Conversations with Big Rich

Making a big impact on the tire scene, Maxxis National Director of Sales, Brad Williams talks about his hobby job at Maxxis in Motorsports. Automotive and Light Truck Tires is what he really does, but thank goodness he had time in his schedule to attend a rock crawl. It changed the path of history for many drivers and event series, including WE Rock. 3:42 – second generation tire guy 10:18 – planning for my future 12:20 – I’ll hang around as long as they’ll let me 14:15 – they’ll let you...

Some people quietly make an impact on an industry, others do it with a big splash. We’d like to introduce you to the Quiet Man, Ben Bower, making a ripple through off-road since the 1970’s. Gold medals and chrome are his M.O., but so is listening – learn why it matters. 3:34 – there’s lots of time to think with a ShopSmith 6:19 – making surfboards to get through the month 9:22– All-Marine volleyball team 12:23 – how the BART tube under the bay is made 17:36 – no food today, we’re buying...

We’re celebrating our one-year anniversary on Conversations with Big Rich with a release of the first episode of Season 2 – Episode 52 features Thomas Kingston of Spidertrax fame. Thom Kingston, self-professed, highly competitive, problem-solver, shares all-things Spidertrax, from Birfield rings to Spider 9’s and how one led to the next. An authentic conversation with a true mover-and-shaker in the industry. 4:31 – National Champion in rifle 8:46 – what’s your back-up plan? 11:00– Eddie...

Big Willy Jeep builder, Burner, and flatfender enthusiast Ian Liljeblad shares life in Arizona and how one gets started building a 2:1 rig. Caution: serious fab skills are involved! From a history of learning from the best, Ian has built some cool rigs. 4:12 – early influences 7:54 – the Impala from beginning to end 14:34– really happy I’m a Jeep guy, not a Scout guy 17:31 –met these guys in Phoenix in this Jeep Think Tank 19:01 – started at FST, Fly-N-Hi’s fab shop, with Ellis and...

Off-road innovator and industry leader, Pat Gremillion, shares stories from his 30 years in off-road. Seller of Premier Power Welder and PullPal, Pat brings a wealth of knowledge and good cheer to our podcast. Listen in as we present Episode 50 with Pat and Big Rich. 2:39 – growing up with a junkyard 6:13 – I’ve always loved welding 7:56– the beginning of off-road 9:59 –my father-in-law was an inventor 11:32 – PullPal was made for friends 12:44 – “if somebody told you, you could make a...

Forty-seven years in any industry makes you an expert, in drivelines, that makes you Jim Reel. Listen in on Episode 49 as Jim takes Big Rich through the intricacies of drivelines and why we see failures. Hint: it’s not the driveline. This is a very informative interview with news you need to hear – including how to measure your replacement driveline. www.reeldriveline.com 3:06 – ruined by age 19 7:42 – 47 years in the industry 10:36– comfort is becoming a lot more important 13:07–...

The most positive woman in off-road, Trail Mom, Barbara Rainey joins us for Episode 48. This episode is long on story, from Reno Rock to the Off-Road Hall of Fame. Innovation and grit at its finest. Barbara’s interview tells a bigger story, though, we all have to get involved in preserving our stories. The Off-Road Hall of Fame is a great place to start. Get involved with a partnership, a membership or a donation today. www.ORMHOF.org April is nomination month at ORMHOF, it's time to get...

BFGoodrich has had a remarkable program for years supporting racers, especially in Baja. Listen in as Rich talks with Richard Winchester about all things BFG. Richard was at the start of the program and gives some great insight into how they built up Baja and why. 3:14 – Sliding into the cornfield 5:38 – then Uncle Sam sent me an invite for a visit to Korea 8:13– don’t wake the sleeping giant 9:30 – this performance stuff is a fad 14:50 – got the first lifetime membership out of the...

Are you ready for an education? Raceline’s Greg Mulkey has more knowledge about tires and wheels than anyone we know. Take a trip down memory lane with Greg and Rich as they share some rad knowledge about the industry. It’s impressive 2:29 – Greg as a little whippersnapper 3:23 – selling a box of tear-offs got me a job 7:09 – I was on a mission 12:33 – a beadlock just on the right rear tire 14:30 – I got a meeting with Bill Franz Jr. at NASCAR 21:24 – getting started at...

Modified Stock Champion, Announcer, fabricator, and all-around good guy, Jake Good, of Kansas City joins Rich for a reminder of what family means. Another family man teaching his kids about rock crawling and the family you choose. Listen in to hear Jake’s journey to rock crawling. 2:17 – I’ve lived 97% of my life on the same piece of property 7:57 – A rear engine mower led to road-building 10:56 –I wanted to be like my dad 15:02 – this is the guy responsible for traffic circles 20:12 –...

