Latest / Jeep Talk Show / Natalie Returns! HighLift Off-Road & Gear Vehicles Full Interview

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Natalie Returns! HighLift Off-Road & Gear Vehicles Full Interview · Jeep Talk Show

0:00
(dramatic music)
0:03
Audio boys and girls,
0:04
it's time for another
0:05
G Talk Show interview.
0:06
And I know you know this face,
0:08
I know this face from many times
0:10
recording with her here on
0:12
the show and also Chick Chat.
0:14
It's Natalie.
0:15
Oh, I should have flubbed your name.
0:17
Oh, I know, try again.
0:18
It's Nancy.
0:19
(laughing)
0:22
So Natalie has agreed to come back.
0:24
We haven't talked about HiLift or gear.
0:28
Is it gear off road or?
0:30
Gear vehicles.
0:31
Gear vehicles, yeah.
0:32
I thought I was gonna--
0:33
Were you test drive
0:34
today, adventure tomorrow?
0:36
You know, I'm always
0:36
about the saying, Stoney.
0:38
You know, the thing that
0:40
people don't understand is
0:41
if you don't like
0:42
sales or you love sales,
0:44
it doesn't matter.
0:45
You're always in sales.
0:47
Everything you do day after day,
0:49
whether you've got a
0:51
boyfriend, a girlfriend,
0:52
a husband, a wife, the barista,
0:55
when you're getting your coffee,
0:58
it's like, most people
1:01
don't act the way they feel,
1:02
especially before they get their coffee.
1:04
So you're always in sales.
1:06
That way the coffee
1:06
doesn't get thrown at you.
1:08
So, it's just a matter of how much sales
1:10
you wanna get into.
1:11
So-- Absolutely.
1:12
Speaking of that, I was curious.
1:15
I know, I feel we've
1:15
talked about this before,
1:16
but I don't remember the answer.
1:19
How did you get started with HiLift?
1:21
Because you had a job
1:22
doing something else.
1:24
You were working in legal.
1:26
I was.
1:26
I still feel like you never give it up.
1:29
The law is always with you.
1:30
Oh yeah, sales, yeah.
1:33
Sales, exactly.
1:34
The ultimate sales.
1:35
We're a need, not a want.
1:37
So, that's the life of a fake lawyer,
1:41
I like to say, practicing
1:42
law with my dad's license.
1:43
But, when it came to HiLift,
1:46
I walked through their doors,
1:48
like the theory that I am
1:49
needing some help with steering.
1:53
And-- So you were a customer.
1:54
You were coming in-- I was a customer.
1:56
Okay.
1:57
I was a customer and
1:58
needed some upgraded steering.
1:59
I had worn out the Mopar parts on my JK.
2:03
Drive it till you kill it, one of those.
2:05
And I did, and I messaged them,
2:08
and Mike Bailey's like, "Come on in."
2:10
The good old Facebook messenger.
2:12
And that was about
2:14
four or five years ago.
2:16
And then just kinda
2:18
kept going from there.
2:19
And I couldn't leave anybody alone.
2:21
I wanted to go wheel with everybody.
2:23
I wanted to keep teaching.
2:25
Sometimes you realize
2:26
where you're meant to be.
2:28
So you were doing the,
2:29
obviously you were doing the wheeling
2:31
before you started with HiLift.
2:32
Were you doing the
2:33
teaching outside of HiLift?
2:36
I was with a great group
2:37
called Trail Team Off-Road
2:39
Adventures, that's who
2:40
taught me how to wheel.
2:41
They hosted 101s, and the
2:43
moment I went to my first 101
2:45
in 2019, which, thank you
2:47
Facebook for the memory reminder
2:49
just the other day.
2:51
And it was just, as we all
2:52
say, downhill from there.
2:55
The obsession started.
2:56
How did that conversation
2:58
get started with Mike Bailey?
2:59
I mean, he wasn't the one
3:01
working on your Jeep, right?
3:02
I know you have this bubbly personality
3:04
that we all love here on the show.
3:07
Were you angry, Natalie?
3:09
Because angry Natalie is kinda rough.
3:12
It can be rough.
3:13
You were getting the steering fixed.
3:15
You were getting the steering fixed.
3:16
I can see how you could be angry.
3:18
Well, you know, fix this shit.
3:19
By the way, we can
3:21
curse because the software
3:22
I use bleeps things now.
3:23
So this letter go, if you feel the urge.
3:29
I want a bell.
3:30
Can you ring the bell
3:31
for me when I do it though?
3:34
He needs to score it, yeah.
3:36
We need to have AI score it.
3:37
So was Mike in there
3:39
helping with the stuff?
3:40
I mean, I get the feeling that
3:41
you had to have some Mike time
3:42
for him to see the benefit of having you
3:44
being part of the team.
3:46
You know, absolutely.
3:47
He's so hands on with all of the brands.
3:50
And you look at him and
3:52
you maybe wouldn't think,
3:53
does he know automotive?
3:54
Like he has the business brain, right?
3:56
But I mean, that guy-
3:57
He's like that gas monkey garage guy.
3:59
You know that guy that the money guy
4:00
doesn't know a d*** thing about cars.
4:02
Yes, well, this guy does.
4:04
And I'm very lucky that he
4:05
does from the import scene
4:07
to the off-road scene.
4:09
That knowledge has
4:10
been going for so long.
4:11
And as enthusiasts,
4:13
sometimes we are the best mechanics.
4:16
And that's how everyone feels that when-
4:18
Well, you care about the vehicle.
4:20
I think enthusiasts
4:21
care more about the vehicle
4:22
than somebody that's making a buck.
4:25
They do.
4:25
And that's something
4:26
that Highlifting Gear
4:27
pride themselves on is we hire the
4:29
enthusiasts, essentially.
4:31
Like you have to have
4:31
passion to do what we do.
4:33
And it's a feeling.
