I have to agree with Quaddog on that statement...Flex isn't the end all-be all to wheeling....This past Fall I took a friend down to Uwharrie National forest in NC to Zuwharrie....We wheeled the easy and moderate trails (since it was my first time down there)....It had rained quite a bit the previous week leading up the the run....My friend has an awesome lifted Cherokee (6" lift, 33" MTRs).  It's flexes like crazy.....

At the time, I was running a 2" coil lifted Kick with a 3" body lift and 31 ltbs....Locked in the rear....

One climb in particular that stands out, is called Dickey Bell...Pretty steep, with some slick rocks that make forward progress pretty tough....  My friend Terry was first up....He was on that climb for nearly 10 minutes, trying to go forward....Even with huge articulation, he couldn't get his rig up...... He eventually made his way up (via an alternative trail).....

My kick pretty much walked up the climb, slipped a little, but made it look relatively easy..... 

The lightweight Zuks, and the right combination of equipment, locked, etc...Can outperform a SAS rig even if the IFS lacks alot of flex....






I have a Sammy too that I haven't done alot of mods too yet.....I won't sell it, and plan to set it up to be a great trail rig.....I think each vehicle has a pro and a con....It depends on what you want to use it for....I do agree that the trackicks have a significantly better stability due to the wider stance..... 

Here's an old pic of my three rigs....


-Zukisidekick

XJ's weigh about the same as my GV. like 100 pounds more. my GV is like 3600 poundsish and my friends XJ is like 37 or 3800

but that's pretty cool your kick walked right up that

I have to agree with Quaddog on that statement...Flex isn't the end all-be all to wheeling....This past Fall I took a friend down to Uwharrie National forest in NC to Zuwharrie....We wheeled the easy and moderate trails (since it was my first time down there)....It had rained quite a bit the previous week leading up the the run....My friend has an awesome lifted Cherokee (6" lift, 33" MTRs).  It's flexes like crazy.....

At the time, I was running a 2" coil lifted Kick with a 3" body lift and 31 ltbs....Locked in the rear....

One climb in particular that stands out, is called Dickey Bell...Pretty steep, with some slick rocks that make forward progress pretty tough....  My friend Terry was first up....He was on that climb for nearly 10 minutes, trying to go forward....Even with huge articulation, he couldn't get his rig up...... He eventually made his way up (via an alternative trail).....

My kick pretty much walked up the climb, slipped a little, but made it look relatively easy..... 

The lightweight Zuks, and the right combination of equipment, locked, etc...Can outperform a SAS rig even if the IFS lacks alot of flex....






I have a Sammy too that I haven't done alot of mods too yet.....I won't sell it, and plan to set it up to be a great trail rig.....I think each vehicle has a pro and a con....It depends on what you want to use it for....I do agree that the trackicks have a significantly better stability due to the wider stance..... 

Here's an old pic of my three rigs....


-Zukisidekick

Looks to me like your buddy has some AT tires on his cherokee.....he's never going to climb a hill like that with those tiny treads.  I love cherokees, had a 2001 limited for a couple years but it never got old enough to off road it. They look enough like samurais to pass my style test and they already have a great engine in them.

yea, XJ's are awesome but I personally don't like ther unibody or rear leafs instead of coils like a grand cherokee

i like the look of the sammy . i still want a sammy 
 i built my truck to have fun  not to get attention   from jeep guys .   i read thru the post   and agrred withQuaddawg and he can back me up on this . 
if  3 trackers can crawl up on rock that the sammy with more lift and tires couldn't the first couple try  . what i'm saying is money for money you can not beat a trackick .  here 's my prove
this sammy tried to climb this rock  with many try

so he backed out .  and said " i'll be dam if these trackers make it"
then quaddawg   walk up

then Hman  walk up

then i walk up too

the trackick are more stable too 

after seeing that post I fully agree that track/kicks are the best value. they are really freaking awesome it seems. I have to admit to quaddawg that I didn't gain much flex at all without hte sway bar now that I'm looking at pics but it does drive nicer on rough terrain without it

PurpleTracker.. you rule.. Glad you got that series of shots!!

Yep, total agreement after firsthand experience.

I have a SHORT video of me crawling that rock.. takes a while to load, let it play through first, then go back and watch it again:



(the engine revving in the background is NOT me....sounds good though)


Here is one of me climbing a loose hill that was stopping a LOT of vehicles..


Same deal, let it play through then go back and hit play again.


That hole in the bottom pictures is right at the start of Orange, and it had the Sammys tipping like mad, but the Trackers just dropped in and went on with it... no extreme tippyness.. as a matter of fact, I saw one Sammy roll there, and another almost roll..  Yep, MUCH more drama in a Sammy on the same trails, as compared to the Kicks..


MM, I am not saying you don't GET flex by removing the sway, I am saying I (not everyone else.. just I) don't  need it, don't want it, won't be bothered not having it.. LOL.

Hey it's all good. I want a Sammy TOO!!!  I just love the little trucklets.. but the Kicks will always be my favorite when the going gets rough.


And oh yeah.. how much does Hman have in his kick?? Something like $250.00 total??  LOFL>>!!!>>>

some cool vids there, didn't come out that great but that's the putfule people not putting the file well enough.

And oh yeah.. how much does Hman have in his kick?? Something like $250.00 total??  LOFL>>!!!>>>

Hman  have close to nothing on his rig ..lol  the most expensive part was worn down swampers
  i  have   total of  $420  into mine ..$300 for tracker  $120 for used bfg MT ...the lift was  shopping cart casters that hole saw out ,and weld diff ..but a nicely built sammy will out climb alot of stuff..but i don't have that kind of money

$420??  That's a nice "number" to have in it.. HA!

A nicely built Sammy won't outclimb a cheaply built Tracker, until you start stretching it, or putting the axles out near the ends of the frame.. and a Kick will do just as good if you do that to it too... once again, not opinion, but experience talking here.

like i said  $$for $$    if you put a same amount of money .......
can you imagine t case gears  and lock front on your track?

like i said  $$for $$ ;D   if you put a same amount of money .......
can you imagine t case gears  and lock front on your track?

yea, I agree fully, track/kick all the way over a sami. especially with $420 for such a decent rig. did you turn the shopping kart wheels on thier side and use them as coil spacers or something? sounds like a mastered redneck technique of lifting that works well. you're my hero if that's what you did and it works so well. good job man

lol...you re  a funny guy monsoon ..
i used a smaller shooping cart wheels and hole saw the center out and used them as spring spacers.. we did the same thing to Hman track      those caster are 1"thick  so i double stack them to get 2" spacer

lol...you re  a funny guy monsoon ..
i used a smaller shooping cart wheels and hole saw the center out and used them as spring spacers.. we did the same thing to Hman track  ;D    those caster are 1"thick  so i double stack them to get 2" spacer

dude, that is so freaking awesome. you win the award for best free mod that's for sure