[mikes_muse]

I am buying a used LJ here real soon and was wondering if anyone has had any experience with a Rampage Rear Recovery Swing Away or a Rugged Ridge RRC Rear Swing Away. The Rugged ridge is like 150-200 bucks cheaper but I like the fact that I can add two integrated rear lights in the Rampage bumper. But $200 can go along way towards extra gear for the new LJ.

The second set of advice I am looking for is about a suspension lift. I know that Rubicon Express has pretty much set the standard for lift kits out there, but I also know that companies like Rock Krawler and Nth Degree both make seriously sweet setups as well. Since the Nth Degree kits aren't available anywhere until AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) gets the new product line available for the public, I am really leaning towards Rock Krawler. I haven't heard anything bad about RK and I am sure they are sweet. They are also cheaper than Rubicon Express by a chunk of money as well. The 5.5" rubicon Express' MSRP is like $3200 and the Rock Krawler is like $2400. I know I can find both cheaper online but the RE is still going to more by a decent amount. Anyway, does anyone run the RK 5.5" or 6" kit? Are there any major pros and cons about running the RK as opposed to the RE? Any help would be great. I'll have to post some pics when I finally get around to finishing it.

[Chris_]

Saving $200 on a swing away is a lot different than saving $1000 on a 5.5" lift. the cost cutting comes from somewhere. They don't charge you an extra grand for a sticker.

[Jeepitis]

Mike,
I have the 8" Rock Krawler kit on my 05 Rubi Unlimited. It is top notch and very very heavy duty. Just one of the lower rear arms weighed in at 45 lbs. The lower arms are 2" solid stock, while the uppers are 1/12" solid stock. It is the high clearance kit and I ordered the steering kit, also. So far, I am happy with it, but for one thing. Some of the 1/2" bolts have come loose, so I need to loctite them. No big deal, just a PITA. If I was to do it all over, I would get the weld in kit instead of all bolt on. There's no going back to stock with this kit, so I should have just welded in the mounts, brackets, etc. Just FYI, the 8" kit was $2079 on eBay brand new and the steering kit was another $399. Do a seach for "rock krawler" and you'll find many kits. The cheapest is from a place in Alcoa, Tn. Sorry, can't remember their name off hand. Also, they delivered the kit straight from the factory, which was nice, because I needed to call them when I was installing it myself. It was nice to talk to someone that knew their products VERY WELL. Shoot me an email to rjfrey1@yahoo.com and I can send you some pics of my Jeep before and after. I have pics of the liftkit, too. I would post them here, but don't know how, LOL. Ron

[mikes_muse]

Good info Ron. I appreciate it. Like I said I have only heard great things about the RK kit and I would definitely be getting the weld in kit cause like you said there's no going back. I'm going to email you Ron and see if you wouldn't mind sending me some of those pics.

[mikes_muse]

As far as the $1000 difference on the lifts. I have checked them out and there isn't a real difference that I can tell in the kits. I am afraid that RE is making customers pay for their name and not a $1000 better lift kit. That being said, I would love someone who runs a RE and knows a lot about or has seen the RK kit and can compare the two. Without the Jeepforum.com RE bias that I know exists. Not that that's a bad thing. Thanks guys!

[beryl]

i know 3 guys with the RK that love it...2 of them being hardcore AZ wheelers

[mudmonkey2400]

Big RK fan here.

I have their 5.5" X-Factor kit and love it. Their steering works very well with the kit also. DC4WD has the best prices I've ever found, and will beat prices also.

My Review:
http://www.jeepforum.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=324&cat=27

[stevensinger]

I subscribed. Very intresting thread.

[mikes_muse]

Mud Monkey that is a beautiful Jeep!! Thanks for the link to the review. I keep hearing nothing but the best about RK and I am pretty much set on going with their lift. I can't wait. RK really seems to be a stand up company as well. I have heard some less than flattering things about RE's customer service. But RE still makes one of the best kits around! Anyway, keep the good info coming!

[mudmonkey2400]

Thanks Mike. RE is a great company and I run their shocks (don't get the RK shocks) and hand throttle, but other than the price, the control arms were the most important thing to me when I was looking for a lift. My wheelin' buddy runs the Clayton kit, and after seeing him drag his control arms time-after-time on ledges, I wanted arms that were "curved" for better clearance, and built to take some abuse (I'm an terrible driver). Can't beat that lifetime warranty either.

Here's a pic of my heep- 5.5" w/ 1.25" BL on 35" Bighorns. I could've easily gotten by with the 4" I believe, but maybe I'll move to 36-37's one day.

[mikes_muse]

Did you guys install the RK lift kits yourself? My brother got a welder, band saw, and an angle grinder. (lucky bastard) I was hoping go over to his place to put my bro's tools to the test on this kit but it looks like it might be better left to the professionals judging from the websites I've seen demonstrating how to put this kit on. If you did install your own kit, how bad was it? Thanks.

[mudmonkey2400]

Originally Posted by incubusmike

Did you guys install the RK lift kits yourself? My brother got a welder, band saw, and an angle grinder. (lucky bastard) I was hoping go over to his place to put my bro's tools to the test on this kit but it looks like it might be better left to the professionals judging from the websites I've seen demonstrating how to put this kit on. If you did install your own kit, how bad was it? Thanks.

Don't be scared of doing it yourself. RK's directions are "decent" IMO, and nothing really takes a lot of special skills besides the welding. If you or your brother can weld, just do it yourself.

Just allow yourself plenty of time. I figured it would take a day or two. Wrong. It ended up taking us ~10 days to do mine, as ashamed as I am to admit it. There's always little problems to take care of, time to let paint dry, waiting on all the parts to come in (my fault) and make sure you've got the right tools. Some of which include a pitman arm puller, a little wrench for the straps on your driveshaft, an impact wrench (handy, but not nessesary), a pickle fork, a punch, and most importantly- a big hammer. But that goes without saying, right?

Only thing to completely disreguard from RK's instructions, is the position of the rear axle truss. The instructions said to keep it flush with the mounting surface for the diff. cover. Make sure you clock that truss forward some to allow for your pinion rotation for your SYE/CV driveshaft. If you have any problems, just PM me or someone else who've done the kit.

[mikes_muse]

So, Mudmonkey, Jeepitis (Ron) has a 8" RK kit on his LJ and he said that he had to have them ad 3/4" length to the springs so that it wouldn't sag. He runs 35's and has all the stuff that makes a jeep heavy as well. He reccomends going with a 6" lift and trying to get RK to do custom 7" springs. Have you had any issues with the lift height and squatting of your jeep? I may eventually run 37's but they are a bit pricey for now. Any suggestions?

[mikes_muse]

I just saw LoD rear swing away tire carrier and bumper and that will be the bumper that is going on my Jeep. No question... unless someone has a horror story about it that I don't know. Anyone?

[mudmonkey2400]

Spring sag hasn't really been an issue. The rear hasn't sagged at all, and the front has only settled maybe a half to 5/8 of a inch due to the weight of the winch for a year.

If mine settled a full inch, I still don't think I'd throw spacers under it (I've got a set of .75" sitting in my tool box). I've got plenty of room for 35's right now. In a couple years, if I decide to go to 36-37's, and the front sags a little more, I might put the spacers under.

Btw, my friend runs LoD bumpers front/rear, and loves them. Very well built