NOW AVAILABLE: BOSS "Walker Link" Sway Bar Shock System - Great alternative to disconnects!

[crenca]

I did it the hard way as well (jacking control arms trying to get right tension, back and forth back and forth, etc.)...If only I had simply unbolted the sway bar itself

Sponsored

 

[ThunderFlash]

I did it the hard way as well (jacking control arms trying to get right tension, back and forth back and forth, etc.)...If only I had simply unbolted the sway bar itself

@NMWildtrak or @crenca, any chance you could help a stooge like me out? Looking at my pic below, do I have the LCA mounting clevis oriented the same as yours? @Jakob1972, that is how yours is oriented, right?

I got the links installed on my WT after A LOT of what felt like excessively forcible persuasion. Then after looking at it more, I took the links back off. I was afraid if the bar and LCA were cycling under loads, the lowered blue link lug, circlip, and bearing would come apart.

To get the upper link bolt through the sway bar, the link had to be forced as far forward as it could travel, and then a little further. The lower lug on the Walker link was at its maximum misalignment angle and the blue lower link lug itself was hard up against the LCA mount clevis ear. It was like that on both driver and passenger sides. From what I can tell, I have the LCA clevis installed in the correct orientation per the BOSS instructions. It seems it might fit better if I rotated that LCA clevis 90 degrees from its pictured orientation, though.

I also noticed in a review someone said they needed a sway bar relocation kit because of their lift. I have 1.5" to 2.0" of lift with my Eibach Pro Trucks. Maybe that is increasing the misalignment? Can't think it would since the maximum droop position for installing the links is the about the same as OEM. Do you guys have any lift?

Any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BroncoStang]

@NMWildtrak or @crenca, any chance you could help a stooge like me out? Looking at my pic below, do I have the LCA mounting clevis oriented the same as yours? @Jakob1972, that is how yours is oriented, right?

I got the links installed on my WT after A LOT of what felt like excessively forcible persuasion. Then after looking at it more, I took the links back off. I was afraid if the bar and LCA were cycling under loads, the lowered blue link lug, circlip, and bearing would come apart.

To get the upper link bolt through the sway bar, the link had to be forced as far forward as it could travel, and then a little further. The lower lug on the Walker link was at its maximum misalignment angle and the blue lower link lug itself was hard up against the LCA mount clevis ear. It was like that on both driver and passenger sides. From what I can tell, I have the LCA clevis installed in the correct orientation per the BOSS instructions. It seems it might fit better if I rotated that LCA clevis 90 degrees from its pictured orientation, though.

I also noticed in a review someone said they needed a sway bar relocation kit because of their lift. I have 1.5" to 2.0" of lift with my Eibach Pro Trucks. Maybe that is increasing the misalignment? Can't think it would since the maximum droop position for installing the links is the about the same as OEM. Do you guys have any lift?

Any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated!

I'm on a 2.25" zone lift and didn't need a relocation kit. I did have some issues though trying to get them lined up properly and for the life of me I couldn't get both ends installed without undoing the brackets for the sway bar. Once I popped the bolts off the sway bar brackets I was able to get both links installed and lined up properly. Getting the brackets bolted back on was another fight but it was significantly easier than fighting the links, I was very meticulous feeding the bracket bolts back in but once they bit enough thread I was able to get them bolted back up using the force from the ratchet tightening them.
They do cut it close to the LCA but I've put a good 10k miles on since the install and they've held up fine.

 

[ThunderFlash]

I did have some issues though trying to get them lined up properly and for the life of me I couldn't get both ends installed without undoing the brackets for the sway bar.

Thanks for the reply! Your LCA clevis is in the same orientation as mine in the picture? I'm thinking I need to rotate the clevis clockwise as far as I can without the steel clevis digging into the aluminum LCA. It would be nice to be able to tighten that connection after everything is fit up.

 

[Jakob1972]

I have about 2” lift from the Dobbies it did come with a relocation spacer for the swaybar and I did have a hard time lining things up until I went to the other side and loosened the swaybar end links.
But they did well on the trip to Baja. This was the biggest improvement as far as comfort I have done with the suspension.

 

[ThunderFlash]

OK, thanks @Jakob1972 and @BroncoStang. Maybe I just got to give it another go and just embrace the fact that it's going to take some force to assemble. The stock links have more articulation and go together pretty effortlessly.

As I had it installed, I was trying to imagine how the link would behave once the suspension LCA was articulating and sway bar was deflecting. It just seemed like I would be putting more bending into the link than pure tension/compression. Maybe I am incorrectly envisioning how that is going to move and the motion will get better moving away from full droop while sitting on jack stands.

 

[NMWildtrak]

Yours is mounted just like mine. I've gone more than full send on them many times and they are still doing a great job for me.

 

[ThunderFlash]

Got the BOSS 4X4 Walker links installed. Funny how much quicker things go the second time around! A couple of small things seemed to make things go better.and eliminate the interference issues I had in the first go. First I loosened the sway bar mount bolts on the frame to let the front bar float as much as clearances would allow. I also clocked the LCA clevis mount so that the lug ears were perpendicular to the Bronco frame. I also kept everything very loose until all locations were attached. It all came out well. On a HOSS 2.0 2-dr with Eibach Pro Trucks w/ HD springs, adding the OEM rear bar and the Links, I sense a bit more body roll a lower speeds, but not so much at higher speed for some reason. The ride at freeway speeds is smoother. The wife even noted the ride was improved. I tested it on my RC rock pile and it all seems to be flexing more. They fluffed the trails at Tahuya and I'll be needing all the articulation I can get. I'm excited to see how it goes.

