Spy photos for lower links skid plates - 3rd gen 4runner

[Ric]

....

[blknblu]

Why not this solution? 100% bolt on, plus better performance, plus about about $200 worth of RE Super Flex joints.

http://www.sonoransteel.com/rubicon_express_links.html

[Ric]

$400 vs. $150 these will be either BOLT ON, or weld on your choice.
right now, i dont have a spare $400
I do agree, that the heim joints are better, I dont know about you, but my money is tight right now

[Bob98SR5]

i must say that that sure is an interesting solution. not that ive seen one of these break, but do they always break at the shaft? because this solution is only addressing shaft breakage only

[Ric]

i must say that that sure is an interesting solution. not that ive seen one of these break, but do they always break at the shaft? because this solution is only addressing shaft breakage only

this is to really prevent the bending of the link itself, we will soon see :thumbup: the mount/bracket itself, still needs to be armored :D

[Cheese]

How are these going to prevent bendage and why do they look hard to bend?

Stock links don't look particularly easy to bend, but not surprisingly they are.

I have seen my stockers hit the same rock as aftermarket links and get toasted.

How is bolt on going to actually provide strength?

Hate to see people try and fix something half way only to fix it right later.

[Ric]

.........

[Robinhood4x4]

I don't know, looks like it should work to me. :shrug:

Thicker steel will help with bending and possibly torsion if welded.

[Ric]

I don't know, looks like it should work to me. :shrug:

Thicker steel will help with bending and possibly torsion if welded.


thats my thinking, and something is better than nothing.... cant beat the price.

ill better pics either tommorow or the next day, (out on th trail)we are going to "try" to get video og them in action. and if need be, they will be redesigned

[blknblu]

ok one question at a time.

How are these going to prevent bendage
uh the added stregth/steel :headscratch: IM not going to be hitting rocks at 60mph, they are designed to slide over rocks, just as rock sliders do.


why do they look hard to bend?
1/2 steel vs. whats the thickness of the stock links?? im not sure, but from pics ive seen online, these are what twice as thick... your adding to the stock stuff.


I have seen my stockers hit the same rock as aftermarket links and get toasted.are you saying that some aftermarket gets toatsed ??? if so, please post pics, links, or the Cos, name that made them..
If your saying that your stockers got toasted, well that the reason for these.


How is bolt on going to actually provide strength?

you dont think by adding thickness to a metal bar, its going to be stronger ???


Hate to see people try and fix something half way only to fix it right later. are you going to be buying me, what you feel is better ? if not, doing worry about it.
for what Im wheeling, IMO these will be plenty strong enough..
why dont you fix it "all the way" for me ???

if your trying to decredit me or this product, could you kindly keep your comments to yourself ? this will be a great product, for lots of people. Giving them a little extra protection, at a nice price. not everyone wants a hard core rock basher. not everyone needs, DOM tubing, 5 point harnes, or even a solid axle.
some of us actually go wheeling from time to time, and not out there to tear our stuff up.
If you think you could design something better, for the same cost, or even close to it, please, feel free to do so.
If ya aint got nothing nice to say,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


Wow. Good luck.

[Ric]

...........

[BruceTS]

I'll get a quote on monday on the cost for DOM tube taped for 3/4" heims, if I recall it was around $50. I recently ordered evolution joints to test out, they are a cross between a heim and RE system



http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-Joints/index.html

[Cheese]

We are such great friends, of course I will fix it for you!

They aren't bending because they catch, they are bending because you put rocks in the middle.

I am saying I have seen stockers get toasted where afermarket links walked through, same rock, same trail, same day.

Good luck with a great product.

[Ric]

I'll get a quote on monday on the cost for DOM tube taped for 3/4" heims, if I recall it was around $50. I recently ordered evolution joints to test out, they are a cross between a heim and RE system



http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-Joints/index.html


cool, please post up what ya find out, Id really like to have some DOM tubing with the Heim (or something like it) but money is an issue.

thankx for the link, its late, ill read it later :D

[Ric]

We are such great friends, of course I will fix it for you!

They aren't bending because they catch, they are bending because you put rocks in the middle.

I am saying I have seen stockers get toasted where afermarket links walked through, same rock, same trail, same day.

Good luck with a great product.


my appologizes, i miss read what ya was saying. (and yes, ive always thought of you as a friend)
we will see how these do.

[bamachem]

Steve's Links are expensive, but I owned a set and they were beyond beefy. The joints and tool are over $200 if i recall correctly, then you have the cost of the DOM, then the labor, etc. $400 isn't so outrageous when you consider the cost of the joints and the fact that he stands behind his stuff 100%

I understand that $400 is a lot, but if you don't want the sonoran steel links due to price, why not just get some 1"x1"x1/4" angle steel and have them welded to your OEM links. That would be about $10 in materials and a half-hour for labor - less than $50 total.

[Ric]

but if you don't want the sonoran steel links due to price, why not just get some 1"x1"x1/4" angle steel and have them welded to your OEM links. that was my original plan, due to funds, then save up and get Steves or All Pros links.
Ive talked to steve about that (nice guy) then these came to me, so we will see..
Ive heard both great things, and not so great, about the Angle Iron welded on the links,mixed reveiws on that.

