New style rear control arms that will offer better and smoother articulation

[richardlillard1]

I will gladly continue using the OEM Toyota rubber for greatest reliability and less noise and vibrations vs those rebuildable units or poly.

Pretty sure if I put OEM rubber on the front 3 link it would last like, I don’t know, one or two trips.

The OEM bushings can barely stand up to the abuse a lifted rig that gets wheeled puts them through; that’s the argument here and in my opinion I think they do quite well despite their shortcomings.

That said, they definitely aren’t designed to see the kind of twisting a 3 link would put them through.

 

[maxamillion2345]

All photos of Joint failures have one thing in common - the appearance of being dry - greaseless.

In this thread? Or in general?

Because I can tell you that when I pulled my joints apart to clean and rebuild them they still had plenty of grease in them.

And... grease wouldn't have kept the ball from cracking or the threads from blowing out on the adjustment ring. Don't think itd stop an adjustment ring from backing out either.

Also, I don't know how you can tell based on the provided pictures...

 

[maxamillion2345]

Now try getting those joints off the truck when the uniball is made of some soft 303 stainless BS and it deforms to clamp down on the bolt whenever you apply 130ft lbs or more to the fasteners. What a delight.

There are still joints stuck on my truck, which will need to be cut off before new joints can be put in place. That’s sure to be a happy fun time with no issues or swearing involved.

View attachment 1741708

That is truly terrible.

 

[SmokingRocks]

That sounds like a terrible link. You can buy terrible heims just the same..

 

[richardlillard1]

All photos of Joint failures have one thing in common - the appearance of being dry - greaseless.

The uniball on the joint pictured was covered in grease when we finally got it off the truck. On a side road, just outside of Blanding. It also got more grease when I reassembled it.

It only took about two hours to get the bolt out to pull the joint down and rebuild it. What a time to be alive.

 

[nukegoat]

The uniball on the joint pictured was covered in grease when we finally got it off the truck. On a side road, just outside of Blanding. It also got more grease when I reassembled it.

It only took about two hours to get the bolt out to pull the joint down and rebuild it. What a time to be alive.

Little mr angle grinder would have helped

 

[richardlillard1]

Little mr angle grinder would have helped

I’ve never thought about keeping an angle grinder in the truck until just this moment.

You are a genius. I don’t care what your wife says about you.

 

[SmokingRocks]

I don’t care what your wife says about you.

Wife? Is that what he calls his life partner now?

 

[baldilocks]

In this thread? Or in general?

Because I can tell you that when I pulled my joints apart to clean and rebuild them they still had plenty of grease in them.

And... grease wouldn't have kept the ball from cracking or the threads from blowing out on the adjustment ring. Don't think itd stop an adjustment ring from backing out either.

Also, I don't know how you can tell based on the provided pictures...

Maintenance needs on rigs that get wheel hard and wheeled often exceed what they are actually receiving, I’m willing to bet. By maintenance I mean rebuilding at shorter intervals as well as lubing. I haven’t had any problems with my MT arms in 3.5 years other than, as @scrowley said, the axle end poly bushings kinda suck. Maybe I should remove the arms again and do a closer inspection of the JJ’s.

 

[-Spike-]

Little mr angle grinder would have helped

Not sure how, don't think it will reach up into the mount. Plus, wouldn't you destroy the joint?

 

[richardlillard1]

...

Maintenance needs on rigs that get wheel hard and wheeled often exceed what they are actually receiving, I’m willing to bet. By maintenance I mean rebuilding at shorter intervals as well as lubing. I haven’t had any problems with my MT arms in 3.5 years other than, as @scrowley said, the axle end poly bushings kinda suck. Maybe I should remove the arms again and do a closer inspection of the JJ’s.

Mine were greased a couple weeks before I left for that trip.

The grease also doesn’t perform as much magic as you’re making it out to.

 

[SmokingRocks]

I do have to agree with @baldilocks somewhat. Every 5k mi, my rig gets oil, shaft and joint lube and a rub and tug inspection including close inspection of my joints and jonny joints (the inspections are more frequent if I notice odd sound or noises). I've caught plenty of developing problems some which were corrected immediately but as of yet I've had no unexpected failures.

 

[baldilocks]

...


Mine were greased a couple weeks before I left for that trip.

The grease also doesn’t perform as much magic as you’re making it out to.

The joint didn’t fall apart because it’s junk. It fell apart and left you stranded because your of maintenance/inspection program.

 

[richardlillard1]

The joint didn’t fall apart because it’s junk. It fell apart and left you stranded because your of maintenance/inspection program.

I bet that’s why so many people have such great things to say about the company and their products. And why they’ve been banned from pirate.

My mistake was going with their product; I don’t believe my maintenance/inspection program has as much to do with it.

But when you get around to 3 linking your truck, I’d be glad to sell you a few of their joints to test and get your own experience with.

 

[-Spike-]

The joint didn’t fall apart because it’s junk. It fell apart and left you stranded because your of maintenance/inspection program.

I'd have to disagree with that. I wheel/work with Richard quite a bit, and he's been dicking with those joints since about the week after he put them on the truck. The last thing those joints have been is neglected. The bottom line is they don't work for his use, which is a DD/moderate rock-crawler. Right from the start they had issues unrelated to maintenance. But besides that, any part that requires constant maintenance is bound to fail.

 

[SmokingRocks]

sounds like my type of wheeling.

IMO regular maintenance is key in catching failures before they become catastrophic. Regular maintenance and inspections does not mean that a joint made from the s***tiest chineesium and ww2 surplus rubber will last forever.

Crap parts crap out. Ask anyone who regularly wheels and thought they could cheap out by getting non-toyota bushings... This is what 6 months did to my attempt at saving money on bushing prior to 3 linking...

 

[nukegoat]

Not sure how, don't think it will reach up into the mount. Plus, wouldn't you destroy the joint?

Yeah but the joint is trash anyway.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

FWIW, I had roughly 15k miles on the Trail Tailor arms with Currie joints with a decent amount of wheeling miles before I removed them and they were still tight.

What is on the other end and the condition after 15K

 

[NateMob]

This is the joint i am using on my new 3 Link. Its from Metalcloak and I like it so far, the front suspension on my truck is whisper quiet and I love it compared to the creaky and groany stock setup.

2 5/8'' OD x 2 5/8'' W Duroflex Joint, 1 1/4'' Straight Spud

Check out these four videos before you order anything else.





Metalcloak's Duroflex Joint - A Comparison of Vibration Dampening

Duroflex 101 - What You Need To Know About The Duroflex Joint

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

This is the joint i am using on my new 3 Link. Its from Metalcloak and I like it so far, the front suspension on my truck is whisper quiet and I love it compared to the creaky and groany stock setup.

2 5/8'' OD x 2 5/8'' W Duroflex Joint, 1 1/4'' Straight Spud

Check out these four videos before you order anything else.





Metalcloak's Duroflex Joint - A Comparison of Vibration Dampening

Duroflex 101 - What You Need To Know About The Duroflex Joint

Nice design Like the rotating ability. Any info on the longevity? With the range of motion hard to believe they would last long?