Off Road Xtreme had the chance to stop by Wilco Offroad in Santa Ana, California recently and see what makes their products so much stronger than the competition. Wilco Offroad has been mainly known for the Tiregate, but that is not the only thing that sets them apart.

The materials and construction of their products is what they really take pride in. All of their products are made in the United States, at their facility. Each member of their team draws from their passions and adventures of choice.

They are always trying to find something new to create and have plenty of projects going on at the shop. We were able to see a couple different prototypes on possible future projects.

Coming into a Jeep market that is flooded with manufactures Wilco Offroad wanted to take a different approach, and do something that would make them stand out. One key thing they have done with their bumpers is making them lighter than the competition. Usually making something lighter makes it weaker, that is not the case with their bumpers. “We know from our experience in off-road racing and with military vehicles, that weight is the enemy of performance,” said Wilco Offroad’s owner Paul Wilkins.

Wilco Offroad has taken their knowledge from years of manufacturing and reduced about 50 pounds from their Jeep’s front bumper. No corners were cut here, only ways to make it better than before. Most skid plates on off-road bumpers are made of 3/16 inch mild steel plate, which many people like because of its thickness, but with that comes more weight.

The MC2X Jeep front bumper uses 6061 T6 aluminum alloy with a tough outer skin of 4130 chromoly steel to make the bumper lighter, but tremendously stronger. They had the bumper skin there available for us to pick up, and it surely shocked us. The large piece of metal was the size of something you would think with two hands you could barely pick up, but instead we were able to lift it with two fingers.

While we were at Wilco Offroad, we picked up one of their ADV Rack Systems, which will be installed on Diesel Chase. The chase rack allows for plenty of storage above the cab of the truck while not restricting the use of the bed. Spare tires, gear, and more can be placed up high, leaving the entire bed for the rest of the toys.

We had a great trip to Wilco Offroad and cannot wait to install the ADV chase rack. Check back with Off Road Xtreme in the next month as we install the rack and put it to the test.