2002 Midwest Hard Core Rig Winner - MW4WDA

Responsible use of Public Lands through Conservation, Education, and Safety
Spring 2003 Volume 2, Issue 2
Official publication of the Midwest 4 Wheel Drive Association
2002 Midwest Hard Core Rig Winner
Congratulations to Brian Swearingen
Written By: Brian Swearingen
My "Extreme Ride"…
Like every project, they are never done…
unfortunately, I can't seem to stop tweaking things
and working to make them better!
This rig started out as a $200 junkyard purchase.
The frame was blasted and epoxy primered, then
coated with Napa Chassis Black. The tub was cut
to the firewall and Jim Ridderbush put in all new
sheet metal. I did a simple seam-seal job on it,
primered it, and then painted it with 6 cans of Rustoleum in 4 colors. I wanted something I could
easily touch up, since it tends to earn a lot of dents
and scratches! (the color scheme was based on
Chris' wheelin pants!)
Special points of interest:
• Chequamegon-Nicolet NF
DIES: Comments Needed!
• Iowa Legislative Update:
Off-Road Parks a Reality?
• MW4WDA Fall Convention:
Registration info inside.
The truck has changed 4-5 timers since I originally
put it together…and there are even quite a few recent
changes from the original photo in the MidWest
paper!
Drivetrain: 1991 350 TBI, SM465 granny transmission, plate adapter to a 72 FJ40 transfer case, Tom
Woods 11" stroke front shaft with 1310 joints, High
Angle rear shaft running a Toyota minitruck CV to a
Cruiser spline and lower yoke. The rear axle is all
stock with stock 4.11 gears and welded spiders. The
front axle runs an EZ-Lock with Longfield outer
joints and Aisin lockout hubs. Rims are now 2"
backspacing Allied RockAThon 32-bolt 15" steel
beadlocks with 38.5x14.5 Swamper SX's. Axles all
have disc brakes, stock in front and a Monte Carlo
conversion in the rear.
Article continued on page 3…
• Check Out The 2002 Hard Core
Rig of the Year!
Inside this issue:
Letters From the Officers
2
Club News and Editorials
3
MW Committee Reports
4
MW4WDA Land Use
5
State Association News
15
Hard Core Rides & Rigs
18
Members of the
MW4WDA
19
Page 2
MW4WDA Officers
PRESIDENT
Mark White
(Trailgators 4 Wheelers, Inc.)
W762 State Rd. 23 & 49
Green Lake, WI 54941
(920)748-7852
e-mail: mrkwhite@webtv.net
1ST VICE PRESIDENT
Butch Chapin
(Dakota Dirt Diggers)
1404 East 3rd Street
Hastings, MN 55033
(651)437-2459
e-mail: motorsportspro@aol.com
2ND VICE PRESIDENT
Dan Bergin
(Extreme Offroaders)
947 Pierce Ave.
Oshkosh, WI 54902
(920)232-8483
e-mail: ultimate4wdp@sbcglobal.net
would like your event flyer in place and in
hands of readers before your event you need
to get me the flyers electronically 2 Deadlines before the event. An example would
be that a July event would need to be sent to
me by the Feb. 1st so it will be in the newsletter sent out between Feb and May. This
again is because of the delay to get articles.
Notice to Members:
This newsletter is delayed because at the
deadline for this newsletter (May 1st) I had
not received any articles in which to compile a newsletter. I had to personally contact several members to pull together the
content for the newsletter.
Because of this the next newsletter deadline
will be November 1st, 2002. This means
only 3 Newsletters will be sent this year.
This is a direct result of the membership,
and if you would like to see the full 4 newsletters per year, YOU NEED TO GET ME
ARTICLES.
Lastly, if the membership would like to
continue with me handling the newsletter,
this NEEDS to be addressed. I have spent
too much time chasing articles.
Thanks
Reuben Gosewisch
Midwestern 4 Wheeler Editor
Secondly I have gotten several event flyers
to late to put them in the newsletter. If you
MW4WDA Merchandise Order Form
Order No.:
Date:
Name:
Club Affiliation:
Address:
SECRETARY
Jennifer Weir
(Central Iowa 4 Wheelers)
301 Hillside Ave.
West Des Moines, IA 50265
(515)277-3992
e-mail: Jennifer.Weir@wellsfargo.com
TREASURER
Kert Peterson
(MN 4x4 Highrollers)
1407 Hulet lot G
Fairbault, MN 55021
(507)334-6040
State:
City:
Qty
Zip:
Product
Price
MW4WDA Pins 1” round, gold trim
$2.00
MW4WDA Patches 4” round cloth
$3.00
MW4WDA Decals 5” round self adhesive
$1.00
MW4WDA T-shirt transfers large iron-on
$2.00
MW4WDA T-shirt transfers small iron-on
$1.00
“I Love My 4X4” Button 2” round
$0.50
“I fought for my 4X4” Sticker 2” round
$0.50
MW4WDA Rain Poncho Orange
$4.00
Please send this form and payment to:
Laura or Dan Bergin 974 Pierce Ave., Oshkosh, WI 54902
(920)232-8483 e-mail: hog12@prodigy.net
TOTAL
Amount
Volume 2, Issue 1
Page 3
MW4WDA Club News
Spring Convention 2003,
A Hawaiian Luau, Oshkosh, WI
Written By: Dan Bergin
Friday night the 11th, the festivities started
early with registration and food and refreshments in the hospitality suite. Besides
90+ Degree temperatures in the room and a
malfunctioning VCR, we had a great time,
all available refreshments were enjoyed
and the food was excellent. The Extreme
Offroaders enjoyed meeting and mingling
with all of our guests.
The Saturday meetings started bright and
early with an 8 A.M. Midwest Board
Meeting and a Pipeline Meeting. 9 A.M.
brought the Wisconsin Association and
Minnesota meetings. I am sure that the
Secretary will provide minutes for the
meetings as soon as they are available.
Lunch was enjoyed at Brooklyn’s Food
and Spirits, which hosts the Extreme
monthly meetings. Some folks also went
to Perkins, Razz Ma Tazz, Callahan’s and
other local establishments.
The meetings that followed the lunch included the Safety meeting which had a
slightly modified start time for which I
apologize, I wanted to get the most in we
could in the time we had allotted. I got
tons of good response from those that did
attend. It looks like we will be able to
bring Dan Bell from Accident Scene Management back to speak directly to our club
and maybe even do some situational exercises with EMS in a real life setting.
Thank you to all who participated in his
demonstrations. Lets all hope we never
have to use the things he taught us.
I didn’t get to all the meetings but I hope
all were well attended and informative.
Believe it or not, we are actually welcome
in the Hotel again someday. It appears that
all the billing errors got cleaned up. I
called several times during the week to
make sure. It seems the hotel hardly noticed the late night swimmers and hot tubers. I don’t think the bartenders will ever
be the same after those nights. I hope to
see a few of the Hula Dash Girls up at
Spring Fling.
Thank you all again, Laura and I had a
great time. See you soon.
Thank you very much to all the clubs who
attended. The door prizes were great, what
a spread!! Thank you to everyone that
came and participated in the Luau theme
and the meetings. I hope all the convention first timers got a better understanding
of what it is we do at the conventions besides imbibe in spirits and fun. The food
the Extreme members brought was great,
plenty to go around. G-rat’s mystery “beer
dip” sure was a hit as were Denise Ray’s
Tropical drinks. The Iowa crew drank up
all of our beer, sorry about that, we didn’t
expect Howie and his pals to soak it all up.
Next time the beer truck will be ready and
waiting.
...Continued from page 1.
