Warranty
BONE TACTICAL LLC Warranty
Our tools began long ago as ideas, based in necessity, and born in non-permissive environments. Originally drafted with advanced engineering software then created as a handmade prototype, the blades you see now are the final evolution of our rigorous R&D process. The final pieces of incredibly functional art that have now stood the test of time. Each custom knife is produced from the highest quality alloy available for it’s intended purpose. Every surface is individually ground, chamfered, sanded, and inspected right here in our own blacksmith shop. After many long hours of working the alloy to the proper tolerances, each blade is carefully inspected. If the blade is worthy, it’s marked with the letters “BONE”. If found lacking, the knife is destroyed, and we start over. We heat treat each knife one by one, with strict temperature regulation and adherence to a scientific formula that allows us to wring an incredible amount of strength, edge retention, and durability from every blade. We then temper each blade down to the proper hardness and test it again. If the knives pass the metallurgy testing they are then sandblasted and treated or coated to make them weatherproof and fully resistant to the elements. Once the knives have gone through surface treatment, we make exotic material handles custom fitted for each and secured with both heavy duty bronze rivets and two-ton epoxy (or a 550 cord wrap). We make a custom thermoplastic sheath for each, and then put a final edge on the blade before inspecting a third time, applying anti-corrosion grease, and packaging the knife to be available for sale. If the knife will not cut hair it gets scrapped, shaving sharp guaranteed. For a behind the scenes look on the full process of how we create the most effective edged weapons in the world, follow along on our various social media accounts.
Edged Weapon Care
It is essential that you keep any blade clean and dry. We recommend cleaning with hot soapy water followed by thoroughly drying your blade. Blades can be stored for extended periods of time in kydex sheaths, but not cloth or leather. Do not store your blade in a cloth or leather sheath. Maintenance is as simple as wiping down the cutting edge with a light coat of oil after cleaning. If you are carrying your blade primarily as a self-defense tool we recommend not using it for anything else, this prevents the need for re-sharpening to maintain the edge our knives are known for. Should you choose to use a Bone Tactical custom knife regularly, it will survive a lifetime of re-sharpening as needed without chipping or cracking (used properly). Knives are not meant to be used as a screwdriver, chisel, or punch. Knives are not meant to cut other metal objects. The sharpened face of our tomahawks is designed to cut soft materials, and the rear spike for penetrating hard objects. Our weapons are designed to be used as a force multiplier and an extension of the body. Throwing a weapon is never a good idea in a fight, our tools and weapons are not designed to be thrown. Please keep the intended purpose of your edged weapon in mind during use and maintenance.
Sharpening
As you use your blade it will eventually need sharpening. Sharpen it. We recommend a fine grit diamond stone for the light sharpening your blade will require after heavy use. Wet stones and ceramic sharpeners are another alternative. The ability to properly maintain a blade through sharpening is an important skill to possess for those who choose to carry a knife. Practice often. Never use power tools to sharpen your blade. It is crucial that you maintain the angle your blade came with during the sharpening process, failure to maintain the same (proper) angle while sharpening your blade could ruin it.
Limited Lifetime Warranty
We warrant to the original owner that this knife will be free from defects in materials and workmanship. We will, without charge, repair or replace, at our option, any blade that we find to be defective. This warranty does not cover normal wear, re-sharpening, or re-profiling of the blade due to damage incurred by neglect, misuse, or failure to perform normal and necessary maintenance.
Knife Laws
It's your responsibility to know your local laws before you carry or use a blade.
Mission
Our mission with this Jeep Gladiator build is to refine and showcase the capabilities of a modern American vehicle for daily use, adventures over rough terrain, and the preparedness lifestyle. Utilizing over a decade of experience modifying exploration vehicles and testing them on global expeditions we will share innovative gear and techniques that will help the outdoor enthusiast learn to more effectively utilize their own resources as a means to experience increased success in vehicle based endeavors.
We chose Jeep because this iconic American brand is still technically making their vehicles in the United States. Rubicon because it’s the most capable off-road vehicle package available off-the-lot. Gladiator (the pickup or JT version) because we want the many advantages a truck bed offers in the way of storage, cargo transport, and gear storage. Although true reliability in American vehicles is a thing of the past, Jeep leads the industry in the simple yet rugged engineering of many components such as suspension and driveline.
The Rubicon models of Jeep are set apart in their offroad capabilities due to true 4x4 capacity, heavy-duty solid axles front and rear, strong chassis, a relatively short wheelbase for maneuverability, electronic locking differentials for superior traction, high ground clearance, a low-range transfer case with a high crawl ratio, and suspension design allowing for significant articulation which even includes an electronic sway bar disconnect. Another great feature of this modern Jeep is the Offroad pages in the computer system that allows for monitoring system feedback in real time as well as vehicle position on the touch screen display.
