Rubicrawler

[garbageman]

I am going to get a rubicrawler for my jeep and I'm going to put it in myself. Does anyone have any advice?

[robnoxious1]

[quote="garbageman"]I am going to get a rubicrawler for my jeep and I'm going to put it in myself. Does anyone have any advice?[/quote]

Let me know if you want help man, really curious as to how hard an install it is. I think MFDD has one in his Jeep.

[garbageman]

I am heading over to advanced adapters Thursday to check it out, it seems pretty easy other than the linkage , It may be a while before I do it, I hade back surgery two weeks ago and I am stuck to the couch for a few more weeks.

[Desert Dog]

Advice -

If you get the Rubicrawler, get the premium shift knobs. The standard ones that come with the kit suck and they are knuckle busters.

But truth be told after having my Rubicrawler for a couple years is this:

* The 7.4:1 ratio in low-low for my JK-X is almost too low to be practical. I break a lot of parts when I use it, therefore, I hardly ever use it. In the end, the low gears in the axles were more useful to me than the rubicrawler. I use it to get on obstacles occasionally, but turn it off if there is even a small chance that a tire might get bound up. That low-low will snap axles / u-joints / wheel studs / etc. like nothing if a tire gets bound. I can break chromlolyD60 shafts on demand with this ratio.

* If you have a Rubicon, the Rubicrawler is a COMPLETE waste of money. That 10.8:1 ratio is stupid low for a jeep and will be generally unusable. Your brakes will not even function while using this gear ratio. be prepared to be broke down all the time if you get a Rubicrawler with a Rubicon case.

* If I knew what I know now then, I would have just saved up twice the money an got an Atlas 4. Its probably 5 times stronger than the stock case and you get VERY functional gears; an extra low range for extreme rocks, high gears for hauling ass through mud & sand, and in-between gears for general purpose trail use.


Like with any Atlas product. It will shift like crap until you break it in. I paid Richard at G&G to install mine because I didn't have time to fuck with it. They did it in a day.

[robnoxious1]

For a Rubicon it gives you 2.73:1 which would be nice for the milder trails and sand/mud.

I dont know how practical the extra low would be for crawling but I think it might be nice for descending stuff. I dont know if its the tranny or the engine but these things shure dont engine brake worth a damn so maybe extra low would help with that.

[garbageman]

thanks DD! I was a little worried about tearing shit up, I don't feel like my jeep has enough power right now with the setup it has. Im running 37s and I have been told that the d44 do not like that bigger tire with all the weight. I certainly don't want to go to a 35 or buy d60 so I will stick with what I have. It would be nice to have a mild low 2wd but its going to cost a lot to get that and I don't think its worth it.
my buddy GBK has a tj with a 4 banger and he is thinking of going with a atlas 4. im sure he will get it done pretty soon and id like to see how it performs.

[Desert Dog]

[quote="garbageman"]thanks DD! I was a little worried about tearing shit up, I don't feel like my jeep has enough power right now with the setup it has. Im running 37s and I have been told that the d44 do not like that bigger tire with all the weight. I certainly don't want to go to a 35 or buy d60 so I will stick with what I have. It would be nice to have a mild low 2wd but its going to cost a lot to get that and I don't think its worth it.
my buddy GBK has a tj with a 4 banger and he is thinking of going with a atlas 4. im sure he will get it done pretty soon and id like to see how it performs.[/quote]
You can beef up your 44s to run 37s OK, if you stick to the intermediate trails. Matter of fact, you should beef up that front axle even for 35 (because it has D30 tubes and outers - Rubicon D44s are not really 44s)). Just be mindful that I know a LOT of people (even in this club) that spent so much money trying to beef up their D44, that a D60 would have been the same price and less effort in the end. When I had a D44 in the rear of my JK - I broke enough gears and shafts to pay for a new 1-ton axle.

Its all about how you plan to wheel. Just trail runs with the Rubicon trail being at the extreme end, or do you plan on eventually running with the BRC?

And your 4:1 case should have PLENTY of torque off-road. I wheel all of the trails in JV with 2.72:1 with 42" tires on my JK! I have never felt a lack of power on the trail. A 4:1 would be perfect sometimes for those technical obstacles where I want more control. So There is merit to having both.

I don't want to sound condescending so please don't take it that way, but I see too many inexperience 4-wheelers blow huge amounts of money on things that are not a priority. I watch guys spend $2k on lights, but ignore gears and lockers. I see guys spend $1k on a winch, yet still run factory axle shafts and drivelines. Its all about priorities, and we have all wasted money on things we should have waited for (its a Jeep thing). You need to start with the tires you want to run in your final build goals, not just now but in the future. Everything else you put on that Jeep will revolve around the size tires you plan to run. Build the axles / gearing for those tires, then get the proper suspension for those tires, then build your steering around those tires, and lastly consider transfer case options.

