What an incredible weekend! I just got back from Cruisers on the Rocks, a premiere event for 100 and 200 series Land Cruisers held at Windrock Park in Tennessee.This was Perry Part's first time attending an event, and it was an awesome opportunity to be able to sponsor by providing breakfast for everyone and leading trail rides throughout the event.
I had a blast meeting Land Cruiser enthusiasts, sharing stories, talking about products, and tackling some fun trails. It was so rewarding to hear from customers about how our product improved their wheeling experience, and to get to see our parts out in the wild. It made my day when folks mentioned to me at breakfast that the bump stops for the previous day's ride made their trail run much more enjoyable.
Even more rewarding was to get to meet some of the great people that have helped me build the business. I can't wait to get back down south for next year to hit the trails with them - no mall crawlers here - the Land Cruiser crew puts their trucks to work.
Speaking of putting trucks to work - I certainly identified a few areas of improvement on my GX470. While I put a "It's basically a Land Cruiser" sticker on there, I came home with a bent (and braced/re-welded) lower control arm, a ruined ring gear in the rear diff, and plenty of body damage. All in good fun, and a great opportunity to upgrade to adjustable links, and to DIY a 9.5" Land Cruiser rear axle for the GX. Special shout out to the folks from Apex Overland for helping me get the GX turned around on the trail to get back to camp after the rear diff kicked the bucket.
But it wasn't all about breaking things (thankfully). I also had the opportunity to help other folks with their rigs, swapping out bump stops (which we completely sold out of – thanks everyone!), fixing leaky heater tees, replacing CV axles, and providing people with upgrades from our Gen1 to Gen2 product
Here are some the highlights from Cruisers on the Rocks:
Meeting amazing people: The Land Cruiser community is truly something special. We connected with so many passionate and helpful individuals. I'm actively looking for a Land Cruiser to add to the garage now...
Learning what others care about: It was great being able to hear what people are looking for when upgrading their suspension. That sort of information guides my decisions on product development and design.
Testing our limits: Pushing the GX to the limit gave me a great opportunity to build it bigger and better.
Enjoying the scenery: Tennessee, and the drive to it delivered with stunning views and challenging terrain.
Things I'll be doing different next year:
Bring more bump stops: We sold out this year - next year I'll ensure to bring more than enough
Demo trail runs: It'd be very cool if we could organize a demo program for folks to test out our product before buying.
Beef up the notoriously weak Toyota 8" rear axle: In progress. Stay tuned for a follow up blog post.
We're already looking forward to next year's Cruisers on the Rocks. If you're a Land Cruiser enthusiast, this is an event you won't want to miss!
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