00:38
SFJ 4x4 Studios presents, in my oversized four-wheel drive Jeep, a Jeep podcast starring industry
00:49
experts, curaminosity, say that again, with mad scientist Scott Brown, use my drill press
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as a sort of lathe, our host, Neil Simpson, if one leg goes off, they all go out.
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We are really professional with Jeeps.
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This is iSpeak Jeeps.
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Good morning, afternoon, evening, wherever, however you are joining us, this is the iSpeak
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Jeep podcast presented by SFJ4x4.com.
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This is Neil with SFJ4x4 Simpson Family Jeeps, joined in grandma's couch studio and afar, and
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you'll know what I mean when I say that, folks who are listening, and we do have a special
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guest on here today, but in grandma's couch studio, we have Jeff, the producer over there
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in a shirt I don't own, I need to find one of those so we can win.
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You two are actually in different clothes.
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It's perfect because you have a shirt on that I don't own either, so we'll fix
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The twins figured out how to break the matrix for the first time.
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Folks, I mean, if you don't know what that inside joke is, I mean, it's literally they
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just wear the same clothes.
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They have a similar body build.
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They both wear shm mediums.
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They get upset if they're not in a shm medium.
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And it's constantly we'll walk in and we're both wearing the same shirt.
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And they wear the same clothes and the rest of us are convinced that they call
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each other ahead of school, like they're middle school teenage girls, planning their
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outfits for the next days.
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And there was a time when we actually took a picture of them from the back and we
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had a high Jeffrey sleeve, his tattoo sleeve.
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But we took a picture from the back and they were darn near identical.
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We tried sending it off to their wives, figure out which one's which.
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So anyways, that's what that one is for.
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With is all said, we do have a special guest.
02:52
We also have the mad scientist sitting over there.
02:54
Oh, he's not a special guest.
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I know, but he he has to introduce him.
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I got all excited about, you know, you guys twinning.
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And we forgot to mention him before we get to our special guest.
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I should mention that this weekend is Bantam Trail Festival.
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I'm sure I'm certain that there are some other opportunities going on out
03:15
there, trail hero included.
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But on a regional level, Bantam Trail Festival, and they always try to do
03:24
a nice kind of Halloween inspired, you know, opportunity.
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There are from mile to wild trails available.
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So if you just want to get out there and stretch the legs of your Jeep
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and do some fall foliage, you can do it with them.
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If you want to get out there and bang off some rocks, you can do it with them.
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So that's what's kind of going on in the Northeast.
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Jeffrey, anything on while in the comments, we've got Jagga Jeepers
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first saying good morning, SFJ got Bill McWilliam saying good morning.
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Robert Siemens saying mornings.
03:55
Joe O'Brien says good morning.
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Daddy Jeep says morning, guys.
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We'll be seeing him this coming weekend at the trail fest.
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And you got Jeanie saying good morning.
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I'm sitting here hunting so I can make some more deer jerky.
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Happy hunting. Oh, happy hunting for those of you.
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I think it's archery season.
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Fill in dough tags and, you know, trying to gauge their bucks
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for upcoming rifle season, if you're into that.
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And then Roy just joined in too.
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So good morning, Roy.
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Good morning. Good morning to everybody.
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Thank you for prioritizing and joining us here.
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And and so all of you listening elsewhere in the world
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in the six out of seven continents and 90 plus countries first and foremost.
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Thank you so much for prioritizing this time and energy as your infotainment.
04:42
And we also have a birthday shout out.
04:44
Nate has just joined in says good morning.
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He was not first and he also can't stay long today
04:49
as it's his little guy's fifth birthday and they're going out to celebrate.
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Outstanding congratulations to you guys.
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And I know how important his his child is with their
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wheeling adventures and what wheeling means to their family.
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So happy birthday to him.
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But there's lots of comments coming in.
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But in the interim, we're going to have to keep moving on.
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As I was mentioning, thank you all for prioritizing this
05:13
program as part of your infotainment.
05:16
And you too can join us in the comments
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almost every Monday at 10 19 a.m.
05:24
And we are on the March to Seema.
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So that one will be a little cattywampus coming up in the very near future
05:32
because I don't exactly know what that's going to look like.
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I'm supposed to be moving a couple of jeeps into position
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while you two are going to be representing here in the studio.
05:41
Yeah. And exactly what and how we'll do that.
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Maybe I'll be a remote guest as we have done in the past.
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We'll see how that plays out.
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So in the interim, who do we have today, Jeffrey?
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We have Matt from Revolution Gear and Axel.
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Matt, are you there?
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I am here. All right.
05:57
Morning. Good morning. Good morning.
05:59
Thank you for joining us.
06:01
Thanks for having me. Yeah, for sure.
06:03
And this is a fun, a fun opportunity.
06:08
Jeffrey, I don't know if you had an opportunity
06:09
to create any specific questions or outlines.
06:12
No, I left it as a conversational.
06:15
We're going to be winging it.
06:16
You're going to wing it anyway.
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So I would say I've prepared notes for you
06:21
how many times and you follow the script once.
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I do really good with the songs that you
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crappily produce and that I produce papers to keep the couch warm.
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The papers are nice, but I don't know.
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Maybe it would give Matt confidence in the fact
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that we're not going to ask him something.
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Catty Wampus in the process.
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We'll see. I think he's prepared.
06:40
You think he's prepared? OK.
06:44
I've actually had the opportunity just even recently
06:47
at Smoky Mountain to catch up with Matt
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and had a very good conversation.
06:54
And Matt and I met a few years ago
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when he was very diligently trying to convince us
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that there was a better alternative gear
07:06
manufacturer on the market
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and, you know, in trying to to represent revolution accordingly.
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Now we pull no punches that we are for historically.
07:18
We've sold a lot of Dana Spicer components
07:21
and also historically, we sold a lot of Yukon.
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But as of many things, all businesses have their ups and downs.
07:28
And while we're still very, very happy with Dana Spicer,
07:31
I am finding myself less and less thrilled about my Yukon offerings.
07:36
So with that said, we were very loyal to them
07:41
and as a product supplier.
07:43
But if they are not able to deliver for our customer,
07:45
then what's the point? Right?
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And that's a very personal, professional approach that I take
07:52
that our customer comes first, regardless of our relationships with manufacturers.
07:57
And if manufacturers are not able to fill the way that we expect them to.
08:02
Again, we treat your Jeep like it's our Jeep.
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And I want, you know, arguably the very best for whatever given circumstance it is.
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In that interim, there are a number of alternative,
08:14
you know, there are a number of gear manufacturers out there, Richmond Motive.
08:19
And Revolution came on the scene some years ago.
08:23
In the aftermarket, Matt, when would you say that, like,
08:27
Revolution really took a stronghold?
08:31
Well, first, I would say it was probably I want to say it's 2012
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was when the when the branding came about.
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We've been making gear since 1984, just kind of had a different business model.
08:45
12 was when we kind of looked at the scope of things
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and saw how things were going right e-commerce.
08:52
We kind of thought just wholesaling white box to to companies
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maybe wasn't the route to just put all our eggs in one basket.
09:01
And that's kind of when we decided, like I said, to brand.
09:04
But that's that I wouldn't say that's when we really got, you know,
09:10
you know, stole market share. Yeah, that would probably be.
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Man, last three years, definitely.
09:20
Yeah, every year, every year it's gotten it was better, right?
09:24
You know, we have a very grassroots approach to it.
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And I joke around with a lot of people and say,
09:30
we would blindfold ourselves and throw darts at a dartboard or or a map, if you will.
09:36
And all right, I guess we're going to to Pika, Kansas today.
09:41
But we we did very I mean, we did a lot of stuff like that,
09:45
where we would let's say we had a customer and let me back up just a bit.
09:51
But, you know, our company is a gear company, first and foremost.
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So 1984 was when it was founded.
09:57
We make a lot of internal components for transfer cases and manual transmissions.
10:03
So we had big remanufacturers, you know, builders shop, you know, large shops.
10:08
And that's kind of how we focused on, you know,
10:11
regionally growing the brand revolution.
10:14
So we would, let's say, fly into a Kansas city or an Oklahoma city.
10:19
And then we would plan out a full week where we would start there
10:23
and just kind of sweep that that regional area talking about, you know,
10:28
revolution and what we do, because there's a lot of overlap.
10:31
Like you, like I'm sure you're aware of, right?
10:34
There's a lot of guys that are building transfer cases and transmissions
10:37
that also do differential, but we would also look and just do Google
10:41
and Yelp searches where, you know, hey, there's X amount on off roadshops.