Rather than blow $1600 on a Rubicrawler, you would get 10 times more benefit from beefing up your axles to handle the 37s.

Artec D-44 truss = $100
Chromoly front axle shafts = $600
Chromoly Rear axle shafts = $400
Poly ball joints = $200

Or better yet, You can build a set of 1-ton junkyard axles for the same price if you have the fab-skills.

Whats the use of having an Atlas or Rubicrawler when you are breaking axle shafts, bending tubes, and can't turn those 37s in the rocks?

To be honest, when I went to 37s, I considered my hydro-assist steering a better investment than the Rubicrawler. 37s suck ass in the big rocks without hydro assist. Now I hate wheeling rigs without hydro assist, seems like too much work with little gain

[garbageman]

Thanks DD I appreciate your candid opinion! I have beefed up the front and rear axels already, rcv axels artech truss tube inserts, gussets, and about a week later I realized why the f!!k didn't I just buy a d 60, I would have spent a few more $$$, but I would have a lot more to work with. I have been looking for a junkyard 60 but I have not found any that were reasonably priced.(around 600-1000) artech makes a nice kit for all the mounts. I have 37 on my jeep now and I just starting to think that instead of dumping a ton of money into this rig, just build or buy a buggy to do the things I would not want to do with my wife and little kids. I originally wanted to put 40 or 42 on my jeep. after I totaled the cost of new currie axels, wheels, psc steering, more suspension and all the other details I would be forking out around another 20K, I have seen a few nice buggies for around 20K. Plus im sure after I put 40s on it I will want a bigger engine. so for now I will stick with what I have.

[Desert Dog]

[quote="garbageman"] I just starting to think that instead of dumping a ton of money into this rig, just build or buy a buggy to do the things I would not want to do with my wife and little kids. I originally wanted to put 40 or 42 on my jeep. after I totaled the cost of new currie axels, wheels, psc steering, more suspension and all the other details I would be forking out around another 20K, I have seen a few nice buggies for around 20K.[/quote]
NO more realistic words have ever been spoken on these boards. There are a dozen of us in this club that regret not doing that to begin with.

If I did it again, I would have my JK on 35s to run the Con, Swamp, freeway ridge, and to drive around town. Then the buggy for the other stuff. I have about $20K total in my buggy, I put way more than that into my Jeep. Now I have a buggy for the extreme stuff, and a Jeep that is no fun on any of the regular trails.

I miss the days when Abendx, Larry, and I would take our new JKs on 35s through sledgehammer and up Calico Gatekeeper. I love taking my daughters TJ on 35s out on the trail, I have 20 times more fun that I do with mine.

So if you really do plan on being smart and getting a buggy, I would put hydro assist on your JK - then leave it as is!!!! save every cent past that for a buggy.

[abendx]

DD said it all, but one thing I believe isn't necessarily true.

Your beefed up d44 should handle the 37s with no issue. I've run some of the hardest trails in SoCal and never had issue with anything but the RCVs. Yeah... exercised warranty three times on those. Don't get me wrong, when I built my buggy, RCV shafts were ordered without hesitation. So... I wouldn't worry about the 37s and your d44. If you bump up a size in tire, you are talking a different ballpark.


So.... you could stop now and put your money where your mouth ois and save up for a buggy... or do the dumb thing like most the rest of us and spend way too much cash on a rig that will never be a buggy..... well, maybe I shouldn't say never.

[Goatman]

Go have fun with your Jeep (like going to Moab). Save up for a buggy. Simple.

[Lake_v2]

Chris, Brad, and Richard are correct to a point... crazy people like me just want to keep building...hence a 15 page build that started after I did two previous builds on it lol...

If you want to wheel more and spend less time building go that route...otherwise build it a few times and spend more money that it will ever be worth....

Thinking about it I need to start building more of other peoples junk so i stop tearing mine apart...lol

[Ben H.]

Takes all of a couple hours to install the rubicrawler and a couple more to set up the shifter. Should take a short day max. Really simple and straight forward to install. As far as whether or not you'll use the gears is a totally different thing. Personally I have the Atlas 4.3 and the rubicrawler. Never use them both in low. Use the rubicrawler low and atlas in high more than anything, with Atlas in low when wheeling.

I use both in low/low in certain snow conditions and also when I'm just cruising and dont want to lose the fizz in my beer.

[garbageman]

ben what size tire are you running? have you had your jeep in much sand? if you had to do it all over again would you?
I just cannot resist to add on more stuff to my jeep my wife is trying to keep me in check but this shit is worse than drugs.