Lift kit for overlanding

[Old Jeeper]

I know that there was 100 posts about lifts and i'm not asking which one is the best.
I see there is a lot of people that went trough couple different ones.
From your experience what would be good setup for JL Rubicon mostly used for overlanding (35'' tires, bumper +winch, exoskeleton rack, big rtt...)
So far i didn't need lift as there was no crazy off road but im moving soon to place with a lot and even for overland i will need lift as im constantly adding stuff.
It's also a daily driver so i would go 2.5-3 in...

For OVERLANDING which is mostly driving trails (roads) that are unimproved and have few obstacles. Typically these are folks who are camping, stopping and cooking meals, spending the night and maybe gone a week or even more. Often they will have a trailer, I had one.

So you have a JLR. First thing I do is take out and store the rear seat, it does not go back in Jeep until it sold or traded in. I put it in a double plastic contractor bag.

I also take out the passenger front seat, now I have my bed for my 6'2" frame on the right side of the Jeep and my left side behind the drivers seat is full of gear, food, etc (if I am not taking my trailer)

I run 35x12:50x17 tires/rims. NOTE: I see some folks going to larger diameter rims, bigger diameter (17++) hurts your driving experience, ride is rougher and the tire does not comply with the terrain as well.

Lift? The Rubicon in OEM box stock will do the Rubicon Trail (IF you have the driver's skills). FYI the Rubicon is above the heads and drivers skills of about 99% of all Jeep owners. Do you need a lift for overlanding? Well those 35s just gave you 2 more inches. You can drive and accomplish any marked trail in the US with a 3 in lift and a set of 37s. Save your coin for other things go with the 35s and if you want more then I suggest you with a XR lift, which is CHEAP, buy a take-off JLUR-XR for about $750 in near new condition...this is what I am doing! Why buy a WeBe Lift Kit for $2k

Spend your coin on things like a GOOD sleeping pad and bag and assorted support items to make your trip better and more fun. Might want to get a subscription to SIRRUS.

For me, its bunk down in my Jeep, if its cold/hot engine is idling and blowing hot/cold air as I listen to SIRRUS radio and getting a good night's rest. Also, add a spare or 2 fuel cans for your idle engine time.

You might want to consider a CB radio, I had one but then the group I ran with all had them and couple of guys had shortwave radios and a few had Satellite Telephone.

I would spend (and did) my monies on better gear and survival gear. Over the many years I have been wheeling I come across abandoned Jeep, they get stripped quickly and come across folks sitting in the middle of the trail broke and they have been there going on 2 weeks waiting on wives and GFs to find parts from proprietary parts and components !!!!! <THINK hard on that and what you buy. I try to follow the Auto-Zone rule: If they don't carry it, I try not to use it

WINCH: YES and use ROPE not steel cable, I am a Go Warn or stay home guy! Warn has never let me down and I done some pulls that saved Jeeps from going down a raging river, and saved lives. Consider a yanking rope. I STRONGLY recommend this company for all your rope needs. I have him and his company for over 20+ years, he makes the best in the business, he supplied rope that ties down Oil Rigs in the North Sea...YEA! THey have inspected and rebuilt my rope that I bought from him 21 years ago at least 10 time and never charged me a dime. My rope is about 30 shorter today, down to about 80 ft long from 110ft, rated at 26k lbs

Rock Crawling: Did it 20+ years, hit the trail in the am and be back by supper or sometimes lunch. In Moab rarely further than a few miles from town and help. HIGH exposure to damage, rolling, mechanical breakdowns etc.

Overlanding: EZ now, trip may be a long weekend or a few months. There is a overland trail in Moab IIRC its about 150 miles long and is rated Jeep with good off road tires and that is about it. LOW chance of issues vs Rocks. THAT SAID, I have come across 2 people, Jeep Rubicon and a Mercedes UNIMOG both were over 4 hrs away from any town and the wives and GF were in Arizona in a motel waiting the parts deliveries. THe Guy in the UNIMOG was waiting on a part that only costs less than $20 bucks, but it was coming from GERMANY. He had already been there for 2 weeks. We gave him some water, he had food enough for another week he said. Both of these guys illustrate the proprietary parts concept that is where they got in trouble.


