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Long arms or 3 link???

J

Jersey_Devil

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Bellmawr, NJ
So I am undecided on if I want Clayton long arms or Clayton 3 link. Haven't found anyone to tell me the advantages and disadvantages between the two. Can anyone here help me out?
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They are both long arm setups. Just one is Y-link aka radius arm. And the other is a true 3 link.
A proper 3-link setup is typically better than a Y-link.
 
a properly designed 3 link will eliminate the bind seen in radius arm setups, as well as have better pinion angles through the range of motion. designing (and building) a 3 link on the front of a cherokee can prove to be difficult without going through the floor. the clayton kit is a very good bang for the buck.

with the said... a lot of people run radius arms and are happy.
 
A buddy of mine has the Clayton long arms on his XJ and I love it and was gonna go with it till I saw the 3 link is only $89 more and wanted to know the differences. Thanks guys
 
Both are good, technically speak the 3 link is better from
A wheeling stand point, however both will do the job perfectly.
 
If you end up going radius arm, look into tnt. A little more expensive but imo a better kit. It's a belly pan type crossmember with tc protection. The arms are inboarded and mount higher in the crossmember. They are also bent for more ground clearance.
 
With radius arms you can experience a lot of unloading, a good three link will take you places a radius arm set up will not.
 
RoyalXJ said:
I'm pretty sure in order for it to work correctly won't you need a higher lift they say. I think they recommend 6.5"
Click to expand...

ive talked to clayton himself and seen the kit in person... they recomend that to keep the upper control arm out of the floor board on compression. but bump stoppped for a given tire size is bump stopped... regardless of 2 or 10 inches of lift (very generally speaking). the upper cntrol arm is beefy, and will self clearance the floor in short order.

i recently built my own 3 link, and BFH'ed the same spot. before it became an issue.

i can post photos tonight of either the clayton stuff or mine if anyone needs clarification.
 
Like most say, a 3-Link will be a better option.

I run a custom 3-Link and had a buddy with the Y-links. The difference we saw was that his unloaded bad on steep climbs and puckered him up a lot. I haven't had any unloading issues and the flex is great.

Looks like the Clayton kit puts the upper on the diff side. As long as it all clears, this is best for your axle's lifespan. I did mine on the long tube (without a truss) and eventually spun the tube on a HP44.
 
ROKRWLR said:
Like most say, a 3-Link will be a better option.

Looks like the Clayton kit puts the upper on the diff side. As long as it all clears, this is best for your axle's lifespan. I did mine on the long tube (without a truss) and eventually spun the tube on a HP44.
Click to expand...

They will build you a three link crossmember with the upper mount on the passenger side. Just sold one to a customer. Call them and ask there customer service is very good.
 
RoyalXJ said:
I'm pretty sure in order for it to work correctly won't you need a higher lift they say. I think they recommend 6.5"
Click to expand...


Yes Clayton site says at least 6.5" I'll be sitting around 7" but now my buddy might be going with a 3 link and give me his Clayton long arms 😁👍🏻not free of course but cheaper than new!
 
Last edited:
You can clear 35s with a lot less lift with fender trimming and bump stopping. You won't hurt your articulation either. And its much safer to stay lower. I've been there. Each rig of mine gets lower.
 
njxj4x4 said:
Im pretty much giving you all my old parts hahaha. its gonna be my jeep on a diffrent jeep
Click to expand...



RoyalXJ said:
You can clear 35s with a lot less lift with fender trimming and bump stopping. You won't hurt your articulation either. And its much safer to stay lower. I've been there. Each rig of mine gets lower.
Click to expand...


Like he said I'm essentially building my XJ just like his was. I'm using mostly all his old parts
3200cefe64d0c6c0de3ae719664b9be8.jpg
 
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