Front Disconnects

StG58

StG58

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I was doing my monthly crawl under the TJ looking for loose and broken things and discovered that my front sway bar links are shot. The upper rubbers are just about gone. Bummer. I wasn't planning on replacing them right now. Anyway, I don't disconnect, never have. It has been pointed out to me on several occasions that I'm missing out (and an idiot) on one of the better things in Jeep life by not disconnecting off road. OK, I'll bite.

Not going to invest the cash into a Currie anti-rock, at least not right now, just to get the absolute best of the best. That leaves me with getting stock replacements, the JKS Quicker Disconnects, or the Rubicon Extreme quick disconnects. What's Y'alls opinion? JKS or RE? Say bag it and replace the worn out links with stock? I do want to try this disconnect thing everyone talks about. Who knows, it may keep me from lifting a tire once in awhile.
 
I don't have an opinion per say, but I built a pretty radical YJ back in the day. It had leaf springs and I did a spring over and ARB's front and rear. I had the disconnects also, but I rarely disconnected unless i was into something seriously hairy. It was a pain to get the disconnected and reconnected without two people and a flat ground. I am still learning about the coils believe it or not it is a huge difference, and there is a lot to learn. So i cannot advise you on what the best disco's are yet, but If you are locked up front and rear you can probably go without disconnecting. I am also kind of interested in what others have to suggest on this though.

PS I don't think you are an idiot
 
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ac_ said:
I don't have an opinion per say, but I built a pretty radical YJ back in the day. It had leaf springs and I did a spring over and ARB's front and rear. I had the disconnects also, but I rarely disconnected unless i was into something seriously hairy. It was a pain to get the disconnected and reconnected without two people and a flat ground. I am still learning about the coils believe it or not it is a huge difference, and there is a lot to learn. So i cannot advise you on what the best disco's are yet, but If you are locked up front and rear you can probably go without disconnecting. I am also kind of interested in what others have to suggest on this though.

PS I don't think you are an idiot
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CJ's, XJ's and now my TJ are what I have experience with. (oh, and 50 years +/- in the local backwoods ;)) Just never disconnected.

I like the way the JKS and RE systems work, and they have pretty good reviews from the non-Anti-Rock crowd. $166 vs. $135 vs. about $40 or so for stock replacements. It almost looks like the practical difference between JKS and RE is black powder coat vs. silver powder coat. I dunno, is there any real difference between the two that makes one better than the other?
 
You and I do the same type of wheelin for the most part. I have yet to disco although I do foresee myself doing so on a limited basis. As much as I'd like to run the AR, I just can't justify the price for my use. So, that leaves disconnects, with home built (been there, done that) out of the question. From reading, the JKS are the ones that are usually recommended. The RE are seemingly clones of the JKS for a few bucks less. Being that RE gear can be a bit cheap at times, the JKS are the ones in my future.
 
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Honestly, just get the cheapest things you can find. All they are is disconnects. Hell, I would get Rough Country ones if they were cheapest. All you're going to do is toss them (hopefully) at some point for an Antirock.
 
I have been running the JKS quick discos for 10 years now. I do a wide range of wheeling, and FSR exploring, and trust me, disco'ing the front really smooth's out the ride on washboard trails and washouts. You don't have to do any hard core rock crawling to reap the benefits of disco'ing the front sway bar. Yes, it's an extra step to do when you hit the dirt, but it literally takes 30 seconds to disconnect/re-connect. The RE ones look practically identical to the JKS units, so I don't think you'd go wrong with either one.
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Chris said:
Honestly, just get the cheapest things you can find. All they are is disconnects. Hell, I would get Rough Country ones if they were cheapest. All you're going to do is toss them (hopefully) at some point for an Antirock.
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Hell, if an AR is in the future, replace with a stock set for 40 bucks and unbolt them as needed. If an AR is not in the future, do not buy cheap ass disco's. They get loose, rattle, bend, and are a pain in the ass to reconnect.
 
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Rob5589 said:
Hell, if an AR is in the future, replace with a stock set for 40 bucks and unbolt them as needed. If an AR is not in the future, do not buy cheap ass disco's. They get loose, rattle, bend, and are a pain in the ass to reconnect.
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Have to agree with Rob on this one. Home brewed one's area PITA to connect, and stockers literally take you 10 minutes to unbolt and ziptie out of the way. If a AR is not in the near future, get the better ones. You can always sell them for decent monies if they are good quality units. My JKS never squeak, rattle, or cause any ride issues. I think Metal Cloak makes some too.
 