Suspension: stock wheelbase is 90", mine
is in the 96" range. Rear is 3.5" back with
FJ55 Land Cruiser wagon rear leaf packs,
8 leaves, longer shackle, and custommounted Doestch Tech DT3000 shocks.
Front also uses FJ55 wagon rear leaf
packs, custom mounts and a thru-frame
rear shackle, one leaf added (9 total) with
offset u-bolt plates to relocate it 1.5" further forward. 14" stroke DT3000 front
shocks hooked to Ford F250 shock towers.
Body/cage: Tub is a RidderFab custom,
cage is a RidderFab custom 6-point using
1-3/4 x .120 DOM for all bent primaries,
1-3/4 x .095 DOM for all non-bent primaries, and 1-1/2" x .095 DOM for the bracing and seat mounts, all done on a ProTools bender. Cage is all frame mounted.
Seats are gray Corbeau Baja SS (with custom travel covers) on Summit sliders and
2" RCI buckle-type belts. There is no
speedo or odometer…gauges are a combo
of brands, but mostly AutoGage and
Article continued on page 8…
Brian Swearingen’s Toyota Land Cruiser
2002 MW Hard Core Rig of the Year!
Page 4
MW4WDA Committee Reports
MW4WDA Committees
LAKE STATES RES. ALLIANCE
John Schnorr
413 Iverson Street
Rhinelander, WI 54501
(715)362-4520
deadhead1@charter.net
LAND USE COMMITTEE:
Reuben Gosewisch (Chair)
501 Delavan Drive
Delavan, WI 53115
(262)740-1276
cruiserrg@charter.net
IMPORTANT ALERT
Written by: John Schnorr
On April 15th the National Forest Service released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. There is a 90 day comment period which
closes on July 15th. The Lake States Resource Alliance urges all users of the National Forest to
view and comment on DEIS. You can obtain a copy of the DEIS by contacting the Forest service
at:
Mail:
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests
68 South Stevens Street
Rhinelander, WI 54501
Phone: 715.362.1300
Or visit: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf
Chris Knowles (Committee Member)
christopher.j.knowles@uwrf.edu
Mike Jarvis (Committee Member)
jarvis@cray.com
MEMBERSHIP
Carl Overland
400 Plarmigan Ct.
Waseca, MN 56093
(507)833-4717
blacky_carlata@yahoo.com
PROMOTINAL COMMITTEE
Dan and Laura Bergin
947 Pierce Ave.
Oshkosh, WI 54902
(920)232-8483
ultimate4wdp@sbcglobal.net
SAFETY COMMITTEE &
TREAD LIGHTLY
Dan Bergin
947 Pierce Ave.
Oshkosh, WI 54902
(920)232-8483
ultimate4wdp@sbcglobal.net
UNITED DELEGATE
Luana Schneider
6793 CTH “C”
DeForset, WI 53532
(608)837-7409
luanas@itis.com
The Chequamegon and Nicolet Forest plans provide very different policies regarding access for
off-road vehicles. In all DEIS plan alternatives access for off-road vehicles is limited to Forest
Service Roads on in the Nicolet National Forest.
A brief synopsis of the 9 alternatives listed in the DEIS follows. Street legal 4-Wheel Drive OffRoad Vehicles (ORV) are allowed on Forest Service roads. However, ORV users often desire a
more challenging experience on designated trails. There is one existing 25-mile providing that
experience (Pipeline). Numbers of ORV trails vary in Alternatives 1-9. Alternative 4 calls for
closing the existing trail and rehabilitating it. Alternatives 1, 3, 7, and 9 maintain the existing 25mile trail and add no new 4-Wheel Drive Trails. Alternatives 2, 5, and 6 provide the highest number of miles of 4-Wheel Drive Trails with the potential for an additional ORV trail of a maximum
25-mile length.
Miles of existing National Forest Service Road that would be considered for decommissioning
and/or obliteration vary from a high of 3,290 miles in Alternative 1 to a minimum of 1,870 miles
in Alternative 7. As you can see, even the best case alternative would eliminate nearly 2000 miles
of roads which ORV users currently have access to.
Please take a moments to review and comment on the DEIS.
Forward comments to:
Mail:
Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest Plan Revision DEIS
P.O. Box 221090
Salt Lake City, UT 84122-1090
Fax:
(801)517-1014
Email:
chequamegonnicolet@fs.fed.us
Please Also Look at the Update on Page 7!
Also to assist with letter writing, an example
letter is included on page 10
Volume 2, Issue 1
Page 5
MW4WDA Land Use Issues
Wisconsin Land Use
Written by: Luana Schneider
Spring has sprung and wheelin’ activities are
going to be more plentiful than they have
been the last few months. The bad part of this
is that there are different land use issues that
are now coming to a head and will be in full
swing the next few months. So we will again
have to split our time between using our 4wheel drives and protecting our access to
lands in order to use our 4-wheel drives.
PIPELINE RESTORATION PROJECT
Mary Strauss has been working with the National Forest and Oconto County and El Paso
Gas (previous owner was ANR) on erosion
issues especially where close to the pipe,
county road issues and trash with the usual
threats of closing the area. It was agreed that
Mary should set up an on sight meeting with
these folks and evaluate the problems with the
priority being the erosion problems where the
pipe is close to the surface and work out a
plan of action on getting those sites fixed.
This would include establishing equipment
and materials and work weekends. Also anytime anyone is on the trail everyone should be
mindful of picking up trash including Spring
Fling weekend
STATE COMPREHENSIVE OUTDOOR
RECREATION PLAN (SCORP) is going to
be starting up soon--preplanning occurring
NOW! I haven’t heard anything further on
this at this point.
STATE TRAILS ADVISORY COUNCIL
(STAC)
Trail Fees was discussed as a possible “Wheel
Pass”. Also discussed the need of ATV and
Motorized Parks. I’m keeping this in the
report even though old so we don’t lose sight
of this.
On January 13, the Monday after our winter
meeting, the STAC held their meeting in Wisconsin Rapids. At this meeting they discussed
Trail Funding Alternatives, Land Legacy, and
the Trails Management Team (TMT). Of
interest were the statements that State Stewardship money is bonded money and is, therefore, available even under the state budget
problems and that the DNR has a lot of
“outside income”. The new TMT committee
is looking at coordinating All State Trails.
The actual scope etc. of this team is still being
hammered out. The statement was made that
“we need more public recreation areas NOT
private—private recreation is closing more
and more”. Yet later in the meeting the statement was made that motorized recreation
should be private not public….ummm why is
that I wonder?
such. I found this very interesting that others
were questioning this. I also question why for
four wheel drive trails this is a provision, but
for other trail uses this is not a provision….
There was much discussion on the Kettle
Moraine Mountain Biking and it’s overuse.
They discussed the multi-use of some of these
trails and how some modifications needed to
be made where cross country ski trails are
better suited going straight down and bikes
should be more of a switch back and forth
type for erosion and holding down the speed
and making the trail more interesting. These
trails can be together at times and then split up
at other times.
The officers for 2003 for the STAC are Mike
McFadzen, chairman; Chris Kegel, vice chair;
and Jeff Butson, secretary. Also Mike Sohasky attended the meeting and received a
plaque for his over 12 years on the council
and the active role he played.
There was a “Year of the Trails” summary.
This program was not backed by the governor
like the “Year of the Parks” was, but there
were definite successes. The Rally was listed
as one of these trails and the entire list was
submitted to the Department of Tourism for
their listing. It was agreed that many of these
trail activities would never have gotten the
public exposure in other years. I figure that
our various events that are trail type events
where the public is welcome we should
submit to the Dept. of Tourism. So keep
that in mind when planning your event and
looking at advertising angles.