4:34
And that's something that I
4:35
portray with gear every day
4:37
to the dealerships and the community
4:38
is we operate on a feeling.
4:40
And Jeep gives you that feeling.
4:43
From the spirit of the
4:44
venture to the ruggedness.
4:46
And it's just like this
4:47
weekend being America's 250,
4:49
July 4th, it's the feeling.
4:51
So that's something that
4:53
Highlifting Gear both do.
4:55
And that's how gear was born.
4:56
You know, when I contacted you about
4:58
doing the interview,
4:58
I thought, July 4th is coming up.
5:00
She's off.
5:02
She doesn't have anything to do.
5:03
It'll be a good time to
5:04
get her back on the show.
5:05
But you're doing something for July 4th
5:07
for Highlifting Gear.
5:10
Yes, we are.
5:11
So we have a great community event here.
5:12
Cincinnati called Red Rhythm and Boom.
5:15
And it's a huge event up in Mason, Ohio.
5:18
And we always go to
5:19
that with our full setup
5:20
and all the Jeeps are
5:21
gonna be there, of course,
5:22
in red, white and blue,
5:24
including the Warren Go Prepared Edition.
5:26
And my JK is making an appearance.
5:29
I'm pretty excited.
5:31
She's coming out of the garage.
5:33
So that JK that had
5:35
the steering problems,
5:36
which I'm assuming they fixed,
5:38
has been really very heavily
5:40
modified by Highlift Offroad,
5:42
which I think it's been a while,
5:44
so people may not remember,
5:46
but Highlift actually does modifications,
5:48
extensive modifications on Jeeps,
5:50
including installing V8 Himmies.
5:54
Yes, we do.
5:55
You can drop off and come
5:56
back and have a room for them.
5:58
So that's not what happened to your JK,
6:01
but certainly a lot of modifications
6:03
have been done on it from Highlift.
6:05
And very much so.
6:07
And thank you to Seersmarts.
6:08
They got me really into the game.
6:09
So I know we're both Seersmart fans.
6:11
So really happy to have them on my Jeep
6:14
and on the gears as well.
6:16
But yeah, so the steering,
6:18
who knew a steering upgrade
6:20
and honestly, onboard air.
6:21
So I did an ARB under the hood compressor
6:25
because I'd never
6:26
wanted to be without air.
6:28
Yeah, I agree.
6:29
That was my, it's
6:29
still my favorite upgrade.
6:30
Next to everything else,
6:32
I love knowing I can
6:33
always inflate my tires
6:35
or help a friend on or off the trail.
6:37
And it's happened.
6:38
It's definitely happened.
6:39
But I got sucked in with the steering.
6:42
Here we are.
6:44
All right, so you're in there,
6:46
you're getting the steering fixed.
6:47
You have some Mike Bailey time.
6:49
Was I envisioned the police being called
6:52
because you won't leave.
6:53
And they say-
6:54
Pretty much.
6:55
And then Mike says,
6:56
would you, I love this tenaciousness.
7:00
We need you working here.
7:01
A little bit, yeah.
7:02
So he ended up having, it
7:04
was right time actually.
7:05
He had a great call
7:06
with Bill Stein corporate
7:08
and they were looking
7:09
to host a women's weekend
7:11
for 30 of their employees.
7:14
And he asked me, have you ever done any
7:16
type of team building
7:17
or anything like that?
7:18
And I have.
7:19
So I worked with YMCA for many years.
7:21
And that's all we do at
7:23
the YMCA is team building.
7:25
Team building is inspired.
7:26
Yeah, that's right.
7:27
Yeah.
7:28
So I helped him develop off-road weekend
7:31
locally here in Kentucky.
7:33
And we took 30 of their employees out
7:35
with 10 of our vehicles
7:36
and Bill Stein vehicles.
7:38
And we were able to help
7:38
them build my personal vehicle,
7:39
Mike's vehicles.
7:40
And we taught them how to off-road
7:43
and really enjoy the
7:44
shocks that they make
7:46
from on the line workers to the CFO.
7:50
Some of the corporate
7:50
from Germany flew in.
7:51
It was such a beautiful
7:53
experience seeing these women
7:57
and honestly, just people come together
7:59
and help each other.
8:00
It was for per vehicle and
8:02
they would rotate drivers.
8:04
And some of them had just
8:05
gotten their license that week.
8:07
They had way more
8:09
than they bargained for.
8:10
And I did ask that one
8:11
person, what vehicle are you in?
8:12
She goes, that red one.
8:13
I was like, I'm gonna put
8:14
you in the white Bronco.
8:17
So all good, but it
8:18
definitely changed everything.
8:19
And that's when I realized
8:20
this is where I'm meant to be
8:22
and to make a shift.
8:24
And you started part-time with Hi-Lif.
8:27
I did.
8:27
Because I think this is okay to say
8:30
because your daddy was ready to shoot you
8:32
if you left helping him.
8:34
Yeah.
8:35
So you had to work. I know.
8:36
You had to work two jobs.
8:38
It was only relatively
8:39
recently, was it two, three years
8:41
whenever you went full-time?
8:43
2025, January 25th.
8:45
So going on, I'm in my second year now.
8:46
So, and going on my third, fourth year,
8:50
I can't even count anymore.
8:52
So third year, third year, 2023.
8:54
So yeah, I mean, I
8:56
love the family business
8:57
and I will always be with my dad.
9:01
The man does not wanna retire.
9:03
You never fully retire from law.
9:05
Oh, somebody's gonna
9:06
ask you legal questions
9:07
and they probably ask you legal questions
9:09
and you're not even
9:10
at the office anymore.
9:11
I mean, the legal end of
9:14
things is just so confusing
9:16
and some arbitrary
9:17
laws that are out there.
9:18
But anyway, I digress.
9:19
And we're Italian, we're not quitter.
9:21
So, you know, he's gonna
9:22
keep going and I love it.
