xXWhiteXjJeepXx

Im wanting to put a long arm on my jeep very soon but i have some questions that are making it iffy. Ive read threads that show benefits for both and im still undecided. Currently i have a short arm with jks control arms and RE dropbrackets. Control arms are adjustable so they move freely when i flex like a johnny joint would. I have 12 inches of travel up front and nothing binds at all. I wouldnt say the short arms are limiting my travel at all but i do hit those dropbrackets alot! So if i go with a stock 4-link long arm with a tracbar, like the RE one, it seems like the lower arms would hang down just as much as the dropbrackets. As well as a 3-link like IRO offers. And with them being alot longer, if i landed on them as much as i do with the dropbrackets it seems like they would bend after time. Another option (which is the one im most considering) would b a radius arm or y link, such as the tnt kit. That would give plenty of control arm clearance and driveshaft protection. But i also heard of those unloading during steep hill climbs and such since theres really no geometry having only 2 frame mounting points. I wouldnt consider buying any of these kits besides the tnt which is rather expensive. I would build any other long arm myself. But if i built a radius arms and didnt bend the lowers there would b no point cuz i would rather build a 3-link. So im stuck! Any advice please?!

93gc40

Long arm VS short arm. Long arm will flex more, now arguement. Hitting depends on design on mounting design. Some design like you mention will hit nearly as easy as the brackets do. I thing I'd rather bang a rock with the edge of the bracket that the arms. So if you go Long look for those mounted as high up as possible.

outkast

What are you trying to gain if you have 12" of travel up front already? Flex is overrated balance is key. The big upside to long arms is going to be climbing ledges, waterfalls stuff like that. Probably ride a bit smoother but not a ton better than short arms on drop brackets. You may gain some travel if your suspension binding is the limiting factor now.

Also you will gain some clearance because as the wheel stuffs into the wheel wells the arms will be tucking to the belly of the truck.

The only downsides I can really think of is the tendency to unload on steep hills and the cost.

Garvin

I'm a big advocate for long arms. They ride so much better on the street and flex a lot more before anything binds. If you make or buy a quality kit, you shouldn't have any issues with them binding. If you're that worried, you can make the arms larger. I built a front 3-link for my Comanche and went with 2" OD by 0.25" wall thickness DOM tubing. I actually tucked the cross member up and reclocked the transfer case so that nothing hangs down below the rails. If you bump stop correctly, you can get better traction with the long arms due to the leverage action of the axle. I chose a 3-link because it doesn't bind like the 4-link and radius (y-link) setups. I also don't trust the y-link setups as there are only two bolts holding the whole front end in. The only difference between a 3-link and 4-link front with panhard bar is the redundant upper control arm in the 4-link.

Crappy pic of the 3-link, you can get a little more in depth info if you're curious in my build thread.


The cross member

xXWhiteXjJeepXx

Flex is overated. very true. my rig is very balanced. my front springs dont unset at all at full droop. running a 12' travel up front and 10 in rear and it does amazing on any given obstacle. thats the reason im debating whether or not to go long arm. i wont get a longer shock which is my limiting factor rite now cuz i dont want my spring unsetting at all. therefore the question is will a long arm even benefit me enough to build/buy one?

xXWhiteXjJeepXx

Garvin i do like urs. thats a true 4 link. i would want to build something like that. as far as ur t-case tuck goes is that in ur build? i want a flat belly also with nothing hanging down past the "frame". ur arms look like they're tucked up higher than my gay dropbrackets haha

Garvin

It's a true 4-link if you count the panhard in there. I have pictures of reclocking the transfer case but don't really say how it's done. I ended up making a specialty tool to get the holes all lined up where they should be. There's like 20 different ways to do it, I chose to use the tail shaft housing from an AW4, cut down the aluminum on the front half of it so that it would fit inside the gap in the middle of my AX15, then took an exhaust pipe that fits tight inside the seal and put it through both seals (the one in the tail shaft housing and the rear of the AX15). Figured out how much I wanted to clock it (got ~2.5-3" moving the hole over 5/8"), drilled the first hole and put a bolt in then drilled the other 5. Lined up on the first shot.

My whole goal with this build was to build a completely flat stomach as I'm going with a small lift and large tires (~4" on 37's). The hardest part of the whole thing was really figuring out what I was doing, lol. Past the cross member, you just start throwing things where they'll fit. I forget if I put the numbers of everything (separation, arm length, etc) in the build thread. If you're interested in those numbers, I still know most of them off the top of my head.

xXWhiteXjJeepXx

oh i see. yes a true 4 link including the tracbar. I have an aw4 so it would have to b done a little different. i mite cut into the floor to tuck mine up enough for a flat skid. vertical seperation im assuming is close to 8 inches correct? im not trying to gain anything as my rig is already balanced and pretty low cog. im also gonna go with a 4.5 lift and 37 once these tires wear. so would it b worth it to build a long arm?

Garvin

When dealing with a low COG rig, you want to make the stomach as high and flat as possible since the tires mainly just gain you axle clearance. You also want a lot of droop, which a 3-link w/ pan hard will give you without any binding. The AW4 is a bit easier with the cross member and fits in there a lot easier than the AX15 (the AX15 is a taller transmission). The only issue is you need to avoid the NSS as my bracket is tucked up real close to the transmission.

The largest separation I could get is 7.5" at the frame end, which is more than I thought I was going to get and am more than happy with it. Sitting at 9" on the axle end with a second spot for about 9.75". The reason I chose that side for the upper arm is because the exhaust runs down the passenger side. I have a Chevy 350 in my Jeep so I'm running a single 3" exhaust straight back and that will fit on the other side of the transmission leaving enough air flow to keep the floor and trans from getting hot (also going to wrap that section in heat shielding tape).

There's only two things I would have done different with my setup. First I would have drilled out all the spot welds on the stock control arm mounts to remove them. I'm probably going to go back later to plate the front of the frame and drill the spot welds out. The second is I would have used 2"x2" or 2"x4" box steel instead of the 2"x6". Other than that, I'm really happy the way my setup turned out. I plan on throwing one tons under the Jeep and a doubler. When the doubler goes in, I plan on changing the cross member to be smaller.

Gatchmo5710

Go to pirate 4x4 and see how many of them are running longs arm. all of them. theres probably a reason.

Garvin

Most of them are running pretty much the same setup as I am when they make their own long arms. The only difference is the cross member mounting (not too many mounted it as high as I did).

SeriousOffroad

Flex is overrated?

sandaddik2

frank, i think its because this is coming from someone on short arms still...

lol


although running the highest on the rti ramp wont guarantee youll get thru a tough trail the easiest but you definitely do need flex for wheeling and long arms for any hard wheeling is pretty much a must imo

outkast

Yes overrated, there is no need to flex beyond the point of coil becoming un-seated. Lifting a tire is not the devil in my opinion.

Having a suspension that flexes easily to keep the rig balanced is key.

dev_daddy

X2