Discuss getting hung up .. drop brackets VS other suspension scenarios

[CreeperSleeper]

I agree with Christo, but look closely at those pics. How many of us are taking out 80s over stuff like that? Would better suspension geometry and road control be better for you, personally, than having all out trail capabilities? I have found that the type of wheeling that I do (which I'm sure that Christo would even have fun doing, even though it is not hard-core rock crawling), I can "bump" my 80 over things and not get stuck on the frame. Obviously this is not the case with everything, but I have yet to get stuck high centered. I have been stopped before and had to adjust my line, but I've never been stuck like that in my 80.

 

[mabrodis]

Here are some examples of where the brackets would or did get me stuck. Again, this is not to know the MAF kit, but we have to keep Ty busy until Cruise Moab next year.

Naaaa, looks like you just needed to give it a bit more gas...

TY, one thing to remember is that even with the perfect vehicle you might not make it up a trail, a rock could just be in the wrong spot for you, you might be hitting the gas at the wrong time, something like that. And after you admit defeat, someone else with a different vehicle, that you totally outclass, might come up and cruise through it with no problems...different vehicle, different driver...that's what makes wheeling fun...

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Exactly, there is no textbook in wheeling... just ideas.

 

[concretejungle]

Reminds me of how the H1's i wheeled with made it through a rocky section. They have a full belly skid plate protecting the entire bottom of the rig, so if they couldn't crawl over something they would back up and floor it, basically sliding over the rocks. There wasn't anything hanging to get hung up on.

This brings me to two ideas, one the rear drop brackets MAF makes could act as sliders; especially if used with a full belly skid plate. Don't know if that's possible or not, just kicking around ideas. Ideally there would be nothing to get hung on, but if there is it should be built to slide, not hang.

 

[MLX450]

OK, I think that's been done already. A while back I saw an article on either 4Wheeler or Offroad magazine (can't remember which one). There's this guy with a 2003/2004 LX470, lifted and stripped off of all those cosmatic looking flares and bumpers. He had an almost full belly skid plate that goes from the front end to all the way under the Tcase. The material of the plate is made out of the stuff they use to make kitchen cutting board (?) (rubber type substance). According to the article, it's pretty sturdy, thick, flexible and slids his truck right off of high centered position or rocks. He spent about $100.00+ to get the material, that's as far as I remeber. As for the rollers/roller bars with bearing/bearing size rubber wheels, I thought of that many many times, and still think of that from time to time, but I have got too many other things I want to do before I get to it.

It was a GX470. i only saw the front made with the cutting board material. That would be neat if you could bolt on the material on the belly of the 80.

 

[MLX450]

not to hijack this thread but has anybody used downey's rear control arm drop bracket? its simple but needs to be welded on.

 

[RV80]

I think dropping the rear lower trailing arm is a mistake. All that is been done by dropping the arm is to allow the car to be hung up sooner. What you should do is custom make new trailing arm that are longer to bring the wheelbase back to normal after a big lift. And use/make adjustable upper control arms to obtain the correct pinion angle.

 

[Kaderabek]

Hung up 80....

Jacked the passenger side up on the slider, winched the log out.

That's all I have to say, wasn't there.

TJK

 

[sledge916]

that looks like land between the lakes in Ky.

Sethro

 

[cruiserdan]

No gas axe?

 

[NW-sickboy]

Ty, you really need to get out and wheel. Web wheeling and real wheeling is not the same


The name of the game is not to get hung up. That is a combination of truck setup, driving, terrain etc etc.

bwahaha.. i love that quote.. were such web wheelers.. i cant wheel in the summer cause of my job so this is a good time.

here is a little real world expereince...

My rear control arms are custom and were bent when they were built to help avoid this. i still get caught on the frame mount but thats life.

first.. rear control arm

second.. i made that ledge no problem...

third.. i could get up on it but couldnt even get winched over i was hung up super bad..

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Hung up 80....

Jacked the passenger side up on the slider, winched the log out.

That's all I have to say, wasn't there.

TJK

I think that with this situation, bigger tires would have been your only saving grace. It wouldn't have mattered where the control arms were mounted.

 

[clownmidget]

NW - I still can't believe I see your rear sway bar attached in that pic!

 

[Kaderabek]

that looks like land between the lakes in Ky.

Sethro

Good eye.

TJK

 

[Riad]

Oh come on! This is the web wheeling at it's best

 

[NW-sickboy]

NW - I still can't believe I see your rear sway bar attached in that pic!

i tried to lower it roughly the same amount of lift i have.... ditched the fronts.. havent ditched the rears yet.... they have taken a beating...

 

[Walking Eagle]

why not do a radius arm flip. And get a heap more clearence.
http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modules/phpBB2/files/thumbs/t_arm_flip_161.jpg
http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modules/phpBB2/files/thumbs/t_arm_flip_2_874.jpg
http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modules/phpBB2/files/thumbs/t_hi_steer_1_177.jpg

Funny, with all this talk about drop brackets on the frame I was thinking of raised brackets on the axle to keep the arms at the same angle. Seems someone was thinking along the same lines - very cool and I'd say the best compromise as far as I can tell.

 

[ats4x4dotcom]

Funny, with all this talk about drop brackets on the frame I was thinking of raised brackets on the axle to keep the arms at the same angle. Seems someone was thinking along the same lines - very cool and I'd say the best compromise as far as I can tell.

I remember talking to Christo about him doing this mod for 6" lift while with him before we went to Crusie Moab 2002, as 6" is probably the minimum lift you can do to keep the arms level.