kmoneil
06-02-2008, 02:22 PM
By Jon Johnson
Assistant Editor
Published on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 9:02 AM MST
Imagine a vehicle that works through glacial cold, desert heat and every condition and terrain in between, and you might start to understand what the Tomcar can do.
Don Steinman, owner of Redington Land & Cattle in Bonita, is the only authorized dealer of the Tomcar in the Gila Valley. He said after taking one for a test drive, he couldn’t imagine selling any other type of off-road utility vehicle.
Originally designed for the Israeli military, the Tomcar is built to work in extremely hostile environments where lesser UTVs would fail. Its three different models satisfy people’s needs for recreation, commercial work and more, he said.
*“The advertisement says ‘Anywhere and back’ and we’ve added ‘safely,’” Steinman said.
The Tomcar’s roll cage and frame are built as one piece, and it is street legal in all 50 states. The floor has full-length racing-type skid plates and is equipped with four-point, racing-style seat belts. It also comes with a factory-installed speed limiter that keeps it to 25 mph. According to Steinman, the limiter is easily removed for those who wish to go faster, and the vehicle then has a top speed of about 55 mph.
According to the Tomcar’s Web site, it is the safest vehicles in its class with a record of zero serious accidents.
“The most important thing of the vehicle, other than its durability, is safety,” Steinman said. “They are wider (than an ATV) with a lower center of gravity and have military-spec steel. They were designed for off-road.”
Steinman showed a Courier reporter what he was talking about and took him on a test ride through the desert at his business in Bonita.
The harsh landscape filled with cactus, boulder-sized rocks, ditches and washes were no match for the Tomcar. It effortlessly cruised through terrain that ATV riders dare not tread.
With its rack-and-pinion steering and automatic transmission, Steinman said anyone who can turn a steering wheel can safely operate a Tomcar. He added that at about 35 mpg, people can afford to use it for a variety of uses.
Steinman tests everything he sells himself before offering the products to the public, and he said the Tomcar is proving to be difficult to break.
“We’ve been trying to destroy it, and we can’t,” he said.
Steinman said the Tomcar is perfect for many types of activity including hunting, construction work, mining, police and fire emergencies, and fun recreation.
Steinman will display an armored version of the Tomcar at the Big Boys Toys Show at the Graham County Fairgrounds on Dec. 7 and 8.
Assistant Editor
Published on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 9:02 AM MST
Imagine a vehicle that works through glacial cold, desert heat and every condition and terrain in between, and you might start to understand what the Tomcar can do.
Don Steinman, owner of Redington Land & Cattle in Bonita, is the only authorized dealer of the Tomcar in the Gila Valley. He said after taking one for a test drive, he couldn’t imagine selling any other type of off-road utility vehicle.
Originally designed for the Israeli military, the Tomcar is built to work in extremely hostile environments where lesser UTVs would fail. Its three different models satisfy people’s needs for recreation, commercial work and more, he said.
*“The advertisement says ‘Anywhere and back’ and we’ve added ‘safely,’” Steinman said.
The Tomcar’s roll cage and frame are built as one piece, and it is street legal in all 50 states. The floor has full-length racing-type skid plates and is equipped with four-point, racing-style seat belts. It also comes with a factory-installed speed limiter that keeps it to 25 mph. According to Steinman, the limiter is easily removed for those who wish to go faster, and the vehicle then has a top speed of about 55 mph.
According to the Tomcar’s Web site, it is the safest vehicles in its class with a record of zero serious accidents.
“The most important thing of the vehicle, other than its durability, is safety,” Steinman said. “They are wider (than an ATV) with a lower center of gravity and have military-spec steel. They were designed for off-road.”
Steinman showed a Courier reporter what he was talking about and took him on a test ride through the desert at his business in Bonita.
The harsh landscape filled with cactus, boulder-sized rocks, ditches and washes were no match for the Tomcar. It effortlessly cruised through terrain that ATV riders dare not tread.
With its rack-and-pinion steering and automatic transmission, Steinman said anyone who can turn a steering wheel can safely operate a Tomcar. He added that at about 35 mpg, people can afford to use it for a variety of uses.
Steinman tests everything he sells himself before offering the products to the public, and he said the Tomcar is proving to be difficult to break.
“We’ve been trying to destroy it, and we can’t,” he said.
Steinman said the Tomcar is perfect for many types of activity including hunting, construction work, mining, police and fire emergencies, and fun recreation.
Steinman will display an armored version of the Tomcar at the Big Boys Toys Show at the Graham County Fairgrounds on Dec. 7 and 8.