9:24
That's great, he needs something to do.
9:25
Yeah.
9:26
Exactly.
9:27
So, okay, so now you
9:30
were with Hi-Lif full-time
9:31
and then you got to know the curve ball.
9:34
And we keep talking about gear.
9:36
We keep talking about gear
9:38
and there's people out there
9:39
that do not know what gear is.
9:42
So, gear vehicles, which is,
9:46
I was really impressed, Natalie.
9:49
Thank you.
9:50
Whenever that came to be
9:51
because it's a Jeep corporate,
9:56
big deal.
9:57
It is.
9:58
I don't know.
9:59
Mike must have some
10:01
amazing ways of talking.
10:03
He does.
10:05
Because that's a big deal.
10:07
It's like, yeah, yeah, I can do that.
10:08
Oh yeah, we can do that.
10:09
Or I don't know how he does it.
10:10
That's really cool, you know,
10:12
to actually get Jeep involved.
10:14
I mean, unless you're
10:14
throwing mass quantities of money
10:16
at somebody and I don't
10:17
think that was the situation.
10:18
It's like, I got an idea.
10:20
So.
10:21
Some of our best ideas
10:23
are born on the trail
10:24
and that's where gear was born.
10:26
Through Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion,
10:28
you know, the right
10:29
people really wanted to go out
10:31
on a trail ride.
10:32
If we're at a Jeep invasion in Tennessee,
10:34
you want to be in the woods a little bit.
10:35
You want to get out
10:36
of the La Conte Center.
10:37
You want to go on the trail.
10:38
So, you know, Jeep
10:39
Performance Parts approached us
10:40
and Mopar said, can you guys take us out
10:42
on a trail ride tonight with Bill Stein?
10:44
So we got some vehicles together.
10:46
We got our little twin, my favorite,
10:48
Hydro Blue Princess,
10:50
which is now a third gear together.
10:52
And we took them out
10:53
on the hurricane trail
10:54
and we were on this huge cliff side,
10:57
overlooking the valley and
10:59
that's where gear was born.
11:01
How do we bring this to the dealership
11:04
and then to you as
11:06
the public and customer
11:07
as a turnkey option?
11:08
That's going to be horrifically difficult
11:11
because it's such a, the openness,
11:16
the being scared of
11:18
falling off this cliff,
11:19
even though you're
11:19
not going to, but it's-
11:21
There's metaphors everywhere.
11:23
Yeah, you're so, you
11:24
know, like, oh my God.
11:25
And it's like being on a
11:27
roller coaster, you're safe,
11:29
but it's like being on a roller coaster.
11:31
How do you get that
11:32
feeling for the gear vehicles
11:34
in the safety or the relative safety,
11:37
as long as you don't see the,
11:38
as long as you see the
11:39
salesman come in at you
11:40
and you go to the
11:41
bathroom, the relatively safety
11:43
of the shopping environment
11:46
at the store, at the shop.
11:48
Absolutely.
11:49
Well, and what's great is, you know,
11:50
the best of the aftermarket is now at
11:52
your local dealership
11:53
from rock side engineering
11:54
to rock crawler suspension,
11:57
the Bill Stein family of shock products,
11:59
and Mopar, Mopar has
12:00
stepped up their game.
12:01
It's not just about grab handles anymore.
12:04
There are lift kits that feature Bill
12:05
Stein 5100s and 5160s.
12:09
Those kits I put up against anybody.
12:12
I run the Mopar two inch lift with the
12:14
5160 Bill Stein shocks
12:16
on my Warren Gladiator,
12:17
the Go Prepared Edition.
12:18
And it's sitting on 37
12:20
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss,
12:21
and I wheel the heck out of that.
12:23
Done the hardest trails
12:24
and Moab in that thing
12:25
with that lift and it held strong.
12:28
So, you know, Mopar is,
12:30
they're in the game now.
12:31
They're ready, they
12:32
want to be with everyone,
12:33
but they're bringing, we
12:34
brought all our best friends
12:35
together in creative vehicles, right?
12:36
For you, the turnkey
12:38
option, you can finance some of it
12:40
and the warranty is there.
12:41
Three year labor from
12:42
gear, you can't beat it.
12:44
Cause gear was actually born
12:45
from the Jeep Performance Parts logo.
12:46
I don't know if we can see that,
12:47
but it's a gear
12:48
around the logo, the gear.
12:52
So let's get a better
12:53
description about gear vehicles
12:55
because I still don't think people would,
12:57
the newbies will not understand.
12:59
So I think the way I used to put it,
13:01
and you correct me on this
13:02
is, so Jeep has a Rubicon
13:04
and the Rubicon has
13:06
things that, you know,
13:07
come on the Rubicons.
13:08
There's some things I
13:08
think that you can add
13:09
to the Rubicon, but you
13:11
know, you get a certain set
13:12
of things for a Jeep
13:14
Rubicon, whether it's a Gladiator
13:16
or a JL, JLU.
13:20
Gear is like the next step up.
13:23
It is.
13:23
Because not only can you
13:25
get things that you might
13:27
may get on a Rubicon, but you
13:29
get these aftermarket things
13:31
that a lot of people use.
13:33
So you mentioned, oh crap, Rock Sliders?
13:38
Rock Slide.
13:39
Rock Slide, Rock Slide.
13:40
You mentioned Rock Slide.
13:41
So a lot of people look at these things
13:45
and they're basically
13:46
electric controlled steps
13:47
so that when you open the door,
13:49
The power step, yep.
13:49
Power steps, so when you open the door,
13:51
the step drops down, but
13:53
they can take an abuse off-road,
13:55
which I always tell people don't get
13:58
things that hang down.
13:59
But actually it's so
14:01
funny that Rock Slide
14:02
actually did that.
14:02
They put stuff on there that hangs down,
14:04
but they made it removable.