[Lee]

i have to say, they MAY work and all, but my feeling is it is always best to make a new beefy item than to slap a skid on a weak item.

those links are so weak, i am very disappointed in them. both of mine were bent bad, my friend and club officer brian broke his clean in half on the trail :(

very disconcerting to see the whole axle bend in a weird way when they are weak and about to break too. i have said it before but me and 2 friends made new links out of DOM, and they are STRONG. we used the stock ends, got all new hardware and rubber and welded in DOM in place of the weak stock crap.

anyway ric, i wish you luck, let us know how it goes, i hope this works out for ya!

[Ric]

.......

[mastacox]

Very cool looking option! I like the idea of it being welded all the way down the sides; not sure about bolt-on, but properly placed bolts would probably do the trick. There's no fundamental problem these would have that the SS links don't, AFAIK. As a point of fact, I would guess these are much stiffer in bending when welded, because the bending force is spread over a larger vertical height/area.

One way or another, very slick :thumbup:

[Ric]

.....

[Ric]

well Ive had these for awhile now, Im more than pleased with them, they are inexpensive insurance :thumbup: I wont post any pics, due to people always bashing, etc.
These work for me, and what I do, the type of wheeling I do, and the price is fair, Im very happy with them.
I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

[Cheese]

Post a pic of them being used and I will stop "bashing".

Until then, I adhere to the opinion that if you need lower link protection, this is not the place to get it.

[sschaefer3]

well Ive had these for awhile now, Im more than pleased with them, they are inexpensive insurance :thumbup: I wont post any pics, due to people always bashing the pics, etc.
These work for me, and what I do, the type of wheeling I do, and the price is fair, Im very happy with them.
I would recommend them in a heartbeat.


Ric in all honesty if you are going to do any actual testing of lower links, to give it any credability you need to run Iron Chest, Holy Cross to the City and Old Chinamans.

When we test products we drop the entire weight of the truck on the link. I know you mean well here, but if you are going to do testing for someone or some company you really need to put the truck through all of the worst case situations.

Also in all honest none of those trails are very hard. I would take my red truck with the 28's down any and all of them in heartbeat. There are truly hard trails like Prichett Canyon and Lower Terminator, I test in those and you are not ready for those. Hopefully someday you will.

I have invited you to runs in the past and would be more than willing to take you out and show you some things of you want.

[Cheese]

A month old thread was bumped to re-emphasize pleasure. I re-emphasized my belief that the tests were not tests and asked for real world use of the product before such a ringing endorsement was given.

We can discuss faults and limits of products, actual, theoretical or otherwise.

We cannot bash vendors out right.

This thread went afield and got cleaned up. If you have a problem with that, please keep it to PM's so the technical discussion can remain in tact.

[Lee]

one thing to keep in mind, guys, is that it is perfectly ok to ask for PROOF that a product works. that is part of the discussion of the product, is it not? if i tell you... hey this hyundai will go just as fast as that M5, how much proof will you need to believe it? i'll bet a lot.

opinions are great, and some testing is great, but until you prove that a product will do what it should, don't be surprised to see more questions seeking proof.

[BruceTS]

Rodney King out ran a California CHP cruiser with his Hyundai, well at least that's what the cops claimed...... :rofl:

Ric, I did call Kartek about pricing, Baja Mike quoted me $63 for having them made, BTW it wasn't DOM but chromoly tubing used. I forgot to ask if it was each or for a pair, they will cut the length you need then thread them for 3/4" heims, but all you really need is a heim on one side and bushing on the other, like the links SpiderTrax designed for Jeff Bathke.
here's the links being flexed out, as you can see from the condition of the mounts they get abused quite often and the links remain intact.
http://bruce.calrockx.com/4runner/rear/DSC06021.jpg
I've since switched to joints from Evolution Machining & Fabrication Inc, with the 1/2" spacer supplied, the fit between the factory brackets was near perfect(even though mine are a bit tweaked). It does require drilling out the bolt hole to 3/4", but with a step drill it was made simple. The nice thing about them is they are rebuildable and have a zerk fitting so you can grease them.
http://bruce.calrockx.com/4runner/rear/DSC06052.jpg
The new joint in comparison to my old one, them things are quite beefy!
http://bruce.calrockx.com/4runner/rear/DSC06053.jpg

As far as adding the skids, yes they will work, but at that price, I'd rather make up new lower links or purchase one's that are already in production. If you can't afford them, It's far cheaper to buy angle iron and weld them in place for a bandaid fix while saving up for proper links. Bolting on the skids sounds like a nice idea, but in reality wouldn't help with hard impacts. I've bashed my links harder than anyone with a 3rd gen that I know of and had to cut, re-weld one mount already.