Lastly do not waste your money on a Hi-Lift Jack aka arm/nose/tooth breaker and shin buster.

Sponsored

 

[zoki]

For OVERLANDING which is mostly driving trails (roads) that are unimproved and have few obstacles. Typically these are folks who are camping, stopping and cooking meals, spending the night and maybe gone a week or even more. Often they will have a trailer, I had one.

So you have a JLR. First thing I do is take out and store the rear seat, it does not go back in Jeep until it sold or traded in. I put it in a double plastic contractor bag.

I also take out the passenger front seat, now I have my bed for my 6'2" frame on the right side of the Jeep and my left side behind the drivers seat is full of gear, food, etc (if I am not taking my trailer)

I run 35x12:50x17 tires/rims. NOTE: I see some folks going to larger diameter rims, bigger diameter (17++) hurts your driving experience, ride is rougher and the tire does not comply with the terrain as well.

Lift? The Rubicon in OEM box stock will do the Rubicon Trail (IF you have the driver's skills). FYI the Rubicon is above the heads and drivers skills of about 99% of all Jeep owners. Do you need a lift for overlanding? Well those 35s just gave you 2 more inches. You can drive and accomplish any marked trail in the US with a 3 in lift and a set of 37s. Save your coin for other things go with the 35s and if you want more then I suggest you with a XR lift, which is CHEAP, buy a take-off JLUR-XR for about $750 in near new condition...this is what I am doing! Why buy a WeBe Lift Kit for $2k

Spend your coin on things like a GOOD sleeping pad and bag and assorted support items to make your trip better and more fun. Might want to get a subscription to SIRRUS.

For me, its bunk down in my Jeep, if its cold/hot engine is idling and blowing hot/cold air as I listen to SIRRUS radio and getting a good night's rest. Also, add a spare or 2 fuel cans for your idle engine time.

You might want to consider a CB radio, I had one but then the group I ran with all had them and couple of guys had shortwave radios and a few had Satellite Telephone.

I would spend (and did) my monies on better gear and survival gear. Over the many years I have been wheeling I come across abandoned Jeep, they get stripped quickly and come across folks sitting in the middle of the trail broke and they have been there going on 2 weeks waiting on wives and GFs to find parts from proprietary parts and components !!!!! <THINK hard on that and what you buy. I try to follow the Auto-Zone rule: If they don't carry it, I try not to use it

WINCH: YES and use ROPE not steel cable, I am a Go Warn or stay home guy! Warn has never let me down and I done some pulls that saved Jeeps from going down a raging river, and saved lives. Consider a yanking rope. I STRONGLY recommend this company for all your rope needs. I have him and his company for over 20+ years, he makes the best in the business, he supplied rope that ties down Oil Rigs in the North Sea...YEA! THey have inspected and rebuilt my rope that I bought from him 21 years ago at least 10 time and never charged me a dime. My rope is about 30 shorter today, down to about 80 ft long from 110ft, rated at 26k lbs

Rock Crawling: Did it 20+ years, hit the trail in the am and be back by supper or sometimes lunch. In Moab rarely further than a few miles from town and help. HIGH exposure to damage, rolling, mechanical breakdowns etc.

Overlanding: EZ now, trip may be a long weekend or a few months. There is a overland trail in Moab IIRC its about 150 miles long and is rated Jeep with good off road tires and that is about it. LOW chance of issues vs Rocks. THAT SAID, I have come across 2 people, Jeep Rubicon and a Mercedes UNIMOG both were over 4 hrs away from any town and the wives and GF were in Arizona in a motel waiting the parts deliveries. THe Guy in the UNIMOG was waiting on a part that only costs less than $20 bucks, but it was coming from GERMANY. He had already been there for 2 weeks. We gave him some water, he had food enough for another week he said. Both of these guys illustrate the proprietary parts concept that is where they got in trouble.


