bags that had built in pads as well. I cut the pad off and added it where I wanted and then still used the bag as storage. like these Amazon.com: rzr door bags
 
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