van Zandt Jeep Cj5 - rear View - Photo 9310301

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Homer Van Zandt was our trail leader on Habaero Falls. His very clean CJ-5 has a variety of custom tricks, including the coil suspension and lengthened wheelbase. Van Zandt was involved in the opening of many of the trails around Las Cruces, and his knowledge of the area showed at every turn.

Dave Dennison was one of the few drivers we witnessed climb the last wall on Habaero Falls successfully. Even with the right line, it was necessary to fully commit to scale the ledges without going over backward.

Dave Dennison was one of the few drivers we witnessed climb the last wall on Habaero Falls successfully. Even with the right line, it was necessary to fully commit to scale the ledges without going over backward.

Most of the Habaero Falls trail is a dry wash that would be easily navigated by a stock Jeep, but the seven dry falls that cover 200 yards of the trail are enough to earn Habaero an extreme rating.

Homer Van Zandt was our trail leader on Habaero Falls. His very clean CJ-5 has a variety of custom tricks, including the coil suspension and lengthened wheelbase. Van Zandt was involved in the opening of many of the trails around Las Cruces, and his knowledge of the area showed at every turn.

On Friday and Saturday of the event, Patzcuaro's Revenge was more crowded than a David Hasselhoff concert in Germany. The proximity of the trail to town and coverage by the local newspaper resulted in half of Las Cruces showing up.

Steve Szanto was one of the many Albuquerque, New Mexico, wheelers who headed south for the Chile Challenge. Szanto added an Atlas II transfer case, Poison Spyder Customs armor, and Champion bead locks to his TJ in preparation for the Chile Challenge. All the new parts were not enough to get the Wrangler up the huge climb on Patzcuaro's Revenge unassisted.

Clint Cates stopped worrying about the body of his '98 Cherokee a long time ago. Time and energy are instead invested in the drivetrain, which includes an Atlas II transfer case and Dynatrac ProRock Dana 60 axles.

The stock drivetrain in Scott Rush's '03 Rubicon was upgraded with Superior front axleshafts and Alloy USA rear shafts to help keep things together when he spins the 35-inch MT/Rs.

Brandon Rickerman's '94 YJ was one of the few vehicles in his group not to break. Brandon's Wrangler runs 36-inch Super Swamper IROKs on the high-pinion Dana 30 and Ford 8.8 axles. Both axles are loaded with alloy axleshafts, lockers, and 4.88 Superior gears.

The husband and wife team of Artie and Bunny Erfurt skillfully piloted their Rubicon Unlimited through Habaero Falls without incident thanks to a host of aftermarket parts, including an Nth Degree long-arm suspension kit, 37-inch IROK Super Swampers, and custom bumpers and sliders from Quality Ironworks.

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