14:06
So you can use it and take it off.
14:09
I saw that, I couldn't
14:10
believe that Rock Slide
14:11
was putting stuff that hangs
14:12
down off of the Rock Sliders.
14:15
But they make it
14:15
detachable and it's so strong.
14:17
And that step, I love that step.
14:20
So that comes on the first gear.
14:21
It's great for a Sport
14:22
S or a Willy package.
14:25
And that step, and you
14:27
can put on Rubicons too.
14:28
It's whatever fits your personality.
14:31
And not only can you
14:32
find them standard on gears,
14:33
but you can go to your
14:35
dealership and get the product
14:37
and they will also install it.
14:39
So you have other avenues
14:40
now to purchase your items
14:42
and you see where it directly goes back
14:45
into the dealership family or your techs
14:48
that are worked so hard in the back.
14:50
Like they're installing your product
14:51
and you're not just
14:52
getting it from a distributor,
14:54
we'll say the big A, Amazon.
14:57
I know we all love Amazon,
14:58
but there's things that you just
15:00
shouldn't get on Amazon.
15:01
Cry once, build it right the first time,
15:04
and then you don't have to worry about
15:06
two years down the line
15:07
or even one year later,
15:08
replacing it again
15:09
and spending more money
15:10
that you could have put
15:11
toward something else.
15:12
And the cool thing about this is,
15:15
you can go get the Jeep that
15:16
you want at the dealership.
15:18
It's not like I want to
15:20
get this, I want to get this.
15:21
You guys have already done
15:21
the thinking for the new thing.
15:23
We have.
15:25
You need this, you
15:26
need this, you need this.
15:27
And this is what comes
15:29
on the gear vehicles.
15:30
Give me, we mentioned RockSlide.
15:33
What are some of the other manufacturers
15:35
you've teamed up with with gear vehicles?
15:37
Sure.
15:38
So RockSlide not only does the steps,
15:40
but they also make the bumpers for gear.
15:42
So front and rear, in
15:44
two different versions,
15:45
as well as one of my personal favorites,
15:48
Windshield Defense by Racing Optics.
15:50
I always say it's the
15:51
best part you can't see.
15:53
So we've always put
15:54
screen protectors on our phone,
15:55
but why not the Jeep
15:57
Windshield that is so prone to cracks?
15:59
It's like we've all
16:00
come to terms with it,
16:01
but you don't have to.
16:02
So Windshield Defense by Racing Optics
16:04
is a great three-layer film
16:05
that goes over the windshield
16:07
that we install for you.
16:08
They come standard on
16:09
all gear family of builds.
16:11
And essentially it's a layer a year
16:14
that you would peel off.
16:15
Now I just peeled mine
16:16
off on the Gladiator.
16:17
I spent some time in Georgia
16:19
and the bugs down there in May.
16:21
Oh my gosh, they are just
16:22
embedded in that windshield.
16:24
That was a godsend, that was a godsend
16:25
just to be able to peel it off.
16:27
Yes, and now it's like,
16:27
wow, brand new windshield.
16:29
So not only is it
16:29
protect from the cracks,
16:30
the nicks of their
16:31
daily drives, but the bugs.
16:33
So that is one of my favorite products
16:36
and they're such an amazing partner
16:37
to have a technology of
16:39
Formula One racing behind you
16:41
in a Jeep, heck yeah.
16:43
And then also cat skin, cat skin leather.
16:46
We have some amazing
16:49
different levels of combo builds
16:50
that we've done with them.
16:51
And everything is all about the
16:53
partnership and the badging.
16:54
So it says Mopar Cat Skin.
16:56
And I think that's really important too.
16:57
And the leather.
16:58
I know one of the things
16:59
I was really impressed by
17:00
and I knew that the gear
17:01
vehicles was a big deal.
17:02
When I saw the seat had the gear icon
17:06
in the cat skin leather.
17:08
The embossing, yes, it was so good.
17:09
That was really cool,
17:10
don't leave that part out.
17:11
Because the badging is,
17:12
there's a lot of badging
17:13
on the gear vehicles,
17:15
which makes it stand out.
17:17
And be honest, when you have a Jeep,
17:19
you want it to stand out.
17:20
And when people see that
17:21
gear logo, what is this?
17:25
I haven't seen this before, you know,
17:27
it makes people ask questions,
17:29
it makes people curious about your Jeep.
17:31
And we all love to be flattered
17:32
by people being interested in our Jeeps.
17:34
Absolutely, and it's still yours.
17:36
So that's something about
17:37
the Jeep is the ultimate Lego
17:38
and you want to make it yours.
17:40
No matter what gear build you get into,
17:42
it feels like home and
17:43
it feels like you did it.
17:45
And that's why we built them.
17:46
Hylift has always had the secret sauce.
17:48
And I know Mike is the
17:49
cause of that, we know that,
17:50
or the route.
17:52
And that's where these builds come from.
17:53
These are builds that
17:54
we've been doing for years.
17:56
Let's just make them first
17:58
of all dealership friendly
17:59
and, you know, the customer friendly.
18:01
So, and that's what we've done.
18:03
They've just been,
18:04
they've been, they're beautiful
18:05
and they're flying off
18:06
the shelf, which is great.
18:08
Model year 2026 has
18:09
been extremely successful
18:11
and we want to keep it going.
18:12
Cause at the next Jeep invasion,
18:13
I want to see a gear
18:14
meetup, not just color meetups.
18:16
So we're pretty excited about it.
18:18
Okay, so Rock Slide
18:19
Engineering is on there.
18:21
I think you mentioned Worn.
18:23
Is Worn a partner? Yes,
18:24
Worn is a huge partner.
18:25
Yes they are.
18:26
They have the first
18:27
ever vehicle for them.
18:30
So we have the Worn Go
18:32
Prepared by Gear Edition
18:34
and it comes on the Jeep Gladiator.