There was much discussion on Rail Abandonment and who has the right of the land etc.
They had a conference call with an attorney
that is an expert on the subject and received
much very helpful information. Interesting
definition that came out of this was the definition of “Public Highway” which includes
trails such as snowmobile and other trails.
Also trails can be anywhere on the abandoned
rail “Public Highway” right-of-way and no
buildings can be on it. “Public Highways”
cannot be purchased for anything but “Public
Highways”. Ummm….I found this very interesting and still believe we have a right to having OHV trails on abandoned rails. Some of
these can be very interesting and also very
scenic and can be access or a corridor to other
trails.
Phil Barker of the Chequamegon-Nicolet
National Forest gave an update on the Forest
Plan. This should be out in March and as of
the date of that draft we have 90 days to comment. The plan does not have anything new
or changed from what we have seen in the
past as far as Four Wheel Drive is concerned.
. There was some surprise on the inclusion of
“subject to partnership with a four wheel drive
organization” and questioned the legality of
A new trail system called the Great Wisconsin
Birding Trails was presented. This trail system is basicly on established roads that take
you to different scenic spots where you walk
in/on to observe birds and other wildlife and
wild flowers and scenery. It is a mapped out
network of existing parks, overlooks etc.
Eventually there will be trails like this all over
the state.
When it came to the “Public Comment” time I
stated how no matter what the trail use many
of the users are out there appreciating nature,
wildlife etc. including the challenges etc. of
our specific trail interests. I also announced
to them the loss of our grant due to the lack of
the National Forest Service (NFS) getting the
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) done
in a timely fashion and how the NFS is working to finish the EIS and has funding available
to finish the project with the partners of us,
the pipeline and NFS. I also explained how
we are currently working on our “Volunteer
Patrol Program” from United Four Wheel
Drive Associations. I also made a recommendation that a trails event listing be continued
as the one that was set up for the “Year of the
Trails”. It would seem that people all over the
US and even outside of the US would be interested in accessing such—they thought this
would be something that the Dept. of Tourism
should do since they have a sight for activities
in the state now. The problem I see with that
is folks who are interested in trails want to
look up trails not all the other stuff and I told
the council I felt this was an important part of
a Trails Council.
The next meeting was held on April 7 in the
Governor’s Conference Room at the State
Capitol in Madison.
The new chair, Mike McFadzen, stated he saw
some of the priorities for 2003 consisting of
ATV’s, Trail passes and purchases of railroad
grades.
It was noted that Sue Black is not head of
Article Continued on page 6…
Page 6
Land Use Issues and News in the Midwest
...Continued from page 5.
Parks and Recreation anymore—she has
been reassigned to another section in the
DNR. Her accomplishments in regard to
trails were noted and a proclamation was
written to recognize this. I would like to
see the W4WDA send a letter to her
also.
A report was given by a DNR representative on the status of the DNR due to the
budget. He stated there is probably going
to be some layoffs but most of the cuts will
be absorbed by current vacancies. There
are NO PLANS TO CLOSE TRAILS, but
there will be an impact on services. Master
planning on parks will continue. Trail projects that have already been issued a “DOA
number” will proceed—those that haven’t
will not proceed for the time being. The
DNR is going to need to rely more on
“external groups” to design, build and
maintain trails—which as was said makes
more sense since these groups have the
knowledge.
There was a discussion of increasing trail
pass fees from $10 per year to $15 and
from $3 to $5 for daily passes. The Council made a recommendation to support the
increase in the annual fee but recommended a change to $4 for the daily fee. A
trail pass is needed to use state trails for
equestrian, bicycling, rollerblading, crosscountry skiing, etc. but not hiking. Motorized vehicles need to be licensed or have a
registration to use trails/roads they are
allowed to run. There will be public hearings on trail pass increase proposals in
June or July.
The Trails Management Team (TMT) has
met and has established a statement of
their goals and came up with 57 issues to
address. The initial issue is to refine the
cooperative agreements with trail partners.
A report on the Northern Off Road Recreation Trail Team–ATV Trails was made by
Tim Miller of the DNR who is heading up
this team. This team was developed because the number of ATV’s registered in
Wisconsin is close to the same as snowmobilers if not having surpassed the snowmobile registration by now. It has been recognized that the ATV community has the
potential of being a major tourist impact in
Wisconsin if more trails existed. Therefore, this multi-agency task force has been
formed to address this. This group not
only includes state, federal and county
representatives, but also the ATV association, WI Co. Forest Association and others.
The goal is to coordinate public land managers in the development and environmentally sound guidance to address the engineering, education and enforcement components of providing ATV trail opportunities on public lands in northern Wisconsin.
This would include linear, long loop and
connecting trails. With the objective being
to assist County Forest Administrators to
develop access plans that are consistant/similar to other public land access
plans. They will be referencing such things
as the Wisconsin ATV Association’s Ride
Smart program, the ATV suitability mapping done by Phil Barker of the National
Forest, etc. Otherwise instead of reinventing the wheel, glean from others. It is also
hoped that multi-use would hopefully continue on these trails. They need to address
more the philosophical issues than the technical issues. Noise was one concern with
ATV’s and decibel ratings need to be met.
Issues of private property, easements and in
conjunction with Ice Age Trail areas all
need to be addressed. They will be meeting
on April 28. At a break in the meeting I
discussed with Tim the fact the need to keep
these trails open for Four Wheel Drive
(Jeeps, trucks etc.) as much as possible.
Also that we have experienced when they
set up a trail it is most often already on existing forest roads and they usually are the
more interesting and nicer roads and then
they close them off for us to use and also
berm off intersecting trails besides so we
lose even more than the actual road/trail that
is established.
There was again much discussion on the
legalese of the right of accessing abandoned
railways by the DNR.
Governor Jim Doyle attended for a short
time and expressed is interest and support of
trails and the need to address ATV usage
etc. of trails.
The new Secretary of DOT, Frank Busalacchi, attended part of the meeting and stated
a definite willingness to help out with trails.
He stated that when he shows up” people
think he drove up in a cement truck” but
really he has a real interest in trails. Not
only can trails be used as a means of transportation to get to work etc., but trails can
be used as back-up access in emergencies.
It was noted that the Council members representing the Snomobilers, the Equestrians,
the Handicapped and Mike Sohasky’s position representing OHV’s was up for re-
appointment in June. It was noted that
even though the position for OHV is vacant at the present, the governor has decided to not appoint someone to fill that
position until June with the rest of the
positions coming up. It was noted that
both Randy Harden and I are both candidates for the OHV positions and that an
amazingly large amount of letters have
been submitted to the governor on my
behalf. So stay tuned on this! Thanks for
your support and those who have not written a letter and would like to, you can do
so by e-mail or snail mail or FAX to the
governor at www.wisgov.state.wi.us or
Governor Jim Doyle, PO Box 7863, Madison, WI 53707-7863, 608-266-1212 and
FAX 608-267-8983.
The next STAC meeting will be held July
14 in Delafield. As soon as I receive the
details and agenda on this meeting I will
submit it to the one-list. Anyone interested in attending is welcome.
OHV COUNCIL Besides the STAC there
is an OHV Council. At the January meeting I recommended that we should have
someone attending all their meetings and
that currently I could not justify the time
to do this too. Since then I have had two
individuals volunteer to attend these meetings, they are John Schnorr and Mary
Strauss. I had told them that between the
two of them hopefully they can see to it
that at least one of them can attend each of
the meetings and I would notify them as
soon as I knew when the next meeting
would be. As it turned out they had a
meeting on March 13 but it was a Conference Call and so I did not know about it
until I received the minutes of the meeting.
I am giving both John and Mary a copy of
the minutes and will check on when they
will meet next.