We hadn’t seriously considered Jeep for any of our previous builds because until now the wheelbase was too short to allow for any legitimate load carrying capabilities without excessive modification. As we’re equipping this gladiator for maximum success in offroad adventures, we consider storage a necessity for items like: Camping gear, recovery equipment, and personal effects. Living a lifestyle of preparedness with consideration of being able to help others along the way as a top priority justifies having a working truck bed being high on our list of vehicle functions.
Powertrain & Drivetrain:
Our 2022 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon 4x4 features a 3.6L V6 that produces 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. This is more than enough power for our needs and is at a very good range for prevention of the excessive or premature wear and tear that can plague high HP vehicles, especially with larger tires. The versatile 8-Speed Automatic 850RE Transmission and 4:10 gears really help make this truck a breeze to ride around town, on the highway, and on the trail. There aren’t many vehicles that can handle 37” tires without a re-gear, but this is one of those few that can do it well. Dana 44 axles as set up from factory on Rubicon models are just strong enough to turn these giant tires and handle the rigors of offroad use. Responsibly driven by an experienced 4x4 operator the drivetrain offers good reliability even in extreme conditions. Towing and payload capabilities are impressive, especially considering this is a mid-size truck that can still fit in parking garages and be parked in standard lots.
Wheels, Tires, & Suspension:
17-inch x 8-inch Mopar Granite Crystal Beadlock Wheel. The advantages of beadlock wheels for keeping beads seated at low tire pressures are well-documented. Lowering tire pressures increases traction for improved offroad capability. The great thing about these Mopar beadlock wheels is that they can be run in either configuration! This is ideal for the possibility of needing a tire while on a trip at a random tire shop where it may not be recommended to trust them mounting a true beadlock correctly.
You can tell a lot about a vehicle and the owner by the tires… Not running M/T’s on a truck you want to take offroad is like going through life with your shoes untied. These 37x12.50 Firestone destination m/t2 tires are new for us, but we’ve heard great things. What I can say so far is that they have good offroad capability with minimal road noise for being so aggressive. I’m very impressed with handling on road and at high speeds. For my first foray into the world of Firestone mud tires I can honestly say I’m pleasantly surprised.
A custom approximately 4” lift featuring front and rear 2.5 piggyback reservoir shocks and a steering stabilizer from RSO suspension is what makes clearing such big tires possible. Metalcloak Duroflex control arms, True Dual Rate coils, Durotrak track bars, and sway bar end links are all great bolt-on upgrades that we’re very happy with at the 30,000 mile mark and going strong.
Batteries, Electronics, & Off-Road Lighting:
Auxiliary lighting is very important when driving at night. It can’t be overstated that you can’t hope for successful trail riding when you can’t see the trail. Most people probably will have a spotter and be driving during daylight hours when Jeeping. However, my experience exploring some of the worlds most dangerous off-road tracks has taught me to be a fanatic of offroad vehicle lighting systems… and not the mall crawler type of flashy light bars and color-changing rock lights so popular currently, but real hardcore use lighting systems. I may want to again drive onto a homemade barge, crossing a great expanse of virgin swamp like on some of my expeditions with the Land Cruiser build through much of Central America. For that, I need good lighting. The VOswitch grab handle integrated switches makes install neat and quick access a breeze. Mopar off-road hood mounted LED light pods are quality and offer a big increase in forward facing light. Combined with the Oracle Halo headlights and Mopar fog lights is enough light out the front for tackling any challenges.
Road noise with big mud tires at highway speeds will always be an issue. A great sound system can drown that out. For a guy like me with extensive hearing damage from my former work in high-risk environments the fact that this system gets loud enough to hurt my ears is impressive. The MB Quart 400-watt dual subwoofer system is a very nice detail. It fits perfectly tucked away under the back seat, has plenty of bass, and doesn’t take away from any of the OEM features. The amp is under the passenger seat and is also a very clean, effective design. Their overhead sound bar speakers are nuts, way more than what I need, but add quite a bit of cool factor to the jeep and are also neatly tucked out of the way to make great use of an otherwise dead space. The stock touchscreen head unit display with carplay is a really top-notch system. Adding the Tackform cell phone mount system really squared away the usability of the extensive tech features on this Jeep.
I’m not a fan at all of the stock Jeep auxiliary battery set-up. It’s a great idea poorly designed and implemented. There have been a host of reported problems and there’s even an ongoing lawsuit related to fires. I personally watched a modified JK catch up and blaze in a ball of fire in front of me on the road one day in south Florida… I knew all this going into it and still think the rewards outweigh the risks. What I will say is that I’m going to be very careful with any mods I may choose to do to the electrical system in the future. Thankfully I have extensive experience with vehicle electrical systems. Ideally, when the warranty expires on this particular vehicle, we will install a legitimate two battery system like that in our Toyota build.
