Topic: marlin lifts vs trail gear?

[mtsnow29]

so im getting ready to go about throwin on a new lift and i've been compairing company to company and with visual price differences, what your getting for your money and the company itself i've been tied between marlin and trail gear. so im leaning towards trail gear right now because its a little bit cheaper plus your getting the front axle rebuild kit with the lift and your getting a upper axle gusset and small diff armor, and free shipping. hands down i've been a huge fan of marlin products but im also trying to get my best bang for my buck. has anyone ever ran trail gear before? pro's and cons of each? what are you getting out of a marlin lift that your not getting out of trail gear?    to all. thanks for the help!   

[jonathan82toy]

             All The Way   

[Thomas P]

what are you getting out of a marlin lift that your not getting out of trail gear?



reputation, quality and american made materials

[MiniSimp]

After you are done with the CP look at the top 4 posts here http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?board=6.0

[Wermz84]

Supporting an awsome company and an owner that will go out of his way to help make things right.  that is what you get with marlin.  Best service anywhere. 

all the way.


just my humble opinion.

[bigarms23]

i run a combo with marlins in front and tg in the rear and it seams llike i am always messing with the rear springs to match the front height pf the marlins

[Plekto]

Gotta go with U.S. steel and quality parts.  I've seen offshore metal parts do silly bad things when stressed hard.  The problem is that the suppliers overseas just flat-out lie, so you get good and bad bolts and such mixed in the same lots.

I've seen dangerous things as well - like garage door hinges nearly come apart from cheap bolts made in China.  Shoot, when I took off my busted manifold once, I had to get a hacksaw to get the OEM bolt off(bent my wrench) and the Chinese one I just laid into it with a pipe on the wrench and tore the metal apart - felt like pulling taffy.

And it's the bearings, bolts, and so on that fail first, almost every time.(provided you do proper welding).

Go and call Trail Gear and ask them where their bolts, spacers, washers, and such are from in their kits.  That little box of parts...  There's a reason it costs a bit less $$.

Note - a decade or so ago, this wasn't a problem in the industry as almost all steel was from Japan or the U.S. by default.  You have to shop extra-careful lately to keep from getting recycled junk materials that are labeled as new as a retailer.  90%+ of companies don't care at all and look the other way.

[79coyotefrg]

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=4310.0

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=36377.0


just say NO to Chinese crap
http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=34985.0


and thats ALL im gonna say   consider yourself SAVED

[mtsnow29 [OP]]

i really do appreciate all the feedback and i've always gone with marlin and the main reason i stay with them is customer service. cause that's huge if a company is always there for you and backs up there product. i just wanted to see if anyone had ever leaned towards TG products. i was just being  over the price difference but in the long run i strongly agree that american is the way to go and do it right the first time around. thanks.

[Toymin8r]

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=4310.0

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=36377.0


just say NO to Chinese crap
http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=34985.0


and thats ALL im gonna say   consider yourself SAVED

Wow.  Glen's in a good mood today.

[Rocksurfer]

TG has the best products evar!

[Gittinit]

Wow.  Glen's in a good mood today.

Thats what I thought too! I kept looking for his firey reply. 

[79coyotefrg]

Thats what I thought too! I kept looking for his firey reply. 

  would do DAT

[Gittinit]

  would do DAT

 

[KDXSR5]

Go MARLIN or GO HOME

[WHITE_TRASH]

Honestly I wouldn't buy either of them....  Sure you can basically bolt them on and go but with a little bit of forethought you can build your own packs and spank the stank off of any store bought springs....  But thats just me, I do stupid things like that.. 

[DTB]

noobs

[Plekto]

One thing, though - the actual major parts themselves aren't so bad.  And if you can get a Trail Gear for cheap that's lying around and replace all of the Chinese made bits yourself...

But it's a lot of work(ie - half the kit almost!) and I suspect that they are a *tad* harder to deal with.  See, Marlin is like myself in that he hates warranty work and fixing stuff twice.  It's a good day when nobody calls saying something they bought from him broke - less headache and work for him.  So they overbuild everything and do it right the first time.   Virtually nobody else in the industry has this attitude any more.

