Rough Country's Joints Suck! This upgrade is a MUST!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2023
- SO... it happened the RC joints finally went bad on my long arm kit. Don't get me wrong this is still a good lift for the price. I just Think that RC needs to either offer an upgrade to start with or extend their warranty to 3 or 5 years. I was not happy to find out that they carry only a 1 year warranty!!! But what can you do... So, here is my recommendation....
1) Upgrade to Johnny Joints right off the bat
2) Know that you will be installing the Joints in 1-5 years.
3) Find another kit. But most will run you double the price for an equivalent kit.
Yes I'm still recommending the RC 4 inch longa arm kit because it is a good cheap option that can get people off the road and on to the trails without breaking the bank.
Parts for replacement joints.
Lower Control Arms, all: CE-9114 (These are the ones I used)
Lower Control Arms if you need long shanks: TFBJR16-9
Front Upper Control Arms: CE-9112SP (have not gone bad yet)
Rear Upper A Arm: CE-9114
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Great Video, love the objectiveness in your presentation. Very cool how you did a full comparison between the two joints. Very helpful!!
Another great video mate!
Thank you!!!
Good video.. for me only last 2 months only jaja and yes upgrades will be nice for the fancy like you show
Guess I have been lucky, mine are going on 3 years still good. Its my dd and it gets wheeld hard on the rocks. But I will definitely keep the Jonny Joints in mind.
$2,000 Jeep looking good! I wanna see the test drive!
You will get one. Hopefully next month.
Btw.. I can't wait for you to open the joint and discover the plastic inside lol
I don’t buy anything from Rough Country, I installed an 8” longarm kit from Rusty’s Off-road over 3 years ago and haven’t had any issues and I’ve put it through several Ohv trails including WindRock in Tennessee and completed several badge of honor trails. Awesome video though with some great info and the WJ looks awesome!!
The long arm kit for my WJ is affordable yes and I know it wasn’t gonna last, so I replaced the threaded ends with metal cloaks. That is definitely worth it
I’ve rebuilt my x flex joints 2x on one side and 3x on the other. Lower rear control arms on a 2Dr JK. That’s within 1 year of putting them on.
The rebuild “kit” is $12 each but still…. I’ll be upgrading here shortly.
It is worth the upgrade. 100% When we sell these I just include the price of the upgraded joints in the quote. The kit is great beyond those joints. I have had zero issues other that that. I however will be upgrading the track bar soon.
Same. I'm replacing my uppers with RE ones like my front uppers, and getting the new Johnny joints to replace those $12 plastic bushings.
i have a 2018 wrangler jku, and my rc joints and bushings were trash after ~1.5 yrs. I switched my lower xflex joints out with the ce-9114s and it works perfectly. but the uppers have smaller joints and im not sure which johnny joints to order to replace those.
I'm really glad i found this video, because my jeep used to sound like a gaggle of geese were trapped in my suspension (even with liberal amounts of grease) and these rock jock joints completely fixed that issue.
Rough Country says the uppers are 2.5" body with 1.25" thread, but ce-9114 have the same measurement and those are the big lower joints, so the uppers should be smaller, maybe half that size. (I am not a mechanic and I'm very new to the offroad scene \ wrenching on jeeps)
Anyway, thanks for the video, this was a game changer for me.
Glad it was such a help to you! That is why I do this. As for the joints I have found this website helpful. trailforged.com/2022/05/11/rough-country-flex-joint-woes/ I give all the info in one place. If not you could also call Rock Jock and ask them. I know I have called them and asked a bunch of questions and they were able to find the answer for me. Hope you are able to get everything you needed fixed.
Straight up! You're the goat, bro. Much appreciated.
Josh, when your not busy (LOL) can you make a video breaking down that RC Johnny Joint (if you still have it). I would like to see what's failing. Thanks man, great videos!
Thank you!! I will do that. I have one more joint I will be replacing in the next month or so. When I do I will show you the white plastic bushing that fails.
You are the man! I just installed these on my JL. @@XtremeTruckAuto
@@toybuns775 Once again thank you! Glad this video was able to help you out.
