Topic: Marlin Crawler's New Rock Crawling Long Travel IFS Suspension System (#RCLT)

[OTO Phil]

With the amount of extension required, do you think two outers would work if they used a slip-style shaft? Kind of like a driveline?

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[Hilux_Max]

So standard CV shafts and steering components are fine for a full 1" forward hub push?

[R.DesJardin]

With products like this it will only help keep off-roading popular with the newer vehicles. Way to be innovators.

[Mtkid]

Great design and nice to see such unique features specific to crawling!

Does the horizontal UCA ball joint limit any steering angle?

[Iconic_]

Putting this on my FJ. Whenever you guys are ready!

[V-Man]

With products like this it will only help keep off-roading popular with the newer vehicles. Way to be innovators.

Only if a product has a use in more then a single type of off road use, and can be affordable to the general public.  Speaking of which, how many zillions will this upgrade cost? 

[1stgensr5taco]

Can we please get this designed for the first gen Tacoma’s as well!?!?

[canadian bum]

This is awesome, been wondering why it hasn't been done in the past. This is definitely going to change a lot for the modern Toyota IFS rigs. Is there potential for the lower level kits to use ball joints instead of uniballs in the future? SPC, JBA, and Icon offer a ball joint style control arm. And I know the uniballs dont last in winter climates. Could be a nice feature to offer for a lot of people who aren't in the best climates who would still like this kit for a DD that they want bigger tires for weekend adventures. For example my DD 4runner.

Looking forward to hanging out at the Roundup it's been a few years. Should have my Tacoma done and the Tacobox is ordered.

[V-Man]

Can bum...I have Uniballs in my upper Control arms and drive all winter here in Southern ontario.  I just spray them with dry Silicone lube and they have been fine for almost THREE years. If you use an oil lube they would be destroyed in weeks because it attracts and hold dirt and grit/salt.

[cgbemis]

Release date and price for the different options?

[Superbad]

Interested in this. BigMike are you coming back out to texas this year for the Toyota Jamboree with the new setup?

[emsvitil]

How much will work on an 86?



 

[gnob]

[joeyf]

That's a shitty design. May work for your mall crawler but that should have never left the shop knowing it's going into a race. Hope they come up with a good fix for the big race on friday.

[onecool1929]

Good question, but remember the inner CV is a tripod type which allows the inner axle to move in-and-out with wheel travel. So it has a more limited range of motion.


FAQ Round #2
Here come some responses to inquires we've received on other media outlets


Able to Daily Drive?
It will daily drive 100% like any other LT kit on the market. I will be daily driving our next RCLT HD kit starting next month. The biggest thing you will notice is increased body roll due to a lack of a front sway bar.

MarRack Included?
Only the RCLT HD Kit will come with the MarRack because factory steering cannot physically allow a knuckle to be moved forward 2-inches.
The RCLT Standard Kit, which moves the knuckles forward only 1-inch, is compatible with factory steering. You could chose to upgrade to the MarRack later if desired.

Shocks Included?
We are a Radflo distributor and will offer their LT shocks. The only thing to note is that the RCLT HD Kit will require LT shocks that have heim joints top and bottom.

Axle Shafts Included?
We will offer +2" and +2.75" extended length replacement inner axle shafts (you reuse your factory outer CVs) as well as +2" and +2.75" RCV Ultimate Shaft kits.

Ins-and-Outs
I wrote in reply #2, "Associated parts for installation", which refers to the stuff that makes up a kit such as bushings, sleeves, grease zerts, bolts, washers, misalignment spacers, limiting strap, brake lines and mounting clips, tie rod steering extensions (if applicable), and so on. I'll be editing that post with actual Kit Images as well as new categories and products added to our website this spring.

