4 Link Suspensions

This blog has been on my to do list for a while, I had great intentions of doing a full photo shoot and maybe a short video or two from the garage to show examples. The reality of that is much less exciting, as usual time is limited, and I'm stretched pretty thin. So I am going to need to share some resources in this one to give you good solid information and keep it interesting.

Four Wheeler Magazine did a great write up

Here is some info on front suspensions

There are tons of different ways to set up your own custom suspension, sure you can wing it, it might work, but chances are it won't work the way you had in mind. There's also the chance that in an attempt to make your rig ultra cool, and the baddest thing on the trails ends up with bad behavior, it could be set up in such a way that you can't actually put the power to the ground, or worse, be so unstable that it rolls over rather than crawls the obstacles. And then there's the safety factor, we are talking about welding and bolting the pieces that are holding your entire rig together here, be honest about your welding skills, if you can't put down top quality welds you should find someone that can.

Luckily there are now lots of companies making tabs, brackets, and all of the other parts to build your own suspension. But there are always guys that feel they can "do it better" in an attempt to save a few bucks they make all of their own parts, this is not a great plan for a beginner. The pieces available are well thought out, laser cut, and CNC bent pieces that have been proven on some of the hardest trails out there. And the price of these parts isn't that expensive when you take into account the material costs, your time, and the tools needed to make them. For me I would rather be able to open a box and immediately start fitting and mocking up pieces rather than spend my day trying to make a basic link mount.

Ruff Stuff Specialties

Artec Industries

I am by no means an expert on suspension design, and tuning. But there are a few places I did my research in order to feel confident enough to start building custom suspension, rather than repeat all of the info here i will just supply you with the best links I have used to figure out the different terms and what they all mean. There are lots of "rules" people use to build there suspensions, but once you understand what each piece does it will all make sense.

Excel suspension calculator

It's pretty amazing how 4 little links can have so many functions, but they are all important and must be addressed in order to have a properly functioning rig. The other factor that will limit you is the available space under your vehicle, there isn't much room under a Jeep once you start putting all of these pieces in there so you will probably need to either compromise on proper suspension angles or cutting away parts of your vehicle or moving things like fuel tanks and exhaust.

   

Winter Projects

Ahh winter, it sneaks up on us every year, no matter how much we think we are ready for it we are never as prepared as we want to be. Christmas seems to come out of nowhere, and consumes much of our time; and our budgets! Then New Years comes and we all make resolutions that we know damn well we won't follow through on. But then what? What do we have to look forward to after that? It conjures up images of being snowed into our primitive log cabin's huddling around the fire, and hoping to make the rations hold out till spring.

But for the offroader winter means so much more, it means it's time to take care of all the little issues with your rig that you put off to get you through that last trip out on the trails before putting it away for winter. It seems every year we come up with a grand list of upgrades and changes that we need to get done during our winter maintenance. Perhaps it's a faulty wiring harness that has been causing your electric fan to cut out and make you overheat, or you are finally going to make those half doors you've been wanting for a couple of years. Some guys take this time to all out rebuild their rigs, new engines and drivetrains, adding more lift, or maybe even a whole new suspension, or a custom roll cage. For me I have locked myself into a complete new build before spring, and haven't even unstrapped the new Jeep from the trailer from when I bought it back in October!

Whatever the project, this is the time of year that we all swear we are going to get it done, and that we "Won't wait until the last minute like i did last year" But the truth is that the rig is probably sitting in our shop, maybe in some level of disassembly... meaning you put it on jack stands and pulled the tires off before walking away from it. But soon the pressure will be on, as the days get a little longer, and we get that unseasonal warm day we all get the itch, and then we look at the calendar and remember that spring is right around the corner!

Our club has been doing an annual Easter trip to Windrock Park in Tennessee for the past couple of years, and it's been a great way to shake off the winter funk. But that also means that we have all locked ourselves into a solid date to get our shit together! This year the trip is a full week, so that means making sure that whatever you have planned for upgrades better be reliable!

So let this be the reminder to all of you guys like me that have been putting things off, and thinking you still have all the time in the world... GET OFF YOUR ASS, GET IN THE GARAGE, AND GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!

My wheeling family

Off roaders are a strange bunch, most of us dedicate portions of our lives to a pile of parts that isn't worth any where near what we have into it. I paid just $300 for my ZJ, I stopped counting when I passed the $10,000 mark on parts; my "new" one cost me just $50 and I'm sure it will end up costing me WAY more than I told my loving and understanding wife it would cost to get it trail ready. We happily give up our weekends, late nights, early mornings, heck sometimes even holidays just to get our rigs ready to go to the next event.

So why do we do it? Why do we give up so much of our free time? So much of our hard earned money? There's no prize for crawling over a hard obstacle, we certainly don't get paid for that long hot day out on the trail. But damn is there a reward! It seems every time we load up and head out to an event, or just a weekend at an off road park or trail we meet new people, it doesn't matter where you are from, or what you are driving, you WILL find someone that you connect with instantly. Most of my closest friends are people that I've met out on the trail somewhere. Half the time we don't even know each other by name "hey, you're the guy with that wicked WJ on tons right?" and BOOM that's how it starts!

Social media has made it super easy to stay in touch with your wheeling family, hell, I talk to them more than I do my real family! My wheeling family spreads from my home state of Maine, to my current home in Wisconsin, extends to Minnesota, North Dakota, Colorado, and down to North Carolina. We are all from different backgrounds, wheel completely different types of rigs at all different levels. But we are all connected, and wouldn't think twice about lending a hand on any given Sunday to get that new locker installed, or help recover your stuck/broken pile off the trail; sure we would talk crap the whole time, and laugh at how stupid you are... But we know that the next time the tables will probably be turned.

My wheeling family may be mouthy, drink to much, be a bit odd, and certainly be the worst possible influences out there that will almost certainly talk you into hitting a line that you have no business attempting, but they are what makes that 8 hour drive to the trail worth it.