10:46
There's X amount of differential repair in the area.
10:49
And we would just really just knock on doors and just spread the word.
10:54
But to really answer your question, yeah, I would say about the last three years.
10:59
Wow, it's it's just it's just taken off.
11:02
You know, it's it's a testament to I think our team, really, you know,
11:07
you would do these shows, whether they're the larger shows or the small
11:10
even the smaller shows. And there was a point in time where
11:13
you talk to 10 people within an hour and two, three
11:18
of them would know who you are.
11:20
And, you know, it's very rare that somebody comes up to the booth now and says,
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I don't know who you are.
11:26
So it's just, you know, it just proves a lot of hard works paid off.
11:31
And I can identify entirely too well, because quite frankly,
11:35
12 was when I went full time as well.
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And we were part time, you know, part time business prior to that
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and full time enthusiasts and 12 is when I kind of, you know,
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kind of took the leap of faith involuntarily, but got out there
11:53
regardless. And then that concept of, you know, continuing to kind of
11:58
carve out market share, I get it, you know, entirely in an organic
12:02
fashion, who's just like, Hey, we have this great core, this great
12:05
foundational purpose. And then you got to you got to get in front of
12:09
the Jeepers. And I always said we will go where the Jeepers are at.
12:13
And that way we can kind of, you know, share the message.
12:17
And exactly what you're saying, as far as, you know, at one time,
12:22
you got to really bite and fight and scratch to get people to go,
12:25
Hey, you're a legitimate business. And now there's oftentimes,
12:30
you know, not there's not often an occasion where people haven't
12:33
heard a little bit about you, you know, so what you're sharing
12:37
is I get it entirely too well. And of course, when 12 when
12:40
you guys branded kind of the boom between 12 and 1617 was
12:45
this, this, this boom market for gearing, because of course, the
12:50
Oh, seven to 11 JK was just hot garbage, and was geared poorly
12:55
with an underdog of an engine. And, and, and gears were just a
13:02
hot topic. Every, you know, Jim, Bob and Harry was was
13:07
trying to make a gear just to do something with this
13:09
minivan motor Jeep. So I get it. And you guys obviously
13:15
started to do some market share. Now, what I think is
13:18
interesting for folks at home who are listening, I heard you
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mentioned white box production. Maybe could you break that down
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to maybe if somebody's unfamiliar with what that means?
13:29
Yeah, so it's just an unbranded gear, right? So we
13:32
manufacture our product. And there's, whether it's like I
13:37
said, let's just say it's a large factory that just
13:40
rebuilds or remanufactures axles, right? So they strip
13:44
it. The sandblast that obviously paint the actual axle
13:48
housing, and then those stuff with guts, you know, carriers,
13:51
whether it's an open carrier, a positive locker, ring
13:54
opinion, and then axle shafts. So, you know, a lot of those
13:59
guys will just on a white box program, right? And then
14:03
there's other gear, manual aftermarket gear
14:05
manufacturers that do the same thing, whether it's almost
14:10
the whole percentage of their their gear line, or it's 10%
14:15
or 20 or 30 or 50. It doesn't really matter. But that's kind
14:19
of where I think we really want a lot of fans over as far as
14:25
just more so shop owners and installers, right? Where I
14:29
think, you know, the first two or three conversations you
14:32
and I had. And listen, just like you started this episode
14:37
off, you know, you're a loyal guy. And I even told you that
14:40
when you were like, Listen, I just don't have room for you. But
14:45
you know, anytime you see me, stop by and say hello. And I
14:49
can't appreciate that so much just in the sense that I need
14:53
and I want customers the same way. Right? So I kind of
14:57
digress there. But you know, we that was the thing that I
15:02
pushed so hard on on installers or shop owners was just
15:06
give us a shot. Just the gear setup consistency, which obviously
15:10
time is money. That's such a huge factor, right? The quality
15:15
hands down is there. But the the ease of install is I think
15:20
what really want to heart the hearts over of a lot of these
15:24
these shops. And why I say that is because of our main
15:30
principle is we don't rebox anything if it comes in a green
15:33
revolution box, it's 100% our product, right? So for quality
15:37
control reasons, for setup reasons, it's really second to none,
15:42
at least in the aftermarket, right? You know, you mentioned
15:45
the Dana Spicer have have, you know, they're a great company.
15:51
They're the I mean, it's Dana Spicer, right?
15:54
Right, absolutely. They're not they're obviously not
15:56
reboxing anyone's product. But you know, on the after
16:00
market side, we are the only company that can say that. And I
16:03
can say that with certainty.
16:05
Absolutely. Yes. And that that was exactly one of our biggest
16:09
frustrations. And of course, you know, I when we met and I
16:13
I'm I can't exactly, you know, articulate when that was and we
16:18
had developed, as far as SFJ four by four was concerned, we
16:22
had developed a lifeline relationship with Yukon. And
16:29
so we had the Yukon that we had a we had a rep there who was a
16:35
really gifted gear and axle mind, like he understood bearings
16:42
and races and, you know, ring gear cuts. And there is still a
16:46
couple individuals there within their tech department who
16:49
arguably are very gifted gear minds, right? But this this
16:56
rep was awesome. And he, you know, for the most part, really
17:02
benefited our business as far as kind of putting us in tune with
17:06
things that were on the the edge of the market, right, the
17:09
pulse of the market. And that helped build our brand. And then
17:14
we have a specific technician, while everybody here has touched
17:18
gears in some capacity, doing axles ourselves years ago, we
17:23
have one technician, our lead performance mechanic, who just
17:25
again, has a gifted brain for it. And I value his feedback
17:30
highly in the process, but then also the logistics of the
17:33
business. And so we had been doing a lot of setup with Yukon
17:37
and and so we would oftentimes give our customers an option,
17:41
whether they wanted Yukon or Spicer, you know, ring
17:44
and pinions. But then there was kind of these alternative
17:48
options, as far as like there was warranties on their ring
17:51
and pinions. And there was other products that maybe Spicer
17:56
doesn't make as easy to access for the aftermarket, maybe, you
18:01
know, would be a gear kit bundle, you know, it created some
18:06
customer service, and some ease of consumption from our part
18:10
from our consumer standpoint, the brand Yukon helped sell
18:15
our ability to be relevant in the gear market. As things,
18:19
you know, moved and changed, the reboxing became a problem. You
18:25
and this is where I was going with you, you, you kind of came
18:27
up to me one day, we were at a, you know, Bantam. And again, I
18:32
think you were on the edge of the market, you saw things
18:35
coming, you and Revolution by extension were like, hey, you
18:39
might need us one day. And that was that was all you know
18:42
what I mean? And you were like, you know, I get I get
18:44
solicited constantly with people far more pushy than your
18:48
approach. And it, you know, Jeff, Jeff, oftentimes as our
18:53
front end filter, we'll just like hang up, not not that he'll
18:55
just hang up the phone, but he'll he'll filter out
18:58
I mean, I literally tried to bill somebody for using up my
19:04
A solicitor called the other day, and he said, well, I'm
19:06
going to start to invoice you now. So, you know, so that
19:10
wasn't that wasn't your approach. It was I think
19:12
you were on the cusp of the market, and you said, hey, I
19:14
can see some things coming, right? And at that time, we
19:18
still had, I don't know, 11,000 air quotes, you know, gear
19:23
in an axle retailers, you know, because every Jim Bob all
19:28
of a sudden, I mean, you know, Rough Country Nitro. And then
19:33
all of the subsidiary lines were selling rings and
19:38
opinions, you know what I mean? And alloy USA and G
19:41
to a lot of ones who are not relevant by today's
19:43
markets, but there was a saturation. Sure. You were
19:48
kind of like, Hey, just keep me in mind. So from our
19:51
standpoint, when we started unwrapping boxes from what
19:57
we felt was a reputable supplier, and it was a rebox.