Can RCLT and/or RCLT HD be desert raced?
First and foremost, there are better kits for Baja than either RCLT which are optimized for Rock Crawling. Probably the best way to answer this is as follows:

Why the Standard Kit is better for Baja than the HD:

• Less unsprung weight (mainly) due to factory knuckles being lighter than our HD knuckles
• The factory knuckle's top vertical ball joint allows for a more compact UCA (narrow single shear vs wide double shear ball joint mount) so you'll likely to have a bit more maximum up travel prior to modifying sheet metal
• Depending on tire size and wheel offset, would likely not require larger fenders

Why the HD Kit is better for Baja than the Standard:

• The track width is 37.5% larger (2.75" vs 2") for better suspension travel and cornering/off-camber stability
• Horizontal ball joints do not encounter misalignment issues so theoretically they allow more travel. If 2WD then substantially more travel
  
• Double-shear ball joints and steering TRE connection are way stronger and can handle far higher loads (both hitting whoops and landing jumps)
• MarRack is required and provides incredible steering strength, however it could be added to the Standard kit too

Regards,
BigMike

Plans to make this for the 3rd generation 4runner?

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[Toyotadon]

That's a shitty design. May work for your mall crawler but that should have never left the shop knowing it's going into a race. Hope they come up with a good fix for the big race on friday.

This car was never built for the big race, only the EMC 4600 class.

That said, it has now been proven what was a weak link in the system. A possible solution I can see would be to leave it as the weak link (or fuse), but make it a bolt-on part of the spindle. This way, spare parts can easily be carried along and swapped out when the big rock is run into. Something so small should not have ended their race, IMO.

[Charles4x4]

BigMike, thanks so much for starting this thread.  It has been an honor to partner with You and Marlin Crawler on your RCLT kit.

For those who don't know me, I'm the owner of Steel City Racing and one of two individuals that has had the pleasure of "real world" testing the new Marlin Crawler RCLT kit.  The other person is Robert Otwell who helped me with all major custom fabrication on our Steel City Racing 4602 King of the Hammers build.  I mention Robert because he has 10x the desert racing and rock crawling experience that I have.


Let me cut to the chase.  This RCLT Kit is solid.  It's provides unmatched ground clearance, strength, and performance.  There isn't anything else like it on the market today.  BigMike poured his Heart, Soul, and Experience into this product and it just plain performs.


Now, let me get to testing.  For full disclosure, BigMike asked me to be fully transparent and honest in my review.

When the 4602 was finally ready for testing, both Robert (at a much faster pace than I was capable of) and I put it through Rough Desert terrain and some Moderate to Difficult Rock Crawling.  Our rear suspension is an amazing RockSolidToys 4-Link setup.  Unfortunately our rear is limited by 4600 Ultra4 Class rules, specifically a large crossmember in front of the rear axle that we cannot touch that limits us by 3-4" of uptravel. 

We run 2.5" Icon Coilovers in the front (Remote Reservoir and CDCV) and Icon Progressive Rate Coils and 2.5" Shocks in the rear (Remote Resevoir and CDCV).  We also have the first set of RCV Gen II Front Axle Shafts with the stock Toyota 8" Diff (4.56 Gears, ARB Locker, and MarlinCrawler internal upgrades) than can handle up to 28 degrees of operability and 40" tires.  We have a Dynatrac ProRock 60 in the rear that is setup by RockSolidToys.

The RCLT kit performed so well that our rear suspension, albeit it's limitation noted above, actually struggled to keep up.  We were not expecting this - and neither was Icon who was hoping we had 30% more Rear Travel than Front Travel. 

The front end floated over the rough desert and flexed really well in the rocks.  So much that we actually had to stiffen the front Icon Coilovers to hold the front back a little to balance it with our Ultra4 Rule limited rear suspension.


Our prototype is still being intentionally limited.  Unfortunately our front Icon Coilovers were so big in diameter that we had to limit 3-4" of downtravel with a limit strap to keep the coils from hitting the spindle.  With this spindle "tweak", our RCLT travel is going to be even better.