[Ric]

well Like someone else already said, these work for what I (and alot of others) do, what we wheel, and the amount of wheeling we do. They are price very fair, have worked extreamly well.
If you want more testing, or more extream testing, buy a set. and do your own testing, they way you, want them tested.
Bottom line is, they work for me, Im very happy with them, Im very happy with the price, and the quiality. The people that wheel with me, have seem them, have seen them do what they are suppose to do..
And yes, IMO there is a difference between asking for more testing, and bashing someone, Ill try to keep my thoughts, ideas, pics, and any new products quite from now on.
Bruce,
thankx for the info. :thumbup: I would like to reinforce the mounting bracket at some point, but thats another game :D

[Cheese]

With respect to clarity and concision, let's achieve both.

This is, in effect, an advertisement for a product being compared to a hardcore replacement piece, used and repeatedly abused, on arguably some of the toughest trails in the country.

There is then a disclaimer that it will work well for "how you use it." The problem is, it is not being advertised as such and the alledged use is not consistent with that. I have not attacked the original poster personally, the manufactures faults, perceived or otherwise, nor have I bashed anything. All I am asking for is a pic.

One pic, one is all it takes to have some credibility with this thing actually having potential to be used.

Every morning I spray my chest with two squirts of Polar bear repellent. I have never been attacked by a polar bear. I am now selling it as Polar Bear Repellent. Honestly, I have used it every day for the last 3 years and I have never been attacked.

Some people call it Polo Black. It works for me.

[Ric]

who said this :
a product being compared to a hardcore replacement piece?????????????????????

if you dont have nothing nice to say, please keep your comments to yourself. you always try to stir up drama, if not here, on other boards i see you on.

I think Im done with you, you can say what you want, bash me all you want, I will just ignore you and your comments, have a pleasent life.
To the other members here, Im sorry you have to witness all this drama, and thankx for being polite. :thumbup:

[Lee]

ric, i really hate the tone of this convo, but i have to say adrian is not out of line. this is a public forum, yes, but its also one that the staff here would like to be a vehicle for good info. as such, its sort of the duty of those who participate here to approach every "new product" with a degree of skepticism. responding to it by asking if he is gonna buy it and then saying he shouldnt worry about the quality if not, does not inspire confidence in the product.

he, like many, are asking for some good proof of it being used. people want to know the breaking point of the offroad products they buy, whether its a bumper, a skid plate or something silly like fog lights.

i have seen what you've posted, and yes it is proof that it will not disintegrate in a minor bump, but to be honest, neither will the stock links. what you need protection from is situations where the stock links are HAMMERED into large rocks, or taking the weight of the vehicle IN FULL.

both of these situations occur REGULARLY on harsh trails, and thus having proof they help you with those situations is helpful to those who do not wheel "like you".

just my 2 cents.

[AxleIke]

Since there is no vendor listed, I'm assuming you are producing these Ric.

Regardless of testing, you should certainly include a "no guarantee" with the product. While I agree that for the wheeling you and others are into, these will be more than beefy, and offer plenty of protection, you don't want to risk a lawsuit.

Good luck with sales.

[Lee]

toytec is the product's manufacturer.

[Lysmachia]

well Like someone else already said, these work for what I (and a lot of others) do, what we wheel, and the amount of wheeling we do. They are price very fair, have worked extremely well.
If you want more testing, or more extreme testing, buy a set. and do your own testing, they way you, want them tested.
Bottom line is, they work for me, Im very happy with them, Im very happy with the price, and the quiality. The people that wheel with me, have seem them, have seen them do what they are suppose to do..
And yes, IMO there is a difference between asking for more testing, and bashing someone, Ill try to keep my thoughts, ideas, pics, and any new products quite from now on.
Bruce,
thankx for the info. :thumbup: I would like to reinforce the mounting bracket at some point, but thats another game :D


sorry but I agree with Cheese and sschaefer3...

they need to be tested on harder trails. I have seen you wheel. You are very careful with your rig. And good for you. But on something harder you would actually test this product from ToyTec. You would not be able to be more careful You would actually have to rely more on your hardware.

Is this a great product for protection? I dunno I might save the $200 towards something else. But that is my 2 cents...

[Edit by Good Times, cleaned up post]

[Ric]

as i stated before, these work great for what I do (and many others) and you are correct, I am careful with my rig, I DO NOT want it to look like yours.

Just because I dont post pics of me wheeling anymore, dont mean I aint wheeling it :D

and where and when did we last wheel ??? :headscratch:

[Edit - Good Times, cleaning post up]

[justinh]

Is it really that hard to ignore people you don't agree with? I don't post much on any forums anymore as they all tend to be a lot of bickering, this place seems to have the least amount of it and I hope it stays that way. If they work great for Ric then swell, if someone else wants to see them tested where they wheel then they can buy them and test them, I sure as heck wouldn't do something with my truck I wouldn't usually do just to prove a point to someone else on the internet.

That being said, it does seem like an advertisement with the whole "Spy Photos" aura, if that is the case it should be in the vendor section and the vendor should be proving the product's worth not a customer.

[97kurt]

All drama aside... I can say is anything is better than nothing when it comes to the stock rear links. Notice the wall thickness of my bent one on the right compared to the .250 wall version I made on the left.

http://kurtandnichole.com/dom.jpg

[Seanz0rz]

what is the thickness of the stock links? .060?

[97kurt]

I think its closer to .120 wall but its been awhile since I measured. Stock also uses a welded seam tube.