1ntheoc

Has anyone on here done one on a Raptor or 09+ F150? There seems to be only a few that have and they are all one off's. The two exceptions are Brenthel and Foutz, but they want 18k+ for there kits without shocks.

I have yet to see someone do one themselves... and yes, I've been on DR & RDC. I'm planning to do it to my truck and would love to find someone else that's done one to "compare notes".

2014_KR

Traditional 4 link or a 4 link trailing arm (think trophy truck where the coilovers and bypasses attach midway along the outer arms)? Either way, i have no expereince with the raptor but check out some of the 4x4 forums, like pirate4x4. They have a lot of good info on how to properly set up each system.
Just out of personal curiousity, are you going full-blown race truck, rock-crawler, or just want to try something different? I had a triangulated 4 link on my buggy and it was sweet for articulation but not something I would want to drive on the road. On the other hand, i have a 5 link trailing arm system on my wildcat and its amazing, not a street legal vehicle but i can hit bumps at any speed and hardly feel it. In any case, post pics as I'd like to see your progress. I'm jealous of you raptor guys.

1ntheoc

Pirate is a very good resource, however, a lot of the information on there is more for 4x4's rather than "desert" vehicles. They do have a "4-link" calculator, but I'm more interested in actual experience with the 09-14 F150 platform rather than the basics of a 4-link (which I mostly understand).

I'm looking to build a daily driver capable of doing double duty as a weekend desert toy... lots of suspension travel. The market place is filled with LT front kits for these trucks, but the rear seems neglected.

Oh... and I don't have a Raptor... I have a 2011 FX4 Eco SCrew.

2014_KR

Brenthel (bajakits) makes a long travel leaf kit
http://www.bajakits.com/product/baja...kit-rear-only/
note, they also make a long travel front kit. Pricey but good stuff.

4-link will mostly be way overkill for what you want, theyre geared more towards offroad/race only. Not to say it cant be driven on the street but there are trade offs in everything.

JDoak

I see this is an older thread but if you're still interested lookup SVC (special vehicle concepts) in SoCal.

I know they were working on a "weld it yourself" rear back half that would accommodate leaf springs or 4 link set up.

CAD design and laser cut so it could be welded together in someones garage.

WarSurfer

There are cantilever setups that will provide 16-18" of travel and not impact bed space, cheaper than 4-link as well. Rogue Racing has a quality kit. My setup was a custom job from KHC.

There are bed cage setups running 4.5" bypasses and pulling 18+". More than enough for anything but a true race truck.

I personally wouldn't DD a 4-link.

1ntheoc

Thanks for the info... I'm about 8 miles away from SVC and I've been there a few times... I've already gotten it pretty much figured out.

1ntheoc

I did a lot of talking to RPG, SVC, Outlaw, Deaver, National, King and Giant. While everyone had some difference in opinion, they all pretty much agreed that in order to make use of my front (18" of travel with 3.0 bypasses and 2.5 coilovers) I would need linked travel in the rear. Since I spent an arm and a leg on the front, I didn't want to have the rear limit it.

Snoopaloop

If you are going to get the rear linked, it might not be a bad idea to cage it as well. I think you don't need a cage with the giant link, but with the amount of travel you are pulling, I wouldn't feel comfortable without one. You can jump high and go fast over rough terrain, but as strong as these trucks are, you still risk the chance of serious damage to yourself if you roll it going 80 over whoops.

Now, a cage might not be practical for a DD. It all depends what you decide to do with the truck.

WarSurfer

With respect, I have to disagree. Obviously a 4-link will outperform leaf sprung trucks, even notched frame leaf sprung trucks - but that isn't really the question.

The question is can a leaf sprung truck keep up with a LT front end - the answer is an absolute yes. There are dozens of LT Raptors that are running a bed cage with 3.5, 4.0 or 4.5 bypass shocks. There are a couple linked Raptors out there but the VAST majority of LT Raptors are still running leaf springs, a couple are even running cantilever setups.

If you want a 4-link, more power to you and post pics. My point is only that you have other options.

In the first pic (white truck) you can see the showcased LT kit (18" of travel) and if you look closely, the factory rear lower shock mounts are still in place.

The black truck has the same 18" alpha LT kit as the white truck but has a notched frame, leaf sprung rear that pulls 21" of travel. It's not about money either - the black truck was well over 100k to build, not counting the truck.