Anyone have a rock crawler?
- Thread starter MallCrawlOnTons
- Start date
Sounds fun!!! Yea I wouldn’t be keeping the weak axles around as I would want atleast 37s to have fun here in the south. What springs are you running? I want to say my uncle ran aftermarket springs from some company out west. I’ll have to ask what company he bought them from. But when he had leafs, I swear it rode just as good as it does now on coil overs, atleast from my memory.
EzPeezy
TJ Enthusiast
I don't think you'd really have the money left after buying a replacement Jeep in half decent shape. You need to buy the axles, buy the bracket kit, pay a welder to make it all work. It won't work without a lot of fab and that doesn't come cheap.
I think you're better off keeping the TJ and starting to learn the Fab skills.
I think you're better off keeping the TJ and starting to learn the Fab skills.
I’ve explained it numerous times. No way in hell a tj is cheaper to build into my idea of a rock crawler compared to a yj. A yj needs perches and shocks mounts to swap axles. A tj....triple that.
A lot of fab? I highly disagree. So I take my bare 14 bolt, mount it to my leaf springs, set my pinion angle, tighten the U bolts on the loose perches and tack the perches. Remove axle and have perches fully welded. Doesn’t seem that hard, but maybe you pay to have your oil changed, I dunno, but it doesn’t seem that hard to me.
It seems like you are taking people's suggestions too personally, and firing back a little too much. I think most everyone is trying to help, so maybe pull it back a notch.
Maybe this thread is better answered on a YJ forum, as it seems you are dead set on that platform...
The 93 YJ I had rode fine on the street stock, but as soon as I lifted it, put 32's, and re-geared for those, it rode like a Conestoga wagon after that. No one would go anywhere with me post lift. And you are talking lifting for 40s...
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Didn’t mean to come off to personal. Just been doing research and see the differences in building on a budget.
Did you use lift springs? Which ones?
I would plan on going spring over with stock springs as it can fit 37s, then 2.5” springs later down the road.
The ride is the only thing I’m worried about with a YJ.
I did use lift springs, possibly Skyjacker, but it's been some years back...I removed one rear spring leaf on both sides in an attempt to soften up the ride, but that lowered the lift, and caused a clunking in the shackles. Put it back together, then sold the YJ.
Leaf springs on competition-level rock crawlers are so rare that I don't think I've ever seen one at any of the higher-end events I've been to. The competition-level rock crawlers I see in sanctioned rock crawling competitions are all running either coilovers or coil springs.
Can you run leaf springs and rock crawl? Of course, but leaf springs are at a disadvantage compared to coilovers or coil springs.
Can you run leaf springs and rock crawl? Of course, but leaf springs are at a disadvantage compared to coilovers or coil springs.
Granted I haven't been to KOH or anything, but has anyone ever seen leaf springs on an actual competitive rock crawler or KOH rig?
Why would you want to?
Why would you want to?
Wow!!!! Shocked. Ever heard of Jesse Haines? Or his 2019 co driver Harry Wagner? Jerry should have with his high online forum activity. They used a leaf sprung rig in 2019 KOH but okay.
More hear say on the forums from the high post guys.
Being on 35’s, Im guessing its stretched the appropriate 2-3 inches if not more...
A longer wheelbase and longer springs will help a SOA yj ride better.
What springs are using and what are the spring rates?
What tires and what tire pressures are you running?
No one is telling you you can't do it.
I think we're just trying to figure out that given the choice between leaf springs and coil springs, why would you want to use leaf springs on a "rock crawler"?
Stephen Watson, I hope you know that name, has some high level rock crawlers(plural) running both coilovers and leaf springs. And his rigs turn double duty. He also sells leafs that he says work just as well as coilovers. In fact he gets 14” of articulation out of his. But he doesn’t have a high post count on the forum so maybe he doesn’t know. He is just invited on the ultimate adventure every single year.
I remember looking through my uncles old 4 wheeling magazines and seeing competition articles from early 2000s and some buggies ran leafs. In competition...maybe I’ll dig them up later. But I think your wrong.
JFC dude, off your meds today???! You've hammered every single person who's replied to your thread, that fact has already been pointed out to you very politely, but you just won't quit! FFS, sell your g'damn TJ with 35's on 20's, buy your dream YJ on leaf springs, and build your 'real rock crawler' because you obviously know better than everyone on this TJ forum...
Why would I? From what I read, it’s much cheaper and you can get just as much articulation out of them. I remember seeing a jk somewhere on leaf springs too. Can’t recall what his reasoning was though.
JFC dude, off your meds today???! You've hammered every single person who's replied to your thread, that fact has already been pointed out to you very politely, but you just won't quit! FFS, sell your g'damn TJ with 35's on 20's, buy your dream YJ on leaf springs, and build your 'real rock crawler' because you obviously know better than everyone on this TJ forum...
I’m guessing my last sentence in my post you quoted made it seem I was hammering Jerry and Chris. But I honestly wasn’t. I hate to see high post count people blurt out wrong info. In 2019 Jesse Haines, a dedicated fabricator and rock crawl competitor, ran leafs on a rig he built to race in KOH. What’s wrong with calling someone out who is wrong?
EzPeezy
TJ Enthusiast
Didn't he play for the Cardinals?
I've talked to a few guys that have done what you're talking about, and although it can be done - emphasis, there - it's usually about a break-even proposition between links and leaves, money-wise...and they're still not going to be as Lego-like as a link suspension will be. I just don't know that you'll save much money by going with the leaves; you may well get it exactly right, but if you don't you're still going to be swapping components.
Another issue to consider is the frame size: TJ's have a frame that's somewhat beefier than the YJ frame, and arguably stronger than the CJ frame. That might be of concern.
Solid ones are getting more expensive. If you're going to ditch all the relevant sheetmetal to make 40's work like they need to work, then you might be able to score something with a clean frame and most of a tub and not spend too much.
I think I would talk to those guys in-depth, then; if they have experience with similar platforms and terrain, they can probably tell you exactly what works and what doesn't.
Nothing, but there are polite and impolite ways to do it.
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