Robar

I think this is a known problem.

http://www.teraflex.biz/gusset-kit-f...and-right.html

highoctane

While the welds don't look the best, this is turning into a common failure spot on jk Teraflex long arm rear frame side brackets. It is a design issue. One, on the rear bracket where it's broken at the angled part of tar bracket, that angled point IS the weak point, and on mine, broke FIRST, then ripped the welds of with part of the frame attached to it as I attempted to limp it off the trail. So, the bracket failed first. Teraflex had recognized this design flaw, and now includes a set of gussets to reinforce the weak part of the rear brackets. Also if you contact Joe at Teraflex, you will get a set of the gussets free of charge if you already have a Teraflex longarm.


Edit: looks like Robar posted the info while I was typing. Check out the link above.

twarne01

the frame just got too hot when being welded and caused the metal to weaken. over time the added stress on the frame eventually made it crack then tear.

similar issues occur on jeep cherokees when you try and weld components onto the unibody frame. the difference is the unibody is a lot thinner, but the end result is the same. overheated metal fatigues and cracks.

i would venture to guess the welder hasn't had a lot of experience doing this type of job.

kesmith8

Agree... I havent welded on my Jeep, but have many exp on farm equipment. good and bad... usually a cold weld will pull apart and no real damage... Hot will usually screw up lots of items in the area by weakening the point of contact and everything around it.

Strombeck

I agree it looks as if it's on teraflex. That has nothing to do with the welding is how much area is attached to the frame! That is correct there should be more surface area to weld to the frame. :(

mattonline

That weld looks like sh*t and has nothing to do with Teraflex - it's all the welder. You obviously know it's going to take some coin to get that fixed but you should spend it and do it right - whether you ever offroad or not. Otherwise you run the risk of it happening again. Here's what a properly welded and finished Teraflex long arm bracket and gusset should look like:



You're in Texas, so I would call Sean at Screamin Lizard Customs. They did a kick ass job on mine.

mattonline

You would also be doing a good deed by posting the name of the shop so that no one else makes the mistake of taking their rig there for a weld job.

DegoRed

Robar & Octane, thanks for the help.

Its funny, if you read the description from TeraFlex it says "This gusset gives more weld surface area, and ties into the frame where it is double thick."

That was my first thought when I saw it. There is just not enough surface area at the attachment point. Seems like good weld or bad weld, this problem would have occurred.

Matt, the guy/shop who did the work on my Jeep is the nicest, most honest guy I have ever meet in the automotive business. He worked on my rig for 2 weeks. I never knew him until he worked on my Jeep and there is no doubt in my mind, he did not intend to do anything to hurt my Jeep. He bent over backwards to help me, disparaging him in this forum will not fix my problem.

Screamin Lizard is a good shop, they are up in Dallas though. Since my sled is not drivable at this point, hauling it 3 hours up to Dallas, then driving 3 hours home to drive 3 hours back up to Dallas a week later to drive another 3 hours home again is just not going to work for me. I am sure I can find a shop to fix this in either Austin or San Antonio.

mattonline

Dego, I never suggested anyone was a bad person or had bad intentions, so stating the name of the shop isn't a personal attack or character bashing but there are probably people reading this forum just like you (looking for someone to lift their rig) who would really appreciate hearing about your entire experience, good and bad.

Welding is a science - you either know exactly what you're doing or you end up with a potentially big problem. There are a lot of guys on this forum who are really good welders but now you need someone with the know-how to not only reattach/reinforce the long arm brackets but also put some extreme reinforcement in the whole frame section to avoid a repeat issue. I know several other JK's in Texas with your exact lift (without the gussets) and they offroad pretty hard and haven't had the same issue.

I only suggested SLC based on reputation (not just my experience) and because it would cost less than $200 to have them come get it and haul it the 200 miles up there for you. Since it isn't drivable you'll spend that much taking it anywhere but the original shop in aggravation, time, equipment and fuel. To give you an idea, I sent my JK to SLC from Miami and it was only about $600 one way (roughly 1300 miles).

Good luck with everything and thank God no one was hurt.

Trauma

why has no one suggested making this guy pay for his horrible job installing the kit?