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Long arm upgrades


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Ok guys I was going to use the Rocky Road control arm drop brackets. Well waiting 2 months and was told they built only 7 sets in the last production run and I’m #10. Next run is in 2 months. I can’t wait that long.

Any recommendations for a specific brand?

I’ve looked at core 4x4 they look good.

I looked at Rusty’s Offroad they don’t specifically have a Comanche upgrade a complete suspension kit which I don’t need .

 

 

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I have thought about long arm too. My question is I have seen 3 link and 4 link set ups. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each set up. What makes one better than the other? And if one is better than the other why do they still sell the set up that is not as good? Also have seen the set up where they eliminate the top links all together.

 

Thanks

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There plenty of options available. Personally I prefer a full arm 4 link along with a good track bar setup (essentially 5 links). There is a huge difference in the quality of most kits. 
the radius arm setups are more common but they use a short arm that connects from the lower long arm to the upper axle arm mounts. These will be your cheapest setups. However, in more extreme articulation the pivot points will rotate the axle more than a true 4/3 link will with full length arms. Plus there is a strength concern here at least to me. One control arm joint failure at the vehicle side now affects the entire side of the axle. A true 3 link can have great amounts of articulation. To me the full length 4 link is the way to go if you want to do both on road and some heavy wheeling. 
 

That being said, most places are out a month or more on long arm kits. I would NEVER run a radius arm setup from the likes of rough country. There are plenty of other quality manufacturers out there that have nice kits for the MJ/XJ. Ironmanfab, TNT, and many others out there making good stuff. 
 

Short arms with drop brackets also work very well in the 4-6” lift area.

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I just had the Ironman front kit delivered. Others I considered were Iron Rock Offroad (IRO), Stinky Fab and possibly Cav Fab. I think Dirt Bound has a setup too. Not an expert on this, though. I have not ordered anything from Cav Fab. I did not see Core made a long arm. I do have short arm links. I like them. At the NAXJA Winter Fest this year, there were more than a few who ran the IRO long arm setup. The guy in front of me had one. He had a nice XJ. He replaced a Rough Country with the IRO. Mainly, as he could drop the trans cross member, without taking the rest of the lift off. 

        I went with the Ironman as it has a plate underneathe. It does cost more. Shipping time was I think 4 months, maybe longer. Clayton has a similar setup, but more $$. II did figure the full plate would replace TC and other  shielding. So, it might be the same $$ in the end. Also, the Ironman is suppose to be adjustable if you want a Rock Crawler vs a Mud Bogger. 

       There is a good write up on Radius vs 3-link vs 4 link out there on the net. Basically, Radius arms, meth. Not much difference between 3-link vs 4-link. 4-link a bit better. 4-link would complicate routing of exhaust and maybe some other stuff.  At least that is what I remember. 

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21 hours ago, PIKE said:

Is your Ironman kit 3 or 4 link?  Do you have a link to the write up?

 

Thanks

4-link. I'd have to search to see if I can find it. I do have a lot of stuff from Ironman. Still, I do like the OTK Track Bar from Stinky Fab. IRO is good stuff. I'd say lower end of the premium. So, at or above RE or OME. 

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