ScottyDog Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 My sons MJ came with a 4" trailmaster lift with control arm drop brackets, and an add-a-leaf that is way too stiff. We've come across RockyRoad's 5" lift with rear SOA set up.... I wanted to know if anyone has this lift and how they like it. We don't really need to the complete lift, just the SOA part and wanted to hear what the MJ folks opinion is..... TIA. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james750 Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM RRO! If you do a search on this forum you will find out many reasons for this particularly with their lift kits. Bolt on SOA is a bad idea considering how easy it is to weld on perches to the top of the axle the right way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottyDog Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM RRO! If you do a search on this forum you will find out many reasons for this particularly with their lift kits. Bolt on SOA is a bad idea considering how easy it is to weld on perches to the top of the axle the right way. Thanks James for the info. Greatly appreciate the feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Whats so bad about Rocky roads lifts? I have the 5" lift and it works great and rides better then stock. Why is everyone against bolt on SOA? the only arguement ive heard is they are too expensive. The bolt on kit nearly eliminates axle wrap, due to the perches being 9" long vs. the stock 3.5"-4" perches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 mnkyboy, what are you running for control arms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james750 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 With a bolt on SOA you can't get the right pinion angle to fit the lift, which can lead to ujoint end galling (unlikely when lifted, but caused if ujoint is at too little of an angle), driveline vibes from extreme ujoint angles. other than that it is just not as sturdy as a welded on perch. RRO lifts do not have longer Lower control arms, or upper control arms in their kit, which are needed to lift the truck correctly . I have also heard that RRO has horrible customer service and I can account that they have little knowledge about the parts they are selling. About a year ago before MOR and JCR had Rock Sliders I asked if they had sliders for both LWB and SWB trucks since their site didn't say and their picture had a SWB truck. Their response to me was that the LWB and SWB had the same Wheelbase and Frame so they would both bolt up the same. They went on to tell me that the only difference between a LWB and SWB truck was the bed length past the wheel wells. :nuts: This statement from them proved to me that they lacked knowledge on products they were selling and instead of looking up the proper information or giving me a strait forward answer they gave me information that they thought I would believe, not knowing that I know the basics on MJ's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Whats so bad about Rocky roads lifts? I have the 5" lift and it works great and rides better then stock. Why is everyone against bolt on SOA? the only arguement ive heard is they are too expensive. The bolt on kit nearly eliminates axle wrap, due to the perches being 9" long vs. the stock 3.5"-4" perches. yeah, but it does NOTHING for proper pinion angle. you also should be constantly checking torque on your ubolts as it's not tight. you're relying solely on 4 ubolts to hold 3 pieces of steel that are under constant stress together. not grade A quality in my book. so, $200 for bolt on SOA or $60 for a proper SOA setup using long spring perches which also eliminate axle-wrap, and that includes having a local professional welder weld it for you. from what I have heard, their front lift kit parts are, from what I've gathered, less than superior fabrication with poor fit and finish. try rough country, rubicon express, etc. but stay away from rusty's for the same reasons. I'd also not suggest motion offroad, or at the very least I would research the lift kit parts that adam at MO. includes, and be aware that they are not motion offroad products but a combination of parts from different manufacturers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Currently I'm running the stock arms but i plan on doing a control arm drop with adjustable arms in the future. the kit does not use u-bolts it uses 4 large bolts with lock nuts on each side. everything in the kit fit correctly except the adjustable track bar which needed some tweaking to get it into the mount. the pinion angle looks fine,it looks like the kit may have even rolled my axle up a little. it flexes great off road and doesnt vibrate or do anything strange on road even at high speeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james750 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Currently I'm running the stock arms but i plan on doing a control arm drop with adjustable arms in the future. the kit does not use u-bolts it uses 4 large bolts with lock nuts on each side. everything in the kit fit correctly except the adjustable track bar which needed some tweaking to get it into the mount. the pinion angle looks fine,it looks like the kit may have even rolled my axle up a little. it flexes great off road and doesnt vibrate or do anything strange on road even at high speeds. The axle needs to be rolled up more than a little. You are looking for a pinion angle of 1 degree when sitting on flat ground with all the weight under the truck, otherwise when the truck flexes it could bind up the joints, With less than a 1 degree angle you risk getting end galling because the joint caps will not be moving and the needle bearings will cause the galling. Even if your pinion angle is ok, it is more money to put a bolt on kit on than doing it the right way to get SOA by having someone weld on perches. When I look at the bolt on kit, it just looks flimsy and poorly constructed. With the welded on perches you also gain more clearance by not having anything hanging down under the axle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Currently I'm running the stock arms but i plan on doing a control arm drop with adjustable arms in the future. the kit does not use u-bolts it uses 4 large bolts with lock nuts on each side. everything in the kit fit correctly except the adjustable track bar which needed some tweaking to get it into the mount. the pinion angle looks fine,it looks like the kit may have even rolled my axle up a little. it flexes great off road and doesnt vibrate or do anything strange on road even at high speeds. i could care less if it's got bolts or u-bolts. point is, it is not near as good of quality as something that costs half as much, and you don't lose ground clearance by doing the SOA properly either. Some people do things like slip-yoke eliminators as well, and I can tell you now that your "bolt-on" kit WILL NOT work with an SYE. the angle will be wrong. this is why weld-on is better. it's cheaper, higher quality, less likely to fail, and allows for the EXACT pinion angle that you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Currently I'm running the stock arms That's my problem with rockyroad. The "kit" is only half a kit since control arms are very important at that height and are a significant portion of the cost in other manufacturers' more expensive (but complete) kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I don't see the quality problem the things are bomb proof,the cost probably isnt all that much more either since the bolt on kit comes with longer brake lines,park brake cable extender brackets and a relocator bracket for the brake valve for the $200. at 5" of lift i don't have any of the issues you guys point out i