Interactive guides, built for the driveway.
Free, no signup, no ads. Use them with greasy hands. Each tool is a single page — open it on your phone and work through it while the truck's on jack stands.
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XJ DIY Database & Rig Builder
307 entries covering maintenance, suspension, axles, drivetrain, armor, recovery, wheels & tires, interior, electrical, and body work for the 1984–2001 Jeep Cherokee XJ. Browse by category, search across everything, or run the Rig Builder to get a phased build plan for your goal and budget.
NewGear Ratio Calculator
Select your vehicle and trim — factory axle ratio, transfer case low, and stock tire load automatically. Set your target tire size and get a specific gear ratio recommendation, highway RPM comparison (before and after), and crawl ratio. Covers 14 vehicles including XJ, TJ, JK, JL, 4Runner, Tacoma, Bronco, and more.
For the panicked ownerDeath Wobble Survival Guide
You just had it happen at 60 mph. Take a breath. The guide walks you through emergency response (don't slam the brakes, here's what to do), a plain-English explainer, a 6-question symptom quiz, a guided driveway inspection (saves your progress in your browser), and a prioritized fix plan that adapts to what you find.
NewEngine Swap Parts Checklist
Pick your engine path and get the full parts list, auto-filtered to your build. V8 swap paths are live for the JK Wrangler today — AEV-style 5.7L Hemi, 6.4L Hemi, DIY LS, MoTech LT, Bruiser LX3 — with more engines (Pentastar, stroker) and more platforms coming. Check parts off as you buy them and again as you install. Costs total live; expandable instructions and pro tips on every part. Progress saves to this device.
NewMy Garage — Maintenance Log
Add every rig you own. Log every service as you do it — date, mileage, parts used, cost, DIY or shop. The tool flags what's overdue and what's coming due based on standard intervals. Lifetime and YTD spend per vehicle. Export your garage as JSON for backup or to move to a new device. No account required — your data stays on this device.
In the workshop
Coming as the platform grows. Email me a vote on which one to ship next.
Wiring Calculator
Pick amp draw, run length, voltage drop tolerance — get back the right wire gauge. Useful for winches, light bars, dual battery, aux fuse blocks.
Fuel & Range Planner
Plan trail and overland fuel needs: tank capacity, mpg loaded, terrain factor, aux fuel storage. Outputs a safe planning range.
Tire Pressure / Airdown
Recommended pressures by surface (sand, rocks, mud, snow), tire size, vehicle weight. Includes the airing-back-up calculation.
Trail Tool Kit Builder
Pick your build complexity and trail distance. Get back a sized, prioritized tool list with vendor options and a packing layout.
Build Cost Tracker
Save a build over time. Tag each purchase to a phase. See total invested, expected resale impact, and what's left to budget.
Got a tool idea?
Trail Manual's tools come from real DIY workflows. If you keep running into a calculation, a checklist, or a question that doesn't have a clean answer online — that's a tool the community probably needs. Tell me about it.