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Long arm upgrade??

Wlf_02

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Alabama
I’m going to buy a long arm upgrade kit soon but not sure what kind to get. Is a 3link or a 4link better for rock crawling? If you can explain why I would really appreciate it. Also I’m looking to spend NO more than $900
 
Well your price range imits your choices to rough country(not a true 3 or 4 link), bkfabworks(eBay), and maybe cavfab's stage one kit. Supposedly they ride much smoother than short arms, and they also articulate and flex better than short arms off road. I'm kinda in the same boat as you, I have Core4x4 short arms with adjustable uppers and I'm searching for better ride quality.
 
Rock link from IRO is under $900. Bought mine right when it came out and and have been very pleased with it, also they're a naxja sponsor.
 
If it’s good quality then I’ll spend more I just don’t want to overspend......but isn’t that what jeep are for
 
Also I’m looking to spend NO more than $900

You're going to get what you pay for if you want a "kit". Any decent off the shelf kit is going to be more than $900. IRO makes good stuff and their rock link kit is pretty solid. SFR and ironman are probably the pinnacle of link kits right now. Clayton is great but expensive.

As for a 3 link or 4 link it will really be personally preference. Both are great a big reason people opt for a 3 link is because of clearance/packaging but a 4 link can provide a little more stability/predictability for on road.
 
As mentioned earlier, both Stinkyfab and Ironman4x4fab make the top of the line kits. Both are true 4 link kits vs. radius arms. I know some people who are running long arm kits that are radius arms and they wheel them hard and are happy with them, but I personally like the performance and flex of a 4 link. You can search the forum on the topic of 4 link vs radius arms and get the lowdown.

Whatever kit you get, radius arm or true 4 link, I highly recommend you get one that allows you to work on the tranny and tcase without dropping the whole suspension. A number of the low end kits use a new tranny mount/cross member as the mounting point for the long arms with no way to remove the tranny mount without removing the suspension.

I am running a BDS true 4 link long arm. it performs great, but I wouldn't recommend it since I have to drop the whole front suspension any time I want to do work on the tcase or tranny.
 
I am running the iro rock link. I'm content with it for what I paid due to introductory pricing. I did have my eye on the Rusty's competition 4 link (true 4 link). I know rusty isn't really liked on the forum, but most ppl don't know this kit exists due to his popular long arm being a radius arm...
https://www.rustysoffroad.com/rusty-s-xj-competition-4-link-suspension-system.html
The price is right in my book...

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I am running the iro rock link. I'm content with it for what I paid due to introductory pricing. I did have my eye on the Rusty's competition 4 link (true 4 link). I know rusty isn't really liked on the forum, but most ppl don't know this kit exists due to his popular long arm being a radius arm...
https://www.rustysoffroad.com/rusty-s-xj-competition-4-link-suspension-system.html
The price is right in my book...

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Rusty's use of hiems is one of many great reasons to keep looking at better LA options......there are much better joint solutions on the market. The Summit Machine joints that come with the TnT setup are rebuildable and I saw zero pivot ball wear in mine with 11yrs and over 100k miles logged on this setup. The Summit joints are Ultra4//KOH tested and will out perform a heim x 10.
For the budget conscious builder, one could buy the SFR brackets and crossmember and fab your own arms using Summit Machine joints and DOM tube.
 
I agree with the heim issue. When looking into that suspension for myself I planned to replace with flex joints (jj) when money was available...

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there are much better joint solutions on the market. The Summit Machine joints that come with the TnT setup are rebuildable and I saw zero pivot ball wear in mine with 11yrs and over 100k miles logged on this setup. The Summit joints are Ultra4//KOH tested and will out perform a heim x 10.

Those seem very similar To The RE Superflex joints on my long arms. Going on 16yrs with no adjustment or re-building.
 
Those seem very similar To The RE Superflex joints on my long arms. Going on 16yrs with no adjustment or re-building.

Similar, but better. The races in the Summit Machine joints have a grease groove machined into the cup, so when you grease the joint, it actually distributes lube evenly. There are Ultra4 rigs which have rolled multiple times at speed with zero damage to the Summit joints.
 
Is anyone here a johnny joint fan? I have a iro joint wore out that I would like to upgrade.

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Is anyone here a johnny joint fan? I have a iro joint wore out that I would like to upgrade.

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The Summit Machine joints are superior to IRO and Johnny Joint as well. I got 11yrs and over 100k miles out of mine and when I rebuilt them last fall to install the updated races with grease groove, there was no measurable wear.

https://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=913774&page=18
 
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Rustys new 4 link with removable center. My guess is the joints aren't the greatest thus the price, but hell if they work fine until they don't, so be it. I never read folks mentioning servicing suspension arms nearly as much as you should/have to, but it's up to you for how much you want to spend. You can build a lower kit better, or drop crazy cash on some LA kit.

I haven't choose one because I'm not thinking about cost of a premade cromember and building arms.

One of the biggest things you'll want to think about on 3 vs 4 link is how they attach to the front axle. 3 links eat bushings.
 
Why would a 4 or 3 link setup with more forgiving angles than short arms, eat bushings any more or faster than short arms? That just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe it's what style bushing is chosen with either? Looking at some of the joints out there in these kits with plastic bushings assembled by the end user makes me wonder. You'd think for the price that the kit would be ready to go out of the box assembled and greased.
 
I think what 4x4jeep ment was that a 3 link tends to eat upper joints faster as it has twice the load of the uppers on a 4 link suspension. Basically all the axle rotation (think applying break pressure to stop) is forced through 1 upper arm instead of two. Not trying to put words in anyone's mouth though...

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I get that, but still, the angles are what will cause more stress and wear in my opinion rather than the count of the actual arms. There may be an argument as to which upper link has more stress, or deflection during cycle as a 3 link setup because of the flimsy passenger upper axle bracket. I'm thinking that although the stock bushings won't articulate as well as a heim or plastic ball joint, they will last longer, no?
 
While I can not guarantee that your standard joint would not last long, we can probably agree on largely that these bushings were never ment to flex, or little more than stock. Correct me if I'm wrong, but radius arm uppers don't flex, or at least no more than stock. Most 4 links have jjs/heims on the body side reducing axle side flex. Three link is a minister of silly walks and largely has a modified upper axle mount(JJ or such) which will handle the stress of being the only upper arm, just as slowxj has explained.
I get what your thinking, heck I never thought of it until I started looking into 3 links, but a new bushing and mount is advisable. This does not mean a rubber bushing will not work, it simply begs the question for how long?
I think on the same token a 3 link may beg for a goid track bar system to?
I'll try to re dig up the thread I found some great knowledge in, a vendor explained much of the engineering. Ring any bells folks?
 
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