Donny and Trish Dinsmore from central Virginia like camping, being outside, and spending time with their family and friends. So like many of us they quickly discovered four-wheeling. But unlike many of us, they somehow ended up with one of the leanest big trail Jeeps on 211/42-ton axles we've seen in a while. Jeeps on Rockwells are popping up more and more these days and with good reason. These heavy-duty axles, often found under military big-rig trucks, are stronger than most trail Jeeps will ever need and cheaper than almost any junkyard Dana 60 we've seen. In fact you can often get a pair for the price of just one front 60, and if you want rear steer, then Rockwells quickly become the cheapest choice.
While on recent trail rides in Virginia, Alabama, Wisconsin, and California we were seeing Rockwells everywhere under buggies with barely any motor, and under big Jeeps like Donny and Trish's. Though the buggies were cool, the Dinsmore-mobile not only has some mojo in the motor, plus it looks good enough to take home to Mom. Read on and you'll see why we're ready to build a big-rig Jeep.