Rugged Ridge HD Steering Crossover

[TipsE-Z]

Ah... the pic was to show a "true" crossover steering.

Stand alone drag link, stand alone tie rod... no tie rod roll, no dead spot in the steering.

And there we go... Proving that I'm ignorant to these things, thus why I rely so heavily on the MJR family. DCope, I also must add, I'm jealous of your photo... My bike has sat for two years; but it's next on the list for parts. New rear sprocket, chain, and a vinyl wrap and it's back to the track for me.

[Dcope17]

Don't be so jealous... I sold that bike to help the funding of my jeep.

Also a weekend wheeling trip is a lot less expensive than a weekend at the track. Plus my wife and dog go and enjoy the adventures with me. Not so much fun to just go watch me do laps at a track.

( I won't lie... I liked the track a lot )

[Jeeperator]

Hey I wheeled with that rugged ridge setup on on my Jeep TJ and in a nutshell it sucks. Don't waste your money on it. I went with a currie set up and I'll never look back love the currie all around much better set up. Btw I used a V-8 grand Cherokee tie rod instead of spending the extra hundred dollars on the currie tie rod.It only cost me about 25 dollars total for a good tiered at the local junkyard and replacement tired boots.

[aw12345]

For a leaf sprung YJ with a stock front axle seems to me the terra high steer knuckle would fit the bill

[TipsE-Z]

Alrighty folks! It looks like I've had to let my deposit on my cage and gear work sit for a bit (Honeymoon proved to be a bit more expensive than planned), so I'm going to turn my attention to cheaper upgrades that I can do now. I'm planning to order the Bullet Proof "Trail Proof" kit that was mentioned on the first page of this thread. I'm also going to add in the Over the Knuckle kit to bring the steering up a bit. I don't ever plan to get rid of my D30, or go larger than 35s so I think this will be a solid steering upgrade that will last me a long time. I'll post up photos and reviews of the install as I go. I'm planning to get my front end measurements next week, and the kit ordered after that. Hopefully I'll have an update by mid October on the install, and a trail test is set for October 27th.

[Dcope17]

I say don't do it...
If you really want it, I have the rusty's version sitting on my garage floor. I can't bring myself to sell it because of the misery I know it will cause. However, If you want it, I'll sell it for $50. That way, when you replace it with something good, you'll only be throwing away $50.

[TipsE-Z]

I looked at the Rusty's thing. It looked like a good setup, but I couldn't find any good reviews on it. Though at that price, given my laundry list of required items for this year on the Jeep... It is tempting! Haha. I already plan to make a trip out that way soon.

[Dcope17]

Last drawback... the tie rod is tubing. If you wheel, you don't want to hit it on anything, Once kinked... it will bend up easily and not offer any strength. You cannot drive off the trail with it.

But, if you want it, get it. Lots of people have that and wheel successfully with it. My tie rod, however, is 1 1/4 solid heat treated 4340. My backup is 4130 tubing with another piece of 4130 inside and kept in with the welded threaded inserts. I'm just letting you know my personality. I'm a do it and forget it. Nothing is bullet proof but I like to be as close as possible though.

[TipsE-Z]

Ya, I guess I'm in more of a position of beefing things up a little bit, but not so much that they start breaking other more expensive components (knuckles) because of a high stress situation. I don't doubt that within the next 10 years I'll have an entirely new steering setup, but when I upgrade it next it will be in conjunction with an upgraded front axle... I need it to be tough enough to wheel the 1-4 rated trails right now (on a 5 scale), and bullet proof in a few years when I've acquired another (family friendly) Jeep for the moderate to slightly difficult stuff. When that happens... I'm building a Hammers rig!

[Tumbleweed13]

Chris, here's a couple pix of the kit, on my 95 YJ. I didn't take any build pix, but these are some trail shots,where you can see it in action. The close up shot of the passenger side is on Sun Bonnet, in Johnson Valley. This kit will handle a ton of punishment. I hit it quite hard, many times, with no bends. Another nice thing about the kit is alignment. You'll be able to do it yourself, its easy, with this set up.






I sure miss that YJ.

[Mitch]

I never once had a problem with my set up, and it was driven hard and often. 1 3/8" tubing, 1/4" thick wall. 1 ton ends. Set up and welded by Ken @ thejeepguyonline.com