MARCH OF DIMES RALLY This will
be the 25th year for the rally and it will be
held on September 13 on Langlade
County Forest land and headquartering
again at the Langlade County Fairgrounds.
I had submitted a letter to Plum Creek
Timber to get permission to use the land
we used down in the Nekoosa/Rome area
for our first rally. The discussion I had
with the local Plum Creek Timber contact
in charge of that area was that they would
review and get back to me within a week
or two. Since then I have made several
phone calls and the statement kept being
made that due to an excessive workload
due to acquisition of much more land they
Page 7
Volume 1, Issue 3
Land Use Issues and News in the Midwest
just hadn’t gotten to my request. At the
same time I started receiving calls from the
Antigo Area Chamber of Commerce requesting that we come there instead and
also allow them to have their “Dirt Fest”
(Blues Festival) in conjunction with our
event. We have since been negotiating
different possibilities, discussing pros &
cons and dollars. Langlade County Fairgrounds called in the middle of this stating
we had priority on the use of the Fairgrounds and if we did not feel the “Dirt
Fest” was going to work out that we just
needed to say so. I also called the person
who represents the group that usually is in
charge of camping and explained the
whole “Dirt Fest” proposal to him and he
was already aware of the possibility and
had no problems in working this into the
camping part. I finally then after another
phone call to my contact at Plum Creek
Timber made a decision to go forward with
having the rally at Langlade County this
year. This is definitely not “a last resort”
type of a decision but it would have been
rather special to have our 25th Anniversary
actually held where it started. Well,
maybe the beginning of the next 25 years
can be held there…or maybe if this “Dirt
Fest” program was to work out extremely
well maybe the request of the Chamber of
“What would it take to have you folks
come back here for your rally every year”
may have to be looked at seriously. A
postcard has gone announcing the date and
place of the rally with fliers going out
probably in June. We need door prizes and
special prizes. If anyone wants to work on
this or wants to donate any prizes, contact
Jan Thomas as 608-837-4367 or at
thomas50@gte.net.
NEED LOSS OF LAND Mike Ketterhagen has not received any info from anyone
on land that may have been lost for trailriding with a bit of background etc. Please
contact Mike with this info so he can compile for reference as we go along.
UNITED FOUR WHEEL DRIVE ASSOCIATIONS (U4WDA) There have
been several land use issues throughout the
United States. I have not done justice to
this since time just has not allowed. The
conventions will be in Flagstaff, Arizona
on June 26 through June 28 with June 25
being the Land Use Conference. We currently need to get our delegates registered in order for them to be seated at
the conference. The delegates for
W4WDA and the delegates for
MW4WDA need to submit a report of
what is happening in their association to
U4WDA for the Annual Convention by
April 28.
LAKE STATES RESOURCE ALLIANCE (LSRA) I receive their newsletter.
John Schnorr is on the board representing
W4WDA. He is attending their meetings
and I want to thank John for rolling up his
sleeves and taking this on even moreso
than just attending the meetings! The
benefit banquet was held March 29 in
Wausau. Ten of us representing Four
Wheel Drive from Four Lakes Four
Wheelers and Legendary CJ’s attended the
Banquet. This was well noted by LSRA
members! Also I hope some of you folks
sold and or bought some of the raffle tick-
ets. I talked to the President of LSRA,
Terry Moore, a bit and thanked him for the
letter of endorsement he sent to the Governor in regard to possibly appointing me to
the STAC. He said that it was “an easy
letter to write”. I also talked to our friend
Dick Connors who was the previous owner
of McCaslin Mountain. He was concerned
about our access to land for the rally and
other issues. My primary objective was to
talk to Plum Creek Timber, but no one
representing their company attended. I
also renewed open discussion with other
contacts we have at LSRA. Annie Archer,
Chief Forester for the ChequamegonNicolet Forest with her advisors will be
meeting with LSRA on the Forest Plan
later in April. John will be attending and
will be reporting to us on that meeting and
what LSRA’s stand is on the plan.
CHEQUAMEGON-NICOLET NATIONAL FOREST PLANNING The
Final Draft of the plan just came out the
first week of April. We now have to review and make comments in the next
90days. W4WDA needs to write a formal response to this and also provide
the clubs with some recommended verbiage for response. I have contacted
Carla Boucher from United Four Wheel
Drive Association (U4WDA) for her input
on this. We also need to wait to see what
LSRA develops and we need to work with
the Wisconsin ATV Association. I’m
hoping that some of our response can coincide with these other groups.
Continued on page 17…
Update on the Chequamegon-Nicolet NF DEIS!
PLEASE READ!
Based upon the public response to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests Proposed Land and Resource Management Plan
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), the public review and comment period has been extended.
In order to be responsive to requests from a variety of interests for additional time to review and formulate comments. The
National Forest Service will extend the review and comment period for the DEIS is being extended an additional 30 days. This
30-day extension will begin the day following the original end of comment period (July 11, 2003), and end on August 11,
2003.
To obtain DEIS documents, contact Forest Planner Sally Hess-Samuelson at 715-362-1384, or find the documents online at
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf
Page 8
Pending changes: Steering as noted earlier,
1/4 elliptical rear suspension with 4-link,
double transfer case with a minitruck
range box and split Cruiser t-case. Hope
to have this funded/finished yet in 2003, if
not early 2004.
I've wheeled this truck lots of
places…Paragon PA, Tellico NC, Slade
KY, Attica IN Badlands, Castana IA, Upper Michigan, Canada, various private
spots in Minnesota, and throughout Wisconsin. This summers pending trips include Attica again, the Black Hills of
South Dakota, a few more Wisconsin trips
including Dresser in August, and working
on a couple into Minnesota as well. Plus
the usual winter runs. If you are interested
in pics of some of these trips, check my
website at http://www.ih8mud.com.
Hopefully the "Extreme Rides" section
takes off a bit…it's fun to see what people
have created and how their rigs are designed…and where they've tested them!
...Continued from page 3.
consist of Tach, Water, Oil, Volt, and
Hourmeter in a custom stainless insert.
Windshield is setup to be easily removed
and the front inner fenders are trimmed
out. Truck has not had a full top installed
in 4-5 years….only a bikini for the trails.
Steering: Scout Saginaw power conversion, Flaming River joints and shaft, stock
Cruiser column, "adjusted" high output
Saginaw pump, external cooler, remote
reservoir, 1" Sched-80 rods and QA-1 5/8"
heim joints. This is on the "summer upgrade list" to an AllPro high steer setup
with minitruck knuckles and GM 1-ton
ends (I think)…also going to add the hydro
assist ram at that time.
Misc other stuff: custom 5-core radiator, 7blade t-bird mechanical clutch fan, 16"
electric pusher fan, AC compressor converted for on board air, Warn 8274-50
winch with 150' of synthetic winch rope
and an aluminum hawse fairlead. Fullsize
spare with beadlock on a swing away carrier. 15 gallon aluminum fuel cell. Dual
Optima batteries with isolator. Rock
lights. First aid kit and fire extinguisher.
The usual assortment of tools, parts, and
recovery gear. Truck weighs in around
4100#, fully trail loaded.
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Distribution:
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application form.
Contact:
Midwestern 4-Wheeler
Attn: Reuben Gosewisch
501 Delavan Drive
Delavan, WI 53115
Phone: (262)740-1276
E-mail: cruiserrg@charter.net
June 10, 2003
Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest Plan Revision DEIS
P.O. Box 221090
Salt Lake City, UT 84122-1090
To Whom It May Concern,
As a member of the Midwest 4-Wheel Drive Association and a Street Legal
4-Wheel Drive Off-Road Vehicle enthusiast, I cannot and will not support any of the
proposed alternatives to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement as it concerns
the Forest Plan for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The Preferred
Alternative by the National Forest Service will result in a closing of nearly 2000 miles
of road-way which is currently used doing the sport I love. Further, this plan will
result in 3000 lost jobs during the worst economic down-turn in recent history.