20:01
And, and then setups weren't going quite as well, and
20:05
setups were going poorly. And we'd have, you know,
20:09
people mistakenly say, Oh, Dana 44 is a Dana 44 is a
20:13
Dana 44 until it isn't right. And that goes with any, you
20:18
know, manual transmissions would be the same way. You know,
20:21
it's 79, T18, and it's 80, T18 are very different
20:26
transmissions. So when you have that fringe stuff, and
20:30
well, since we do 41 to present, we see all of it,
20:35
right? When you don't have a company that's able to
20:38
assist, when you take it apart, and like suddenly
20:41
there's a seal here, or this one has a little bit of a
20:43
different thrush washer. And you need to figure that out when
20:47
you don't have a competent person on the other side of the
20:49
phone, that you can kind of like, Hey, I want to put this
20:52
back. We don't want to be the business that just goes, Oh,
20:55
car. And that's exactly the thing is that we don't really
20:59
get the easy jobs. You know, I mean, you're talking
21:01
about that. And we're not the business who goes, Oh, well,
21:04
your SOL, we're the guys who have to, you know, dig
21:07
down and roll up our sleeves and figure it out, figure it
21:10
out. And and that we were lacking that what we once had
21:14
because that individual that rep that I was talking about with
21:16
Yukon, he was moved on in some capacity. And that
21:21
relationship started to struggle. And we got the
21:23
re boxes and then cuts of gears, a lot of people at
21:26
home don't understand that specifically our technician and
21:33
all technicians oftentimes, if the edges of the gears are
21:36
too harsh, they'll actually make noise and hum. And a lot of
21:41
people who set them up and you see these horror stories about
21:45
gears being noisy, our technician oftentimes, he was
21:48
getting out the ring opinion. And he was dressing the
21:52
gears for longer and longer, because the cart the cut was
21:56
entirely too square or imperfect in the process. And
21:59
dressing the gears for folks who are at home is basically
22:02
filing each and every tooth of the ring opinion on both
22:07
sides, on both sides, you know, and because of impurities and
22:12
our interest in having a good quality setup, just a race of
22:16
the bottom because like you had said, we had so many different
22:18
manufacturers on the scene. So suddenly you have people just
22:22
looking at price alone. Yes, they don't understand the
22:25
quality aspect. They don't understand how much time you're
22:29
going to lose on setup. So it's myself kind of good to see a
22:34
company like revolution, looking at the quality and going,
22:38
No, we are not going to sell a product that way.
22:41
Correct. And I think that's the biggest frustration is I feel
22:44
like we all think there's a little bit of as a consumer, I
22:48
think one of our triggers is this is the smoke and mirrors
22:51
the bait and switch. Yes. Right. And so if you are, we've
22:55
all seen it on the mechanical side of things. It's like my
22:58
receipt says I got blah installed. And then I open up the
23:02
hood and I'm like, Oh, wait a second, they told me and I'm
23:06
making stuff up, folks. They told me I was getting a dormant
23:09
part. And now all of a sudden I have a rugged ridge part or
23:12
vice versa. Yeah. You know, now it's like, well, I feel I
23:18
feel a little taken advantage of. And from a supply chain
23:22
logistic, that's how we felt when we would open up a
23:27
particular gear setup kit from not Dana Spicer. And we would
23:31
get somebody else's gears in there.
23:32
The part I love that I remember the most is we got a rebox
23:36
rebox once we did. Yep. And we're looking at we're like,
23:40
holy crap, you know, this is literally from this other
23:43
supplier that we actually have an account with. And we just
23:46
gone straight to them. Yes. And they're not making gears
23:49
they're just reboxing as well. Yes. And we're like, how did
23:52
we get here? Yes. Yeah, I think it's it's tricky, right? It, you
23:58
know, and I never go I never have conversations with anyone,
24:01
whether it's, you know, we're obviously live right now. But
24:05
if we were talking in a private conversation, I myself and my
24:09
wholesale team, we're not going to trash any of our
24:11
competitors. I think that's a, you know, let's jump in.
24:13
That's okay, you I respect that. I'm going to put their
24:17
business out there, though, because that's the that's
24:20
what our our customers deserve, right? And we're we're here to
24:24
be in the middle of that just like I'm not going to put any of
24:27
our, you know, other builders or anybody else necessarily out on
24:32
blast. That's not my job. My job is to explain to you how we
24:36
do things with excellence. Now, if there's somebody within the
24:38
supply chain, who's not holding up their end of the
24:42
bargain, then our customers, then our community deserves to
24:46
know that, right? So one's a business moral piece, and I
24:49
can respect that for you guys. On the other hand, one is a
24:52
defense of our community. And that's where I'm going to step
24:55
you know, when certain companies and it's not just
24:58
specific to the automotive industry, right? It's it's
25:01
branding, right? It's grown. It's just having this huge
25:04
conglomerate, right? And, and, you know, so I guess what I'm
25:08
getting at is you, there's a couple paths you can go down
25:12
go down. But I believe to and specific to what we're
25:15
talking about. And it's you want the skews, and you're going to
25:20
keep growing the skews, but you can actually keep up with
25:22
manufacturing of those, of those, those right, right? And then
25:28
that's when you get into where you have to look to the
25:30
supply chain, look to other companies. With ourselves, we
25:35
just decided at a, you know, at an early stage, and this
25:38
predates, you know, me being with the company, we're not
25:42
going to do that. And is there times that we're going
25:44
to lose sales on stuff? Yeah, because you you guys call me up
25:48
today and say, I need this gear package, and I don't have the
25:51
rears, I can tell you the fronts. And you know, and some
25:54
people don't want to mix match, and I can understand that some
25:57
people don't have a problem with it. And sometimes you have no
25:59
choice but to mix and match because availability off the
26:02
supply chain. What I'm getting at is, is we took an early on
26:05
approach to where we're just going to be, you know, open,
26:09
honest, you know, nobody boxing. And if that means we lose
26:14
out in a sale here or there, it is what it is. But we thought
26:17
just the way we're going to market and how we wanted to
26:20
grow this brand and grow this company is that that was the
26:23
right approach for us. So yeah, it hurts at times. Now, as
26:29
we've gotten more popular in our sales, you know, keep
26:33
increasing year after year, that obviously allows us to
26:36
go into production on more, you know, gears for the next
26:39
batch, or higher quantities or whatever that may be. So we
26:43
see less of it. Because fortunately, for us, we've
26:47
seen, you know, exponential growth over the last three,
26:51
four, five years. But again, it was in the early days, it was
26:56
tricky, right? It's like, All right, this, we're gonna, this
26:58
is the cross we're gonna bear. And there's going to be some
27:02
growing pains from time to time. And not that there isn't
27:05
still growing pains. But I think it's, it's a lot easier
27:08
to navigate through those, through those instances.
27:11
Absolutely. And I respect the company that's willing to just
27:14
put a line in the sand. Like, our quality is important, we'd
27:17
rather not sell you a gear, then sell you a crappy set of gears
27:21
that is just in a different box. Because again, that stings
27:26
for someone along that supply chain logistics.
27:28
And in their defense of sorts, their contention is and was,
27:32
hey, you still get our warranty, you get our
27:35
reputability, reputability, if you have a setup issue,
27:39
you can call our, our tech line. And I can, I from a business
27:43
standpoint, I can identify and understand what their contention
27:50
is. I can also simply accept that that's not how I'm going to
27:53
do business. For our customers, when they come to us, the
27:56
expectation is that we do have a line in the sand. And again,
28:00
we're going to miss market share on some people, right?
28:05
Because they're just budget minded, they don't care,
28:07
they're just trying to flip the vehicle, whatever it might
28:09
be. And that's just, I always been my belief is that there's
28:13
enough business to go around for the, the vast majority of
28:16
businesses, so long as you're doing things in a reputable
28:18
fashion. And then, and that's how we then pick and choose our
28:22
supply chain logistics, you know? So I appreciate it. As far
28:27
as, you know, as far as the quality of revolution is
28:33
concerned, are you willing to disclose some of the things that
28:38
make you guys unique in your quality approach?
28:42
Well, I, I, the obvious one is what I first touched on, right?
28:47
Not reboxing. So from a quality control standpoint, it comes
28:50
from the same factory every single time, which ease of
28:55
setup is associated with that. You know, there's we all of
29:00
our, I would say most of our top skews. And this is something
29:03
to keep in mind. And it's the same with my competitors. I'm
29:06
not saying we're any different in this regard. But, you know,
29:09
we're highly known in the Jeep and the Toyota communities
29:12
because of the off-roading and the overlanding. But, you
29:16
know, we make a full line of differential products, right?
