Had a lift party yesterday for one of the guys in MSJ - I was mostly there to learn and photograph/document his build.

They put a RK lift on his JK - came out nice.

I didn't know any of the components of the Iron Rock systems came from RC. IIRC you can buy RC stuff from IR, but didn't know any of the IR kits themselves contained parts sourced from RC.

HMMMM......

you can buy rc from iron rock but the 5.5 is fabed by IR. if you get an add a leaf from IR, it's rc but other than that the bigger lifts with full packs is IR

My leaf pack are from RC (their specific springs were out of stock when I ordered), shackles, u-bolts, shocks, are from RC.

IRO makes the arms, track bar and I believe they have the coils made to spec (like their spring packs?).

Not sure where the brake lines came from. All my parts came packaged from IRO in two big boxes, all the small pieces from RC where packed in their original boxes.

SO bascially IRO is selling RC stuff as their own.... That s priceless

Not really, no.

Now I have to do this lift twice....guess I'll be going BDS long arm next time, oh yea, after I rob that bank

Im not sure about there low end stuff but seems their critical path kits are totally their own except they have rc shocks as the basic shock with the kit. They have a unique arm style thats for sure. Have seen nothing but rave reviews on it on other forums.

I love the way RK builds their stuff except the true 3-link setup. The lack of frame side separation causes way too much wheel hop on steep climbs.

If you're looking at a y-link setup, the one I really like is the T&T Customs kit. I was planning on running that kit on my Comanche for the longest time until I started changing everything.

I'm Gunna buy iro's 5.5" long arm.

I am running an RC/Rusty's mix kit right now and have absolutely no issues at just over 7.5" of lift.. I plan on picking up the IRO 6.5" LA setup to upgrade to later. I would have to say that if I were doing it all over again, and had the money.. that I would def. pick up the IRO kit.. which the only thing that comes out of that kit that is RC is the shocks if you so choose.. or at least the four IRO LA lift's that I have helped install, that was all that was RC from them..

I looked at RK and although I have to admit that is quality looking stuff, it's down to Iron Rock and Rusty's at the moment, unless more news better options appear (which is why I keep posting this stuff)

A few folks have suggested that I look at Rusty's kits.

Of course, this lead to my wondering about Rusty's vs. Iron Rock.

Iron Rock XJ 6.5" Critical Path Long Arm Lift Kit $1,450.00 base price

http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merch...egory_Code=PFX



Rusty's XJ Cherokee 6.5" Long Travel Kit $1,740.00 base price

http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchan...ode=sus_xj_kit


These two companies are "fond" of XJ's and I'm trying to compare apples to apples as much as possible...

There doesn't seem to be much difference between these two kits as far as the appearance of the hardware goes. Rusty's does give the option to choose 6.5 leafs or 4.5 + 1.5 shackles. Both let you choose a shock upgrade (more choices of shocks at Iron Rock)

There is a $290.00 difference between the starting price of the two different kits. That's half the cost of Rusty's deal on and Advance Adapters SYE AND a Tom Woods CV drive shaft http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchan...egory_Code=SYE

Rusty's warranty statement is a little more clear cut (at least to me) than Iron Rocks. Rusty's warranty actually says "So basically if you have a part break or fail, it’s covered."

Iron Rock's warranty statement is a little more vague "If your product ever fails due to a defect in materials or workmanship we will replace it free of charge, excluding shipping and handling." They do say "Iron Rock Off Road control arms come with a lifetime unbendable guarantee. If you bend or break a control arm on or off road, we will replace it." So it looks like Rusty's warranty covers everything period, while Iron Rock's cover defects on everything and damage/failure only to the control arms. I have little experience with this so I might not be reading that right.

I also keep hearing about currie and johnny joints - how would those apply to either of these kits?

After the lift party Saturday, I looked at the Rock Krawler kits, but they don't seem to have the same bracing for the XJ's that Rusty's and Iron Rock do.

Yet again, I'm looking for opinions and comments And is it me, or did I start this thread with a Q about a 4.5" lift? Now I'm looking at 6.5? Why didn't you folks warn me about this affliction? this increasing desire for clearance and altitude?

Is it me or does the Iron Rock 6.5 come with only the one caster adjuster/upper control arm?

http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merch...egory_Code=PFX

Looking at the photo I don't see two upper control arms or anything that takes their place. The caster adjuster takes the place of one, but I don't see the other. In all the other lifts, I see two lower and two upper CA's.

Can somebody explain this to me, please?

I still say RK. I have seen the radias arm setups that both IRO and rusty's have some scarey handling issues, especailly when do drop offs and ledges.


As for the Upper and lower seperation on the rk kit.. yes it isnt ideal, but it is stout. I havent notice wheel hop on hill climbs yet.. but Low gearing and a doubler I dont have to use skinny pedal but so much

FWIW, I am running the IRO 5.5" LA kit and have not had any issues to speak of and it flexes like hell. One word of advice though, don't tighten the shackles on the leafs too tight as they can pinch the bushing to the point where they will start turning in the leaf eyes then they start making noise. My IRO kit came with Rough Country U-bolts and shackles. I suspect the springs and leaf packs were outsourced as well but don't know for sure. Thier control arms are pure beef and I really like the design of the Iron Y. It is very easy to adjust caster.

Its their own design, why i called their setup unique. I wouldnt guess there would be a need for adjustment on both sides as long as u had some sort of caster adjustment. Alsot the IRO doesnt come with a drop pitman arm either for some reason.

So... I should get a drop pitman arm or it somehow doesn't need one???