Long arm upgrade...which one?

Looking at the Clayton and Treks Offroad long arm upgrades. Any suggestions, feedback if you have them, or reviews would be appreciated. Treks is bolt on I think? And looks like the clayton requires some welding.
I do like the full belly pan from Treks, it offers more protection underneath.

Thanks Guys...

Full traction long arm kit. Stays a true 4 link. No other options IMO.

Well, I already have 4.5" rubicon coils/leaves on the way, so im only looking for an 'upgrade'. Ill have to look into full traction, im assuming you mean its not a radius arm setup?

They sell just the "upgrade" kit (skid/cross member/ arms) too, and yes, it's a true 4 link keeps upper and lowers, not radius arm.

I like my Clayton Kit I don't think I could break it if I wanted to.

Loving my Clayton set-up. Works great for me, and was easy to weld on. I have no experience with other Long Arm kits, but I feel very confident that the jeep itself will fold long before the Clayton arms will.

crazyjim said:

Full traction long arm kit. Stays a true 4 link. No other options IMO.

Click to expand...

Depends. 3 link > 4 link for rockcrawling and trailriding.

I'd assume a 4 link works better for prerunning / highspeed.

So radius arm setups are not considered 4 link? Sorry if thats a dumb question...

What are the benefits to retaining the 4 link, over going with a radius?
Also, by 3 link to you mean only using 1 upper arm?

Thanks for the responses guys...

JeepAddict85 said:

So radius arm setups are not considered 4 link? Sorry if thats a dumb question...

What are the benefits to retaining the 4 link, over going with a radius?
Also, by 3 link to you mean only using 1 upper arm?

Thanks for the responses guys...

Click to expand...

Yes a radius arm is a type of 4-link suspension. There are a variety of suspension designs out there (wishbone, radius arm, double-triangulated 4-link, etc). Just do some research. Pirate4x4 usually has quite a bit of good information.

Radius arm suspensions (like Clayton's, TNT, RE, or Rustys) have a tendency to unload on steep climbs. This is just a result of the suspension geometry. While I have not felt this myself yet, I know several others who have. I also know others that are totally fine with radius arms. You kind of have to make your own call.

3-link uses one upper arm yes.

Binding from any 4 link results from the opposing arms traveling on different planes during articulation. The easiest way to explain it (the way someone explained it to me) is if you make "V"s with your hands using your index and middle finger and point them away from you. Now point your left hand a little up, and notice what happens. Your left fingers, acting as the driver's side UCA and LCA, want to pull the axle back and the pinion down, while your right hand wants to push the axle forward and the pinion up. This binding is commonly dispensed through the use of rubber bushings.

Make sense?

MoparManiac said:

Depends. 3 link > 4 link for rockcrawling and trailriding.

I'd assume a 4 link works better for prerunning / highspeed.

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actually guys use the 3 link for jeepspeed as well, so it seems the most beneficial to just go straight to a 3 link.

I finished installing my rock krawler 3 link a couple weeks ago, haven't wheeled it yet, but for mall crawlin it's great


basically meaning it drives better now than stock

Well that's what I get for assuming lol.

Ok, thanks MoparManiac for the info, that helps a bit. Still have more researching to do I guess (theres plenty i dont know, thats for sure!). On the 3 link, does the single upper arm have to be made a lot stronger, since its now the only upper link?


Who makes the 3 link setup?

rock krawler makes the 3 link.
check motionoffroad.com
I got a good price on mine there.

here's the link.
it's gone up in price....
but personally I thought it was worth it to save the extra bucks and buy it when I got mine.
the benefits of a 3 link are a lot

http://motionoffroad.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=33

Jimbo_1321 said:

here's the link.
it's gone up in price....
but personally I thought it was worth it to save the extra bucks and buy it when I got mine.
the benefits of a 3 link are a lot

http://motionoffroad.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=33

Click to expand...

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but please do yourself and everyone else a favor and never order from that site.

I dont care about the hijack...How come? Ive never heard of them before.

crazyjim said:

Full traction long arm kit. Stays a true 4 link. No other options IMO.

Click to expand...

BDS also makes a true four link long arm. ive heard good things about it, but dont have any personall experience.

There are plenty of 3-link vs. 4-link vs. radius arms threads, so I'll just answer the original question. I had bothe the TnT/Treks kit and dumped it in favor of the Claytons. I bent the TnT belly pan a few times and it was a pain in the ass to take off if you want to work on anything.

I notices a slight increase in articulation with the Claytons, but most of all, they're just flat out stronger.

-----Matt-----

I have said this in numerous threads before..... If you are building your rig for rock crawling,and want to buy a pre-fabbed long arm kit, my vote is for the Rock Krawler 3 Link. I have beaten the snot out of my RK 3 link on many trails in JV for the last 2 years, its performed flawlessly. Great articulation, no binding. I make sure i grease the joints & keep good bushings in them. Lower arms are 2" solid steel. The shit is tough!

and I forget which company... but you can buy a stronger/better joint that will thread right into the rock crawler ends.