[DTB]

I would definitely avoid trail gears steering and brake components and any bearings....cheap chinese crap... I have held them in my own two hands and been like "Who in their right mind would sell OR run these products on their truck?" Not me.... 


The Trail gear TREs are stamped CHINA and look like toothpicks compared to Marlins 555 TREs..just my 3 cents

[BigMike]

I do not wish to comment much on this as others have summed most of it up.

Remember, our products are not successful because of some economic loyalty to USA made parts. They are successful because of their quality and long lasting performance. Just to name a couple differences, our HySteer arms are made from USA Solid-Billet steel (not from some forged or casted process with lighter steels), ALL of our steering rods are made from USA DOM steel, NOT water pipe with seams and pits, or HREW or whatever... All of our bearings are OEM Japanese parts straight from the Toyota factory. KOYO and Nachi bearings, the same bearings that last 300+ thousand miles in your truck. NOT Chinese bearings that I have seen TIME AND TIME AND TIME again grenade on the trail. Just last year at our Round Up, a guy broke his knuckle bearings, and when Marlin stopped to repair his rig, we found it was a Trail-Gear knuckle rebuild kit with their Chinese bearings. I am sure they buy these Chinese bearings at $1.25 each, maybe less. There is a reason why the "same" KOYO bearings are nearly ten times this cost.

How about bushings? We use Daystar bushings made in the USA using the highest manufacturing processes around. They are longer wearing, longer lasting, better ride quality. Also the Bumpstops are made in America with longer laster poly material.

Or how about the Crown Performance Brake Lines we sell? These are the same brake lines that are used on Humvees and many other military vehicles: Crown is a large supplier for the US Military. They exceed the DOT standard and are of the best quality around. I don't want to take chances with my brake system with inferior brake lines, but that is just my opinion.

Even our shock hoops, shackle plates, P/S box mounting plates, spring hanger, u-bolt flip plates, they are all made right here in California with USA Steel.

We do not need to powder coat our steel parts to hide from the type of steel used.



It isn't just "Oh buy American, buy American" no, it goes beyond this. It is the fact that if you want parts on your truck to last, if you don't want to break down on the trail, if you don't want to have weak links, then buy Marlin Crawler products.

BigMike

[Thomas P]

  amen

[WHITE_TRASH]

I do not wish to comment much on this as others have summed most of it up.

Remember, our products are not successful because of some economic loyalty to USA made parts. They are successful because of their quality and long lasting performance. Just to name a couple differences, our HySteer arms are made from USA Solid-Billet steel (not from some forged or casted process with lighter steels), ALL of our steering rods are made from USA DOM steel, NOT water pipe with seams and pits, or HREW or whatever... All of our bearings are OEM Japanese parts straight from the Toyota factory. KOYO and Nachi bearings, the same bearings that last 300+ thousand miles in your truck. NOT Chinese bearings that I have seen TIME AND TIME AND TIME again grenade on the trail. Just last year at our Round Up, a guy broke his knuckle bearings, and when Marlin stopped to repair his rig, we found it was a Trail-Gear knuckle rebuild kit with their Chinese bearings. I am sure they buy these Chinese bearings at $1.25 each, maybe less. There is a reason why the "same" KOYO bearings are nearly ten times this cost.

How about bushings? We use Daystar bushings made in the USA using the highest manufacturing processes around. They are longer wearing, longer lasting, better ride quality. Also the Bumpstops are made in America with longer laster poly material.

Or how about the Crown Performance Brake Lines we sell? These are the same brake lines that are used on Humvees and many other military vehicles: Crown is a large supplier for the US Military. They exceed the DOT standard and are of the best quality around. I don't want to take chances with my brake system with inferior brake lines, but that is just my opinion.

Even our shock hoops, shackle plates, P/S box mounting plates, spring hanger, u-bolt flip plates, they are all made right here in California with USA Steel.

We do not need to powder coat our steel parts to hide from the type of steel used.



It isn't just "Oh buy American, buy American" no, it goes beyond this. It is the fact that if you want parts on your truck to last, if you don't want to break down on the trail, if you don't want to have weak links, then buy Marlin Crawler products.

BigMike

Very nicely put Mike.  I am in total 110% agreement with that.  I consider Marlin the benchmark for all others to strive to equal.  Sorry but China garbage just isn't gonna do it....  Sure it may walk like a duck and quack like a duck but its still made of tin and pot metal.....


