As a lot of you guys know, I just bought a new Rhino with some very specific needs in mind. It needed to fit in the new toterhome, launch and recover the boat at shallow launch ramps, go exploring and be street legal so I can drive it to and from work daily, in addition to doing local errands while staying in campgrounds when we travel.
Enter Brian at Long Travel Rhino (www.longtravelrhino.com). First off, he is a big-time boater and a very cool guy. That much I expected after the referral to him from Glenn (HotDiggityDog) from the forums. What I didn't expect was the extreme workmanship, fit and finish and overall quality of the kit.
I drove up last Friday to pick up the stuff. First things first, he had to build a custom cage that would not exceed 70" tall so I could get in the garage of the toter. The cage is absolutely beautiful, and all of the tig-welded joints are gorgeous. I am myself a functioning perfectionist, and you can tell clearly that he is as well. The bends are symmetrical and perfect, there isn't a bunch of ground out hot stops and starts and the fit was perfect. He knew we were doing a custom powdercoat color, so he delivered it raw. No way to hide the craftsmanship... it is just there. So, custom cage, built perfectly, fits like a glove. Score one.
Next step is the front and rear bumpers. The overall length of the Rhino can't exceed 118" long to fit in the garage, so the bumper couldn't be his standard version. A custom, shorter bumper was fabbed up and built which not only matches our new long travel front fiberglass front end (www.fiberwerx.com) but is tight and trick. Again, perfectly symmetrical, perfect welds and great style. The rear bumper had to be tight to the body as well, but also had to incorporate a tow hitch. By clearancing the center of it for me and using a drop-hitch flipped over, we are able to tow the boat with no problems whatsoever. It just works perfectly.
The suspension was another matter in which they excelled. I needed to carry a 500# tongue weight with the boat on it. One call to his buddy at King shocks and we were set up with a custom built set of rears and fronts that took our needs into account. 500# springs on the rear let us haul the boat without squatting, but still work amazingly well for normal dicking around. We will probably swap out the springs to lighter ones for pure wheeling, but if the boat is involved, the big ones will be in there with no sacrifice in capacity or driveability.
The install went very, very smoothly. I have had opportunity to install a large number of high-end well built kits on myriad vehicles, from Brembo brakes on the Vette to the full Air-Ride kit on the dumped 2500. None have installed with this ease and accuracy. No tweaking, bending or hammering neccessary. It just dropped right in. The axles took some time to figure out, but once Brian walked me through swapping the CV joints off of the first stock set, the rest were a breeze. (Don't do this without good snap-ring pliers and some patience).
This was the nicest installation and the highest quality parts I have installed in anything in quite some time. No fabrication was neccessary, only drilling required was for two mounting holes on the rear bumper and reservoir mounts for the shocks. Everything else was in the kit, high quality and worth every penny.
These kits and cages aren't cheap, but they are absolutely worth it. The ride is amazing, the appearance is breathtaking, and combined with everything else we have done with Brian (PRP Seats, CDI and some billet bling from www.rhinocrap.com) we are beyond stoked. Audrey can't believe that it is the same thing we bought just over a month ago.
Thanks to Brian. He did a great job engineering the kit, keeping production standards very high and building what I believe to be the finest LT kit on the market for the Rhino. Side by side with others I won't name is brutal. It is beefier, higher quality and obviously premium. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy it again. Zero buyers remorse.
So, in short, if you are looking for a premium cage, seats, LT kit, shocks or anything else, that was basically a one-stop shop for me and my Rhino. We are using my Teamtech harnesses, or I would have bought some of those too. I am way tipped over by the service, quality and value. I can't wait to go hit the trail later this month.
All of the parts are in powdercoat right now, but I will post the finished pictures minus the new trick lighting tomorrow. I am updating the Trident site with them as they come in. Stay tuned.
Two thumbs up on Long Travel Rhino. Great job guys...
EDIT: Pic Update!!!
My image hosting site is gone, so I have to re-post everything. Until then, here is a pic before lights and such...http://www.tridentboats.com/trident_...2/DSC06086.JPG
New pic of the Rhino from last night.... kind of an update for those who are just getting here...
http://www.tridentboats.com/trident_...2/DSC06145.JPG