can flex up till either rear wheel is well off the ground and nothing binds i can run 90mph down the interstate and nothing vibrates. My point is they are not junk as everyone seems to point out. they work just fine are very well built and pretty much anyone can install them. just because you guys don't prefere them doesnt mean no one should use them. I could have easily welded on the perches but the bolt on kit came with the lift i bought so i just used it, and have not had any issues with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Currently I'm running the stock arms That's my problem with rockyroad. The "kit" is only half a kit since control arms are very important at that height and are a significant portion of the cost in other manufacturers' more expensive (but complete) kits. I knew that when i bought it and i intend to buy the arms later but for now the kit is working fine. i would imagine for the average person who doesnt really use the lift it would be fine with the stock arms as ive abused the crap out of it with no problems on the stock arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 couple of things about your point mmkyboy 1. stock comanche rear proportioning valves are JUNK. toss it. 2. the ebrake lines are long enough, just get some longer bolts and some short chunks of conduit to drop the body side bracket down if you think you must. 3. rear brake hose is $23 4. spring perches...$20, but potentially less 5. U bolts $7.85 each...qty 4 6. angle finding gauge $8 but potentially less 7. welded professionally after you tac-weld and (carefully) drive it into be full welded...$25 so that puts me at maybe $90 at most. that's with all new parts....I usually just drop the brake hose mount using scrap steel, already have the gauge, and make my own spring perches out of 2x2, which I have free scrap chunks of. only thing I really see as necessity is new ubolts. some time involved (not much) and a welder goes a long way towards making a 100% bullet-proof setup. it is superior to a bolt on kit in most every way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89eliminator Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 plus with the bolt on kit, you gain zero ground clearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 you gain ground clearance because you can run a larger tire. the only thing hanging under the axle is the shock mount,i could replace that with a piece of plate and have nearly the same clearance as with weld on perches. Also the rear diff still sits alot lower then the shock mounts. I still don't see the weld on kit being that much better then the bolt on other then cost. i could take my welder run a bead around what ive got and be way stronger. I also have the option of simply bolting in any MJ dana 35 axle or with minor work i can bolt in a dana 44. if the person doesnt mind the extra cost and isnt building a pro rock crawler the bolt on kit works just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89eliminator Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 you gain ground clearance because you can run a larger tire.the only thing hanging under the axle is the shock mount,i could replace that with a piece of plate and have nearly the same clearance as with weld on perches. Also the rear diff still sits alot lower then the shock mounts. no kidding you can run larger tires. I'm saying compare to weld on perches. and your saying you can MODIFY the kit to have maybe equal clearance. doesnt make any sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 the bolt-on kit's lower plate, which goes under the factory SUA perch, hangs down a TON compared to 2 mere ubolts with a welded on SOA perch. trust me, weld-on is better hands down and cheaper. you went with what you could....but that by no means means that it was the best option (longarms are best option btw IMHO....but out of most people's reach $$$-wise) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 have you ever seen rocky roads bolt on kit. there is nothing under the axle that wasnt there when stock. the factory shock mount is bolted directly to the factory SUA perch. I didnt go with what i could,i have more tools and equipment then some shops. i could have easily welded on the perches but the kit came with the bolt ons and i couldnt see any reason not to use them. they went right on and have worked as well for me and the way i use the truck as any weld on would have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 yes, I have. the factory lower shock bracket hangs down too low. it's one of the first things I toss, every time I work on a wheeling rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 ok so basically the bolt on kit is perfectly fine on the average lifted MJ. I would bet most MJs are not pure wheeling rigs. most of them see mostly pavement with occasional off road time. you can't assume everyone is building a wheeler,like your long arm comment. yes a long arm is good for wheeling but for all around driving I'm gonna go with the control arm drop and adjustable arms, this will serve my purpose better. I guess it all depends what you trying to accomplish with your truck. I just don't think its right to dog a certain product that works just fine just because its not what you would want in your truck. if someone wants to spend the money thats up to them,because function wise under mixed onroad/offroad driving the bolt on kit is gonna get the job done. i can tell you that so far i have never been stuck because of my bolt on perch kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyc Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 To the OP Scotty... When I did my SOA, I got the MORE perches and had Hellbilly weld them on after we set the pinion angle. Billy's in HB, so he's not too far from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james750 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 ok so basically the bolt on kit is perfectly fine on the average lifted MJ. I would bet most MJs are not pure wheeling rigs. most of them see mostly pavement with occasional off road time. you can't assume everyone is building a wheeler,like your long arm comment. yes a long arm is good for wheeling but for all around driving I'm gonna go with the control arm drop and adjustable arms, this will serve my purpose better. I guess it all depends what you trying to accomplish with your truck. I just don't think its right to dog a certain product that works just fine just because its not what you would want in your truck. if someone wants to spend the money thats up to them,because function wise under mixed onroad/offroad driving the bolt on kit is gonna get the job done. i can tell you that so far i have never been stuck because of my bolt on perch kit. :rotfl2: Long arm gives WAY better on road driving characteristics as well as offroad improvements over short arms. With this, it all gets down to cost. IMO, if your gonna do it, do it right the first time. I'm done with discussing this. If your happy with it, great. But I will not recommend it under any circumstances because it is cheaper/better to do it right. That, and I have heard almost (your the only exception) nothing good about Rocky Road Outfitters and their customer service/knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 hows that if the geometry of the front end is off with long arms. so by throwing the front end your truck out of whack it will drive better then with stock geometry the drop gives you factory geometry with the lift so it will drive better on road the down side is you lose some clearance with them. I guess everyone has thier own opinion on Control arm drop versus long arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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