I will have a Johnny joint here this Friday and it will take about a week or two to get the video shot and edited.
@toybunz775 I just went through this same scenario. Instead of rebuilding the RC joint for the 3rd time in 14 months, replacing them with JJ’s as well. The bushing the center ball rides in just wears out, introducing a lot of lateral play in the joint. It’s just a poor design or the material that busing is made from isn’t durable.
Hello, this parts you nentioned will fit a jk? I have the 4 inch lift kit with the rc long arms and im having the same issue with the joints just need to know the right part number so I can order them as I live abroad and would not like to make a mistake with this, thank you in advance
I bought a pair of Rough Country lower control arms for the rear of my JK. I only had them on for about 200 miles and the rubber bushing end on both arms was shifting out the side of the arm eyelet. The bushings were shifted about a half an inch. I called their service number and the guy said he would ship out a pair of new arms without any hesitation. They must have known there was a problem with these. I decided to sell the arms after I received them and the guy that bought them had the same problem. I have a set of lowers on the front which did not have this problem but I changed the flex joint to a Johnny joint.
Tbh, the only issue I have had with RC is these joints. When it come to customer service they are hard to beat. Any time we have an issue with anything, wrong parts, missing parts, or issue with a part. They are easy to contact and fix it asap. I have the same issues with other name brands and trying to get ahold of some of them is like pulling teeth.
Great view! Curiosity, how did you match the threads? I'm looking for the same upgrade for my LCAs on my JKU for the same reason.
Reading theough the comments CE-9114?
A little more reading...yes, it's the ce-9114. I just hope the Jonny joints are long enough as I have a 4 inch lift.
I called Rock Jock and RC at first after I got my answer on which I needed, then I stumbled upon this website which is a great reference for people with the same issues. trailforged.com/2022/05/11/rough-country-flex-joint-woes/
How many miles did you get before the joints started to fail ? Just installed my 4 inch RC lift and will probably upgrade soon or at least buy the new ones and wait until i notice any issues.
If you have them installed just send it and have the jonny joints on hand for when you need them. Doing some rough math, they lasted about 15000 to 16000 miles.
Trailforge sells a replacement kit for all your bushings on the RC kit.
Update ,my RC joints in the rear both lower control arm joints have at least 1/8 inch side to side play with less than 5000 miles since installed with just moderate wheeling and more HWY miles than trail . Pretty disappointing and even if RC replaced them I wouldn't put them back in . Jonny joint all the way . Other than the joints ,I have ZERO complaints about the RC lift kit .
@@jeffrostenbach8195 do they sell a kit or do you have to buy them individually? I can’t seem to find any kit on their website.
Mine lasted less than a year lol. Been hard on those suckers.
RC really should allow people to pay to have them send the Johnny Joint instead of their sub par joints. Now I recommend to anyone getting the kit to upgrade right away if possible.
What are your measurements for your front upper control arms if yout lowers are at 29 3/4
Depends on the dive shaft that is being used. A 2 joint drive shaft is going to be different from a (3 joint) double cardan drive shaft. I have a DC and honestly don't remember because that was 2 + years ago and I haven't had an issue with the smaller upper joints yet. I would bet they are slightly further out than what RC recommends in the instructions.
What about the rubber bushing, how long do they last and what is a good upgrade?
I have had zero issues with the rubber bushings at this point. I know there is a company that makes an upgraded bushing.... I can't seem to find it right now let me do some digging and see what I can find.
My bushings have started failing 1.5 years into it. I'm definately rebuilding mine with the Johnny joints and I guess rc bushings.
@@williaswaller9150 trailforged.com/2022/05/11/rough-country-flex-joint-woes/
bushings are listed on here TFBB-05 Bushings
Keep in mind I have never tried these so I can't guarantee the fitment but Trail Forged is a good company
trailforged.com/2022/05/11/rough-country-flex-joint-woes/
bushings are listed on here TFBB-05 Bushings@@williaswaller9150
4:42 That's what she said
🤣 Michael Scott would be proud.
Is there less vibration - (road noise) in the cabin with these joints?