18:37
And it is absolutely amazing.
18:39
It is my daily right now.
18:40
And I love every second I
18:42
get to spend commuting to work
18:44
or on the road.
18:46
Who knew Tony, after all
18:47
these years of talking to you
18:48
and you bought your
18:48
Gladiator, now I'm in one.
18:50
I love the Gladiator.
18:51
I'm surprised it's not
18:52
doing better in sales
18:53
than what it's been doing
18:55
because it really is a
18:56
very nice vehicle, very Jeepy.
18:59
It is Jeepy.
19:01
So, okay, so we've talked about
19:03
the getting in and out of
19:04
the Jeep, a lifted Jeep.
19:07
Oh, I think you mentioned tires earlier.
19:09
Who are your tire partners?
19:11
I'm good.
19:12
Mickey Thompson, Baja Boss of course,
19:14
and 35 All Terrain and 37 Mud Terrain.
19:16
But we also utilize the
19:18
BF Goodrich family of tires
19:19
from 35 to 37.
19:21
Those come on the Ready Series, which is
19:23
more of an OEM plus.
19:25
It's all about suspension
19:26
and your wheels and tires
19:28
and Mopar beadlock capable
19:30
wheels for your Gladiator.
19:32
So, I don't know about this.
19:35
Off-road lights, are you a partnership
19:37
with anybody for off-road lights?
19:39
Oh yeah, so Baja Designs,
19:41
coming in bright with all of the lights
19:44
from LP6s to the A-pillar lights,
19:48
also utilizing Roxane
19:50
Engineering for the cowl bracket.
19:52
But they're really,
19:53
where they really shine,
19:55
no pun intended.
19:57
Bell, bell, bell.
19:59
They are on the worn go prepared edition
20:02
on top of the sport rack.
20:03
So, there's five lights on top of there
20:06
and wow, those things really shine.
20:08
They're backlit red.
20:10
You can't drive with those on everybody,
20:12
but you can be the
20:13
shining star of the parking lot
20:15
or on the trail, of
20:16
course, for off-road use only
20:18
with any type of off-road light.
20:20
There's that legal piece.
20:21
Yeah, the law there, making things not,
20:24
where you can't have the
20:25
fun that you'd like to have.
20:26
Absolutely.
20:27
So, I was just curious.
20:28
I don't know that I've
20:29
seen anything about this
20:30
and I see a lot about the
20:32
gear vehicles on social media
20:34
or the website.
20:35
Oh, what's the website?
20:36
Let's tell people about the website.
20:38
Gear vehicles.com,
20:39
gear vehicles on social.
20:41
You'll see a yellow
20:41
background with the G.
20:43
You can't miss it.
20:44
And you might see a blonde
20:45
on there every now and then.
20:47
So, how do you turn those
20:49
Baja Design lights on and off?
20:51
I'm sure you can get the
20:52
auxiliary light switch panel
20:53
that comes from Mopar with the G.
20:56
But how do you guys handle that stuff
20:57
whenever it doesn't have that?
20:59
Or do they all have the switch panel?
21:01
So, we utilize when the dealerships
21:04
are making the order
21:05
with me or a customer,
21:07
because you can order
21:08
yourself as a customer.
21:09
Just give me a call.
21:10
I walk you through the process
21:11
and I make sure you have the best build
21:14
coming from the factory and utilize,
21:16
we wanna keep your MSRP down.
21:18
That's the goal, right?
21:18
Because you're already upgrading it
21:20
with all these great products.
21:21
So, we do utilize a switch panel
21:22
that comes in the
21:23
Rubicon for those lights
21:25
that's on the worn or the third gear.
21:28
We can install a switch panel
21:29
if one does not come with it,
21:30
because I have done the
21:31
Baja Design light package on,
21:34
sometimes the Willy won't come with it.
21:35
You have to make sure you select it
21:37
when you're going
21:37
through the factory build.
21:39
But we are able to install one for them.
21:42
And it's still the
21:43
Mopar factory switches.
21:44
So, those aux switches are auxiliary.
21:46
Yeah.
21:47
So, now that gap
21:48
that's in there gets filled.
21:50
We fill the gap for it.
21:50
Yeah, and it looks nicer too.
21:52
It looks like a more complete build.
21:54
It does.
21:54
When I ordered my Gladiator,
21:56
I special ordered it from the factory
21:58
and I had the aux switches,
21:59
because I know how I am about lights.
22:01
So, and I've already run out of buttons.
22:04
The aux buttons are all full.
22:07
All right, so what else,
22:08
what other partners do you have there?
22:11
I mean, it doesn't come
22:13
with a high lift jack, does it?
22:14
Do you guys do the high lift
22:15
jack in the mountain stuff?
22:17
No, no, no, no.
22:19
(laughs)
22:20
But I always like to say
22:21
is 10 brands, one vehicle,
22:23
one, and the goal is to win.
22:25
From the customer to also the dealership.
22:28
So, these are the best
22:31
of the aftermarket brands
22:32
with their own badging still included.
22:34
And I think that's a big deal.
22:35
We're not rebranding it.
22:37
Yes, we add our own gear brand,
22:41
because it's the gear,
22:43
hello, and we're proud of it.
22:45
From serialization, so below the shifter,
22:47
you'll have your own custom badge
22:48
with your own serial number.
22:51
The young lady that bought
22:52
gear number one serial number,
22:55
she and I are in contact almost weekly.
22:57
She embodies all things the gear spirit,
22:59
and I could not be happier
23:01
with who number one
23:02
went to and number two.
23:04
Number two ended up
23:05
staying in Cincinnati.
23:06
I was really excited.
23:07
It was actually from Cleveland.
23:08
I brought it down here
23:09
and it's a Fathom Blue.
23:11
I think you guys have seen
23:11
that before on my socials.
23:15
She's amazing.