Now, let's get to the race.  If you check out our build thread (http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=103102.0), you will see a ton of pictures and videos of the RCLT kit in action.  Spectators said it looked like we were "floating" through the rough stuff.  We were 2x smoother and faster than all the Solid Axle guys in desert.  We never made it to the rocks, but our testing on numerous Hammers trails during pre-running the 2-3 days before the race proved the suspension flexed and performed really well in the rock crawling environment.  Obviously more testing is needed in the rocks though.


Fast forward to Mile 25.  As someone posted above, we experienced a steering connection failure at KOH that took us out of the race.  If you know Ultra4, you know that we are literally "strapped in" beyond belief inside our Cage, 5-Point Harnesses, Neck Restraints, Fire Suits, and Helmets.  Simply put, we cannot see all that well and are trying to go FAST.


About an hour or an hour and a half into KOH EMC Lap 1 (75% of the total EMC mileage is in Lap 1) and many miles of rough terrain tackled, we were stuck behind a big blue 4600 Ford that was blocking our visibility.  I mis-judged a rock that we honestly never "truly saw" and took a hit it on our passenger front tire at speed.  We felt the vehicle hit fairly hard and our steering started to act funny.  The picture above is the final result - our steering tie rod end sheared off the spindle connection a few yards later and took us out of the race.


Could this section be stronger?  Yes, absolutely.  Should I have avoided that rock?  Of course.  Will the RCLT be able to take the impact after the revisions above are made.  Hopefully!

BigMike wanted his product tested in the most grueling venue possible - KOH.  It's is the ultimate race to reveal any potential weak points before a product hits the market.  That's what R&D is all about.  Mission accomplished.  It's also worth of noting that I contacted 4-5 other Long Travel Front Suspension Manufactures early in the build process and none were willing to put their product on a KOH bound vehicle.  They all stated that their systems weren't "made for KOH level abuse".

So, what's next? 

Within minutes of me sending pictures of the damage to BigMike from the lakebed where we were towed after the break, he was already working on ideas and improvements to the RCLT kit.  From my perspective, the only "enhancements" that I can foresee are:
1) Strengthening the connection point for the Steering End to Spindle to avoid any future failures at this connection point.
2) Reinforcing the Lower A-Arm with a gusset at the rear lower side for potential high speed impact.
3) Shaving the width of the spindle in the middle areas to avoid contact with large diameter 2.5" coilovers, thereby gaining anoterr 3-4" of downtravel
4) Shaving a little more material off the lower Coilover mount on the A-Arm so large Gen II RCV boots clear it easily at 28 degrees.

That's it.  Nothing else is needed.


Our RCLT kit is on our 4602 car in my garage as we speak.  The MarRack to this day still works like new and took a lot of abuse helping get us out of that canyon with only one wheel steering.  The tie rod ends are as stout as they get and didn't flinch at impact.  The Upper A-Arm is solid.  The Lower A-Arm and Spindle will be perfect after these small tweaks mentioned above.  And the steering connection can be and will be strengthened.

In reality, Robert, Justin Reece, our pit crew team, and I were expecting many more problems with a "First Of It's Kind" Prototype like the RCLT kit.  Everyone who drove it and everyone who worked on it (including Justin Reece and Our Pit Crew Team, who won 4600 this year) were more than impressed.  It is extremely well envisioned, engineered, and built and only minor tweaks are needed before it's ready for market.


I am honored and excited to have been given the opportunity to run and test the RCLT kit and MarkRack on our 4602 car.  And I'm equally as excited to help BigMike make these enhancements and get the RCLT kit to Market.

If further proof is needed of our commitment to Marlin Crawler and the RCLT Kit / MarRack setup, we will be proud to run the newly enhanced RCLT kit on our 4602 car again in the 2020 King of the Hammers next year with a goal of finishing the race.


If you are considering this kit, IMO it's the ONLY Long Travel IFS Suspension and Steering setup capable of withstanding King of the Hammers level Desert Racing and Rock Crawling abuse while providing optimal performance in any terrain you could possible encounter.  But it's also still in development, so you'll need to be patient on the full release.

