Matt's Off Road Recovery (2024)

Matt Wetzel, better known online as Matt's Off Road Recovery is an automotive channel situated in Hurricane, Utah. Matt and his team recover stuck vehicles, fabricate their own rescue vehicles, and vlog their off road adventures.

People[]

Cast[]

Matt[]

Matt is the owner and star of Matt's Off Road Recovery. He lives in Hurricane, UT with his wife, Jaymie, and their three sons: Kaulin, Rhett, and Karter. Matt is 48 years old and 6'2".

Prior to starting his recovery business, Matt worked in the roofing industry for 12 years - 10 as an employee and 2 with a company he co-founded called Skyline Roofing. In 2009, Matt bought his current shop along with the assets of a towing company, and founded Red Ryder Towing. In 2013, Matt purchased Winder Towing, the name under which he still operates. He worked in conventional towing for 10 years before starting his YouTube channel. He has also competed in demolition derby with the team name "Junky".

Matt said that his friends taught him about kinetic energy ropes, and if it weren't for that, he probably wouldn't have found off road recovery profitable. While working in the shop, Matt enjoys a practice he calls "fabricobbling," or fabricating without an in-depth plan. He is overly fond of sampling blisteringly hot welds, and has had a passion for collecting Chevrolet Corvairs from an early age. During winter weather, Matt is known for his high cold tolerance, which he associates with Wim Hof.

Katelynn[]

Katelynn is an employee and star of Matt's Off Road Recovery. Matt met Katelynn and her dad through the rock bouncing competitions that they participate in.

Ed[]

Ed is a friend of Matt and a star on Matt's Off Road Recovery. Ed is currently 85 years old, and his hobbies range from skydiving to prospecting for gold on his claim in California.

Matt and Ed originally met when Matt bought his shop in 2009. Ed was living on the site at the time, and they soon became good buddies. For a long time, Ed has lived in a trailer outside the building. But more recently, Matt had a section of the shop built into an apartment for Ed.

Ed has a gold claim in California with his buddy Fred. Ed used to run a mining dredge, and he is also a scuba diver. Ed uses the Golden Nugget, a 1970s Suzuki LJ40, to run his errands and pick up supplies. He also rides his Honda Rokon bike around his claim, and shared a story once about carrying dynamite in the basket. Ed works at his claim every Fall, and is absent from the channel for long periods of time as a result.

Matt values Ed not only as a friend, but also because Ed always finds something to organize, and helps around the shop. Matt said that Ed's official job is Yard Manager. In Ed's own words, "Ed's just an old gold miner and guard-dog."

Jefe[]

Jefe (Jeff) is an employee of Matt's Off Road Recovery and a member of the crew. He is also one of Matt's nephews, and a 16-year service veteran of the US armed forces.

When something gets done behind the scenes, Jefe likely has something to do with it. He is responsible for accounts, budget, websites, crew organization and rosters, human resources, marketing, and asset/property management. In addition, Jefe is Matt's second-in-command and a member of the B-team along with Matt's son Rhett. Consequently, the crew calls him Jefe - which means "boss" in Spanish. Jefe always creates a well-rounded plan before executing on it, and works very methodically, in contrast to Matt's more impetuous approach.

Jefe has assisted on several recoveries with his black Ford Super Duty. He also owned a Can Am Maverick until he gave it away as a prize at the 2023 Off Road Wrecker Games. Knowing that he was a fan of the new Ford Bronco, Matt bought Jefe a grey 2023 Bronco with a Wildtrak Sasquatch trim. Because Matt has rescued numerous new Broncos with broken tie rods, Matt and Jefe upgraded the Bronco and added many aftermarket upgrades, including Portals. Jefe is protective of his new ride, but enjoys it very much.

Jaymie[]

Jaymie is Matt's wife, an employee of Matt's Off Road Recovery, and a member of the crew. She is the mother of Kaulin, Rhett, and Karter. Matt met Jaymie when she was a teller at the bank Matt had his accounts with.

Besides running Matt's family, Jaymie is responsible for the billing associated with recoveries and with Winder Towing (Matt's towing business). She is an instrumental team member and pitches in wherever help is needed. This includes filling in for camera duty or assistant on recoveries, and driving the recovery vehicles. Jaymie is the person who most often saves Matt's bacon when he runs out of gas late at night, forgets customer car keys or needs extra assistance from someone on the other end of a phone conversation.