I would support an alternative which would expand (rather then decrease) general
motorized access to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. I would further
support such a plan if it expanded this access by NOT considering any current roads
for decommissioning and/or obliteration. Such an alternative should allow for Street
Legal 4-Wheel Drive Off-Road Vehicles to be used on all Forest Service roads as
well as areas open for timber harvest.
Sincerely,
Fall Convention 2003
Hosted by:
DOOR
ST
BE
R
FO
E!
IZE TUM
PR
S
CO
PRIZE
Midwest 4 Wheel Drive Fall Convention
October 10-12, 2003 - Holiday Inn—205 S Barstow St Dinner reservations
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
must be made by
September 15th
COSTUME PARTY - DJ - KARAOKE
Option 1: Hospitality, meetings, dance
$15.00 per person
Option 2: Hospitality, meetings, dance,
Saturday dinner, door prizes
Club: _________________________________
Names : _______________________________
Make checks out to:
________________________________
Northwest Trailfinders 4X4 Truck Club, Inc.
________________________________
$30.00 per person
circle choice
$
Option 1
2 _____
Option 1
2 _____
Option 1
2 _____
Send registration via registered mail to ensure delivery!
S!
SCHEDULE 2003
MAY
18
1:00pm
4 CORNERS – Sparta – Mud Classes, Intersection of Hwy. 162 & 71
(Non-Points, Test & Tune)
1:00 pm
MAUSTON – Juneau Co. Fairgrounds – Hwy. 58 South
JUNE
7
(Showroom Stock, Super Stock, Modified, & Tuff Truck)
7:00pm
MAUSTON – Street Stock, Pro Stock, Open, & Tuff Truck
8
12:30pm
ROMANCE– Mud Classes, Hwy. 56 – 12 miles west of Viroqua or
Hwy. 56 – 4 miles east of Genoa
14
1:00pm
ARKANSAW – South on N 3.5 miles to SS, right to top of hill, left on D
(Mud and Tuff Truck)
15
1:00pm
REEDSBURG – Butter Festival, Mud Classes
21
3:00pm
MEDFORD – Mud Classes, 4 miles West on Hwy. 64 – Pure Country
5
Noon
EAU CLAIRE – Intersection of Hwys. 37 & 85
JULY
(Showroom Stock, Super Stock, Modified, & Tuff Truck)
6:00pm
EAU CLAIRE (Pro Stock, Open, Street Stock, & Tuff Truck)
12
Noon
CADOTT – Mud Classes, Nabor Days
19
7:00pm
GLENWOOD – Mud Classes, St. Croix Co. Fair
26
6:00pm
GREENWOOD, Mud Classes
6:00pm
ROCHESTER, MN – Olmstead County Fair, Hwy 63 near downtown
AUGUST
2
(Mud Classes: Super, Pro, Modified, Open only)
9
6:00pm
GALESVILLE – Mud Classes, Trempealeau County Fairgrounds
10
1:00pm
ARKANSAW – Tuff Truck only
16
1:00pm
WARRENS – Mud Classes, 5 miles East on Cty. EW
23
1:00pm
NEILLSVILLE – Clark Co. Fairgrounds (Show, Super, Mod & Tuff Truck)
6:00pm
NEILLSVILLE – Clark Co. Fairgrounds (Street, Pro, Open & Tuff Truck Finals)
SEPTEMBER
6
7
CANNON FALLS, MN – Cannon Valley Fairgrounds, Orlin Clark (608) 783-4619
(this is a tentative date)
12:30pm
LACRESCENT, MN – Mud Classes, 1 mile west of LaCrescent on Hwy. 6
Minnesota Go-4 Wheelers, Inc.
Tech Inspection Guidelines
2003
Items with *s are required.
STEERING AND LINKAGE
* Steering box and linkage cannot be loose when
turning steering wheel.
BRAKES AND LINES
* Must have front & rear brakes.
* No Pinion Brakes.
* Lines must be secured to the axle and/or frame.
LUG NUTS
* No more than 1 of 5 or 2 of 8 missing per tire.
**SECURE PLACE TO HOOK
Must have at least on of the following front and rear:
* Hook secured with two 1/2” or bigger, grade 5 or better
bolts. (Backing plates highly recommended.)
OR
* Receivers can be used following these requirements:
vehicles with a gross weight of over 4,000 lbs. must have
a minimum 2” receiver; vehicles with a gross weight
under 4,000 lbs. must have a minimum 1-1/4” receiver.
All receivers must be properly bolted with grade 5 or
better bolts. You may be required to remove any other
style hitch.
* Unsafe hooks must be removed.
* Must remove trailer ball - NO trailer ball on trail.
Screw type clevis permitted in rear bumper if bumper
is secured properly to the frame (must be bolted with
grade 5 or better bolts).
* Cannot hook to cross member.
* Cannot hook to spring, axle, or shackle.
SUSPENSION SYSTEM & U-BOLTS
* No threaded rod for U-bolts.
* No suspension damage.
* No lift blocks between front axle housing and front
spring.
BATTERY MOUNT
* Must be O.E.M. style or equivalent. No wire, rubber,
or nylon straps allowed.
* Battery must not move.
EXHAUST SYSTEM
* Must have mufflers attached to engine, no open
headers or straight pipes.
ADDITIONAL SAFETY FEATURES:
* Loose objects in vehicle and bed of truck must be
secured.
* Floor boards must be able to protect passengers from
bodily injury.
First Aid Kit.
Skid plate under gas tank.
Working CB Radio.
SEAT BELTS
* Required for all passengers.
* Must be properly anchored.
ROLL BAR OR NON-REMOVABLE HARD TOP
* Vehicle with full removable top and previously rolled
trucks must have roll bar secured with 3/8” or bigger
grade 5 or better bolts.
* Body mounted roll bars must have backing plates at
mounting point.
* Vehicles with unsound body structure, fiberglass and
aluminum bodies must have a roll bar frame-mounted
at a minimum of 4 points with a minimum of three 3/8”
or bigger, grade 5 or better bolts.
* Must have at least 1 3/4” diameter bar for main hoop and
kickers; no well pipe or exhaust tubing.
* The main bar must be continuous hoop with no welding.
* Kickers (roll bar supports) must be at least half way up or
higher. Must have kickers.
* Roll bars must have inspection hole.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER
* Minimum 2 pound, type ABC.
* No halon.
* Must be securely mounted in a quick-release mounting
bracket within reach of seat-belted driver.
* Must be fully charged.
* Gauge style only, no push button type.
BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE
* Tested not running. Pedal cannot be spongy or sink to
floor; brakes must have pressure.
TOW STRAP REQUIRED
* 2” minimum, 4” maximum, 10,000 pound minimum
rating. No ropes over 1-1/2” diameter.
* Strap must be in good shape; no excessive tears or
fraying.
* Cannot have hooks attached to strap.
* No chains.
* No metal splicing between straps.
CLEVIS
* Must be screw type, 1/2 inch or bigger - no pin type
clevises.
* 1/2 - 7/8 inch clevis must have stamped 10,000 lb.
rating.
* Must have adequate size clevis for the vehicle.
* No converted pin-type clevis.
MISC:
* No visible fluid leaks on vehicle.
* No antennas over 48”
MN ORV Sticker.
**To comply with our insurance requirements,
the Rally Master, Co Rally Master or any safety
committee member will have the authority to make
final decisions on any questionable vehicle
equipment.