23:16
She's a realtor and she's
23:17
incorporated the gear lifestyle
23:19
into her business.
23:20
I bet you that really
23:22
sets her off different
23:24
being a realtor.
23:24
It does, with the graphics on the side.
23:26
Yeah, pull up in that Jeep.
23:27
It embodies her.
23:28
Yeah. Yes.
23:29
It makes you more memorable.
23:30
So, that's another thing.
23:31
You can actually use the
23:34
gear vehicles as a sales tool.
23:35
I mean, going back to sales.
23:37
It's not even correct.
23:38
I mean, you don't look at my Jeep.
23:40
It's like the Jeep says, "Look at me."
23:42
I mean, that's the kind of cool thing.
23:43
That's very true.
23:44
It does.
23:45
Yeah.
23:46
All right, so any other big vendors
23:49
that you want to
23:50
mention that's on the gear?
23:51
I'm trying to
23:52
encourage people to actually go
23:53
take a look at this stuff because it
23:55
really is a big deal.
23:56
And I'm kind of jaded
23:58
about big deal things.
23:59
I don't like to say it's a big deal
24:00
if it's just some sort of
24:01
crap, but this impressed me.
24:03
Well, we have several units online
24:05
and there's a lot that have sold too,
24:07
and there's a lot of reorders happening.
24:09
But if you are interested in gear,
24:11
if you just reach out through our website
24:14
or through the show, I can find you,
24:16
if you're asking for a certain color,
24:18
I can direct you to any
24:19
dealership that either
24:20
has that color on lot, but also I have,
24:22
I can show you anything you want
24:25
and we can build it the
24:25
way that you want as well
24:27
and get you in the package.
24:28
There's eight different offerings.
24:30
Jim Marsh out of Las Vegas,
24:31
Chrysler Jeep out of Las Vegas,
24:33
they actually, they did it right.
24:35
They invested in one
24:36
of everything that we do
24:37
and they're all, well,
24:39
some have sold already
24:39
since last weekend, but they
24:41
are all in the lot together
24:42
and what a way to see
24:44
what do you really want
24:46
in a vehicle?
24:47
What do you like?
24:48
It's kind of like Goldilocks, right?
24:50
Like which one is it?
24:51
Or who was it about the porridge?
24:52
Is that Goldilocks?
24:53
Who is that?
24:54
It is, it is Goldilocks.
24:55
It's like pretty bears.
24:56
Oh, it is Goldilocks, okay.
24:57
So it's kind of like that, right?
24:58
You want to know what
24:59
really works for you
25:00
and to be able to, we're
25:01
very visual creatures, right?
25:02
So we want to see it in person.
25:04
We want to touch it.
25:04
We want to smell it, all the things.
25:06
So being able to do that,
25:08
I'm so proud of that dealership
25:10
and they do great
25:11
things for you as a customer,
25:13
including their parts department.
25:14
Ainsley is absolutely amazing.
25:15
Go see her if you're out in
25:16
Las Vegas or in the West area.
25:18
She can get you guys set up
25:19
because they're already
25:20
utilizing those affiliate partners,
25:23
not just on gear, but on other
25:25
bills that they're doing too.
25:26
So if I recall, you have like,
25:28
is it called gear one, two, and three?
25:31
Yeah, the first, second, and third gear.
25:33
First, second, third gear.
25:33
There we go.
25:34
Yeah, so those are the
25:36
different package styles,
25:37
which as you said, you can configure it
25:39
the way you want it.
25:40
And I want to make sure
25:41
people understand this
25:43
and make sure I understand it.
25:44
You can go to the dealership
25:46
and there may not be a
25:47
gear vehicle on the floor,
25:50
but you can order it there.
25:52
And the technicians that
25:54
you trust to work on your Jeep
25:55
after you buy one, you
25:57
can order the gear vehicle
25:59
and get the stuff that you want on it
26:01
or get the first, second,
26:02
or third gear right there.
26:04
So you basically have a
26:05
fully operational Jeep
26:08
that you don't have to do anything other
26:11
than get in it and drive
26:12
and start snapping heads
26:14
while you're driving around.
26:16
Yes, that's part of
26:17
driving a Jeep, right?
26:18
We want everyone to do the turn.
26:19
Well, I mean, Jeeps are
26:20
great, brand new Jeeps are great.
26:22
But if it comes off with the big tires
26:25
and all this other stuff, the
26:27
Rock Slide Engineering steps,
26:30
the Warren winch, the Rock Slide
26:33
Engineering bumpers,
26:35
it's going to look different.
26:36
It's going to be, oh, we
26:38
didn't talk about lift kits.
26:39
You guys do lift kits as well, right?
26:41
We do. So we utilize two different ones,
26:43
either the Mopar two-inch lift
26:46
with the Bilstein 5100s or 5160s.
26:50
And then the third gear, the
26:51
little twin, as we call her,
26:53
she is on the Rock Crawler suspension
26:55
with Bilstein 8100s.
26:58
So you are riding on a cloud
27:00
and that is the
27:00
three-inch adventure series kit.
27:02
So with their full control arm set up,
27:05
I mean, you are
27:07
literally leaving that lot,
27:09
never having to do another upgrade.
27:11
Like it comes fully loaded.
27:13
I mean that's really good.
27:14
And I think this terrifies.
27:16
Yeah, we just did a show about lift kits,
27:19
cheap versus expensive,
27:21
because I personally
27:22
think it's terrifying
27:24
for a lot of new Jeep owners.
27:25
They've got the Jeep.
27:27
They know that they want to lift it.
27:28
They know they want the bigger tires,
27:30
but what's going to get me?
27:32
And with going this route,
27:34
ain't nothing going to get you.
27:36
All you do is hand over
27:37
the fork over the cash
27:38
and enjoy your life.
27:41
It's such an approachable lift.
27:44
Both of them are.
27:45
I mean, Rock Crawler, they've
27:46
been in the game for so long.
