Can anyone identify aftermarket parts from pics?

[NCguy]

Have a 94 ranger 4x4, AT, 4.0, 5" susp. Lift. Was looking at videos on replacing radius arm bushings. Looked tough especially if riveted. Took a look at mine and just bolts and what looks to be a radius drop bracket. Looks like it will make replacing bushing fairly easy???Here are some pics do y'all see anything else that looks added? Sorry just don't know much about aftermarket suspension stuff. It also has a 2 piece cross member but don't know if it's factory.

 

[ericbphoto]

That lift was accomplished by using plates to lower the existing radius arm brackets/crossmember and also the axle beam pivot points. Not a great way to do a lift. But it works.

Radius arm bushings shouldn't be too hard to replace. I would be tempted to support the transmission and unbolt the crossmember (it's holding up the transmission) to do the job on that truck. Otherwise, you will need to get the frame supported on jackstands, remove front wheels and let everything droop. Loosen axle beam pivot bolts, shocks, axle beam-radius arm bolts, etc. Until you get enough play to get the radius arms out of their rear mounting holes.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I want to see more pics of the brackets that the axle beams are bolted to.

In 20+ years of messing with Ranger suspensions, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before.

 

[NCguy]

That lift was accomplished by using plates to lower the existing radius arm brackets/crossmember and also the axle beam pivot points. Not a great way to do a lift. But it works.

Radius arm bushings shouldn't be too hard to replace. I would be tempted to support the transmission and unbolt the crossmember (it's holding up the transmission) to do the job on that truck. Otherwise, you will need to get the frame supported on jackstands, remove front wheels and let everything droop. Loosen axle beam pivot bolts, shocks, axle beam-radius arm bolts, etc. Until you get enough play to get the radius arms out of their rear mounting holes.

Oh...I thought the springs have it the lift and drop down items were to enable proper movement and angles of stuff. As mentioned though I'm a newb.
I added some more pics of plates and extenders...they look factory but I don't kno

 

[Jim Oaks]

Your truck has a lift kit. My guess is it's 4-inches.

I've never seen a drop bracket setup like the bracket holding your driver side axle beam. I'm not aware of any suspension companies that ever made a piece like that. Looks like something off of ebay.

 

[ericbphoto]

I'm sticking with my original assessment. Need to check our tech library. It seems I read about lifts like that back before I did my truck. That may even be a total home brew lift.

 

[NCguy]

I decided to do a search on axle pivot drop brackets and found quite a few that look like mine. Makers were skyjacker, rough country, dick cepek and a few others. I see in my pics that driver's side bracket has a stamp. I'll check tomorrow. Probably says polaris

 

[ericbphoto]

There may be some aftermarket brackets there. But they have had stuff added to them. I can get you some pictures of mounted Skyjacker brackets tomorrow.

 

[NCguy]

There may be some aftermarket brackets there. But they have had stuff added to them. I can get you some pictures of mounted Skyjacker brackets tomorrow.

I think the passenger side bracket looks pretty normal but I agree about driver's side bracket. Looks like it was a 3" drop bracket and someone rigged another 2" section at bottom for a total 5" as previous owner stated. I'll get a better look at stamp and extension tomorrow and post what I find.

 

[adsm08]

The passenger side bracket that touches the frame is factory. The piece bolted between it and the beam is not.

Clearly the radius arm brackets are not factory.

The driver's side looks largely factory, but something about it seems a little off. I have only worked on one of these TIB 2wd setups though, and that was only to dismantle the entire truck.

 

[Jim Oaks]

It clearly has radius arm drop brackets and a drop bracket for the passenger side beam.

The questionable part is the bracket for the drivers side beam. That's a factory bracket with a drop bracket bolted up inside.

I've never seen a suspension company offer a bracket like this. The bracket for the drivers beam is always a complete replacement.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I'm with Jim, and I'll also note that it looks like the passenger side drop plate was done a little better than most kit options I've seen, looks like the angle is higher so the diff won't get stabbed as easily...

I attached a very old picture of my lift, it's just about as oily and gross now but that was 9.5 years ago... Anywho, you can see the lift brackets are single piece, that's a more normal lift. I know the alignment was way off at that point, don't worry about technicalities...

 

[NCguy]

It clearly has radius arm drop brackets and a drop bracket for the passenger side beam.

The questionable part is the bracket for the drivers side beam. That's a factory bracket with a drop bracket bolted up inside.

I've never seen a suspension company offer a bracket like this. The bracket for the drivers beam is always a complete replacement.

Yesterday I thought the driver's side axle beam pivot(on passenger side) was a factory bracket with just a frt and back tab shoved up on the inside. I took a closer look today and it's a very well made inner sleeve...top to bottom frt and back. It also has a tubular support from front to back where bolt connects the two pieces. Also has a welded rib top to bottom like an I- beam behind bolt sleeve. I'll add some pics of it and of the radius arm drop bracket. Someone mentioned removing a number of things to change radius bushings. To me it looks like I can just remove the bracket and replace bushings as it's just fastened to drop bracket with bolts and supports nothing. Trans and engine supports are behind and in front of radius support.

 

[NCguy]

I just noticed the pivot bracket inner sleeve is 1/4" thick. I did weld for a living years ago and this bracket is no home brew. Some company made it but I doubt I'll ever know who. The tight fit and perfect edges/ bends following the factory bracket would have to be computer controlled.

 

[Shran]

The radius arm drop brackets look like maybe Rough Country, Tuff Country or BDS... hard to say. Every lift manufacturer has changed their design at least a couple times since I bought my first lift in 2008 and I'm sure lift kits were around for many years before that.

That drop bracket extension is very interesting. In this day and age of inexpensive plasma tables and design software, there's no reason to do that unless it's a one off part... I'm guessing that dates back quite a ways.

The passenger side drop bracket (the factory lower one, not the plate it's bolted to) appears to have been modified as well - looks to me like the left side of it has had some of the top cut off and the plate it's bolted to doesn't really match the contours of it. This whole thing could very well be a homemade lift. I think I could duplicate all of that pretty easily... most of it is just flat plate and the extension could be bent with a torch.