Lastly do not waste your money on a Hi-Lift Jack aka arm/nose/tooth breaker and shin buster.

Thank you for your input, i appreciate it

I have JL and same 35 size tires like you .
I cant' take seats out because my wife and kids are riding with me.
I also have gobi stealth rack and 4 person rtt on top and that itself added some weight.
Where i currently live i didn't have too much issues except rubbing on bigger bumps or holes in woods around or on the beach, and i didn't go some routes because i always felt i need lift. Im moving in couple months in way more mountainy area and i just want to get it ready before i get there.
Do i need extreme lift or similar, probably not.
And that's why i asked for your guys experience, not what is the best lift in the world.
Also i want to get one that im not gonna be sorry later and then change it again.
I bought a jeep to have fun, camp and also as a daily. Will i climb rocks? probably not. Do some off road? yes.
If i wanted just camp on the trail i would buy Subaru...
I agree with you about winch, radio and survival gear, it's next on my list.

 

[zoki]

i have a Clayton 2-1/2" with 35s and i run pretty heavy. i'm happy with their set up. go with practical shocks, you don't need fancy reservoirs, and talk to them about maybe using the 3-1/2" springs in the rear. i'm guessing i've got 700-800# of bolt on shit and gear in my jeep and i probably should have used the heavier springs. i MAY add a 3/4" spacer lift in the rear if i ever get around to it.

Your jeep looks pretty much like mine except the lift.
I see the sag in the back.
You are heavy, I think I have max 400-500.
Did you change steering?

 

[_olllllllo_]

After having to carry around tents, setup, and tear down; I would probably pay for an RTT. We're looking into the small sleep-in trailers you can take everywhere.

A small off-roading trailer I can sleep in, and more importantly that the wife would sleep in, is what we went with. I avoided the RTT only because we are over 50 and my wife was not going to go for climbing up and down a ladder in the middle of the night if she has to use the restroom. I do appreciate that it takes 15 seconds to be in the trailer with heat in terrible conditions when arriving at the camping location. It fits in the garage and is ready to go within an hour (just add food). We camped 30 nights in 2022 and that would have been zero if we were in a tent (I would be camping alone). I have a RK 3.5" xfactor no-limits lift with 4.5" rear springs to compensate for sag while towing. Allows me to off-road without compromise once camp is set and still go almost anywhere with the trailer. Attended the 2022 Jeep Jamboree Emigrant Trail event and towed the trailer 200 miles off-road. Did awesome and it charges off the Jeep with a Redarc BCDC1250 50A battery tender while we drive.

 

[dpike]

Your jeep looks pretty much like mine except the lift.
I see the sag in the back.
You are heavy, I think I have max 400-500.
Did you change steering?

i did. i used steersmarts parts.
i'm relatively happy with how i'm set up. it's my wife's daily driver and our escape vehicle. i've taken the rear seats out now, but even with them in there's still room for a fridge, house battery and storage in the boot.

where did you relocate your xm antenna and gps ? and did you replace the mattess in your tent yet ?

 

[zoki]

i did. i used steersmarts parts.
i'm relatively happy with how i'm set up. it's my wife's daily driver and our escape vehicle. i've taken the rear seats out now, but even with them in there's still room for a fridge, house battery and storage in the boot.

where did you relocate your xm antenna and gps ? and did you replace the mattess in your tent yet ?

i did not relocate them...

and for the mattress, i bought mattress topper on amazon an just added under rtt one. No problem with closing or anything.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UYG8X18/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_9?smid=AJ6G0OT6MN45P&th=1

 

[zoki]