29:19
So, you know, for example, people always are kind of
29:22
amazed by this, because again, we're associated with with
29:26
Jeep, you know, Jeeps and Toyotas. But GM 10 bolts is what
29:31
keeps the lights on. I mean, there's so many 10 bolts out
29:35
the Chrysler 9 and the quarters huge sellers for us. What I'm
29:40
getting at is is our really popular, our skews or and or
29:45
differentials that are just kind of finicky. A Chrysler 9
29:49
and a quarter is one of them. We make two cuts for those in
29:55
a two cut ring and pinion. The old school version has a five
29:59
cut. And I can explain that or if you guys even want to
30:03
elaborate. But what it is basically is you got a five
30:06
cut, you got the ring gear that's cut three times, and you
30:09
got a pinion that's cut twice, the total's five cuts. What
30:14
they're talking about on the two cut is where it's a
30:17
more precise cut, and the ring gear is only cut once and
30:21
the pinion's cut once. The other thing to that differentiates
30:28
itself from a five cut is that the tooth profile. So if you're
30:32
looking at a ring gear, the inside of that circle is the
30:36
toe, and that the tooth on the outside is the heel. Now,
30:40
obviously, I know you guys know that, but talking to the
30:42
audience, if they may not know that, is there is more
30:47
material on a two cut the profile of that tooth, if you
30:51
were to look from toe to heel, on a five cut, a traditional
30:54
one is from the outside in, it's thicker and it tapers off. So
30:59
there's less actual tooth or material, right? On a two cut
31:04
that tooth profile is the same from heel to toe. So obviously
31:09
what you know, more material, a stronger, more contact pattern
31:13
that that's always a good thing. So between precise cut
31:17
gears, more, you know, more contact surface, it's just a
31:22
superior gear. You know, 10 bolts, Christ, nine or quarters, 8.8
31:27
40.8 and all the our jail lineup, that's those are all two
31:32
cut gears. It doesn't mean a five cuts bet, don't get me
31:36
wrong. That's not what I'm saying. It's just, you know,
31:41
we decide, you know, there's only one gear company that
31:44
makes a two two cut gear. Why shouldn't say that? But as far as
31:49
Jeeps go, Dana Spicer is a two cut ring and pin for sure. And
31:54
we're the only other company that makes a two cut for a JLJT.
31:58
You know, I think it's fun. And this is where I totally
32:00
nerd out and nerd it out years ago. Is that this, it's a
32:06
my to my understanding is is literally about the machine
32:10
that is cutting the ring and pinion. And I think that that's
32:15
sometimes lost on on people because as a general consumer, we
32:19
look in at a business and we're like, Well, they should just
32:21
have infinite money, infinite resources to this magic. Yeah,
32:26
there's magic. There's a magic wand. And they should just
32:28
have the latest and greatest machine or technology or
32:32
whatever to do their job. And the reality is that, you
32:36
know, that that's not always the case that sometimes
32:38
manufacturers and it doesn't matter what industry it is,
32:42
they're shoving a machine in the shape of its, you know, of its
32:47
duties to produce a product. And so there's been a number of
32:52
stories about manufacturers, specifically in the gear
32:55
industry, buying and selling old school machines to each
33:00
other or within the, you know, within that manufacturing
33:03
chain, or overseas. And, and now a manufacturer is able to
33:08
offer a different cut because the five cut, as you mentioned, is
33:12
is not uncommon by any stretch. And that was the, you know,
33:16
standard of manufacturing at one time. It still is. It still
33:19
is to the state. Right, right. And the two cut just happens
33:22
to be a machine that does it better. And that's a kind of
33:26
an oversimplified, you know, nature of it. But I think
33:32
that that's fascinating. Of course, it aids in the longevity
33:35
aids in the quietness of the gears. There's a bunch of
33:39
advantages. But again, the actual kind of society as a whole
33:45
accepts a five cut ring and penion. And they're none the
33:48
wiser, right? The average person is none the wiser. That
33:50
was interesting. As we started to work with your guys stuff
33:52
more and more, you actually include instructions or tips for
33:59
whatever cut of gear it is. Sure, you know, because, and
34:04
listen, an experienced gear guy is going to understand that. But
34:07
there's I know a lot of guys that might not have set up a ton
34:11
of to two cut gears. Because again, a five cuts just it's
34:14
been around forever. So the pattern looks a little bit
34:17
different. It takes a little bit getting used to some of the
34:21
setup is almost the opposite of what you would do to get
34:24
that correct pattern on a five cut compared to a two cut.
34:28
So there's a little bit of tips and tricks of the trade. So
34:33
so you can read that gear pattern, right? Like I said,
34:36
sometimes you actually might have a good gear pattern on a
34:39
two cup. You don't think you have a good pattern just
34:41
because of the way that shape in the marking compound is
34:45
compared to a, you know, a traditional five cut. So, you
34:48
know, listen, we try to do our best to give you all the
34:52
tools right up front. But you know, if not, and it
34:55
happens, you know, that's why we have a sales sales and
34:58
customer customer support team waiting for you. We've got a lot
35:02
of guys with a lot of experience. Just we've really
35:06
assembled a great team over the years, pretty really proud of
35:10
Yeah, that's awesome. And I, I have all the respect in the
35:13
world for a company that is not looking to blow smoke
35:19
that they're going, Hey, this isn't magic. This is nuts
35:22
and bolts. And yet, we understand that there's a
35:26
technical difference between that, right? Because I think
35:29
there's too many companies who, you know, kind of employ that
35:33
reboxing method method, that misdirection method to be
35:36
like, what we do is magic. And you're supposed to just
35:40
accept that. And, you know, and, and, you know, as far as
35:46
with evolution is going, Hey, we have both these cuts of
35:49
gears. And here's we need you to be successful with
35:51
both of them. Whereas I think there's, again, a number of
35:55
businesses that are going, you don't need to know this
35:58
information. You know what I mean? Like, close enough, is
36:01
going to be good enough in this situation. And you guys
36:03
are going, we can make it better.
36:05
I think, you know, what you're alluding to is, is we
36:09
take our partnerships with with the shops and remanufactures
36:13
and whoever it is, very seriously, right? Because it
36:16
is a partnership. And I think when you start looking
36:19
away from that, don't feel it's a partnership. That's, that's
36:22
kind of when things can fall apart. So we try to stay humble.
36:26
You know, I always say this, you know, I'm pretty positive
36:31
now, as of in the last year, we are the only aftermarket
36:35
gear company that's still family owned and operated,
36:37
which is huge today, right? I think that plays in
36:39
the morals and a lot of different things. We're
36:42
also better known and operated. So I think we
36:44
take those, those core values and really put it
36:48
into our customer service and obviously the product
36:51
itself. Absolutely. So speaking of that, that ownership
36:54
and operation, where is headquarters? Where is
36:57
distribution? You know, what some of those logistics?
37:01
Yes. So headquarters is in the suburbs of Chicago, about
37:05
30 miles west of the city. And that's what I'm at
37:09
headquarters. And then our second location is just
37:13
outside of Los Angeles, Santa Fe Springs, California. So
37:16
those would be our two offices and warehouse space,
37:19
distribution spaces. Then obviously we have a ton,
37:23
pretty much all the main players and with WDs or
37:26
warehouse distribution. So, and you know, that's,
37:31
that's nice, right? Because, you know, in the
37:33
beginning, when you have, like you said, an
37:35
oversaturated space, which I feel like 10 years ago
37:39
was very oversaturated, just a ton of brands and
37:42
gear companies, not necessarily all making
37:44
their gears, but they had a brand at least, right?
37:47
Yes. And it was hard, obviously, just to get even
37:51
into the shops, but let alone then go to some of the
37:54
big auto parts distributors and say, Hey, you know,
37:58
we'd like for you to, you know, be a distributor of
38:01
our product. And they kind of look at you and
38:03
like, well, why, why should we bring on a
38:05
seventh gear company? Right. So that was, that was,
38:09
that was a struggle. But again, kind of in,
38:11
like I said, about the last three years is really
38:15
when, when everything just kind of the, the, the
38:19
light switch was flipped on and everything just
38:22
kind of fallen into place. What would you
38:24
attribute that to? I think a lot of different
38:29
things. I think, you know, focusing on what
38:31
we're doing, I think just staying the course with
38:34
our, with what we believe in, like I said, as
38:36
far as how we want to go to market and that's
38:39
not reboxing, I think hiring the right people
38:42
along the way, adding to our team, growing to our
38:45
team. But again, picking those, those, those
38:49
right people, but it starts, you know, you
38:54
know, listen, I take it back to my military,
38:56
guys, I was on an aircraft carrier and, you
38:59
know, we used to a lot of the guys in the
39:01
skin of the ship. And what I mean by that
39:03
is on the inside, that does all the little
39:06
tedious, maniacal, um. Oh, don't worry. If you
39:10
haven't watched our program, Scott can't speech
39:14
worth a darn. There's a disconnection between
39:20
here and here. That's between his brain and his
39:22
mouth. And so I, you know, you fit right in.
