I'm getting hung up

[clydethepirate]

My stock yj suspension is stiff as a......well it's stiff.

Seems one of my front wheels is off of the ground most of the time when going up rocky trails.

I'm talking about an 8-10" rock under one front wheel will bring the other wheel off the ground.

Im going to buy a lift kit just cant decide on which one. Will this help?
Can anyone give me some advice on what I need to do to get a little bit of flex out of my front suspension?

I'm not crawling up huge rocks, just driving up old logging trails but their pretty rocky in this part of the country.

Any advice?

 

[808CJ7]

If you still have your track bars I recommend taking them off. That should soften up the ride

 

[superj]

trac bars removed and your sway bars need some quick disconnects. but trac bars mainly

 

[RockOn93]

I'm running without trac bars. In fact most the guys I know a running without saw bars and trac bars. And yes, there are some DDs within that group.

 

[69jeepcj]

As said sway bar disconnects and trac bar.. Also check you shackles that they are not too tight. you can stand on the bumper and bounce on it while watching you shackles making sure that they swing as you bounce. If they are stiff they will not allow your suspension to move very well,on road or off, loosen the nuts about a turn. I would recomend extended brake lines, that will allow it to flex more once you get the suspension moving. I think if you do the suggestions posted you should see an improvement.

 

[clydethepirate]

Ok, I got my fat butt on the bumper and bounced up and down and those shackles did not move at all.
Do I just loosen the bolt on them to loosen them up?

 

[69jeepcj]

Yes! dont go too far though or your shackles will shift from side to side. I would loosen them a half turn at a time until they start swinging as you bounce. I found the same thing on mine once and think I loosened them around a whole turn. check them from time to time.

 

[superj]

good call 69jeepcj

 

[clydethepirate]

I will give it a try.
I'm going to remove those track bars too if I ever get over this cold.

 

[TerryMason]

The swaybars are designed to limit body roll and wheel travel, and putting some disconnects on them should greatly improve your wheel travel.

I've got some JKS disconnects like these:
Jks Part 5007 - Front Sway Bar Disconnect by JKS for Jeep

but there are cheaper ones out there. The advantage to a disconnect over taking off your trackbar is that the road manners won't change at all.

If loosening the shackle bolts doesn't do it, you may need to replace them (along with the bushings). Something like this would work:
Warrior Part 1803 - Replacement Shackle Bolts and Bushing Kit by Warrior Products for Jeep
or, if you've got a couple of extra dollars, you could spring for the greaseable ones:
Warrior Part 1803A - Replacement Greaseable Shackle Bolts and Bushing Kit by Warrior Products for Jeep



When I had my old CJ7 the shackle bolts were fused to the sleeves, and I had to cut both ends off and drop them out that way. Don't be surprised if they are just a big lump of rust.

 

[bugleboy]

Ok, I got my fat butt on the bumper and bounced up and down and those shackles did not move at all.

lol i love how you guys are figuring this out with some non-traditional methods