A small off-roading trailer I can sleep in, and more importantly that the wife would sleep in, is what we went with. I avoided the RTT only because we are over 50 and my wife was not going to go for climbing up and down a ladder in the middle of the night if she has to use the restroom. I do appreciate that it takes 15 seconds to be in the trailer with heat in terrible conditions when arriving at the camping location. It fits in the garage and is ready to go within an hour (just add food). We camped 30 nights in 2022 and that would have been zero if we were in a tent (I would be camping alone). I have a RK 3.5" xfactor no-limits lift with 4.5" rear springs to compensate for sag while towing. Allows me to off-road without compromise once camp is set and still go almost anywhere with the trailer. Attended the 2022 Jeep Jamboree Emigrant Trail event and towed the trailer 200 miles off-road. Did awesome and it charges off the Jeep with a Redarc BCDC1250 50A battery tender while we drive.

nice man...
Couple years ago when i lived in Colorado i almost bought teardrop trailer.
Company there was making them and they were way cheaper then now.
My problem was always kinda where to park that when im home.
And then where i live now it's even worse.
In that case im glad i didn't but i always wondered how is it.
Now i have rtt and im happy with it and the ladder are not problem yet
but maybe one day...

 

[4x4tographer]

I've been running Clayton's 2.5" Overland+ lift with 35's for about 2 years now and have been very happy with it's flexibility. Our club tends to run both "typical" overland routes and moderate to difficult local rock crawling trips here in AZ. Clayton's lift is pretty versatile and does both well in my opinion.

Like anything Jeep, it turned into a domino effect for me. The lift led to upgraded drag link/tie rod. The bigger TREs on the tie rod rubbed the factory wheels - so that led to better clearance offset wheels and 35s.

 

[zoki]

I've been running Clayton's 2.5" Overland+ lift with 35's for about 2 years now and have been very happy with it's flexibility. Our club tends to run both "typical" overland routes and moderate to difficult local rock crawling trips here in AZ. Clayton's lift is pretty versatile and does both well in my opinion.

Like anything Jeep, it turned into a domino effect for me. The lift led to upgraded drag link/tie rod. The bigger TREs on the tie rod rubbed the factory wheels - so that led to better clearance offset wheels and 35s.

Yeah, Jeep is a money hole.

What kinda shocks do you run?
I see Clayton has good reviews from you guys but shocks that they put in that package are 2k...
That's more then a lot of other lift kits complete package.

 

[4x4tographer]

Yeah, Jeep is a money hole.

What kinda shocks do you run?
I see Clayton has good reviews from you guys but shocks that they put in that package are 2k...
That's more then a lot of other lift kits complete package.

I’m running the Fox 2.0 mono tubes they recommended. So far so good.
I scored a decent deal on them from Northridge back when I ordered the lift using the forum discount code.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Thank you for your input, i appreciate it

I have JL and same 35 size tires like you .
I cant' take seats out because my wife and kids are riding with me.
I also have gobi stealth rack and 4 person rtt on top and that itself added some weight.
Where i currently live i didn't have too much issues except rubbing on bigger bumps or holes in woods around or on the beach, and i didn't go some routes because i always felt i need lift. Im moving in couple months in way more mountainy area and i just want to get it ready before i get there.
Do i need extreme lift or similar, probably not.
And that's why i asked for your guys experience, not what is the best lift in the world.
Also i want to get one that im not gonna be sorry later and then change it again.
I bought a jeep to have fun, camp and also as a daily. Will i climb rocks? probably not. Do some off road? yes.
If i wanted just camp on the trail i would buy Subaru...
I agree with you about winch, radio and survival gear, it's next on my list.

Sounds good, you are going in the right direction.

Lifts are either practical or for visual only. In a PERFECT world we would never lift, we would lower. Center of Gravity (CoG) is NOT you friend. Keep that in mind and remember you are carrying a lot of gear and some is on top!

Bear in mind I have all of Moab, Rubicon Trail, Death Valley trails, Mexico Tx, and spent 9 years and my full time job was wheeling and it was ALL done on 37s and a 3 in lift and I still recommend 35s and a JLUR-XR take off. Tires will give you 1 in and the XR is good for 2 in and its all ORGANIC...