39:24
Don't worry about it. And honestly, you can,
39:27
you can just blow it through the word. We
39:30
will know what it is. We'll smirk. We'll
39:31
probably make fun of you, but you just keep
39:34
going. And our listeners will understand.
39:37
Yeah, I'm speaking their language. That's
39:40
right. They've listened this far. They're
39:42
going to keep going. Yeah. Yeah. So what I
39:44
was getting at was a quick story is, you
39:46
know, there's a lot of support, support
39:50
cast or support team for, for whatever
39:53
you, whatever company you work for,
39:54
organization. And in my instance, I
39:57
worked on the flight deck, right? And a
39:59
lot of those guys, especially when I
40:01
was in, you know, was at kind of the
40:03
height of the war over there. And a lot
40:05
of those guys would get down because,
40:06
you know, they're scrubbing decks or
40:08
they're cooking the food or they're kind
40:11
of buried in a small compartment and
40:12
they're not, you know, unfortunately
40:14
get to see the sunlight or get, feel
40:17
that breeze and, you know, just camaraderie
40:20
can get down at times. You know, for
40:21
us, I had a high intensity job on a
40:23
flight deck, launching and recovering
40:25
aircraft, right? So there's different
40:28
ways to, to, to bring about that
40:30
camaraderie. And, and I think kind of
40:34
to sum this up is, is one, I think we
40:36
have really good camaraderie. We have
40:38
the right people. So that is
40:40
leadership down. But we tried to show
40:43
that we're a family and everyone
40:45
works together. So my point is, is like
40:47
the guys and admin here and just the
40:51
simple stuff, right? And then not so
40:52
simple stuff. Think about the
40:53
warehouse guys. Those guys really
40:55
bust their humps. And if they're not
40:58
working at max capacity and we can't
41:01
ship the product, I don't care how good
41:03
the product is. So, you know, I think
41:06
guys like myself and my sales team
41:08
sometimes, you know, we're the face
41:10
if you will, because we get to do cool
41:11
things like this podcast. We've done a
41:13
number of TV shows. We've got a couple
41:15
TV episodes coming out soon. You see
41:17
us at SEMA. You see it as all the,
41:20
all the cool shows like Jeep Beach
41:22
and Smokey Mountain Invasion and all
41:25
that stuff, right? But there's so
41:27
much support supporting cast that just
41:30
kind of don't get the kudos, the
41:34
pat on the back. We, obviously, we do
41:37
that and try to do it and tell them,
41:39
hey man, every cog in the wheel is
41:42
important. So, you know, just to kind
41:44
of sum that up, you know, those are
41:46
the types of things where it's
41:47
sometimes the guys that you can't
41:49
see, you don't see or don't think
41:51
about that really play a huge factor
41:54
in a brand like ourselves and growing
41:56
that brand and staying relevant and
41:58
just keep pushing, pushing that
42:00
threshold. So, we have a commenter
42:03
saying that they're about to have a
42:05
8-8 and put into their 92 and we're
42:09
making them think of everything that
42:10
they need to ask the shop about
42:11
gears. With that being said, are
42:14
there questions that you would
42:16
recommend a general Jeep or ask
42:20
their local shop before getting new
42:22
gears? Yeah, I mean, yes, I would.
42:29
You know, if it's not a shop that you've
42:31
been to multiple times, let's say, you
42:33
know, I would ask questions. You know,
42:35
is the physical work of installing
42:38
a gear maybe might not be overly hard,
42:42
meaning just the, you know, unbolting
42:44
stuff? Yeah, that's probably not that
42:47
overly difficult, but as you guys
42:48
well aware, there's specialty tools,
42:50
right? There's no one how to use those
42:52
specialty tools and how to read the
42:54
backlash gauge. My point is, it's
42:57
complicated because of all the steps
42:59
that you need to take and all the
43:00
fine potential adjustments that you
43:02
need to do, right? So, you know, if I
43:05
were going into a shop that I don't
43:06
know well and I don't have that
43:08
relationship, it would be, you know,
43:10
in relations to my product would be,
43:13
do you have a dedicated gear guy
43:15
and how maybe how long has the guy
43:17
been installing gears? And then as
43:18
far as the product goes, I, you
43:21
know, I think for the most part, but
43:24
I'm sure there's quite a bit of
43:27
install kits out there that aren't
43:30
using quality bearings and maybe
43:31
quality small parts. I think a lot of
43:33
times that stuff could be overlooked.
43:36
But listen, if you're not using a
43:39
reputable brand for bearings, I
43:43
don't care how good the gear is
43:45
manufactured. You have a bearing
43:48
failure and it's either getting
43:50
redone or, you know, these things
43:52
is people don't necessarily know
43:54
this, you know, you can't just
43:55
simply replace a ring gear or you
43:57
can't just simply replace opinion
43:59
if one of the, if part of that gear
44:00
set fails, right? Those gears are
44:02
lapped together during the
44:04
manufacturing process and so think
44:07
of them as they're married together,
44:08
right? So, if one goes bad, you
44:10
got to replace both or there is
44:12
instances where if you have a bad
44:14
bearing and you wear a bad pattern
44:16
into the gear, you might not
44:18
necessarily have a bad gear, but
44:20
for the life of that gear set,
44:21
you're going to have maybe some
44:22
wine or some noise and that can
44:23
be annoying to the consumer,
44:26
right? So, to my point, those
44:29
small parts are just as
44:31
important as the gear set and if
44:33
you're not using, you know, I
44:34
would say obviously the top two
44:36
would be Tempkin and Coio in
44:38
our space. That's not to say
44:40
there's not other good
44:42
bearings, right? National SKF
44:44
just a few that come to mind,
44:47
but if you're not using a really
44:49
good bearing, that gear set up
44:53
is, you know, I'm not saying it's
44:55
going to fail, but I think you
44:56
definitely have a greater chance
44:58
of having a noisy gear set.
45:00
How we look at bearings here as
45:02
we first started looking at
45:03
what the OEs were using and
45:05
Tempkin and Coio were pretty
45:07
much the standard and if they're
45:09
willing to put a vehicle out at
45:11
the price they cost and with
45:13
the warranty they elaborate and
45:15
they're willing to put their name
45:17
on a Tempkin or a Coio then we
45:21
Quick question going back a
45:22
little bit before we get too
45:23
far about the two cut or one
45:26
cut versus five cut. Does it
45:29
matter on the gear ratio which
45:31
cut you get or is it pretty
45:34
much an axle like JK44 is going
45:40
to be the one way JL44 is
45:42
going to be another way or is it
45:43
when you get off into the deeper
45:45
cuts I know for back in the
45:48
olden days when we would do TJs
45:50
and you get like a 488 and the
45:51
gears were very, opinion had was
45:53
very small and you're in almost
45:55
a different world. Does that
45:58
when cuts make a difference?
46:01
I mean it probably doesn't hurt
46:03
that's and that's a great
46:04
question but no it's not
46:07
necessarily a five cut versus
46:08
two cut as far as the deeper
46:11
ratios you get. Like I said it
46:13
probably doesn't hurt but it's
46:15
not necessarily when we go to
46:19
market we're like alright 410s
46:22
456s and 488s we're going to
46:24
make a five cut and then 513s
46:27
and numerically higher we're
46:28
going to go to a two cut.
46:32
necessarily go about that so
46:34
that's a great question though
46:36
that very good question.
46:37
But is it then JL actual
46:40
versus JK axle? Is that what I
46:41
was understanding from you?
46:43
I think it's our JKs are five
46:45
cut. That's what I thought.