I would say so but I will have to see later on down the road. SO far so good. The RC joints make a ton of noise once they went bad. Another thing I have noticed is the sway bar disconnect end links make noise as well.
@@XtremeTruckAuto
Yes i noticed that too.
Do you also have some strange "vibrations" ( woom woom woom) in your cabin around 70mph? - but it isn't the drive shaft 100%, it's sound like the vibrations of the flex joint.
@@eriklazar2200 I have a bit if tire noise on the highway because of the tires I run but nothing other than that.
Quick update: Part Number listed is wrong part number if running stock bolt. Actual Part Number for Rock Jock: CE-9114-14 - 2 1/2 IN. JOHNNY JOINT, FORGED, 1 1/4 IN. RH THREAD (2.365 IN. X .5625 IN. BALL)
Reason for this is the bolt hole on -25 is to small for 9/16 OEM bolt. Bigger bolt hole is needed.
Are you talking about the long arm or the short arm lift?
I'm going to guess you are talking about the short arm kit because the long arm kit does not use the factory bolt to attach the joint. I used CE-9114 to replace my long arm joints and the fit just fine as you can see in the video. Also, there would have been a gap had I used your recommended part because CE-9114-14 is almost .25 in less in width than CE-9114 the other difference it the bolt width is slightly different we are only talking .0005in.
Barns 4 wd has the enduro joints that replace the Rc joints..way better !
If the johnny joints where out faster than I want I will look in to them. I know barns makes high quality off-road parts
The joint is crap but the price of the kit reflects that. You can get the kit and replace every joint right out the gate and still be the cheapest kit
You are correct about that. If I have some one come in and ask about the kit I just price the joints with the kit. Makes it easier in the long run.
Do you know p/n for Jeep tj?
TJ/LJ, or ZJ
(4) CE-9114 or TFBJR16-9 for tall lifts
(4) CE-9112SP or SP-12 if you want to upgrade hardware
(1) CE-9112N75-17 or CE-9112N75-13 for TrackBar
(6) TFBB-05 Bushings
got this from
trailforged.com/2022/05/11/rough-country-flex-joint-woes/
Grease zerks facing down now?
Yes, because I have the tools if need to extract a broken zerk. So, if one gets broken off it want be a problem. It makes greasing the joints a heck of a lot easier.
@@XtremeTruckAuto you can buy 90 degree angled zerks that allow you to run on top with no problem and easy greasing
@@zanemeyers164 Yes I know, I have the tools to fix it if needed. I didn't have the 90s on hand so I went the lazy route. Also, this is more of an overlanding rig that a crawler.
How can I tell if they are bad?
The joint will have side to side play. You can grab the arm a shake it. If there is any play I would replace them. It will only get worse with time and you don't want it to get to the point of death wobble. Mine had quite a bit of play by the time I replaced them.
Core 4x4 is a Lifetime warranty!
True, but they don't make a long arm kit. In my opinion any lift 4 inches ore above should be long arm. It will ride and drive much better than short arms.
I don't think it covers the joints.
Mine Barely lasted over a year.
The joint are the weak link of their kit. That's why I would recommend upgrading them right off the bat or when they go bad.
Have you had a chance to open up the RC joints to see what failed ?
Not as of yet. Things have been a bit crazy here witch is a good thing. I do have a Johnny Joint on order as soon as that gets here I will be shooting the video.
Just looked and the part should be in this Friday. So give me a week or so to get the part installed, the video shot and edit the video up. I will push a video so I can get this video out for you sooner.
Just pulled mine apart , all 4 long arm joints are toast . The plastic "bushing " was broken on one and the other 3 had what looked to be severe friction burns on the inside of the joint even though I greased them as recommended with quality grease . Very disappointed it was cheap plastic and no real seal to keep out the crud . Do you know if there is a jonny joint for the front upper control arms ? If so do you have a part # . Thank you
@@fckyoutube2852 CE-9112SP
trailforged.com/2022/05/11/rough-country-flex-joint-woes/
they list everything you need when it comes to replacement parts here.
Awesome. Thank you ...@@XtremeTruckAuto