Update: between the new 35" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs and the the Boss 4X4 links and adding the OEM rear sway bar, the Bronco seemed to be hooking up with traction well. I don't believe I needed the rear locker as often as usual. The overall stability of the truck on the trails also seems improved. Some of that was probably the Load Range D tires. I think the Goodyear side walls sometimes made the truck (particularly when fully loaded) feel like it was perched upon Jell-O.

 

[BroncoStang]

Is anyone running these with 37" tires and encountered any issues due to them? Need for extended bump stops?

I've had my links installed for a while now and ordered some 37" tires, I actually forgot about these links and hadn't considered them as a factor I'm on a Hoss 3.0 Wildtrak with 2.25" Zone lift.

 

[Boss Broncos]

Is anyone running these with 37" tires and encountered any issues due to them? Need for extended bump stops?

I've had my links installed for a while now and ordered some 37" tires, I actually forgot about these links and hadn't considered them as a factor I'm on a Hoss 3.0 Wildtrak with 2.25" Zone lift.

We've been running them with 37" tires for over 2 years now with no issues.

 

[BroncoStang]

We've been running them with 37" tires for over 2 years now with no issues.

Appreciate the reply.

I figured there wouldn't be issues but thought I'd ask anyway, I have mine mounted and just finished with cutting the crash bar mounts so ready to get out and test the new tires

 

[T800]

I'm considering these instead of getting disconnects. My rig is my DD and will honestly not be taking it wheeling that much, I have Jeep that is a dedicated trail rig.

I used to have an antirock on the Jeep. I didn't complain much about the added body roll. Though ended up switching to an ORO Sway Loc after a friend demo'd his. Love that setup, but they don't make one for a Bronco. Also feel like an antirock would give a bit too much body roll, and don't think I need a permanent torsion bar on the Bronco considering how little I intend to wheel it.

So curious if anyone has had an anti-rock and can compare the body roll to this. Similar? Not as much? Etc.

 

[87-Z28]

Also feel like an antirock would give a bit too much body roll, and don't think I need a permanent torsion bar on the Bronco considering how little I intend to wheel it

The oem sway bar and Rockjock antirock are the exact same thing. Both are permanent bars attached to each LCA via the frame. They apply resistance when wheels articulate through a torsional spring, ie, the bar. The Rockjock antirock bar is just a lighter spring, ie, smaller diameter than oem. If you don’t wheel the Bronco why change the torsional spring rate?

 

[ThunderFlash]

The oem sway bar and Rockjock antirock are the exact same thing. Both are permanent bars attached to each LCA via the frame. They apply resistance when wheels articulate through a torsional spring, ie, the bar. The Rockjock antirock bar is just a lighter spring, ie, smaller diameter than oem. If you don’t wheel the Bronco why change the torsional spring rate?

Thank you 87-Z28 for confirming that. I've looked at that thing dozens of times an wondered how that nearly $1000 RJ bar is any different than a much less complex, softer $300 mandrel bent bar!

@T800 the BOSS 4X4 links differ in that the first 1" or so of articulation, the front behaves as if there were no sway bar. Once the link bottoms out or tops out in stroke on its bump stop, the sway bar engages and behaves as normal. It does improve the ride on the street. My wife even noticed that and she seems to be largely oblivious to those kinds of things.

@87-Z28, I assume the spring rate of the sway bar is not linear. So with the "offset" in the sway bar engagement, that ends up affecting the whole sway bar force curve over the front suspensions range of motion? Seems like it should.

It's difficult to comment on body roll because my HOSS 2.0 2-door WT did not come with a rear sway bar. I added the soft (17mm I think) OEM rear sway bar shortly before adding the BOSS 4X4 links. I also replaced the Load Range C Goodyears with LR D tires (35" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT) just prior to adding the links. I believe the stiffer tire side wall did a lot to improve my heavy trucks side-to-side stability and body motion. That said, to me it seems I can feel a LITTLE more side to side body motion at slower speeds with the BOSS 4X4 links, but at free way speeds I don't notice. Overall, the my Bronco rides well....but a little bouncy. My Eibach Pro Truck 2.0 dampers are leaking, all four. Got some Fox Performance 2.5s and Accutune UCAs in the garage waiting to go on.

 

[87-Z28]

@87-Z28, I assume the spring rate of the sway bar is not linear. So with the "offset" in the sway bar engagement, that ends up affecting the whole sway bar force curve over the front suspensions range of motion? Seems like it should.

The actual sway bar spring rate should be perfectly linear since it is only a function of the elastic material properties of the bar, ie, steel with linear elastic modulus (Hooke’s Law). What makes the entire sway bar system nonlinear is the geometry in which it is mounted. The end links are not always normal (perpendicular) to the sway bar lever arm. The links to lever arm angle changes as the suspension cycles (LCA moves up and down). The more this angle changes the greater the nonlinearity. However near ride height (+/- 1-2” of suspension motion), the bar response should be fairly linear.

The same nonlinear response due to geometry occurs in the Bronco double wishbone IFS. Even if the coilover has a perfectly linear elastic spring, the resistance at the wheel is nonlinear due to the change in motion ratio throughout the suspension cycle. MR is nonlinear in the Bronco. If it were linear then the overall response would also be linear. Hence a nonlinear effect due to geometry. MR is purely a geometric construct.

Sponsored