And you know me, I run all Marlin parts on my junk that I can't build myself.  Never had a single issue and I beat my junk like I hate it.

[BigMike]

I have had a while to think about what I posted above, and I do want to include that high quality parts are not for everyone. We are not going to change our ways to accommodate for this. It is definitely hard when companies straight up lie and copy our product ideas and designs, but it is our products higher standards that set us aside as the true innovator and originator of Toyota Rock Crawling, and that is something that can never be copied or stolen from us.

There will always be a market for Mercedes, and like wise there will always be a market for Marlin Crawler.

BigMike

[cam011]

Where are the springs made in the Marlin kit?

[DTB]

Where are the springs made in the Marlin kit?

I was told that the springs are made by Betts Spring Company here in the US and the packs are assembled in Indonesia (?)

[Gittinit]

I do not wish to comment much on this as others have summed most of it up.

Remember, our products are not successful because of some economic loyalty to USA made parts. They are successful because of their quality and long lasting performance. Just to name a couple differences, our HySteer arms are made from USA Solid-Billet steel (not from some forged or casted process with lighter steels), ALL of our steering rods are made from USA DOM steel, NOT water pipe with seams and pits, or HREW or whatever... All of our bearings are OEM Japanese parts straight from the Toyota factory. KOYO and Nachi bearings, the same bearings that last 300+ thousand miles in your truck. NOT Chinese bearings that I have seen TIME AND TIME AND TIME again grenade on the trail. Just last year at our Round Up, a guy broke his knuckle bearings, and when Marlin stopped to repair his rig, we found it was a Trail-Gear knuckle rebuild kit with their Chinese bearings. I am sure they buy these Chinese bearings at $1.25 each, maybe less. There is a reason why the "same" KOYO bearings are nearly ten times this cost.

How about bushings? We use Daystar bushings made in the USA using the highest manufacturing processes around. They are longer wearing, longer lasting, better ride quality. Also the Bumpstops are made in America with longer laster poly material.

Or how about the Crown Performance Brake Lines we sell? These are the same brake lines that are used on Humvees and many other military vehicles: Crown is a large supplier for the US Military. They exceed the DOT standard and are of the best quality around. I don't want to take chances with my brake system with inferior brake lines, but that is just my opinion.

Even our shock hoops, shackle plates, P/S box mounting plates, spring hanger, u-bolt flip plates, they are all made right here in California with USA Steel.

We do not need to powder coat our steel parts to hide from the type of steel used.



It isn't just "Oh buy American, buy American" no, it goes beyond this. It is the fact that if you want parts on your truck to last, if you don't want to break down on the trail, if you don't want to have weak links, then buy Marlin Crawler products.

BigMike

When did marlin stop powdercoating their stuff? The hysteer, er well the tierod, and draglink were powdercoated on the setup I bought from MC . It sucked grinding that junk off to weld on my mount for the hydrolic assist. The hysteer on a friends 4 runner (a marlin kit) has cast hysteer arms. Are all marlin hysteer arms billit, or was their a breif period yall sold cast stuff or something? The origonal purchaser told me 1st hand he bought from Marlin, I don't know why he would have lied. Heck tg wasnt even around when either of us bought our hysteer. I am aware that allpro was selling cast arms long before Tg was around as well, I guess there is a possibility it is a allpro setup.
 Please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks.

[BigMike]

or was their a breif period yall sold cast stuff or something?

Nope, you are right. For a brief period we had a certain employee working here. That's all I am allowed to say

[cam011]

I was told that the springs are made by Betts Spring Company here in the US and the packs are assembled in Indonesia (?)

So they're sent to Indonesia to have a center bolt installed and the clamps folded over and then shipped back?  I'm confused, seems like it would be easier and cheaper to do that in house.

[DTB]

So they're sent to Indonesia to have a center bolt installed and the clamps folded over and then shipped back?  I'm confused, seems like it would be easier and cheaper to do that in house.

I was confused too....but thats what I was told directly by a Marlin employee.....

[79coyotefrg]

Nope, you are right. For a brief period we had a certain employee working here. That's all I am allowed to say

  OH CAN I DO EEET