Matt has described Jaymie as a fantastic, can-do business partner, who never takes business issues personally and is the glue that holds everything together.

In the past, Jaymie drove the "Tangerine", an orange Jeep XJ. Now she drives "White Lightning," a white Ford Super Duty, as well as a white Wrangler Rubicon 392 that is referred to as the "rental Jeep".

Other Crew Members[]

Kolby ------ Camera Man

Jonah ----- Camera Man

Zach ------- Video Editor

Michael ----- Video Editor

Eric -------- Tow Operator

Jake ------- Shop Assistant

Jon ----------- Dispatcher

Rhett --------- Matt's 3rd Son

Former Employees[]

Lizzy[]

Lizzy is a daughter of Matt's best friend Stuart, who grew up with Matt and went to school with him. Until late July 2023, Lizzy was an employee and star of Matt's Off Road Recovery. Lizzy is currently 24 years old and stands at 5'4". Her pastimes include rodeo competitions, swing dancing, and volleyball.

Matt's family and Lizzy's family have known each other for multiple generations, practically making Matt an uncle to her. She is well-known on the channel to be an adept welder, recovery expert, and valuable team member. Her favorite color is green. Lizzy is usually seen wearing an ornate belt buckle, which she won in a rodeo. Lizzy got married in 2022, and her husband, Clancy, has made a brief appearance on the channel.

Lizzy used to drive a black Ford Fusion, with the dream of eventually driving a green Ford Raptor. When she left the channel, however, Matt bought her a black 12th gen Ford F-150 FX4. These were produced from 2009-2014.

In early 2023, Lizzy announced that she was going to part-time so she could spend more time with her husband and help out on his family's ranch in Kane County, Utah. She ultimately left on the best of terms in July, because her passion lies in ranching and not in vehicle fabrication. No doubt her welding skills will be of advantage to her in the future.

Rudy[]

Rudy is Matt's eldest son by a previous marriage. He's a great fabricator, welder, and trail driver. Until April of 2022, Rudy was an employee and star of Matt's Off Road Recovery, where he assisted with recoveries, operated tow trucks, helped build recovery vehicles, and MORR. He is currently in a relationship with his girlfriend, Janelle.

In addition to running his YouTube channel, Rudy's Adventure and Design, Rudy welds underground safes for his employer, Underground Storage Solutions. His boss is a long time friend and lets Rudy use his shop space and tools for Rudy's own hobby of fabrication. His primary project as of now is the Rudicon, a brown Jeep XJ from the same generation as his dad's Banana. The Rudicon played a major role in recoveries on Matt's Off Road Recovery before Rudy started upgrading it. Among Rudy's other hobbies are hunting and fishing.

Rudy decided to leave Matt's Off Road Recovery because recovering stuck vehicles wasn't really his passion. Now that he is doing what he wants, he can choose when to work on his projects, and he doesn't have to worry about his dad's deadlines or jobs. Matt and Rudy are still on the best of terms, and Matt fully supports Rudy's choice to branch out on his own. After leaving the channel, he has participated in several events with the MORR team, including Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, the 2023 Off Road Wrecker Games, and King of the Hammers.

Trevor[]

Trevor is a friend of Matt and former camera man for Matt's Off Road Recovery. Trevor has his own family and lives about an hour from Matt's shop.

Trevor was well known on the channel for his active approach to filming, which included running alongside the vehicle being recovered, and also his numerous falls, which accompanied his efforts to run off road. When no seats were available, Trevor rode on the spare tires of Jeeps that were being rescued.

When Matt started his channel, Trevor was introduced as a tow operator. Soon after, he left to go to electrical engineering school. When he returned, he helped out with wiring and electrical fabrication in addition to swinging the camera.

Around October of 2022, Trevor got a new job closer to his home, climbing communications towers. Since then, he has reappeared on Matt's channel for Ed's birthday, and also helped Matt's son Rudy on his channel, Rudy's Adventure and Design. At the end of a build video, Matt made it clear that Trevor left on good terms and that he would likely show up again later.

In June 2023, Trevor partnered with Tucker and a rich guy named George and started a new YouTube channel called MisAdventure Lab.

