Breaking in the new Buggy right!
Beating the Heat: Maiden Voyage on Wild West Trail in Cedar City, Utah
It’s July in southwest Utah, and that means one thing — triple-digit temperatures. But what better way to test a buggy build than in the heat? For the Fourth of July weekend, we decided to take our latest creation out of the shop and into the wild.
Cedar City, Utah — located just north of the scorching St. George area — has a rich history of extreme rock crawling. The temps there are slightly cooler, making it a perfect testing ground. We headed for the Wild West Trail, just west of Cedar City, for the buggy’s maiden voyage.
This trail is a blast — winding through the bottom of a canyon with plenty of boulder crawling and just enough tree cover to provide some relief from the sun. It’s a solid trail for testing under hot conditions without risking heat stroke.
The buggy performed exactly as expected — flawlessly. The trail was packed with riders all day, adding to the fun and energy of the ride. Bryce took the wheel solo, and it took him 1 hour and 40 minutes to cover just 2.3 miles. He made a few stops to grab photos along the way, but it’s a great reminder of how technical and demanding these trails can be — especially when crawling solo.
Driving a rear-steer vehicle adds a whole new level of control and fun. You start to feel like you’re one with the machine, and this buggy made it easy to adjust and feel at home. The LS3 V8 — courtesy of Turnkey Engine Supply — runs incredibly smooth and delivers a throaty canyon-echoing rumble when you want it to.
It’s paired with a Maximum Reid Turbo 400 transmission and an Advance Adapters 4.3:1 two-speed transfer case — a combo that shifts seamlessly and handles power without breaking a sweat. The driveshafts from Drive Line Tech not only look the part but performed exactly as expected.
We’re also running 40-spline Spydertrax axles — some of the toughest in the industry. They took every hit and challenge we threw at them without complaint. When you’re building a buggy, reliable axles are everything — no one wants to wrench on the trail.
The rig walked the trail confidently and didn’t miss a beat. We’re running Trail Ready wheels wrapped in BFG Red Label 42x20s, and the grip on those canyon boulders was unreal — they clawed up and over everything in sight.
As the sun set, we flipped on the rock lights, chase light bar, and LP6 headlights, which lit up the night for a smooth ride back. There’s nothing better than a buggy that performs flawlessly on the trail — and still drives on and off the trailer without a single hiccup.
Here are a few shots we grabbed during the run — stay tuned for more trail updates and builds coming soon!
