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A
Visit to Spidertrax
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  I
first met Tom and his partner Eddie Casanueva in Moab back in 2000.
Spidertrax was barely a year old, but they were already wowing the crowds
with their quarter elliptical rear suspensions, wheel spacers and birfield
rings. They have come a long way from their beginnings in New Jersey. Now in
a new shop on the outskirts of Longmont, Colorado, they are kicking it into
high (tech) gear by not only becoming 'the' place for high end Suzuki
Samurai components, but also for competitive offroad vehicle fabricators to
shop for their parts. They were just written up in Off-Road Business
Magazine as a 'High
Riser' in June. |
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  Because
they are a little out of the way for most, their front counter doesn't get
very many out of town guests. Most purchases are made through the toll free
order line or directly online through the Spidertrax website. Sean Farley, a
friend and wheeling buddy from El Paso, made the 11 hour trip up to Colorado
with me. He owns the Grey Ghost project zook we did a few years ago. Here,
he and Adam (one of the Spidertrax machinists) are ready to start the tour
through the shop. |
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   For
example, they took us through the production steps of their wheel spacers.
They sell seven different models, including spacers designed to adapt a 5 on
4.5" pattern to a 5 on 5.5" pattern. It all starts from the raw material
that is delivered in 20' sticks. They have a CNC bandsaw that will cut each
stick into the discs you see above. That is a before and after example of
one of their models. The CNC mill takes the solid disc down to what looks
more like a wheel spacer. The only part they don't do in-house is anodize
the parts. |
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  When
the spacers come back from the anodizer, the wheel studs are pressed into
place. The Suzuki wheel spacers I watched being assembled that day used
genuine Suzuki wheel studs for strength and reliability. The finished
spacers are packed in pairs with a packet of loctite for installation. |
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   Another
component they build is a competition style disc brake rotor that has a full
14" diameter. On the left, Paul shows us how large they really are. The next
photo shows it mounted on their competition buggy, and finally you can see
just how light they are... |
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  In
their chassis supply area, they show off some of the rod ends they carry. To
take it up a notch, they build high misalignment inserts that increase the
capabilities of the rod ends. More on that below. The other parts that are
listed on their web site are stocked and ready to ship. And of course, if
you have a special component need they will do their best to provide it,
like the Spider 9 with their Lightweight 60 Knuckles, disc brakes and full
hydraulic steering we found stashed in the shipping department... |
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    Those
Lightweight 60 Knuckles are a new offering from Spidertrax. And like the
wheel spacers, they take it from raw material to finished product in-house.
Having the CNC toys at their disposal can make ideas into realities in a
shorter time frame. But they have to know how to use them to do it right. It
only takes a few minutes talking to the guys who hit the buttons to realize
they definitely have the skills. |
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  Here
we see how they make their high misalignment inserts. As with the other
components, it starts with raw materials fed into a CNC lathe. The lathe
shapes and cuts the insert to exacting specifications that have been
programmed into the machine so that every insert is exactly like the one
before it. These inserts allow the rod end ball to align past the race. In
other words, it allows the rod end to twist farther without giving up
strength or jeopardizing the component. |
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   Another
component they are very proud of is their new Spider 9 Axle. It is machined
in-house to exacting standards. They are made for many different
applications. If you remember the first extreme duty axles Spidertrax built,
the Sidewinders, you can see where the idea of the Spider 9 grew out of. But
when you set the Sidewinder body next to a Spider 9 you can see how much
larger the new component is. It is only smart though, the Ford 9 inch
differential is one of the most used/copied/improved upon differentials in
the industry. Spidertrax is well known in the Suzuki world, and this opens
their doors to everyone else in the automotive world. We have only touched
on a small handful of components they provide, but believe me when I say
that they have earned their reputation for being THE place for high tech off
road components. |
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   Of
course the CNC machines they have only cut out the parts, putting them
together with the finesse of an artist is the job of John Bodnar, their
welder. After welding their parts for many years as an outside contractor,
they finally brought him into the Spidertrax family to have him all to
themselves. Good move guys! |
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  As
we walked through the shop, we noticed something that brought back memories
from years ago. We found the Arachnid! This was one of the first completely
custom vehicles that they built for a customer a few years ago. They got the
chance to buy it back and jumped on it. Back then it was state of the art.
Now it will be fitted with the newer Spider 9's and many other components to
show off their products. |
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  One
thing I will also remember for quite awhile, was the chance I was given to
play with a competition buggy that competes under the Spidertrax banner. It
was built from the ground up here at Spidertrax.
Owner/driver Jeff Downs told me
"Don't worry, you can't break it!". I was stoked! he showed me how to use
the rear steering, how to do a 'burn turn' and really, just how to have fun.
It is much more fun when you know you don't have to fix it if you break it,
especially when they say it can't break. He was right, and I couldn't.
Cool! |
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| This was a great visit. I had been planning to visit them ever since they moved to Colorado, but I kept putting it off. I'm glad I finally made the trek up there. If you find yourself just north of Boulder, stop in and say hi. I'll bet you can find something you can't go home without. If you can't make the trip, at least check out their web site and see what they have to offer. Then give Spidertrax a call and see how helpful they can be. | ||
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Spidertrax Inc. 7510 Hygiene Road Longmont, CO 80503 www.spidertrax.com (800) 286-0898 Orders (303) 772-0033 Tech & Questions (720) 294-9950 Fax |
09/06/2006
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