Skeeter[]

Skeeter (Wes) is one of Matt's good friends and a former star of Matt's Off Road Recovery. He participated in recoveries, fabricated recovery vehicles, and swung the camera for jobs.

Skeeter's first mention on the channel was that he was the owner of the ex-military 5 ton that Matt and his team tested at Sand Hollow. Once Matt dismissed the idea of modifying a 5 ton for his off road wrecker, Skeeter helped source the MRAP axles for the heavy wrecker build. He pitched in to help with fabrication and welding, as well as recovery work.

Around October of 2022, Skeeter moved on to a job in the Texas oilfields. He has also made appearances on other fabrication and heavy equipment channels such as Robby Layton, Hunter Goodrich, and HeavyDSparks. Matt said that Skeeter left on good terms and they're still friends.

Tucker[]

Tucker is a former employee and member of the Matt's Off Recovery crew. He was hired as the channel's first dedicated video editor in 2021 to take some of the load off of Jefe and the rest of the crew. He was also well known for his muscle, and ability to pick up the front of a side-by-side by himself.

Tucker is married and has his own family. In 2022, Matt surprised Tucker with a 2016 Toyota 4-Runner to replace his small and unreliable Honda Civic. After upgrading the suspension and tires, Tucker took his 4-Runner on trail rides with Matt and his friends. Eventually, Matt hired more editors to help Tucker, and gave Tucker oversight in the editing department.

In February of 2023, Tucker disappeared from the channel. In response to a viewer asking what had happened to him in the comments, Matt replied that Tucker decided to try his hand at freelancing, and that he and his team respect Tucker's decision. Tucker can currently be found with Trevor on the channel MisAdventure Lab.

Randy[]

Randy is a former employee and camera man of Matt's Off Road Recovery. In fact, he was one of Matt's first dedicated camera men. Fans of the channel knew him best for his smile and contagious laugh.

Randy is the 7th of 8 children, born and raised in Southern Utah. He has been married for 20 years and has 8 kids of his own. He's a very friendly and happy person, and loves to visit with people. Randy has many talents, and, if he is unfamiliar with something, he studies and learns it until he figures it out. His interests include mountain biking and off-road racing. During his tenure on the channel, Randy drove a Tesla Model S, and worked a job installing satellite dishes.

In March of 2021, Randy stopped working for MORR and soon after started his own YouTube channel, All Terrain Randy. He has also appeared on Casey's Off Road Recovery helping with recovery jobs.

Tom Tom[]

Tom Tom is a former full time employee and star of Matt's Off Road Recovery. Matt and Tom grew up together, and Matt says that he has been using Tom as a sounding board for his ideas since 1995. Tom is a nuclear engineer, expert welder, and well-rounded fabricator.

Tom earned his master's degree in physics, and then another degree in nuclear engineering. Following his education, Tom worked at the Idaho National Laboratory for 16 years as an engineer. He started designing components in hot cells, and then went on to participate in large research projects, on topics such as radiation and ATR. After that, he went into equipment installation as a project manager.

Before moving to Utah to work for Matt, Tom lived in Idaho and would only see Matt occasionally. He has had a hand in building all three of Matt's primary recovery rigs - the Banana, Morrvair, and Heavy Wrecker - as well as the Golden Nugget. Tom worked with Matt in setting up his YouTube channel, and he also helped Matt recover the Golden Nugget off Ed's gold claim in California. He is also an accomplished cook.

Tom's shop skills are impeccable, and due to his interest in fabrication, he started his own channel called Tom Tom's Shop to work on his own builds.

Vehicles[]

Recovery Rigs[]

The Banana[]

The Banana is a 2001 Jeep Cherokee XJ which Matt owns and drives for Matt's Off Road Recovery. Matt has been driving the Banana since before he even thought about YouTube. He bought it used so he could recover stuck vehicles with it. The Banana has been through countless upgrades, including a full overhaul, which is shown in detail in Matt's playlist for "Banana Build."

