Clayton vs Rock Krawler - am I over thinking?

[vonguido]

Hello all,

I am contemplating these two lift kits:
Clayton 3.5” overland plus w/ Falcon 3.3
Or
Rock Krawler 3” Adventure X-Pro No limits w/ the triangulated rear with Fox 2.5

This is for a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.
Daily driver, located in Ohio(salted roads in winter) that will see wheeling once a month and occasional Jeep Jamboree events in the Midwest. It will also be driven up to 6hrs for sporting events for kids.
Winch, and gear in the bed - possibly a cap for the truck bed in a year.
I want reliable, better than factory ride, low maintenance if possible.

I had a 3” RK X-Factor kit on my old JKUR, flexed great and no real complaints other then needing to grease the joints often.

I want to run a 37 OR 38 Nitto ridge grappler.

Am I overthinking this? My local shop doesn’t sell either kit, they are all about Teraflex. Give me your thoughts on the lifts.

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[Silverator]

I've already decided on the Clayton, but ran across this yesterday. Perhaps it might be of some help to you. Good luck with your build.

 

[piroman683]

The pro-x is the only way to utilize full rear travel anything else and you're missing out on travel because you go into suspension bind due to the rear track bar.

I am running Clayton lower control arms but rock krawler upper with the pro-x axle truss. This allows up to 18in of rear travel when properly set up with sprigs, sway bar, and the right length shock. PM me for more details as I've help a few others build out the right lift/suspension setup

 

[Camaroboi13]

No experience with either of them, I’m a Teraflex guy myself. If I were to choose one of them I’d probably go with the Clayton personally. Just seems more user friendly in my opinion. I’m also not looking for maximum articulation as I only do 5-7 rated trails.

 

[mx5red]

I have Pro-X cradle with stock arms otherwise. It improved the ride a bit, and if wheeling is a factor it is like upgrading the track bar/curved track bar to fit bigger spare, adding upper CA brackets for improved pinion angle with max droop, and, well, upgraded control arms (flex). So if you’re interested in those other bits it is a good upgrade over all those other options separately. Most importantly I think the ride is better with 4 link vs track bar.
Note there is now the Rusty’s kit which is weld-only, but either equivalent or better.

For better flex, I eventually plan on upgrading arms (and shocks, thus front driveshaft, and rear brake lines) and would only choose Metalcloak or Clayton. I have never seen anybody criticize those two. RK, definitely.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match brands.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Hello all,

I am contemplating these two lift kits:
Clayton 3.5” overland plus w/ Falcon 3.3
Or
Rock Krawler 3” Adventure X-Pro No limits w/ the triangulated rear with Fox 2.5

This is for a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.
Daily driver, located in Ohio(salted roads in winter) that will see wheeling once a month and occasional Jeep Jamboree events in the Midwest. It will also be driven up to 6hrs for sporting events for kids.
Winch, and gear in the bed - possibly a cap for the truck bed in a year.
I want reliable, better than factory ride, low maintenance if possible.

I had a 3” RK X-Factor kit on my old JKUR, flexed great and no real complaints other then needing to grease the joints often.

I want to run a 37 OR 38 Nitto ridge grappler.

Am I overthinking this? My local shop doesn’t sell either kit, they are all about Teraflex. Give me your thoughts on the lifts.

rockcrawler with Foxes would be my choice, but if the clayton is cheaper it still meets your needs if not meets them better.

 

[BunkieJeeper75]

Clayton 3.5” overland plus w/ Falcon 3.3

I went with Clayton 3.5” overland plus w/ Falcon 3.3 with HD rear springs on my 2023 Rubicon with 37” tires!
I love this setup! I have Smartcap and RTT with American adventure labs drawers and frig slider!

 

[sl65racer]

I went with the Clayton 2.5” Overland + kit but kept my ride light so ended up with 3.5” of lift on 37” tires. It rides nicely on and off road.

I wasn‘t impressed with the Currie drag link came with the kit. After going through two of them in a year I switched to the aluminum Apex kit with 2.5 ton ball joints a couple months ago. Good so far.

 

[vonguido]

I went with Clayton 3.5” overland plus w/ Falcon 3.3 with HD rear springs on my 2023 Rubicon with 37” tires!
I love this setup! I have Smartcap and RTT with American adventure labs drawers and frig slider!

How does the Jeep ride? Do you always have the cap/RTT on?
How have the joints held up?

 

[vonguido]

I went with the Clayton 2.5” Overland + kit but kept my ride light so ended up with 3.5” of lift on 37” tires. It rides nicely on and off road.

I wasn‘t impressed with the Currie drag link came with the kit. After going through two of them in a year I switched to the aluminum Apex kit with 2.5 ton ball joints a couple months ago. Good so far.

I would be going with a SteerSmart Yeti setup, so this makes me feel better about that choice

 

[vonguido]

I've already decided on the Clayton, but ran across this yesterday. Perhaps it might be of some help to you. Good luck with your build.

I had seen this video but wasn’t sure if he had the same RK lift.
one of my concerns was the weight in the back and if the RK springs could handle it. It sounds like they can’t.

 

[BunkieJeeper75]

How does the Jeep ride? Do you always have the cap/RTT on?
How have the joints held up?

I think it rides great. 7500 miles on it.
It is my primary driver and I live in Louisiana so a lot of flat roads. I have done a trip to the ozarks and performed flawlessly in mountains and mud.
My cap stays on but I remove RTT between trips but I leave my gear in it 24/7

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