27:47
Jeremy out of Albany,
27:49
the way his engineering
27:50
brain works, my goodness.
27:52
And talk about a trusted brand.
27:54
And that's something
27:54
that was important to us.
27:55
We aligned with the
27:56
trusted brands in the industry,
27:59
but with HiLift, we've
28:00
already been working with them.
28:01
We know what works.
28:03
And that's why we know we can put our
28:05
name on it successfully
28:06
because of what we've
28:07
already been doing with HiLift.
28:09
And that's where gear was born from.
28:10
And still, and lives there today.
28:12
We have two different
28:12
buildings, but it's all the same work.
28:14
Yeah, and I'm just
28:15
going to loop this back
28:16
to the first conversation
28:18
we started today about Mike.
28:20
Mike working on your steering issue.
28:23
If Mike didn't have a love and an
28:26
understanding of Jeep,
28:28
the gear vehicles wouldn't have these
28:29
great partners on it.
28:32
And it's like somebody else
28:34
has already thought it for you.
28:35
Jeep built the vehicle.
28:37
Jeep put the lockers and
28:38
stuff in it for the Rubicon.
28:40
So you trust Jeep on some things.
28:42
This goes to the next level
28:44
because almost all
28:46
Jeepers modify their Jeeps,
28:47
even if they don't go off road.
28:50
And why would you want to
28:52
build a Jeep that's not capable,
28:54
that's less capable of going off road?
28:56
Correct.
28:57
So if you do--
28:57
You want it to be as strong as possible.
28:59
You don't want to hear the snap, right?
29:02
And even if you don't go off road,
29:04
you still want a
29:05
strong vehicle knowing that
29:08
if you need to go off road, so to speak,
29:10
even on your own grassy yard,
29:14
you know you're going to
29:14
be able to get off the grass
29:16
with confidence.
29:17
Well, I mean, we have hurricanes,
29:19
we have flooding
29:19
events all over the country.
29:21
There's been a recent
29:22
string of earthquakes.
29:24
Yes, there have.
29:24
When the road becomes an obstacle,
29:27
you can play it safe,
29:28
but sometimes you need to go forward
29:30
or get your child,
29:32
your family or whatever.
29:34
So even if you don't go off road,
29:36
I think it's a special
29:38
skill having something
29:40
that you can go off road with.
29:41
And Natalie, this ties back to the
29:43
training that you do.
29:45
Do you still do training with high lift
29:47
and showing people how to off road?
29:49
We do.
29:50
We're working on our schedule for 2027.
29:53
I know that sounds a little crazy
29:54
considering it's July,
29:56
but you have to keep thinking ahead
29:58
and Matt and I are
30:00
ready to get back out there
30:01
with the community.
30:02
And then some I have
30:03
worked with some amazing men
30:05
and women right now.
30:05
Our team has really grown
30:08
and we're ready to keep showing the
30:11
passion and the joy,
30:12
but also the safety.
30:13
We want you to protect your investment,
30:15
either it'd be with
30:15
high lift or with gear
30:16
or just in general, we
30:17
want you guys to go wheel
30:19
with friends or take that next step
30:21
to go off road with confidence
30:23
because that's what it takes.
30:24
You've got to be secure with your vehicle
30:27
and understand your vehicle
30:28
in order to keep yourself safe
30:29
and the people around you.
30:30
So we wanna do that to help you.
30:32
So I encourage you to,
30:35
with Natalie or whoever,
30:36
you gotta find somebody reputable though,
30:39
to take some off-roading courses
30:42
because the likelihood of
30:45
you damaging your vehicle
30:46
is very, very low.
30:49
And it's even lower if
30:51
somebody is training you,
30:52
but you need to take
30:53
these training courses
30:54
so that whenever you
30:55
get into a situation,
30:57
it kind of becomes second nature
30:59
for you to be able to do it.
31:00
Hopefully you won't have
31:01
to do any off-road stuff
31:02
if that's not what you wanna do.
31:04
Of course, I'm gonna warn you,
31:06
once you go out to one of these classes,
31:07
you may go, that was easy, that was fun.
31:11
I can go off road.
31:12
Yeah, I can all go off road.
31:15
Yeah, and then
31:16
they're interested in doing
31:17
some of the events that you guys do.
31:19
Yes, it's the best
31:21
call in the world, Tony.
31:22
That's how you and I met.
31:23
I mean, I never would have met you
31:24
if it wouldn't have been for Jeeps.
31:26
So, and you've been a friend for life,
31:28
so I appreciate it.
31:29
Thank you.
31:30
So, right now you have an
31:35
event that you're going to,
31:36
I think you mentioned it briefly.
31:38
So let's hit-- You've
31:39
read rhythm and boom.
31:40
Yeah, let's hit the events.
31:41
The one coming up this
31:42
weekend, 4th of July.
31:44
4th of July, Toledo Jeep Fest in August.
31:48
Everyone's gotta hit up Toledo Jeep Fest.
31:50
It is really the up and coming event,
31:53
and I'm excited to see everybody.
31:55
It's been going on now for a few years,
31:56
but you get to go, you see the plant,
31:58
you have the big Jeep sign,
32:00
you get your Jeep, a
32:01
picture with your Jeep
32:02
in front of the big Jeep sign,
32:04
you pass on the highway,
32:06
and then after that is,
32:07
Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion, the best.
32:12
(laughs)
32:12
Love it or hate it, it's here to stay,
32:14
and it's an amazing event, it truly is.
32:16
Dustin, who operates
32:17
it, does a great job.
32:18
Are you guys gonna be cruising around
32:20
at Toledo Jeep Fest, or
32:21
do you have a vendor booth,
32:22
or how would people find you?
32:24
Yeah, so more details that come,
32:26
still working that out,
32:27
but we will be at Smoky
32:29
Mountain Jeep Invasion
32:29
inside and outside.
