American Safari JXL ....non responsive

campertramper

Active member
Wow, I am shocked to see that photo. The closest Jeep has an AEV rear bumper, AEV tire carrier, larger spare (35s? 37s?) AND the AEV fuel caddy.
From experience I know that is a significant amount of weight.

All that weight is hanging off the now extended rear, which puts it further behind the rear axle than ever before.. AND that whole rear extension is just "bolt on" - there is no welding.

-Dan
All good points Dan (as usual). I would love to communicate with someone who has had one for 50 thousand miles or so to understand better how well they stand up.

Keeping the tires stock would certainly help with the weight problem.
 

Maloppa

Observer
I see this thread is from mid 2022, but it has not gotten any better on the communication aspect. I had reached out and finally got some pricing info. Now I can't get information on current builds in stock or info about actually ordering a unit. I have sent e-mails and left messages. Frustrating. Just from pricing, looks like the set up like on the YouTube channel "Family Road Trip" will be close to 30K.
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
I see this thread is from mid 2022, but it has not gotten any better on the communication aspect. I had reached out and finally got some pricing info. Now I can't get information on current builds in stock or info about actually ordering a unit. I have sent e-mails and left messages. Frustrating. Just from pricing, looks like the set up like on the YouTube channel "Family Road Trip" will be close to 30K.

For that same budget you could buy an Ursa Minor J30 and drive it all the way to Argentina over two years, covering all expenses...

-Dan
 

phsycle

Adventurer
I don’t understand why you’d get this over a Gladiator + AT Overland or similar camper for cheaper.
I know I wouldn’t spend the extra $, never mind the hassle, wait, and anguish.
 

ZONE ZERO

Member
I don’t understand why you’d get this over a Gladiator + AT Overland or similar camper for cheaper.
I know I wouldn’t spend the extra $, never mind the hassle, wait, and anguish.

thats why I completely gave up on them and went my own direction with my Jeep, you would think with social media that they could get more information out and people testing and driving their products for evaluation.
 

ScottPC

Active member
I don’t understand why you’d get this over a Gladiator + AT Overland or similar camper for cheaper.
I know I wouldn’t spend the extra $, never mind the hassle, wait, and anguish.
I can appreciate wanting to have a shorter wheelbase, better brake over angle, smaller turning circle, and access between camper and "cockpit" which you get with wrangler + JXL. I do think the Alu-cab conversion setup on the gladiator and tacomas are awesome setups but are just a little longer and larger and also pricey (edit: the standup room is pretty incredible). Clearly the down side of these JXL setups are departure angle, weight behind the rear axle and $$$. Always tradeoffs with any mods or upfitting so it just depends on each person's intended use as to what platforms works best.
 
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AbleGuy

Officious Intermeddler
I don’t understand why you’d get this over a Gladiator + AT Overland or similar camper for cheaper.
I know I wouldn’t spend the extra $, never mind the hassle, wait, and anguish.

FWIW, the idea for this mod originally came out way before the Gladiator appeared. The production of the Gladiator might have helped this company’s demise.
 
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Maloppa

Observer
phsycle, my original goal was to be able to enter while in the Jeep and v8 power. I looked at some JKs with Ursa tops, but the wife wasn't happy with the room inside. I thought it would be easier to grab a 392 and do the JKL conversion. Then I got the price list. So now back to either a Gladiator or a Brute.
 

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  • JK Pricing August 9 2022.pdf
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  • JL Jeep Extension and Camper Conversion System Pricing August 9 2022.pdf
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Ultralite

Adventurer
I have seen some of the “Family Road Trip” YTs but mostly landscape footage, not inside the rig. Isn’t space still complicated by the roll bar? What Dan did to his roll bar for Africa seems necessary to best utilize interior space. Otherwise, I think folks get nudged toward bigger rigs.
 

phsycle

Adventurer
I can appreciate wanting to have a shorter wheelbase, better brake over angle, smaller turning circle, and access between camper and "cockpit" which you get with wrangler + JXL. I do think the Alu-cab conversion setup on the gladiator and tacomas are awesome setups but are just a little longer and larger and also pricey (edit: the standup room is pretty incredible). Clearly the down side of these JXL setups are departure angle, weight behind the rear axle and $$$. Always tradeoffs with any mods or upfitting so it just depends on each person's intended use as to what platforms works best.

Shorter wheelbase and better break over certainly have advantages. But I just don’t see it for a vehicle built with a big camper on the back. Look at all the trails the JT guys are doing. Hardly any disadvantage vs the JL/JLU guys, even on the toughest of trails. ie Look at story till now’s YouTube channel.

I’m glad there are companies producing lots of different mods for vehicle travel. Some make more sense/cents than others.
 

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