Field Notes
Guides, gear, and build features
Field Notes is where ModShops USA shares practical reference for enthusiasts: how to choose a shop, what good work costs, gear worth running, and features on the builders behind real rigs. It is written to be useful first and to help you find the right shop near you, second.
How-ToSep 8, 20267 min read
Suspension Lift or Body Lift: What Each One Buys You
What a suspension lift and a body lift each change, where a body lift is genuinely the right answer, and the downstream work only one of them creates.
How-ToSep 4, 20266 min read
All-Terrain or Mud-Terrain: Matching Tires to How You Actually Drive
What each tread family is engineered for — noise, wet grip, snow, self-cleaning, tread life — and how to let your real week decide which one you buy.
How-ToAug 28, 20266 min read
Lift Kit or Leveling Kit: Which One You Actually Need
What a leveling kit and a lift kit each change on the vehicle, the downstream work only one of them triggers, and how to tell which your build needs.
How-ToAug 25, 20267 min read
Before the Cold: The Off-Road Maintenance Worth Doing in the Fall
The fluid, suspension, battery, and tire work worth booking now — before a summer of wheeling turns into a cold-weather failure on a frozen trail.
How-ToAug 21, 20267 min read
Locker, Limited Slip, or Neither: Matching Traction to How You Drive
What lockers, limited slips, and open differentials actually do, the on-road trade-offs of each, and how honest answers about your week should set the spec.
How-ToAug 18, 20267 min read
Death Wobble: What It Is and Who Can Actually Fix It
What death wobble actually is, the front-end wear and geometry that cause it, and what a shop that can diagnose it does before it replaces anything.
IndustryAug 14, 20266 min read
The Conversation to Have Before You Commit to a Full Build
A full build is defined in a conversation, not a parts list. What a build consultation should cover, and the signs a shop is skipping it.
IndustryAug 11, 20266 min read
Telling a Fabrication Shop From an Installer
Installers fit parts that already exist. Fabrication shops build parts that don't. How to tell which one you're talking to before you describe the job.
How-ToAug 7, 20267 min read
What You're Actually Paying For in a Lift Kit Installation
The kit price is the number everyone compares. The labor around it is where quotes diverge, and where a lift job is won or lost.
How-ToAug 4, 20267 min read
Suspension Tuning Is a Different Job Than Installing a Lift
A bolt-in lift is a parts swap. Tuning is what makes it ride. What setup work involves, and when to ask a shop for it instead of living with the result.
How-ToJul 31, 20266 min read
What a Tire Shop Should Check Before It Mounts Your Off-Road Tires
Off-road tires are a different job than all-seasons. What competent fitting involves, and why the cheapest mount-and-balance is rarely the cheapest outcome.
IndustryJul 24, 20266 min read
Why Some Shops Won't Touch Someone Else's Parts
Why some shops refuse to install parts you bought online: the warranty, liability, and comeback-work reasons, and how to tell a fair no from a margin grab.