Please feel free to ask me any questions in this thread or PM me for more details.

[Wainiha]

in my dreams...

[dankunz]

I'm ready to install 😁

[Charles4x4]

Marlin's RCLT Kit was featured here:
https://www.offroadxtreme.com/features/car-features/top-5-vehicles-of-koh-2019/

Check it out.

[ToyotaRoamer86]

  So do they have grease zerks for the control arms? Would be nice for annual services. BigMike, this is a amazing looking product!

[mtnracer51]

Kit is looking awesome. Cant wait to check it out and now im dreaming of putting it on my 4th gen runner. Much eaiser than an solid axle swap!

[Crawlerbrennan2]

Good job big Mike. You have put a lot of work into this and it shows.

[Mikehastoysintheattic]

I'm here to plead for a kit for the first gen tacoma too!! What an awesome step this is. I've spent the couple days reading thru your thread on the tacoma, and this. So cool. Looking forward to what you do from here!!! 1st gen tacoma please!!!

[BigMike [OP]]

Last night I updated my build thread (starting from reply #917) so this will be much of the same info. I haven't not responded to all replies yet but I will hold until after posting this new info and take questions after this. I'll also be updating the opening post with current info, thanks!

To take a quick step back, on May 7 I posted the following updated regarding progress on RCLT:

===========QUOTE (Reply #901 from my build thread)=============

Winter/Spring 2019: An Overview

If I may speak freely for a moment, before our Round-Up I had torn both CV boots (again) back in Aug/Sept, at a time when I was originally planning to install the first prototype Rock Crawling Long Travel IFS kit (RCLT) to my Tacoma. I told people it would be on the truck for the Round-Up, which came and passed, with more plans and scheduling going to sh*t among a really long and messed up fall/winter. Many plans were shifted around on a number of projects. I've had my share of things to be upset about over the last 8 or 9 months, including re-tearing the meniscus in my left knee while finishing up the RCLT KOH project 4Runner... During all of this I've let the Tacoma run itself into the ground.

After getting the first Prototype RCLT HD done on January 3rd, I took a two week break and then began on V2 Prototype.

I know many are asking for RCLT and MarRack updates. These things take time and we've only produced one article; It will be longer until we start on pricing. It feels like V1 Prototype MarRack has been on my Tacoma for many years but in reality it was only finished two months before starting on RCLT. I've been working extremely hard on everything plus I have a company to run. Here is an updated project summary:

Prototype MarRack & RCLT Updates
Spring 2018: The MarRack is born & V1 Prototype installed to my Tacoma
Spring 2018: RCLT is born
Nov 27, 2018: Work on V2 Prototype MarRack begins!!
Dec 25, 2018: V2 Prototype MarRack design is finished on Christmas Day
Dec 27, 2018: V2 Prototype MarRack installation on KOH 4R is finished!
Jan 01, 2019: V1 Prototype RCLT HD installation begins on New Years Day
Jan 03, 2019: V1 Prototype RCLT HD installation on KOH 4R is finished!
Jan 16, 2019: Work on V2 Prototype RCLT HD begins!!
Feb 06, 2019: V1 Prototype RCLT HD + V2 Prototype MarRack competes in the King Of The Hammers. It was the only Toyota-based IFS system in all of KOH!!
Feb 21, 2019: V2 Prototype RCLT HD reaches Feature Lock with more than 100 (mostly small) improvements over V1
Mar 07, 2019: V2 Prototype RCLT HD starts pre-production!!!
======================END QUOTE========================

So from early March I waited for V2.0 parts to began trickling in and by early April raw goods were in, my lead fabricator Rocky and I built RCLT HD V2.0, sent it out for powder coating, then finally I prepped my Tacoma by ditching my old custom-built LT setup and proceeded to taste RCLT for myself!!

Incoming info from my build thread with RCLT HD updates!