46:46
Your JKs are five cut JLs are
46:49
Yeah we started off when we
46:51
first we were actually the
46:53
first aftermarket company to
46:54
release JL gears and I think
46:56
again that was kind of at
46:58
the start of that turning
46:59
point so we were like we
47:00
just rushed not rushed like
47:02
where we made mistakes we
47:04
just we want to get a
47:05
product out there we want
47:07
we want to be front and
47:09
center that we got this new
47:10
model the new models was just
47:12
released but we made it
47:15
because it was the easiest to
47:16
make in a five cut right
47:18
and then as time went on we
47:19
were like you know we like to
47:21
do we like to keep our standard
47:23
at an OE level right and so if
47:25
the OE is going to is making
47:27
something we kind of have
47:28
that mindset that we want to
47:30
be at least as good I mean if
47:32
you can be better that's
47:33
great but that's kind of
47:36
where our mindset was and we
47:38
do you know we've had we had
47:39
such great success on the
47:41
other axle family in the two
47:43
cut and that was really the
47:45
only reason you know we saw
47:47
an opening to where it was
47:48
like nobody else is doing
47:49
this other than OE so again
47:53
we we want to be in that
47:54
conversation. Absolutely. Now
47:58
kind of hopscotching around
48:01
on the eight eight level one
48:03
of the things that I and
48:06
conversation about brands and
48:08
who and how I'll put on blast
48:11
and arguably my contention is
48:13
not to kind of lump brands
48:17
into good and bad but basically
48:20
product offerings and you know
48:24
kind of general expectations
48:25
that a company can make certain
48:29
lines very very good and other
48:32
production lines you know not
48:34
so good or they don't care
48:35
about right it's a pursuit
48:36
that they're not fully
48:38
invested in so oftentimes I'll
48:42
be critical of in a suspension
48:44
you know I there's a particular
48:46
rough country suspension that
48:47
I absolutely abhor that is
48:49
sold but we do in fact sell
48:52
rough country and so my
48:53
intention is not necessarily to
48:54
say that rough country is a
48:56
bad company because they're
48:58
not they're actually a very
48:59
good company but that there
49:01
are product lines that they
49:02
offer that I don't think
49:04
that are worth our customers
49:06
time energy and resources and
49:08
so with that said about
49:10
Yukon and I was putting them
49:11
you know out there earlier
49:14
and I want them to be you know
49:15
fulfill the integrity and to
49:17
just simply do what they said
49:19
they're going to do so with
49:22
that and the 88 that's being
49:25
built one of the things that
49:27
I still use from Yukon would
49:30
be their 88 big bearing
49:33
on the C Clip Eliminator kit
49:36
is that a kit or a product that
49:39
revolution also has available
49:42
for the market are you familiar
49:44
with that yeah yeah I'm
49:46
familiar with it we don't
49:50
you know that's that kind of
49:51
goes back to where you know I
49:54
definitely would say we have a
49:55
full line of axle offerings
49:57
because we do but there's
49:59
there's some little niche
50:00
things where we don't have
50:03
that and I think that also
50:05
plays into where and I have
50:08
no clue if if they make it
50:11
or they source it right and
50:14
I'm not even speculating but I
50:16
think that just at least on our
50:18
end kind of comes into play
50:19
where we're over the last
50:22
two three years in that growth
50:24
that's when we're starting to
50:25
look at some of that that more
50:27
niche stuff and saying all right
50:29
we need to have an offering for
50:31
it so I hate using the term
50:35
playing catch up on that stuff
50:36
but we just decided to focus in
50:39
different areas and growing in
50:41
different ways but we're always
50:43
I mean it is it's daily I mean
50:45
and that's what I love about
50:47
our sales reps I mean it's
50:48
it's five ten twenty times a
50:51
day where they're like we
50:52
need to come out with this
50:53
and we need to come out
50:54
with tickets because I have a
50:56
spreadsheet and we discuss it
50:58
at in our weekly sales
50:59
meetings we discuss it in our
51:01
management meetings and you know
51:03
I think we got some really cool
51:04
exciting stuff coming out but to
51:07
your point where it's the
51:09
growth has been so rapid over
51:10
those three years something
51:12
like you know the 88 you know
51:17
Eliminator kit where you're
51:18
just like it's there it's on a
51:20
list it's just you know we
51:25
where it is on the list it's
51:27
one of those situations to
51:28
we've had to actually kind of
51:29
rain in some customers that when
51:32
you own a TJ the TJ stuff seems
51:34
very valid and appropriate and
51:38
then when you have a CJ owner
51:40
that stuff is very appropriate to
51:41
him and you have to kind of
51:44
remind them like well how many
51:45
CJ owners nationwide are
51:47
regearing their axles how many
51:49
TJs now nationwide are
51:51
putting eight eights in at one
51:53
time it was very common we'd
51:55
have two or three a month and
51:57
at this point once a year yeah
52:00
I was gonna say TJs and the
52:02
eight eights for specifically
52:04
yes I mean have gone down I
52:06
mean we just recently but we
52:07
were actually rebuilding
52:09
refreshing and eight eight that
52:11
we had done without this kit a
52:14
few years prior you know and
52:16
that's we're not even doing
52:17
fresh eight eight builds
52:18
necessarily right so that's
52:19
something that you kind of
52:21
always need to be cognizant
52:22
of the market is what sells
52:25
every day is JL and JT kits
52:28
correct JKs will probably
52:30
flank right after that and
52:31
then the others will follow
52:32
suit and that is primarily
52:36
the people are looking to
52:37
upgrade not maintenance their
52:39
vehicles obviously older
52:40
vehicles will need maintenance
52:42
but then they're going to want
52:43
to go back with what they
52:44
have and around here
52:47
explorers are not on the
52:49
road anymore right so that
52:51
accessing an eight eight in
52:52
that in that regard is
52:53
harder than ever it's a
52:55
depreciating asset that's a
52:57
great point I mean it's we
53:00
kind of decided what we're
53:02
going to do you know what
53:03
what the market dictates
53:05
right and I would love to
53:07
have everything but again
53:08
that will also then goes
53:10
against because the fastest
53:12
way to do that is to then
53:13
maybe look outside to fill
53:16
those those voids and you
53:18
know it's just not something
53:20
we're willing to come we
53:21
just call it we won't
53:23
compromise our quality
53:24
quality control but to your
53:27
point if there's still a
53:28
market that doesn't mean that
53:29
we don't come up with stuff
53:31
that on some of the older
53:32
models right we do you know
53:35
we launched a dry shaft line
53:38
probably about two years ago
53:39
now and we just did it for
53:41
the JLJT's and JK's because
53:44
we're kind of feeling it out
53:45
and then about probably
53:48
just three four months ago
53:50
we went back you know we
53:51
did XJ's and and and
53:53
TJ's and LJ's so that doesn't
53:55
mean you know if a if a
53:58
product category is going
53:59
well and we see you know in a
54:01
dry shaft maybe not a
54:03
perfect example right you
54:05
know a driveline is in a
54:07
sense a driveline right you
54:09
know you just as long as
54:09
you're taking measurements
54:11
and and you're using a
54:13
good quality tubing and and
54:16
slip yolks and you know you
54:19
balancing is done correctly
54:21
but my point is is if we
54:22
see a whole or we see that
54:25
we were getting on traction
54:26
on something then that's
54:27
something where we can go
54:29
back and fit some of those
54:30
older vehicles just because
54:33
you brought it up and I feel
54:34
like I'm the technical guy
54:35
here for this conversation
54:37
for some reason on your dry
54:39
shafts do you come with
54:40
yolks that need to be
54:41
swapped on the axles or
54:42
they made with flanges
54:44
for like specifically the
54:45
JK and the JL where they
54:47
will bolt in place of the
54:49
original bolt in place I
54:51
mean you can do what we have
54:53
to you can do the bolt in
54:54
place of the flange or you
54:56
can do a yoke you know
54:57
obviously somebody that's
54:59
you know going to try to you
55:01
know force if we're selling
55:02
direct to a consumer and
55:04
they want to just do it on
55:05
their back in their driveway
55:07
the flange is the way to
55:08
go absolutely you know
55:09
first something that's a
55:10
little bit stronger that
55:12
that pinion yoke is the
55:13
way to is the way to go
55:15
now that's something that
55:17
they're going to have to
55:17
go like that you're
55:18
guys shopping in my opinion
55:21
because now you're talking
55:23
about crushed leave and
55:25
in all kinds of things now
55:26
that's more of a technical
55:28
thing right because you
55:29
got to make sure you get
55:30
your pinion very preloads
55:31
correct and so on and so
55:32
forth we've seen it very
55:33
often where the consumer
55:35
just doesn't understand
55:36
that detail and their
55:38
buddy will grab their
55:39
impact like I'll get it
55:41
done and next thing they
55:46
multitude of reasons so we
55:48
have not only educated but
55:50
rebuilt those axles in
55:51