All vehicles must go through this inspection prior to trailrides.
Volume 2, Issue 1
Page 15
News from the Iowa Association
Written by: Merle "Howie" Howard
Iowa is going through some changes. The bill
we proposed to the legislature did not become a law, but we are ever confident that it
will happen. As it stands right now, the senate passed it unanimously and the bill went to
the House Ways and Means Committee here
it ran up against the DNR. While the DNR
didn't actually oppose the bill (they told us
they would back it) but they did bring the
insurance industry. The insurance industry
raised enough of a question that made the
Representatives a little uneasy and the House
left the bill in the Ways & Means. This is not
a bad thing, because Governor Tom Vilsack
signed the Standings Appropriations Bill and
the wording included that the DNR as well as
the DOT will meet with the Iowa Association
of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, to establish a plan to
open "Off Road" parks in the state of Iowa.
The plan must be reached by Jan. 01, 2004.
At this time the DOT is pushing the DNR to
come up with dates and times for the proposed meetings as prescribed by the governor
and the pressure from the House to get this
done is overwhelming. There are more than
90 Representatives on our side and we already have the Senate. If the DNR does not
cooperate, we can win be default.
On the horizon, there is going to be another
off road recreation area in Iowa. There are
several members from all of the Mid West
clubs in Iowa, working diligently on cutting
trails and moving rocks and making paths.
The goal is to have it ready by August 1st,
2003. The land, a reclaimed gypsum mine, is
privately owned by Jim and Sue Ricke, in
Fort Dodge, Iowa and consists of several
ravines and hill climbs as well as mud bogging pits and mild trails. There is a concession area, a pavilion (for live entertainment)
and shower/restroom facilities at the campgrounds. There are hotels nearby and plenty
of places to shop or eat.
Some of the clubs are making a name for
themselves. The Jeep Outdoor Club of Central Iowa just hosted a Jeep seminar in conjunction with a local Jeep dealership in Des
Moines. The Make It Or Break It 4 wheel
drive club hosted their infamous Memorial
Day Run with over 100 trail vehicles involved and nearly 400 people. They will also
out do themselves again during their Labor
Day Run this year and their Toys For Tots
run this fall. The Iowa Trailhogs had a spring
clean up at their local playground called 600
acres and they are planning their fundraising
events for this year.
Iowa is so much more than the 4th of July
run at Castana, Iowa. Give us a chance to
show you our playgrounds, you'll be surprised at what we have done with the place
and we aren't that far away!
Your Iowa Delegate,
Merle "Howie" Howard
howie@iowatelecom.net
Inaugural Run at the Fort Dodge, Iowa Off-Road Facilities!
IA4WDC
PRESIDENT
Bob Rees
402 Adams
Warren County, IA 50061
(515)981-4794
e-mail: robertjr.rees@wellsfargo.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Jeff Gilbert
3413 Scenic Vallet Drive W.
Des Moines, IA 50266
(515)226-1229
e-mail: jeffgilbert@bigfoot.com
SECRETARY
Matt McVicker
2616 59th St.
Des Moines, IA 50322
(515)277-1564
e-mail: mmcvick@mchsi.com
TREASURER
Julie Moore
7085 SE Bloomfield Lot 139
Des Moines, IA 50320
(515)287-7438
e-mail: jeepsrule139@msn.com
BOARD MEMBER
Ken Ristau
3217 56th Street
Des Moines, IA 50310
(515)334-0492
e-mail: risrauken@quest.net
MW4WDA STATE DIRECTOR
Merle "Howie" Howard
We are going to have our inaugural run at the Ft. Dodge, Iowa off-road facilities on August 1st - 3rd.
1112 N. 8th Ave.
There is a large campground with bathroom and shower facilities. Hotels and convenience stores
Newton, IA 50208 (641)791-9780
within 5 minutes. There will be a food court on site conveniently located for all to enjoy. Parking is
e-mail: howiebilt@yahoo.com
not a problem!
There are mud pits, hill climbs, impossible boulder strewn ravines and off camber stuff as well as some
very mild trails for beginners. Some trails are as yet untraveled and should appeal to the “Trail
Blazers” in the crowd. There will be opportunities to “Free for all” and make your own trail.
Admission fees for MW4WDA members will be $30 (per trail rig) and $45 for non-members. A $5
camping fee (for the event not per day) will be assessed for each site (that is 5 bucks per tent or camper
not per person). There will be some raffle prizes to be given away. Off road vendors may be on-site to
help with parts and supplies. There will be a tech inspection and safety briefing before proceeding
onto the trails. I hope everyone can attend, this is a fund raiser for the Iowa Association with proceeds
to go for the new legislation and land use in Iowa. Thank You all and tell (bring) a friend! Howie
More Info at the MW4WDA Message Board: http://www.mw4wda.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl
Page 16
MN4WDA
PRESIDENT
Charlie Malachek
MN Landrovers
(320)963-6892
e-mail: tcmalac@spacestar.net
VICE PRESIDENT
Ken Martineau
MN Swamp Bucks
(612)508-4825
SECRETARY
Darryl Wesloh
Dakota Dirt Diggers
(612)724-5878
e-mail: dwesloh@isd.net
TREASURER
Dianne Sullivan
MN Go 4 Wheelers
(763)421-7412
MEMBERSHIP
Kurt Loftfield
Midwest Vintage Bronco Club
(651)731-2645
e-mail: kurtski@qwest.net
LAND USE
Scott Bidon
Outcasts
(507)263-3882
MW4WDA STATE DIRECTOR
Gale Jacobsen
6366 320th St. Way
Cannon Falls, MN 55009
(507)645-8990
e-mail: sibleyeng@charter.net
MN4WDA Insurance Update
We have a new insurance carrier for our Minnesota policy it is now being handled by
Lloyds of London and the new rate is less
than would have cost us with the previous
provider for the current amount of clubs we
have in the Association. There was a couple
of concerns that arose (from Mike Sullavan)
during the switch that need to be brought to
everyone’s attention. This Insurance coverage is to protect the Association as a whole
from being sued if someone was to get hurt
during one of our events that a club would be
hosting. It is NOT personal car insurance for
you, if someone was injured IN YOUR VEHICLE during an event it would be your
personal insurance policy that would take
care of expenses incurred from the injury. If
someone was hurt by your vehicle who was
not a passenger and your insurance would not
take care of said person our insurance coverage would take effect. With that said this is
also a reminder to you and everyone in your
club they must have their own insurance
coverage for their trailride vehicle!!! We as
the Association are not responsible for this
for you. I am attaching the e-mail sent to me
from our insurance agent after speaking with
him about the concerns that we were not
receiving the coverage we needed for the
events we have and will be hosting in the
future.
“Your policy had never been nor will ever be
Vehicle or Auto insurance coverage. As with
any Public Liability policy it excludes injuries to any persons operating, entering into
or alighting from any vehicle or while passenger in any vehicle. That is what I was
explaining to Mike. It does not exclude injuries to spectators or other people that are not
a part of the vehicle should the vehicle hit
them while at an event. The MN 4 Wheel
Drive Association DOES not own, operate,
control etc any vehicles to my knowledge.
There is no policy available that will provide
coverage for the members for claims arising
out of their use of the vehicles - they own
their own vehicles & as such are responsible
for injuries to any one in that vehicle or damages that cause with the vehicle. The club
policies protect the club for accidents of
which the “club” is negligent and cause the
injury. I tried to explain to Mike that on
special events of rides ect, all participants
are excluded while occupying the vehicle. I
didn’t say the non-participants were excludes. That is why every event - whether it
is 4x4, ATV’s, snowmobiles, motorcycles, or
any sporting event - all participants sign
waivers. That is the only way to protect
yourself. You cannot buy insurance that will
be “auto” insurance for all your members. If
we could find it, it would cost the same as
personal auto insurance times the number of
members which would run into the tens of
thousands of dollars.
