Perfect match: KERR recovery rope and Step22 Tamarin Trunk

One of my main recovery tools is a one-inch by 30-foot KERR (Kinetic Energy Recovery rope) from C4RS (just say C-fours). It's a beautiful U.S.-made product, properly labeled with its working load limit and average breaking strength. In general I prefer KERRs to snatch straps due to their better stretch, which is gentler on both the recovery vehicle and the bogged truck.

However, a KERR is also bulkier and limper and fairly weighty; dealing with one when storing is like wrestling a 30-foot-long, one-inch-thick length of overcooked spaghetti.

Recently Step22 sent me one of their Tamarin Trunks, a sturdy 8 x 8 x 24-inch zippered storage bag with a reinforced bottom. It seemed to be made for the KERR, and indeed the rope fit perfectly, with room for a pair of hard shackles as well as a couple of soft shackles. now I have everything I need for a snatch recovery in one bag. A true professional approach.

Sadly, the owner of C4RS, Steve Springs, has moved on to other endeavors, but high-quality KERRs are available from other sources such as Factor 55 (here). Step22 is here.

Terrain Tamer parabolic springs for the FJ40

A few weeks ago I wrote a technical article explaining the science behind parabolic leaf springs (here). Briefly, parabolic springs eliminate almost all of the disadvantages of standard multi-leaf springs, offering far less internal and inter-leaf friction, plus true progressive action; that is, the spring offers more and more resistance as it compresses. On top of all that, a parabolic spring weighs at least a third less than a comparable multi-leaf spring.

In the article, I lamented the lack of parabolic spring kits for the 40-series Land Cruisers, and particularly the FJ/BJ40. To my surprise (and embarrassment), a few weeks later I received an email from the owner of Terrain Tamer suspension, in Australia—a company I had actually referenced in the article. The email read, “I saw your article on parabolic springs. We manufacture a kit for the FJ40 and can ship to the U.S. I’d like to send you one and have you review it.”

Well . . . okay!

The kit arrived at our commercial mail depot while we were driving from Alaska to Tucson, so our friend Brian generously picked it up and stored it until we arrived. When I retrieved everything from his house, two things were immediately apparent: first, this is a comprehensive kit, comprising springs, shocks, a steering damper, shackles, and bushings. Second, parabolic springs are astonishingly lighter than conventional leaf springs. I’m looking forward to weighing the springs now on our FJ40 and comparing.

I’ll be documenting the conversion process in depth, first measuring ride height, compliance (RTI), handling, and subjective ride comfort. There’s little reason to doubt that the Terrain Tamer kit will transform the ride and compliance of the FJ40, while potentially removing well over a hundred pounds of unsprung weight.

Terrain Tamer is here. The full kit, at the current (extremely favorable) exchange rate, is only $1,625, although shipping will of course add a good chunk. But short of a multi-thousand-dollar bespoke coil-spring conversion, there’s nothing that will do more for the ride of a 40-series Land Cruiser.