IF you ever need a trailer I would go with a M 101 Military unit. IF you can find one for sale, not easy to come by and better than the other stuff out there, here is pic of my rig in overland mode, I am leaving on a 2 week trip into N AZ and Utah.

The second pic is a custom build trailer that I built for guy, BIG mistake, should have kown he was a car salesman . So I spent several weeks building it, cost of steel and materials over $500 bucks plus. my Fab labor and I only charged him $10 bucks an hour since he was a friend (I thought). He paid me my $500, for the steel and then when I finished I Iet him take the trailer on a shakedown overland trip...NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN. But he put it up for sale and got $3500 for it.

 

[zoki]

Sounds good, you are going in the right direction.

Lifts are either practical or for visual only. In a PERFECT world we would never lift, we would lower. Center of Gravity (CoG) is NOT you friend. Keep that in mind and remember you are carrying a lot of gear and some is on top!

Bear in mind I have all of Moab, Rubicon Trail, Death Valley trails, Mexico Tx, and spent 9 years and my full time job was wheeling and it was ALL done on 37s and a 3 in lift and I still recommend 35s and a JLUR-XR take off. Tires will give you 1 in and the XR is good for 2 in and its all ORGANIC...

IF you ever need a trailer I would go with a M 101 Military unit. IF you can find one for sale, not easy to come by and better than the other stuff out there, here is pic of my rig in overland mode, I am leaving on a 2 week trip into N AZ and Utah.

The second pic is a custom build trailer that I built for guy, BIG mistake, should have know, he a car salesman . So I spent several weeks building it, cost of steel and materials over $500 bucks plus. my Fab labor and I only charged him $10 bucks and hr since he was a friend (I thought). He paid me my $500, then when I finished Iet him take the trailer on a shakedown overland trip...NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN. But he put it up for sale and got $3500 for it.

I will definetlly look into jlur take offs.
I personally would never buy lift just for looks.

I live in the area where im surrounded with military stuff so maybe i can find one trailer but from my experience that thing is heavy as hell?

 

[Old Jeeper]

I will definetlly look into jlur take offs.
I personally would never buy lift just for looks.

I live in the area where im surrounded with military stuff so maybe i can find one trailer but from my experience that thing is heavy as hell?

JULR - XR, you want the XR package that is found on the 392, lot of them out there, I got one the other day for my JLR.

YES, they are heavy, very heavy, HOWEVER, the military designed it for a man and or a 2 man team. They are perfectly balanced and I have seen them in combat zones with 1000+ lbs of ammo in them and 2 guys moving it around. Mine would be full to the lip and I moved it myself with all my overland gear in there for my long trips. The short trip as I said take passenger and back seat out (wife never went with me) plenty of room for gear and me at night. I had 'milk' crates with gear for cooking, clothes etc.

Here is a takeoff: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...p-wrangler-rubicon-jl-with-3-6-engine.105933/

And the sponsor RubiTrux on here, they have a LOT of Take Offs...

 

[_olllllllo_]

nice man...
Couple years ago when i lived in Colorado i almost bought teardrop trailer.
Company there was making them and they were way cheaper then now.
My problem was always kinda where to park that when im home.
And then where i live now it's even worse.
In that case im glad i didn't but i always wondered how is it.
Now i have rtt and im happy with it and the ladder are not problem yet
but maybe one day...

I understand the storage issue. I specifically wanted a trailer I could park in the garage, both from a security standpoint, but also for ease of access. I have 3" to spare between the top of the 270˚ awning and the garage. Sounds like you found the sweet spot for your needs to support getting out and exploring. I am just glad our Jeeps can support the various solutions we all come up with.

 

[Clayton Off Road]

Yeah, Jeep is a money hole.

What kinda shocks do you run?
I see Clayton has good reviews from you guys but shocks that they put in that package are 2k...
That's more then a lot of other lift kits complete package.

Hey there!

The package deal is just set up with Falcon shocks currently, however, if you would like to swap to the Fox shocks you can always give us a call and we can make this adjustment over the phone!

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