those situations to the point
55:54
that we have literally
55:55
brought that up to a
55:56
conversation when people
55:57
are doing axles what dry
55:59
shafts are you going to use
56:01
now and in six months
56:02
into a year because some
56:04
things need to go together
56:08
right yeah absolutely so
56:10
Matt what how did you
56:12
personally get involved
56:15
you know so you spoke a
56:17
military service which is
56:19
you know admirable and we
56:20
appreciate that thanks but
56:21
how do you make that
56:23
transition and you yourself
56:26
axle gears and internals
56:29
yeah I mean that's it's kind
56:31
of a try not to be super
56:32
long-winded it's kind of
56:33
been a I guess in the
56:34
beginning was a weird
56:35
voyage but I got out
56:37
I got out what's called
56:39
January 1st 2008 from
56:41
military and I was a jet
56:44
mechanic in the Navy so I
56:46
got out and worked at the
56:47
airport did that for about
56:49
a year that was right when
56:52
that the great recession
56:54
if you want to call that
56:56
and fortunately I didn't
56:58
lose my job but they
57:00
management came in one
57:01
day and was and basically
57:02
was like we're not going
57:03
to lay anyone off but
57:04
everyone's taken a 30%
57:05
pay cut and I was I mean
57:08
30% is 30% so I that
57:13
paired with I didn't love
57:16
aviation as a civilian
57:18
compared to military and I
57:20
think it was just solely
57:21
because like I said I was
57:23
fortunate to work on a
57:24
flight deck I mean you want
57:25
to talk about organized
57:27
chaos it was always
57:28
exciting you know the
57:29
danger element to it too
57:32
and then you know you're
57:33
working on a flight line
57:35
at an airport and you're
57:36
just like wow this I
57:38
realized it was probably
57:40
less about being the
57:42
mechanic but just the
57:44
environment I was a
57:45
mechanic in right so
57:47
after that that that
57:49
they came in and said you're
57:50
going to take you're going
57:51
to take a pay decrease
57:53
I started looking elsewhere
57:58
I had a buddy I was put
58:00
a lot of fuelers out there
58:01
and he's and he said I
58:03
think you'd be you know
58:05
you're a very personal
58:06
dude I think you I think
58:08
you do well in sales
58:10
so my first sales job was
58:12
liquor sales I did that
58:13
for about a year and then
58:15
kind of the same effect
58:17
with the economy was still
58:18
terrible and that was union
58:21
so I was just low man on
58:22
the totem pole so they
58:23
furloughed like 200 employees
58:27
so I wasn't fired per se
58:29
but I was let go and I
58:31
reached out to my uncle
58:33
and my uncle had been in
58:33
the automotive industry for
58:36
God 30 years and you
58:39
know he was like listen
58:41
I'll put fuelers out there
58:42
chances are if I can get you
58:44
something it's not industry
58:46
related I so I don't I don't
58:48
really care necessarily
58:49
what industry it is but I
58:50
really do enjoy sales
58:53
but I did I wasn't treated
58:55
the automotive industry
58:56
because I had a mechanical
58:57
background right so
59:00
long story short I said
59:01
that I think that's the
59:02
second or third time I said
59:03
long story short hey you
59:04
know what you're talking
59:06
to us and again right
59:07
there nobody's going to be
59:08
surprised about this not
59:09
one bit all right good
59:11
so maybe six weeks later
59:14
uncle calls me up says
59:15
you're not going to believe
59:16
this he goes the people
59:18
keep this job just because
59:20
it's fun and it's you know
59:22
the company you work for
59:23
paid fairly well anyways
59:25
got me a job I was there
59:27
for just shy of a decade
59:28
and I was I was a territory
59:30
sales manager so I was
59:33
in charge of a large
59:35
part of the Chicago
59:36
metropolitan area five
59:39
actual individual part
59:40
stores and two warehouses
59:43
and I just called on on shops
59:45
you know and then and kind
59:47
of territory sales manager
59:48
was like a liaison between
59:50
the shops and the stores
59:51
and the distribution centers
59:56
overall really good company
59:58
that I worked for enjoyed my
00:00
time there was some things
00:02
that towards the end is
00:03
when I kind of started
00:04
looking to maybe do something
00:06
else and the owner of
00:09
revolution our company was
00:10
looking at the time for
00:12
an outside salesperson
00:13
because the company had
00:14
had an outside salesperson
00:16
and it was just a few years
00:18
after the branding right
00:21
and still very fresh
00:23
and I got to tell you
00:24
just you know he sold me
00:26
on the idea of being a part
00:29
of a startup more or less
00:32
and then that just sounded
00:35
it's it sounded super
00:37
intriguing and you know
00:39
and we had a lot we could
00:41
relate on he was also
00:42
he was a naval officer
00:44
who had just gotten out
00:45
maybe the year prior
00:47
so we kind of connected
00:48
on that level as well
00:50
and I took a leap of faith
00:56
very cool years later I believe
00:58
you know we definitely understand
01:01
we understand that all too well
01:05
kind of the clock is ticking on us
01:07
is there anything that
01:08
you would have liked to have shared
01:10
with us or with our listeners
01:14
you know that maybe
01:15
there wasn't an opportune time
01:19
no listen I love the open forum
01:22
you know format where
01:23
you know sometimes it's
01:26
you know it's always good to be prepared
01:28
but I think you know you guys
01:29
are running an awesome show here
01:32
and it's super laid back
01:33
kind of Wayne's World Vibes
01:42
OK I don't know that I felt that one
01:44
but you know we'll take it
01:46
I think it's more a grandma's couch
01:47
like you said right
01:50
I love Wayne's World
01:52
it holds a special place
01:54
actually they filmed it in Los Angeles
01:56
but it's supposed to take place
01:57
in a parent's basement in Chicago
02:01
no I think we cover a lot of things
02:06
we talked about our core values
02:11
what we manufacture
02:13
we didn't really touch on axles
02:15
you know we sell a ton of axles
02:17
so just you know just to throw that out there
02:20
a great axle program
02:22
as far as axle shafts go
02:24
you know just touched on the
02:32
we're looking at the expand
02:35
what I mean by that is coming out with maybe
02:37
ratios that we have holes
02:39
where the industry has holes
02:43
that we want to come out with
02:45
because the 40 through 40
02:47
chromolies are a hit
02:48
obviously in the Jeep community
02:50
we're always looking to expand
02:52
different axle families
02:54
you know doesn't necessarily
02:57
but we're always looking at
03:00
what vehicles are popular and off-roading right
03:04
there was a competitor of ours that went out of business
03:06
last year and I think they were about
03:08
the only one in the market with a gear for it
03:10
and then so we were like
03:12
all right there's a hole there
03:14
and there's a demand there
03:16
because we started getting phone call after phone call
03:18
so we came out with the
03:20
the late model Colorado and
03:22
Canyon gears and they've been selling great
03:26
we touched on a lot of things keeping it
03:28
light and and just just a fun
03:30
conversation to have with the gentlemen
03:32
but you know you go to
03:34
revolutiongear.com at any time
03:36
anything that we have new
03:38
or that's either coming out or we just
03:40
released will be you know
03:42
spotlighted on the home screen
03:48
all the success that our company has had
03:50
over the last few years it's not lost on me
03:52
or anyone within the company
03:54
you know it's fun doing stuff like this right
03:56
you know like I said we just did a TV show
03:58
that's going to be coming out in
04:00
December and January I believe the
04:02
that's three episodes
04:04
but being asked to do those
04:06
television shows being asked to do
04:08
podcasts like this that's where I
04:10
what I mean more it's not lost on
04:12
me in revolution right because
04:14
you know there was a time we were
04:16
being asked to do this stuff so that's
04:18
really what kind of showcases
04:24
you know the work the hard work
04:26
is paying off now awesome
04:28
absolutely and congratulations to you guys for
04:30
that and appreciate your
04:32
approach you know years ago when you first
04:34
you know solicited me
04:36
and and and kind of look where we're at
04:38
now and and you know our opportunity
04:40
to kind of continue to grow our brands
04:42
together I hope that our
04:44
listeners all enjoyed
04:46
this this conversation with Matt
04:48
from revolution gear and axle and
04:50
as you mentioned there is a a ton of other
04:52
product offerings that they do have
04:56
themselves under the branding of revolution
04:58
but also their parent company
05:02
internals of transmission transfer
05:04
cases to obviously now drive shafts
05:08
and axles not just bring opinions despite
05:10
fact that that's kind of where their
05:12
stronghold of market relevancy
05:16
with that said if our listeners
05:18
have any you know further questions
05:20
or information maybe as an opportunity
05:22
we'll be able to follow up with them in the future
05:24
as far as with revolution
05:26
and Matt if you have any
05:28
questions you can always reach us at our
05:30
text only number 440-855-2100
05:36
contact c-o-n-t-a-c-t
05:40
additionally we are still looking for those
05:42
people to leave us a review
05:44