Needless to say, if MN 4x4 feels that they
want coverage for all injuries to people in
vehicles, then this policy wouldn’t work and I
can’t help obtain one that will that the Association could afford. Trust this will answer
your questions. That is why the price on this
policy is quite reasonable is because it is
public liability insurance - not automobile
liability insurance. This policy protects
against injuries to the public arising out of
the club activities and the club does not own,
operate, lease, or have in their control any
motor vehicles.”
This will hopefully enlighten everyone to
what our actual coverage is and what we are
getting for the money, and why we sign
waivers every time we go to an event. The
current process to set up coverage for your
club event is:
Contact Erickson and Larsen at 1800-4423168 two weeks minimum prior to the event,
as for Candy Johnson ext.45 She will take the
necessary info for the event, If she is not
available, speak to Merwyn Larsen direct at
763-257-1361
Info they will need when you call:
Name of the club
Dates of the event
What the activities will be I.E Trailriding,
mudracing, etc…
Approximate number of people attending.
You will receive a copy of the rider for the
weekend for your event from EricksonLarsen. The payment is due upon receipt so
please make sure it is taken care of. I will
also receive a copy in case there is a problem.
Further Questions feel free to call me anytime!!
Tim Lundquist HTR 4x4 612-508-4573
Volume 2, Issue 1
Page 17
News from the Wisconsin Association
...Continued from page 7.
KICKAPOO VALLEY RESERVE
(LaFarge) The Kickapoo Valley Reserve
Board was looking for public input from the
area as to what they wanted the land to be
used for. The local club “The Weekend Four
Wheelers” had representation at all the meetings. There seems to be a bit of support by
other users for Four Wheel Drive use. This is
far from being a reality, but there is at least a
bit of discussion occurring. I will be sending
a letter (basically the same letter I sent last
time with some updating) with the hopes it
may help a bit with new people and maybe a
bit open mindedness.
BLACK RIVER FALLS/JACKSON
COUNTY I met with Forester, James Zahasky in Jackson County Forestry and Parks
Department. This is the boss of the individual I usually talk to. I asked him if anything
had changed on the county forestry land and
nothing has changed. I believe as I figured
the rumor of opening up the forest more for
"four wheel drive" was actually ATV's. The
push has been statewide that since the snowfall was so limited this year that ATV's
should be able to run areas more during the
winter months with certain parameters and
possibly even run roads more for access etc.,
etc.
As far as us as the original Four Wheel Drive
is concerned the policy is as usual and it
reads under Four Wheel Drive Vehicle
Trails..."The Committee (Forestry and Parks)
has the authority to establish and maintain
trails for four wheel drive vehicles, otherwise
known as "mud boggers". Organized four
wheel drive events, approved by the County,
have occurred on the County Forest. Unauthorized four wheel drive use on the forest
has been common. Both the approved events
and casual use have prompted numerous
complaints from local units of government
and have resulted in unacceptable damage to
Town roads and to County Forest roads and
trails. Jackson County will not establish, nor
will it condone the use of the County Forest
as a recreation area for four wheel drive vehicles.
However, he went on to show another part of
policy that for some reason I do not have a
copy of that indicates Four Wheel Drive use
is acceptable on roads/trails as long as no
damage occurs. My problem with the statement of "as long as no damage occurs" is
very ambiguous since the word "damage" can
be interpreted differently by different folks
and we did discuss this a bit.
I also told him I took exception to the statement "otherwise known as mud boggers".
He said the ten-year plan is up for review and
public hearings will start this fall and he encourages us to be part of these. We need to
be at these and we need people in the area to
be the main people keeping tabs on this-anyone or group available? To keep up on
what is going on in this respect it was recommended we access their website at
www.co.jackson.wi.us. Hopefully we'll find
out when these public hearings are going to
start and be heard!!
He also informed me that the Black River
State Forest is the next to be reviewed by the
state on their "25 year plan" and we should
keep a watch for that. I attempted to touch
bases with my contact there but he was out of
the office when I stopped by.
We have opportunity up there on both a
county and state level if there are folks ready
to work on this. Let me know of interest out
there and let's see what we can put together.
COUNTY TEN YEAR PLANS The
County ten year plans are starting up soon if
not already. Contact your county and fine
out when your county’s plan will be starting.
You can also check their website at
www.co.(name of your county).wi.us for
what is coming up or send them an e-mail
through their website.
LAKE WISCONSIN ATV CLUB This club
headquartering in Poynette is visualizing a
trail system for ATV’s and possibly Four
Wheel Drives at least on some of the trail
system. These trails would be primarily on
private property along fencelines and possibly other blited land. The Four Lakes Four
Wheelers has volunteered to support this with
help establishing this trail if there can be
some agreement established on usage. It’s a
great idea if it could work—stay tuned…
WI4WDA
PRESIDENT
Mary Lynn Strauss
9626 CTY. R.
Whitelaw, WI 54247
(920)683-1966
e-mail: mlcruiser@earthlink.net
VICE PRESIDENT REGION A
Mike Katterhagen
2192 18 1/2 Ave.
Rice Lake, WI 54868
(715)236-7716
VICE PRESIDENT REGION B
Orlin Clark
810 4th Ave. North
Onalaska, WI 54650
(608)783-4619
email: igotcha@att.net
VICE PRESIDENT REGION C
Ken Dibble
W2851 Johnson LN.
Neosho, WI 53059
(920)474-7407
e-mail: kens4x4@gdinet.com
SECRETARY
Helen Wagner
3267 Rolling Hill Drive
Pulaski, WI 54162
(920)865-3267
e-mail: wlbrslvi@aol.com
TREASURER
Mary Hoernke
203 Gruenwald Ave.
Neenah, WI 54956
(920)722-3777
e-mail: hoernke@famvid.com
MW4WDA STATE DIRECTOR
Luana Schneider
6793 CTH “C”
DeForset, WI 53532
(608)837-7409
e-mail: luanas@itis.com
Page 18
Midwest Hard Core Rides & Rigs
Chris Hannis’ 71 Toyota Land Cruiser
Written By: Chriss Hannis
Purchased in 1993 as a stock ’71 Landcruiser with a 2” body lift I
wheeled it a couple of times, once in Lafarge, WI and once at the
March of Dimes Rally. Do to the fact that my Girlfriend at that time
wouldn’t learn how to drive a stick shift, Jan ’94 began the transformation into the vehicle it is today. Originally I was just going to
install the Chevy 400 cubic inch small block and TH400 automatic.
Once installed I found that there wasn’t enough clearance for a front
drive shaft to be installed, and still keep the stock cruiser axles. This
is when the Scout Dana 44 axles came into play. The rear of the
vehicle was the easy part doing a spring over to clear larger tires.
The front end was another story, installing a 4-link suspension to
increase articulation. Using mainly parts that were available and
manufacturing the remaining parts to achieve 14” of travel. This
was how the truck remained until winter of 2000-2001. I sent the
truck to Jim Ridderbush at Ridder Fab for a new Body; Roll Cage
sporting Corbeau Baja SS seats. Once Jim was done with it Jon
Fintelman at Jon’s Auto Body sprayed the truck a purple similar to
the original color it was when I received it from the previous owner.
When Jon finished the color I sent it over to Brundrige Auto body
for some spray in Bed lining. Running beadlock Wheels and some
old Grand Prix 36.5 directional being turned by 4.56 gears and a
welded rear end and tracloc front differential it travels most areas
with ease.