32:31
We will be operating the Jeep booth,
32:34
so pretty excited about that,
32:35
and you'll catch the whole gear lineup,
32:37
including maybe something new coming out
32:40
featuring the Gladiator,
32:41
but it might not look like a Gladiator.
32:44
I don't know how I feel
32:45
about that, that's like--
32:46
T, C, C's.
32:49
(laughs) All right, so anything
32:52
else that we didn't cover
32:53
that you wanted to mention?
32:54
I think we covered the gear
32:55
thing pretty well, though.
32:57
I think we did.
32:58
And what was the, I
32:59
don't wanna misquote the,
33:01
or missay the gear
33:03
website, is it gearvehicle.com?
33:06
Gearvehicles, plural, dot com,
33:08
or come to our social, or find me,
33:10
gypsy_4x4jk, no, that was wrong.
33:13
And you know, I say it wrong every time,
33:14
don't even worry about
33:15
me, it's all about gear.
33:16
That just rolls off.
33:16
It doesn't matter.
33:17
That just rolls off.
33:18
Four High Lift Off-Road really is,
33:19
she is still the
33:20
mothership, no matter what.
33:21
It's really
33:22
important, it's high, H-I-G-H,
33:25
not the High Lift Jack thing.
33:28
Not the Jack.
33:29
High Lift Off-Road, all spelled out
33:32
the way God intended it to be.
33:35
And look for the blue,
33:36
we love our Hydro Blue.
33:37
I was just gonna say,
33:38
you guys need to change over to red,
33:40
but you agree with me, I know.
33:41
I mean, maybe.
33:43
(both laughing)
33:44
I may be selling a
33:45
lot of red gears lately,
33:47
so, but you know, I'm biased.
33:49
So Wranglers,
33:50
Gladiators, and the gear vehicles,
33:54
it's just those two models, right?
33:56
It's those two models for now,
33:58
but we are working on some projects
34:00
for the whole CDJR
34:03
Chrysler Dodge G-Bram lineup.
34:05
So stay tuned, 2027's
34:06
gonna be a great year.
34:08
Right, so check them out.
34:09
Natalie, thank you so much
34:10
for being with us here today.
34:11
Thank you, Tony.
34:12
Hope you have a lot of
34:13
fun for your 4th of July,
34:14
even though you'll be working.
34:16
But I mean, if you're
34:17
out there with the people,
34:17
I know you enjoy
34:18
interacting with everybody.
34:19
I do, I do.
34:22
It's been a while
34:22
since you've done a show
34:24
or done a Chick Chat episode.
34:25
Are people still recognizing you
34:27
from the Jeep Talk Show at
34:28
events, or has it trailed off?
34:30
No, I gotta be honest with
34:32
you, it is not trailed off,
34:33
and it warms my heart,
34:34
and I also get a little,
34:35
I blush a little bit too every time,
34:37
but I just can't thank
34:38
the listeners enough.
34:39
This show is so important,
34:40
and it keeps everybody
34:41
connected nationwide.
34:43
And Tony, you started
34:44
something amazing 16 years ago,
34:46
and I'm just so proud to be a part of it.
34:47
Oh no, I'm just glad to hear
34:49
that people are still recognizing you,
34:50
and I think that's really cool.
34:53
I mean, I love that aspect of it,
34:54
that you come on, because this is work.
34:57
I mean, we have fun
34:57
doing this, but this is work.
34:59
So whenever you put a
34:59
little effort into something,
35:01
getting a little payoff
35:02
of people recognizing you,
35:03
or hearing, I think it's really cool
35:05
when they didn't see a
35:06
video, but they heard your voice.
35:09
Yeah, yes, that's happened.
35:10
Yeah, and I remember. That's happened.
35:12
I'm like, oh God.
35:12
And then when they
35:13
hear your voice, they go,
35:15
it's like squirrel, you know, Natalie?
35:19
I happened to EJS a
35:20
couple times this past time
35:23
at the Sunset Grill party.
35:24
I had a big setup there
35:25
with the gears and our tents,
35:26
and of course it was pouring down rain.
35:28
The weather this year was a little--
35:29
That's strange.
35:31
But someone told me they were listening
35:32
to our past episodes on their way,
35:34
on their road trip to EJS,
35:36
and I was so happy to hear that.
35:38
Isn't that amazing?
35:39
I mean, does somebody pay any attention
35:40
to some of the silliness that we do?
35:42
It's really, really
35:43
cool. There's the silliness,
35:44
for sure. Oh yeah, well,
35:45
absolutely, gotta have fun.
35:46
So let me, it has
35:47
nothing to do with anything.
35:49
I'm a foodie.
35:50
So did not have Prime
35:53
Rib at the Sunset Grill
35:55
Wednesday thing this year?
35:57
You probably didn't eat, did you?
35:57
They didn't.
35:59
You know, they had lasagna.
36:01
That's what I heard.
36:02
My heart was saying
36:02
it, and it was so good.
36:04
But you gotta go for the lemon cake.
36:05
The lemon cake is
36:06
famous, or is it orange cake?
36:08
Whatever the cake is,
36:09
everyone goes crazy over.
36:10
Orange cake would be good.
36:11
I think, yeah, it was pretty great.
36:14
But I did, I will say
36:16
Mike's always great.
36:17
He made me a plate.
36:17
He always makes sure that I eat.
36:18
Oh, that's nice.
36:20
Yeah, he can be nice.
36:22
He can. Can be.
36:24
That's gonna come back to haunt you.
36:27
So, yes.
36:29
We all know he's not gonna
36:30
listen to this episode, everybody.
36:31
That's true, that's true.
36:33
He's got better things to do.
36:35
All right, Natalie.
36:36
Thank you very much,
36:37
and have a great weekend.
36:39
Thank you, bye everybody.
36:40
Happy fourth.
36:42
You're my friend, you're my new friend.