The Banana's specs are as follows:

• Engine: Golen Stroker inline 6, dynos at 273 horsepower and 315 ft-lbs. of torque at the flywheel
• Axles: Front Dana 60 with Grizzly locker, Rear Dana 60 with Spicer limited slip. Final drive 5.38
• Suspension: Front and rear triangulated 4-link ORI coil-overs
• Tires: Milestar Patagonia 38/13.50/17 with bead locks, usually kept at 8 PSI
• Exhaust: Flowmaster
• Winch: Badlands Apex, Freedom winch line
• Weight: 4,260 lbs.
• Track: 74"
• Wheelbase: 101"
• Full interior roll cage
• Seats: 5 people

The Morrvair[]

The Morrvair is a 1961 Chevrolet Corvair Lakewood 700 wagon. Matt owns and uses the Morrvair as a recovery vehicle on Matt's Off Road Recovery. Matt restored it completely on the channel, and Robby Layton painted it. The Morrvair was named for the fact that it is a Corvair on MORR (acronym for the channel name). All the details of the Morrvair's restoration are on Matt's playlist for "Morrvair Build."

The Morrvair's specs are as follows:

• Engine: 5.3L LS L59 V8 from an early 2000's Chevy Silverado, makes 240 horsepower at the rear wheels and 288 ft-lbs. of torque.
• Transmission: GM Turbo 400 3-speed auto gearbox, Offroad Design NP205 transfer case
• Axles: Front Dana 60 with Detroit lockers, Rear Dana 70 with Spicer limited slip. Final drive 5.13
• Suspension: Front and rear semi triangulated
• Tires: Milestar Patagonia 40/13.50/17 with bead locks, usually kept at 8 PSI
• Exhaust: Flowmaster
• Winch: Badlands Apex, Freedom winch line
• Weight: 5,460 lbs.
• Track: 82"
• Wheelbase: 119"
• Full interior roll cage
• Seats: 4 people

The Heavy Wrecker[]

The Heavy Wrecker is a custom-built off road recovery rig with the cab from a 1956 International Harvester R220 fire truck. A playlist on Matt's Off Road Recovery contains all the build videos for the Heavy Wrecker since the beginning. Matt built it to replace his Jeep-and-trailer setup for recovering side-by-sides in the sand dunes, as well as for more heavy-duty pulls.

While there is much controversy over Matt calling it the World's Largest, Matt defends his position by emphasizing the type of terrain it can handle. For example, while a military deuce-and-a-half wrecker can travel off the pavement, he claims that it requires mostly level and hard packed surfaces to avoid getting stuck. This gives it about the same capability as a dump truck. The Heavy Wrecker, on the other hand, has no problem with difficult buggy trails, and in some cases is more capable than a Jeep.

The Heavy Wrecker's specs are as follows:

• Engine: GM 8.1L Vortec from an early 2000's Chevrolet Suburban
• Transmission: GM L80e, Offroad Design NP205 transfer case
• Axles: Front and rear MRAP Axletech 4000s with narrow track air lockers. Final drive 5.68
• Shocks: Bilstein, front and rear triple bypass with external reservoir
• Tires: Mickey Thompson 54" Baja Boss A/T
• Exhaust: Flowmaster, exact same as Morrvair
• Driveshafts: Adam's Driveshafts and Offroad
• Steering: Hydraulic front and rear with rear self-centering. Can be used for narrow turning radius or crab-walking
• Winches: 7x 12,000 lbs Badlands Apex, Freedom winch lines
• Welder: On-board Premier Power Welder
• Weight: 10,000 - 12,000 lbs.
• Track: 92"
• Wheelbase: 156"
• Seats: 2 people

The Bombi[]

The Bombi is Matt's mini-snowcat modified for off road recovery work, especially in deep snow or sand. The Bombi is custom-built, based on the drivetrain of a Bombardier snowcat, hence the nickname. On Matt's playlists page, the "Snow Bombi Build" playlist contains all the Bombi build videos to date. It has a fresh coat of paint from Robby Layton. Similar to the heavy wrecker, while Matt pushes it to its limits on jobs, the Bombi isn't finished yet.

The Bombi's specs are as follows:

• Engine: Aluminum GM 5.3L LS
• Transmission: GM Turbo 350, 3-speed automatic
• Drive Axle: Ford 9" with Dana 60 full floating axle shafts and hubs
• Differential: Yukon, 5.44:1 gear ratio
• Wheels: Raceline 13"
• Tires: Milestar Patagonia 24"
• Steering: Twin sticks for braking, not skid steer
• Winch: Badlands Apex 12,000 lbs, front only
• Tracks: dual all-terrain tracks, 29" width and 279" unwound length
• Seats: 5 people