Attacking the Deep Water
Climbing the Muddy Hill
At the Ice Races!
Check
It Out!
Cleaned Up in the Shop
Send us your hard core wheelin’ pics with a write up
and you can be famous too! At the end of the year
you will have a choice to pick the Hard Core Wheeler
Check
It Out!
Volume 2, Issue 1
Page 19
Midwest 4 Wheel Drive Club, Independent, and Associate Members
MEMBER CLUBS
Contact: Mike Speiker (952)461-3281
Badger State 4 Wheelers of WI
n5414 cnty rd. V, Durand, WI 54736
Contact: Tony Weber (715)672-5747
Mudslingers
P.O. Box 572, Manitowoc, WI 54221
Contact: Mary Lynn Strauss (920)683-1966
Badgerland TNT 4X4 Club Inc.
654 South 65th Street, Milwaukee ,WI 53214
Contact: Rob Fehl (414)771-2646
Northwest Trail finders Inc.
P.O. Box 235, Chetek, WI 54728
Contact: Chris Novak (715)837-1239
Borderline 4x4 Trailseekers
P.O. Box 123, Hager City, WI 54014
Contact: Jon Clemens (715)792-5328
Prairie State 4 Wheel Drive Club
1139 N Harvard Cir., South Elgin, IL 60177
Central Iowa 4 WheelersInc.
Clear Water 4-Wheelers Inc.
P.O. Box 331, Eau Claire, WI 54702
Contact: Jason Goetti (715)838-9193
Dakota Dirt Diggers
1404 E. 3rd St., Hastings, MN 55033
Contact Butch Chapin (615)437-2457
Damage Inc.
2460 S. 66th St.,West Allis, WI 53219
Contact: Jake Funk (414)546-1419
Extreme Offroaders 4WD club, LTD
1105 Greenfield Trail, Oshkosh, WI 54902
Contact: Rob Ratdke (920)410-4318
Fly-N-Hi Four Wheelers
P.O. Box 650, Watertown, WI 53094
Contact: Scott Schoenherr (920)261-8113
Green Bay HighRiders, LTD
P.O. Box 13403, Green Bay, WI 54307
Contact: Helen Wagner (920)499-9391
Ridge Runners Jeep Club Inc.
1110 192nd St., Baldwin, WI 54002
Contact: Al Penfield (715)796-2164
River City Four Wheelers
810 4th Ave. North, Onalaska, WI 54650
Contact: Orlin Clark (608)783-4619
River City Trailriders, LTD
P.O. Box 161, Watertown, WI 53904
Contact: Steve Dunn (920)927-5745
River Valley Swamp Rats
290 Howard Ave. St., Amery, WI 54001
Contact: Dan Romberg
Roadside Four Wheelers, Inc.
P.O. Box 216, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572
Contact: Sheri Zahler (608)924-1604
Southern Minnesota 4-Wheelers Inc.
P.O. Box 66, Medford, MN 55049
Contact: Amanda Hall (507)334-9291
Swamp Stompers, Inc.
214 Churchhill Rd., Somerset, WI 54025
Contact: Todd Paulson (715)386-2295
Jeep Outdoor Club of Central Iowa
The Lake Shore Four Wheel Drive Club, Inc.
P.O. Box 0534, Manitowoc, WI 54221
Contact: Scott Ohlrogge (920)684-9257
Legendary Civillian Jeepers Inc.
209 N Hwy S, Cato, WI 54230
Contact: Doug Richter (920)775-4946
Make It or Brake It
Minnesota 4X4 Brothers, Inc.
19855 Chevelle Ave., Farmington, MN 55024
Contact: Bob Krammer (651)451-6378
Minnesota 4X4 Highrollers, Inc.
P.O. Box 623, Fairbault, MN 55021
Contact: Carl Overland (507)835-4717
Trail Runners, LTD
1650 Garden Drive, Janesville, WI 53546
Contact: Brent Ellis (608)741-8901
Trailgators 4-Wheelers, Inc.
P.O. Box 222, Green Lake, WI 54941
Contact: Brenda Stoneberg (920)295-4286
Twin City Bushwackers Off Road Club, LTD.
2091 Claireville Rd., Oshkosh, WI 54904
Contact: Chris Hannis (920)235-9125
Weekend 4-Wheelers Inc.
E7906 Cherry Grove Rd., Viroqua, WI 54665
Contact: Nicole Miller (608)637-6801
e-mail: twnlam@mwt.net
John Bjornstad
326 Edgewood Dr., Hudson, WI 54016
Donald Danielson
43362 Stark Rd. Ct., Harris, MN 55032
Ken Dibble
W2851 Johnson Ln., Neosho, WI 53059
Jeff Doonan
1103 6th St., Hudson, WI 54016
Bob Evans
27101 Xylite St. NE, Isanti, MN 55040
Steve Evans
26301 University Avenue NE, Isanti, MN 55040
Brian Frank
234 S. Adams St., Westmont, IL 60559
Kenneth Friend
1112 W 4th St., Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Harold and Mary Hoernke
203 Grudenwald Ave., Neenah, WI 54956
Ron King
1013 Artic Trail, Roberts, WI 54023
Tim Meinert
28027 Bayshore Dr. NW, Isanti, MN 55040
Dean Michels
928 Constance Blvd NE, Ham Lake, MN 55304
Marvin Michels
928 Constance Blvd NE, Ham Lake, MN 55304
Norman Michels
2814 317th NE, Cambridge, MN 55008
Greg Plahn
314 Edgewood Dr., Hudson, WI 54016
David Quien
19337 Leyte St. NE, Wyoming, MN 55092
Luana Schneider
6793 CTH C, DeForest, WI 53532
Joel Sundt
712 McCutcheon Rd., Hudson, WI 54016
Bill Westerdahl
1547 63rd. St., Somerset, WI 54025
ASSOCIATE BUSINESS MEMBERS
Minnesota Go-4-Wheelers, Inc.
P.O. Box 583261, Minneapolis, MN 55458
Contact: Lynn Yetter (612)479-3975
INDEPENDENT MEMBERS
Minnesota Swamp Bucks, Inc.
P.O. Box 833, Lakeville, MN 55044
Mark Bierbrauer
832 190th St., Dresser, WI 54009
Miller Brothers Auto Repair
1782 46th St., Somerset, WI 54025
Ultimate 4 Wheel Drive Performance, Inc.
2300B W. Leonard Ave., Appleton, WI 54914
Attention Club Delegates!
Important Information Regarding the Minnesota Go-4 Wheeler’s
20th Annual Midwest Trailrides at Trollhaugen Ski Area, Dresser,WI
Attention Club Delegates:
Please share the enclosed Midwest Trailrides ’03 flyer and Tech Inspection Rules with your club
members. Note that this Trailride is an invitational event for members of Midwest, Minnesota or Wisconsin only – it is not open to the public. We have current membership lists from the Midwest and Minnesota associations. But if you feel that your list with these associations may not be up to date, please
provide us with a current membership list (either mail it or bring it with you).
If you have any questions, please let one of us know.
See you in August.
Rick Oehme (651-451-7561)
Lynn Yetter (762-479-3975)
We’re on the WEB www.mw4wda.org
Responsible use of Public Lands through
Conservation, Education, and Safety
Next Submission Deadline:
November 1st, 2003!
Reuben Gosewisch, Editor
501 Delavan Drive
Delavan, WI 53115-3050
Email: cruiserrg@charter.net
Official publication of the Midwest 4
Wheel Drive Association
SPRING 2003
MIDWESTERN 4-WHEELER
PERMIT #2637
Madison, WI
PAID
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage