Limiting straps for rock crawling.

It think the anit-rock is used more as a suspension tuning tool. By playing around with it you can change the suspensions resistance to articulation which can help balance the front and rear suspension.
 
Phil, there are two different issues when looking at limiting straps on a rock crawler. One is to protect your shocks from over extending and wasting the shock or the bushings. This can apply to trail running but mostly to hauling ass. The only way to really do this is to have a strap on each end. The length of the strap is based on the length of the shock, and has little to do with the springs. I guess if your shocks are too long and your springs are unseating a bunch it might be nice to limit the down travel to keep from loosing a spring, but shocks that are too long usually limit up travel so that isn't desireable.

The other issue is contolling front axle unloading on trails when climbing. The only way to do this is with a center limiting strap. I do mine with two straps, one from each frame down to the middle of the axle, but many do it with a single strap around the cross frame track bar brace. The idea is to set the straps length to not limit articulation but limit full droop. You do this by flexing out the front, both sides, and measuring the distance from your strap mounting points on the frame and on the axle. You'll find that the center of the axle doesn't drop much when articulating so the strap will end up only allowing a couple of inches of droop. So, you can do trail work with no limit to articulation but it will hold the front down on the climbs. Really, the axle will still articulate fine if you tighten the strap up a bit, since it will just pivot around the center strap that's holding it.

The problem with doing this is that it will limit travel when running to and from the trail, so you need to either disconnect the center strap or have a way to adjust it. After going for awhile disconnecting mine, I went with longer straps, enough to allow full droop just short of shock extension, then I put a twist in them for trail running, and I put another twist in them for a big climb. Mine are bolted at the frame tabs, but the center tab uses a pin.
 
I've got mine set the same as Jes'.
I've got 12" shocks at 50/50 travel. I limit droop to as soon as the coil unseats, which does not use all of my shock travel.
Coincidentally, setting the straps this way for side to side articulation also limits total axle droop exatly where it needs to be to not bind the DS (at least with an HP).

Paul
 
Yeah, I didn't mention it, but mine are set to keep the driveshaft from binding at full droop.
 
I run a stap on either side to keep the coils seated and a center strap to keep the front together on climbs. My setup has 4" uptravel and 9" articulated droop. The center strap limits total droop to about 3-4". This leaves me with fine road manners and the strap tensions the same time as the outer straps when fully articulated.

DSCN1043.jpg
 
just a semi-related question -

can a winch be used and relied on a center limit strap soley? or does one use a winch combined with a center limit strap?
 
My vote goes with center limit straps, tight at ride height.

Works great for crawlin', sucks for pre-runnin.
 
XJ_ranger said:
just a semi-related question -

can a winch be used and relied on a center limit strap soley? or does one use a winch combined with a center limit strap?



Thats my plan. I am going to be running straps on each side and hook my winch up to the axle while crawling so as to serve as a limiting strap. The only downside to doing this is you'd better make it up the ledge you're climbing and hope you don't need the winch to pull yourself over if you're currently using it as a limiting strap. As long as you're prepared to either back down off the ledge or you've got another way to pull yourself up, I don't see a problem running it that way.


Another getter when using the winch as a limiting strap is that most guys still have a stock style steering or at least an inverted T style and you will probably run into issues with the winch rope/cable and your steering. When running full hydro as I am, you don't have this problem, but you are left with the rope and pull angle all screwy as the axle is behind the winch in most cases. Comp guys use this set up, but 90% of the time, the wheelbase is stretched or where the winch is positioned is above or behind the axle. The best set up if you wanted to use it would be a seperate suck down style winch, but ya kinda run out of room up there to mount one.
 
wammy...tripple post...stupid slow computers...
 
Last edited:
Does anyone have a photo of their limiting straps setup on an XJ, preferably in full droop, full compression, and at ride height? I'd like to see the binding conditions and to where and how the straps are connected. In the 22 years that I've owned my '99 XJ, I've never run straps. The bump stops have always kept the coils from coming out and I've never run expensive shocks, but I have been thinking of upgrading. Thanks.
 
Lol! I never did anything for limit straps on green junk, and Stella just has the winch rope hooked to the front axle.
 
Nobody running limit strap son an XJ then? Are Bilstein 5100's not worth protecting? What if you were running those adjustable Fox 2.0 performance shocks w/ext reservoir? They are around $380 per shock.


About how many bottom outs can these Bilstein 5100's take before they fail?
 
Nobody running limit strap son an XJ then? Are Bilstein 5100's not worth protecting? What if you were running those adjustable Fox 2.0 performance shocks w/ext reservoir? They are around $380 per shock.


About how many bottom outs can these Bilstein 5100's take before they fail?
Bottom out is over compressing the shock. You can hang an axle by a shock all day long.

Of course the more coordinated and tuned everything is, the better. Most folks probably have other issues keeping them needing limits.

I'll be putting them on my rig when I upgrade to long arms and slightly more lift.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Hey at least the guy searched instead of making a whole Jew thread again.
I support keeping all information in one thread, no matter the age. There are those who insist on starting a new topic if an existing one is several years old. As this forum is for a Jeep that has been out of production for 20 years, I just figured use the old threads. What do the admins want to do?
 
I actually wouldn't stress to much about using 5100s to limit travel or as bump stops. Though I wouldwant to protect a better shock from over extension and bottoming.

I think alimit strap might provide a slight amount of cushion compared to a shock tooping out.

Ori shocks have bump stop and top out built in to them but they cost alittle more than 380 per shock.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top