2" axle pivot drop brackets

[marvilusone]

Where can I find either factory STX drop brackets or similar strong 2" brackets? Has anyone made a custom set that would be interested in making a second set or sharing the plans with me?

 

[JoseBronco]

That is interesting, I didn´t know STX came also with drop brackets for the rised height.

With proper caster/camber bushings and pitman arm, this brackets would be ok for 4" coils?

 

[tanbuddy]

I think tuff country makes them, ive seen them in jc whitney

 

[Black_Splash]

I used Tuff country brackets part #20813. They aren't quite a direct bolt in though. They go in the stock location but the holes need drilled out.

 

[marvilusone]

Are the tough country brackets pretty stout or will they need alot of reinforcement for hard use?

At this point I'm almost thinking about just building my own out of 1/4 & 3/16 stock. I have it all laying around just lack the time to do it.

 

[4x4junkie]

Tuff Country's brackets are pretty decent. They're not quite like Skyjacker's, but they should hold up to some fairly moderate wheeling no problem.

 

[marvilusone]

I don't know what moderate means. I'm going to beat on this thing and finding stout brackets is becoming a problem, so I decided to just fab my own bent TTB beams. I'm working on them as we speak. Driver side is almost finished.

 

[Daringo]

Tuff Country 20813

I'm jumping on this thread a little late, but here are some answers to Tuff Country 20813.

- Appears to be very strong and sturdy - close to 20 pounds for entire, well packed box.
- Measures about 2 inches longer than original brackets (hard to tell from pics, but it is definately longer)
- Has camber alignment bolts that should help with camber beyond the 2 inch drop.
- Comes with the gusset bracket (L shape) for the driver side bracket

Despite what some say about Tuff Country's quality, they appear to be fine. I am personally thankful they provide the axle pivot drop brackets without having to invest in a full kit. $170 solution to fix my problem - a problem that began because...

Another thread here in the TRS forum suggested using SkyJacker 132x coils rather than leveling spacers. The guy sounded like he knew what he was talking about, but after installing the new coils, my truck had a severe/dorky/embarassing positive camber issue.

This should really do the trick and I will post pictures in a few days showing before and after. Apparently, shops kind of hate working on Twin Traction Beam suspensions because of this.

My suggestion - and if I had to do it over - would be to save up for a full (2-4 inch) suspension lift kit rather than piecing it together like I did. It really did just start out as a bushing replacement project - which I then kept telling myself "while we're here, let's add coils and shocks, blah blah"...

End result: SkyJacker 132x 2" coils, Tuff Country 20813 2" Brackets, ProComp Shocks (all around), 2 inch add-a-leaf in the back, James Duff Radius Arm Bushings, Energy Suspension Axel Pivot Bushings.

Oh, you know bigger tires are coming next

P.S. Thumbs up to SuspensionConnection.com for having great prices and fast delivery. Thumbs down to James Duff for not answering my questions in an email and telling me I had High Rider option - which I do not. Experts, really?

 

[canyoncritter]

autofab.com makes a stx like bracket

jamesduff's 3.5 inch brackets are very close to the stx brackets

 

[4x4junkie]

Another thread here in the TRS forum suggested using SkyJacker 132x coils rather than leveling spacers. The guy sounded like he knew what he was talking about, but after installing the new coils, my truck had a severe/dorky/embarassing positive camber issue.

Did you also do the required change of the camber/caster bushings?

 

[CopyKat]

autofab.com makes a stx like bracket

jamesduff's 3.5 inch brackets are very close to the stx brackets

I heard VMS is going to be making a set too.

 

[Daringo]

Tuff Country 20813 bracket install

Did you also do the required change of the camber/caster bushings?

I took my truck to the local 4WheelParts shop and they claimed to have installed new bushings... but then said something like the bushings could not entirely fix the positive camber. So I ordered the Tuff Country 20813 brackets to see if it will help.

Just got the truck back from 4WP with the new Axle Pivot brackets and I still see a camber problem but not as bad as before. They did point out some new camber bushings they installed. It kind of varies how bad the camber is depending on when I look at it. Sometimes, it looks just fine.

That said, here are some "issues" I've noticed.

1) First of all, the guys at 4WP did not rotate my tires like I asked them to. I have one oddball tire in the front and wanted two of the same tires BEFORE they tried aligning. Didn't happen that way. They quickly rotated the tires while I waited without a new alignment.

2) The 20813 driver side bracket (the one that replaces the rivoted bracket) was installed on the opposite side of the frame compared to the original (and Tuff Country's instructions). It seems ok, and there is no way the TC bracket would have fit where the original one did (think TC rectangle design vs. curved/custom original). Seems strong enough.

3) The 4WP guys apparently did not grasp the whole "camber adjustment bolt" concept and installed the bolt towards the very top of the slot. Instructions clearly state to position it in the middle - and adjust from there. This causes 2 problems - First, the driver side axle touches or almost touches the bolt for the L gusset bracket. If the axle bolt had been positioned towards the bottom of the slot, this would be eliminated. Second as I mentioned earlier, I still have a slight camber issue. If the axle pivot bolts (with the camber adjustment) had been placed towards the bottom, I would have less positive camber!

So, I think once the adjustable axle pivot bolts are lowered, most of my problems will go away. But why I am the one who has to go back to the "experts" and explain this to them, I have no idea.

Keep you posted.

BTW - the 132x springs do ride better. I'm sure I will get this dialed in, but I am disappointed with the install shop's understanding of adjustable camber bolts and TTB.

 

[4x4junkie]

BTW - the 132x springs do ride better. I'm sure I will get this dialed in, but I am disappointed with the install shop's understanding of adjustable camber bolts and TTB.

Unfortunately this is pretty common. It doesn't seem whatever training courses the techs are taking properly addresses how to align TTBs, so they're just left guessing. My only advice is keep trying different shops, or just do the alignment on it yourself (yes it's fully possible to do it using common inexpensive tools).

Since putting those brackets on, you may want to also install a standard dropped pitman arm on it. This will put your steering linkage angle back to what it was, and should help the camber stay more consistent (the tires not tracking together with each other can influence the suspension's height as you park it, and might be why it appears to be changing).

 

[Daringo]

Since putting those brackets on, you may want to also install a standard dropped pitman arm on it.

Yea, I'll give that a try next paycheck. I have vowed to work on this myself from here on out (especially now that the rivets have been drilled out and the axle pivot bushings replaced).

Actually, there's a kid that works at a local tire shop that seems to know Rangers pretty well. I bet $50 would get me all squared away with the pitman arm, bolt adjustments, and alignment. He's already grabbed parts for me at the pick-a-part place. I trust him more than the big shop right now.

Keep you guys posted and will get some pics up soon. Thanks for your feedback 4x4Junkie (that guy who seemed to know what he was talking about ;-)

 

[4x4junkie]

No problem, glad to help. Good luck on it