24 Hours At The Hammers... a charity event	Short Cuts
| Search | 4x4Wire | Gallery | Trails | Links | Trail Talk |	Navigation Menu OutdoorWire Front Page Main Expo Center 4x4 Parts OutdoorWire Site Index Main Links Index 4x4Wire Front Page 4x4 Tech 4x4 Trails

Author: Steve Friend (Member: West Coast 4 Wheel Drive Club) - 8/2000
Editor: Randy Burleson

The Aftermath

After participating in the ARB event, I had time to recall the event and recall the things that allowed the event to continue and be successful. One thing that came to mind, taken for granted by me, is the under hood welding system that I have. I run the Link Arc system, and I have run this system for about 4 years. I dealt with Harry Robinson at Link Arc and now, after their merger, Pat Gremillion at Premier Power Welding. They are both first class in the customer service arena, and their product ain't bad either.

At this event, I know for sure that the welder was used several times on the flat fender, once on Chris Wood's TJ, several times on the Tuffy TJ, and numerous other places, as well. Pat gave up a warm shower to fix Chris' TJ, and later headed out in the morning to help fix the flat fender. If the welders had not been available, these folks and rigs would have been stranded, requiring some ingenuity to retrieve them.

Pat Gremillion welding his own radius arm. Steve Friend

In reflection, I have used my welder to help folks in Moab, Las Cruces, Farmington, and the Hammers - you may even have heard of the save that we did with the Trail Masters when we welded a set of Craftsman wrenches to a drive line for someone Moab rim. A year or so ago on Panamint, I had to weld my own broken axle. There have been broken shackles, drive lines, frames, and more than a few other things that I have welded. I have used the quick charge option for charging batteries, and the AC option for power tools, once even to power a blender to make margaritas in camp on the Rubicon. Heck, I know folks that own these welding systems and use it for home projects.

I realize now that I have taken the welder for granted and I don't think I should. If you have never really considered one of these systems, I recommend that you move it up the list a bit. If for nothing else, then piece of mind, the larger alternator, the AC and the charging capabilities.

Note: I do not work for Link Arc nor Premier Welding, and this article is completely unsolicited by either of them. These are just my thoughts on the subject.