Join us for a few laughs with Eric Filar, jokester extraordinaire. Rich and Eric talk about so much history, building Sniper, racing Baja, working at Motive Gear. All good stuff with a lot of insight and history. We thought it was a great time to release this episode with KOH going on. Eric is the master behind these two masterpieces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsnFZDdG5bo Average LCQ competitor talking with his wife https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyXO4-oepMA Hitler hears the Results...

The elusive Harry Wagner, he’s here in the heart of off-road, and then he’s off finding unexploded bombs in places the rest of us would never think to look. I’m glad there are geophysicists, like Harry, out there looking! With an early history in the Jeep market, Harry has moved through many vehicles through his editorial marching orders. Today he drives a Tundra and an F150 most days. Follow him at @harrysituations 4:45 – I was a nerd 8:19 – Busted! There was still mud 10:59 –Overlanding...

Not quite a return from the dead, but close, too damn close. Our guest today, Kevin Carey, suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in December of 2017. He’s had a long road of recovery, but the future is bright. Kevin shares his history of wheeling, the Rubicon, and military life with us on this episode of Conversations with Big Rich. 5:20 – part of the BMX craze 7:59 – Protecting the big names, Schwarzkopf, Martin 10:34 –Understanding vehicle dynamics started from investigating accidents 14:00 –...

Family life dominates this week’s guest, Doug Bigelow, as he raises boys to be as driven as he has always been. An intense competitor on the course, but fun-lovin’ round the campfire, Doug shares life in Maryland, football, future plans and life at home with us. 4:34 – I thought I was king of the world 6:21 – Lessons from the field 9:29 –I thought criminology was going to be my path 10:36 – I met Kat by accident 14:25 – Frog Eye Mud Bog 21:22 –that first Jeep opened my eyes to a world...

Trail Boss Jacquelyne “Bebe” White takes us through running Hummers on the trail. Together with land use and our need to pay attention, Bebe shares her history as our first land use guest on the podcast. She brings a wealth of experience to the trail and to the Calls-to-Action we need to keep our trails open. 3:08 – the first Hummer purchase 4:36 – “oh, no, Miss Hummer” 6:27 – learning from Cranky Steve 10:28 – the brand gets involved with the Rubicon and me 18:06 – the H3 build and the...

Clayton Walters is an industry icon, building Clayton Off-Road from the ground up. He is the name in long-arm kits. Listen to his story and how it began and where it’s headed next. There’s a lot of laughs with a guy like Clayton.. 3:22 – always had a knack with mechanical stuff 6:26 – lifting Grand Cherokees, “it’s just terrible” 9:48 – I’ll build this for $1500, but I gotta have ten orders 11:40 – my lousy pick up line “I can put a long arm kit on that” 14:14 – we had a one-car garage...

Making shifting great again, Rory DesJardin, from RADesigns joins us to share info on his products and business and the path he has been on to make it a success. Get to know Rory as we have these last couple of seasons. 1:47 – getting started with motorcycles 4:23 – gotta have the right tires 11:22 – first-generation shifter for my Toyota 13:36 – The Shifter Guy 17:14 – my career before Shifters 20:32 – that’s me, that’s me! 25:12 – the environment at WE Rock 36:05 – everybody wants...

The most revolutionary car in rockcrawling history is undoubtedly, Tiny. Today we interview, Jon Bundrant, the driver Tiny was built around. John won 18 events in two years in the early days with this incredible car, then went on to off-road industry fame with All-Pro Offroad. Catch up with Jon in this episode. 3:21 – history of racing goes back a long way, Arizona state champ in BMX at age 16 5:49 – start in four-wheel drive was Azusa Canyon and a Land Cruiser 11:10 – the start of...

The 2021 WE Rock schedule just released, Big Rich brings you another new competitor's perspective on competitive rockcrawling. Hear Jason Childs talk about his journey to get started, why he choose to jump straight into the Unlimited class, and what it is really like. If you are interested in competing, check out the rules on www.werocklive.com; the schedule and call if you have any questions. I’m happy to help. 2:35 – learn about the classes in WE Rock 9:47 – I really wanted a...

New competitor to WE Rock, Jeff Houser, shares what it is like to start. You know, when you are new to a sport how you are excited and nervous and learning your car…Jeff describes his first season, the ups and downs. The 2021 WE Rock season schedule just released, if you’re thinking about competing in rockcrawling this next season, listen up, hear the emotion, imagine yourself in the driver’s seat. 1:36.70 – With age comes cage 13:34:30 – I’ve got to have this buggy 19:59:89 – It’s not...