Late April, 2019: RCLT HD Prototype V2.0 is installed!

Well ladies and gentlemen!! After a crap ton of work I am extremely pleased to announce...

RCLT HD Prototype V2.0!

Featuring more than 100 (mostly small) improvements, the biggest being a one-piece integrated double-sheer & angled steering arm--to--wheel hub--to--brake caliper cut via CNC from billet steel to form a 100% solid lower knuckle assembly. Something I couldn't say before is that my original design called for a one-piece CNC billet steel lower assembly but due to time constraints imposed by the King Of The Hammers competition, I had to scramble and whip-up hand-welded plate-steel components which left much to be desired.

I have also greatly increased strength at the LCA uniball area, with even a bit more strength landing with V3.0.







Manufacturing for V2.0 was also greatly aided by using full one-piece jigs I designed & created for all six components: D/P LCA, D/P UCA, & D/P HD Knuckle. As a result, despite about a final 20 remaining (mostly small) issues, Rocky and I finished V2.0 in only TWO days as opposed to the nearly 30 days it took to build V1.0 free-hand with the countless issues a first prototype yields.

As RCLT HD stands currently, I am nearly finished with V3.0 which I am 90% confident will be the final prototype before we make the major shift towards full production.

Prototype V3.0 is already past Feature Lock with the largest improvements being an enclosed LCA V-Groove saddle (eliminates the need for water drain holes), stronger limit strap mount, dual shock mount (which has been a royal pain in the ass to design on an angled LCA designed for maximum ground clearance), and equipping the 7/8" TREs with larger 5/8" hardware (V2.0 shown here is running 7/8" heims with 1/2" hardware, which is 126% stronger than the single-sheer factory TRE, but we can achieve +253% at no extra cost so whynot).





I reached Feature Lock for V2.0 two months ago and looking at these pictures now makes me sick to think of all the issues V1.0 had... Such an inordinate amount of work to get to this point and we're only on the second prototype. This project has been no joke folks and it has taken a lot of time, energy, and money to get this far. I'll probably cry the first time I see a kit out in the wild haha It's ridiculous but true :p

[BigMike [OP]]

Late April, 2019: RCLT HD Prototype V2.0 is installed! (continued)

Out with the old, in with the new! We are now an OFFICIAL Radflo distributor!! Please give us a call if you're in the area or looking for a deal on Radflo suspension products! (559) 25-CRAWL / 559-252-7295

These are custom designed and optimized for RCLT and we will be offering them once things go into production. That said however, other LT coilovers should be compatible so long as they have an upper heim joint mount.



SWOOOOON!



DOUBLE SWOOOOON!

Check out how the axle shaft runs nearly in-line with the lower shock mount at near full down-travel. I love how everything comes together to work as one with RCLT's design!

The amount of downtravel being demonstrated here wasn't remotely possible with RCLT HD V1.0; So many issues resolved with V2.0. That said, V2.0 still has not yet realized the full downtravel capability of RCLT HD

This is also the improved V2.0 MarRack design (Heavy Duty Rock Crawling Steering) that was featured in this year's King Of The Hammers competition



Front axle pushed forward yet another inch over the initial prototype LT setup I've been running since July 2017! Great Scott! Has it been that long...

Speaking of which, the former Long Travel Kit I've been running since 2017... honestly... was a huge pile of crap. I had NO idea how bad it was until I began comparing measurements with what I am doing.

This is why I wrote, GOOD RIDDANCE, and I CANNOT WAIT to finally experience RCLT HD myself!!!

[BigMike [OP]]

April 30, 2019: RCLT HD Prototype V2.0 is installed! (continued)

RCLT HD V2.0 IS ALIVE!!!!!!!



OHHHHH MAN!!!!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!!

THE FIRST OF ITS KIND EVER INSTALLED INTO A TACOMA!!!!!!!

THE ONLY BOLT-ON IFS SYSTEM STRONG ENOUGH TO

ROCK CRAWL WITH 40" TIRES AND TRIPLE T/CASE!!