screenshot it you need to leave a review
05:46
on your favorite streaming platform
05:48
Spotify audible itunes
05:50
so on so forth but maybe specifically
05:56
this program get suggested
05:58
to your friends family and greater
06:00
members of the Jeep and off-road
06:02
community and more importantly
06:04
than you do that take a screenshot send
06:06
the Jeff so you can get the best
06:08
shortest purple strap you ever possibly
06:10
could use when your gear set fails because
06:12
they're not revolutions until next time
06:14
until next time folks
06:26
Matt staying in with us while our
06:28
weekend updates I think is happening
06:30
I thought that's what I overheard
06:32
so my weekend update was kind of a crash
06:36
tafting to soothe my
06:38
soreness by calling
06:46
with a backhoe in a round hole
06:48
and even though the 24 inches sound so big
06:50
it's not quite big enough to use
06:52
the backhoe to do that
06:54
so we tried for an hour
06:56
and then we tried to
06:58
cattywampus think of how we're going to make
07:00
something to do it and then I
07:02
heard you in my head and I just
07:04
was like oh no I'm going to wave in the white flag
07:06
I'm going to message the professional
07:08
and I'm going to be like please
07:14
after that kind of just wallowed in self pity
07:18
the next day went to a class
07:20
and then afterwards went and hauled home
07:28
because it was going to get scrapped and I can't
07:32
are you freaking kidding me
07:34
it is the first Y block Ford made
07:38
Y block which means it shares no parts
07:40
with any other Y block as such for the
07:42
big truck Y blocks so this is a perfect
07:44
thing for Scott the Horde
07:48
why it is a boat anchor
07:50
let it become a boat anchor
07:52
that's fair let it I mean
07:54
China would love to make a pop can out of it right now
07:58
enough you could probably make three hundais out of it
08:04
I just can't help myself
08:06
ironically even though it is a Ford product
08:10
fuel pump and it has a
08:12
hydromatic GM transmission
08:14
which is a four speed automatic
08:18
really so I'm intrigued
08:20
especially out of Lincoln and that's what they would have
08:22
you know and the other
08:24
thing that is really interesting is the flex plate
08:28
the front part of the torque converter
08:30
so in order to separate the two
08:36
that bolts to the main
08:38
shell and then when you take that apart
08:40
you actually see the turbine
08:42
inside the torque converter
08:44
really it's interesting
08:48
I have so many questions
08:50
was this removed out of a vehicle
08:52
was this somebody else's garage
08:54
one man's junk is another man's treasure
08:56
so this is a Lincoln
08:58
that someone purchased
09:00
that was in a state it's set for a long time
09:04
was going out and tinkering with it
09:06
they don't really know
09:08
what was going on with it
09:10
other than had way too much oil in it
09:12
so maybe he had just kind of gotten
09:14
some memory issues and kept putting oil
09:22
big scary world for parts
09:24
and that kind of stuff people will make
09:26
a bigger mountain out of a mo-hill
09:28
and they decided just pull
09:30
a drive train and put
09:36
the LS the 53 Lincoln
09:40
well the sad part is as projects go
09:42
they remove the engine and transmission
09:44
with intent to put an LS in it
09:46
and then they haven't
09:48
so I got told afterwards
09:50
once I got the motor home if I wanted the car too
09:52
I could but I'm not going to do that
09:54
I'm going to play with the motor
10:00
I'm a hands on kind of guy
10:02
I can't learn unless I'm touching stuff
10:06
look into it tear it apart
10:12
and go from there it's cool regardless
10:16
have the Lincoln insignia
10:18
back when we actually made stuff
10:20
with purpose and care
10:22
and it bossed into it
10:24
like I told my wife you could probably
10:26
or cast iron skillets
10:28
out of the bell housing off the transmission
10:32
again how they didn't care about
10:34
efficiency and lightness
10:36
and that kind of stuff it was just how can we hit it
10:38
with a bigger sledgehammer
10:40
how robust can we make something
10:44
I figured you wouldn't expect
10:46
yeah it was not obviously nobody
10:50
the cubic inch 317 that speaks right to Neil
10:58
my own peculiarities
11:00
of course I'm continuing
11:02
my six weeks tie rate of
11:06
sports balls back into my life
11:08
in a semi professional manner
11:14
six or seven different contests over the weekend
11:16
between friends and family
11:18
and what not getting myself overly
11:24
and so had a nice time
11:26
with that in general
11:28
so scheduling my weekend around
11:30
you know those types of things
11:34
manage to prioritize some time
11:36
to try and service my tractor
11:38
which of course I know is a peculiarity
11:40
for both of you because you guys
11:42
you don't need to service the tractor
11:44
you don't need to service anything as far as you two are concerned
11:46
when it comes to those agra implements
11:52
because I had a whopping like 10 hours
11:54
on my backhoe I needed to
11:58
and service every 10 hours
12:02
yes I figured you guys would appreciate
12:14
trying desperately to pump grease into
12:16
zerk fittings and configurations
12:20
contort myself and said grease gun
12:24
to sufficiently grease them
12:26
then when it spilled over
12:28
I was grabbing it on my finger
12:30
and again in most old man
12:34
just randomly wiping it on things
12:38
would benefit from having grease on them
12:42
so now my tractor is a big greasy mess
12:44
I feel pretty good about that
12:46
the only reason mine gets greased at all
12:48
is because I have a Milwaukee grease gun
12:50
that I don't have to pump I just pull the trigger
12:52
well I mean that really
12:54
does is a game changer
12:56
unquestionably but the ones that
12:58
between the deck and the tractor
13:02
mine doesn't have grease fitting
13:08
beating it into the shape of
13:10
implement for you to use
13:12
I get it when you got a deer
13:14
you don't have to maintain it
13:20
Matt what about you do you
13:22
have any fun stories over the weekend
13:24
or projects that you're working on
13:30
ready for the winter
13:34
you're not going to use it for the winter
13:36
you're not a winter hot tubber
13:38
I'm a winter hot tubber big time
13:40
I just don't use it in the summer
13:42
oh you're readying it
13:46
exactly I'm getting that ready
13:52
my son had his last baseball game of the season
13:56
unfortunately the team kind of collapsed
13:58
and we lost in the last inning
14:00
fall ball is this fall ball
14:02
or is this a continuation from summer ball
14:06
our fall ball continues for another
14:08
enduring three weeks
14:12
we're going to be playing in the snow here
14:18
so I'm a big hunter
14:20
my son started hunting with me
14:22
he's 11 so he started
14:24
about two years ago
14:26
just getting the bows out
14:28
and getting a lot of archery practice
14:30
so that was my weekend
14:34
America wrapped up in a nutshell there
14:36
a little bit of leisure
14:38
and a little bit of provision
14:42
you want to bring us home?
14:44
well other than going to Scott's house
14:46
trying to help him with the building
14:48
we were all going home until I realized
14:50
that he collapsed into two of the holes
14:52
and I was like nope
14:54
Scott himself collapsed into two of the holes
14:56
so what happened was
14:58
I thought it was helping
15:00
because I took the front bucket
15:02
and just scooped off top
15:04
because the skid steer was having a problem
15:06
because five feet is a lot
15:08
so he was running into the ground
15:10
and because it was all
15:14
I thought I'll just scoop that off and if something falls
15:16
in the hole no big deal
15:18
until the skid steer doesn't show back up
15:22
that's the worst part is I had nobody to blame
15:24
but myself making it more challenging
15:26
so you weren't back dragging it
15:28
I had heard that you back dragged it
15:30
it looked like back dragging because of the way
15:32
so you scooped over the hole is what I think I heard
15:34
what the heck was going through your head
15:38
back dragging I kind of thought
15:40
oh that makes sense that's a good idea
15:42
I had to take the backhoe off and I didn't want to do that
15:44
that's what I thought you took the backhoe off
15:46
and I was like oh man I'm definitely not doing that
15:50
I think my backhoe is attached forever
15:52
I bought a box blade that's now just a paperweight
15:56
other than that though
16:00
getting caught up on non-profit things
16:04
obviously have a lot of
16:06
administrative work accounting work to do
16:10
trying to get all that cleaned up
16:12
back on track having a week of
16:14
being sick didn't help
16:16
didn't really get much done on non-profit
16:20
a lot of time on the weekend doing that
16:22
that was pretty much the weekend
16:28
appreciate Matt you prioritizing this time
16:30
for participating in this
16:32
and being so forthcoming with
16:36
would love to have you back
16:38
on in the future at some point in time
16:40
and ideally we'll be able to hook up
16:42
and touch base at SEMA
16:44
coming up in about a month or so and that will be good
16:46
you'll be out there I'm assuming
16:48
excellent I'll look for you
16:52
thank you for hanging in there
16:54
with us and again prioritizing this
16:56
as your infotainment
16:58
a lot of jeeps to build
17:00
a lot of good things to be done here
17:02
so until next time jeep on