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Rob5589 said:
You and I do the same type of wheelin for the most part. I have yet to disco although I do foresee myself doing so on a limited basis. As much as I'd like to run the AR, I just can't justify the price for my use. So, that leaves disconnects, with home built (been there, done that) out of the question. From reading, the JKS are the ones that are usually recommended. The RE are seemingly clones of the JKS for a few bucks less. Being that RE gear can be a bit cheap at times, the JKS are the ones in my future.
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Good point. JKS does have a better reputation for quality of materials, fit and finish. It sure would explain the almost trivial cost difference.

The home made disconnects are cheap and strong, but they look like a serious pain in the backsides to connect and disconnect.

The FS is starting to cut and berm a lot more roads. I checked and they are not "closing" them to motorized travel. The FS is calling all the dirt work they are doing "erosion control". My ass. You need to have some pretty serious articulation and moxy to get over most of it now. They are even throwing in a few rocks here and there. The TJ will do it, but I've seen everything from BroDozers to Toyotas hung up and waiting for help. It's kind of turning into an arms race.
Chris said:
Honestly, just get the cheapest things you can find. All they are is disconnects. Hell, I would get Rough Country ones if they were cheapest. All you're going to do is toss them (hopefully) at some point for an Antirock.
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That's an idea, but I really don't see an AR in my future @Chris. It's just not needed.
 
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bobthetj03 said:
I have been running the JKS quick discos for 10 years now. I do a wide range of wheeling, and FSR exploring, and trust me, disco'ing the front really smooth's out the ride on washboard trails and washouts. You don't have to do any hard core rock crawling to reap the benefits of disco'ing the front sway bar. Yes, it's an extra step to do when you hit the dirt, but it literally takes 30 seconds to disconnect/re-connect. The RE ones look practically identical to the JKS units, so I don't think you'd go wrong with either one.
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10 years with no squeaks and rattles? Nice. That's what I've been reading as well. The JKS units have a reputation as solid kit.

So 30 seconds x 2 is a minute...I probably wouldn't reconnect until I was heading back home. That's a minute of my time for a two or three day jaunt into the woods. Not bad, plus it would give me something to do while I am airing up.
 
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StG58 said:
10 years with no squeaks and rattles? Nice. That's what I've been reading as well. The JKS units have a reputation as solid kit.

So 30 seconds x 2 is a minute...I probably wouldn't reconnect until I was heading back home. That's a minute of my time for a two or three day jaunt into the woods. Not bad, plus it would give me something to do while I am airing up.
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That's pretty much what I do. I have CO2 on board air, so I air up quick. I'm usually waiting while the rest of the crew are breaking out their compressors, so I have time to re-connect.
 
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The RE version looks very stout, but near as I can tell, does not include the pins to put the disconnected end out of the way, on the frame. The JKS & Teraflex versions both have the extra set of pins to mount on the frame to slide the disconnected end onto. The TF drawback is it is not adjustable in length.
 
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Disconnecting highly recommended. I made my own. No problems and literally takes a minute. No need to tie up sway bars, just rotate and rest them on top of upper spring perch. They won't go anywhere.
 
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StG58 said:
I was doing my monthly crawl under the TJ looking for loose and broken things and discovered that my front sway bar links are shot. The upper rubbers are just about gone. Bummer. I wasn't planning on replacing them right now. Anyway, I don't disconnect, never have. It has been pointed out to me on several occasions that I'm missing out (and an idiot) on one of the better things in Jeep life by not disconnecting off road. OK, I'll bite.

Not going to invest the cash into a Currie anti-rock, at least not right now, just to get the absolute best of the best. That leaves me with getting stock replacements, the JKS Quicker Disconnects, or the Rubicon Extreme quick disconnects. What's Y'alls opinion? JKS or RE? Say bag it and replace the worn out links with stock? I do want to try this disconnect thing everyone talks about. Who knows, it may keep me from lifting a tire once in awhile.
Click to expand...
For me it would be JKS. Run their rear track bar with no issues. It's beefy.
 
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