COME ON NOW!!!!!!!!!! LET'SSS GOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Testing it on my wild daily driver Rock Crawler setup means it's gonna be bullet proof for everyone else

Just driving it out to the dirt area next to our building and I was CrAzY eXcItEd!!!







Updated pic with my Supercharged 6spd MR2 <3



Finally my front IFS is at least as wide and hopefully wider than the rear. This has been bugging the heck out of me for a long time as I feel Rock Crawlers should always have a wider front than rear to prevent clipping objects during sharp low-speed trail cornering.

So the front end is now our new & unique +2.75" mid-range Long Travel wider per side, which is +5.50" wider than factory. Right in the middle of +2" & +3.5".
..and for the rear I have 1.25" wheel spacers on each side which is +2.50" wider than factory

Honestly it only looks so wide because I've removed the factory flares. In my opinion the bodies on these "midsize" trucks are just so freak'n wide it's long past ridiculous Toyota, seriously...

[BigMike [OP]]

Late April, 2019: RCLT HD Prototype V2.0 is installed! (continued)

MOAR RCLT HD PORN!!!



(please ignore the upside down TRE bolt: At the time I was still figuring out limit strap geometry and could only reattach steering after the wheel was installed)





COME AWN IFS!!!! LET'S DO THIS!

[BigMike [OP]]

A NEW MARLIN CRAWLER IFS PRODUCT IS BORN

Now would be a good place to ask if anyone noticed my sweet Heavy Duty Cam Tab Gussets and Heavy Duty LCA Flange Braces??? Better look again!

Marlin Crawler has built another FIRST for strengthening the Toyota IFS system for greatly improved performance with Rock Crawling, Desert Racing, Mud bogging, Snow wheeling, or just solid peace of mind for the daily driver!!

I present to everyone the all-new Marlin Crawler Heavy Duty LCA Frame Brace Kit!

This kit goes far beyond simply gusseting the Cam Tabs and is so advanced that it is already patent-pending!

The retail for this kit will be $129, and we'll have a limited time introductory price for only $99

We are already gathering interest online and preparing for the first production run that will be ready to ship on or before June 7.

Please click to view this new product online, and please use the "Notify when in stock" button to be notified once available:
→ Heavy Duty LCA Frame Brace Kit | Marlin Crawler, Inc. ←

We will create a product announcement thread which will include full details of this AMAZING kit, that in my opinion blows the doors off anything I've seen before



Initial applications include:
2003+ 4Runner
2003-2009 Lexus GX470
2005+ 2WD or 4WD Tacoma
2006+ FJ Cruiser

Many more applications will be coming soon!

No drilling 24-spot welds and chiseling off 8 camber plates. It can even be installed WITHOUT removing your control arms or altering your alignment :cheers:

And if you already have upgraded 1/4" cam tabs, no problem, just lightly massage about 1/8" of material off and directly install to your rig. :cheers:





Update June 13, 2019: Added a Basic Overview video:

[BigMike [OP]]

40" tires? CHECK

FIRST EVER PATENT-PENDING ROCK CRAWLING IFS SYSTEM? CHECK

MARLIN CRAWLER TACOBOX T/CASE SYSTEM? CHECK!!!!



V2.0 is my first Prototype that we needed to ensure proper alignment, so this was my first stab at it.

To provide a good range for driver preference, I've designed RCLT HD to have 3-degrees caster @ 0-degrees camber when all four eccentrics are rotated up in the neutral/center position. The tech, however, was only able to get 2-degrees caster @ 0-degrees camber with the cams pegged. A few more mouse clicks and I'll have it improved for V3.0

I am however done with this alignment shop I've been using (Discount Tire Center, North-east Fresno). Because I've "modified" my front suspension they have revoked my 3-year unlimited alignment deal. Sucks, but such is life, and now I'm on the look-out for a reputable alignment shop in the Central California area so please let me know if you know of one, thanks!