Frankenlift vs Rockfather II

EOD-KJ · **Posted:** Tue Aug 15, 2006 4:42 pm

so, i figured with having two kits out there , both 2.5" lifts, both full suspension, and both at the same price around $800 ... we can do a comparison

i know people say theyre pretty much the same; f'lift copied rockfather, or rockfather copied frankenlift

well anyways, im in the boat where i need a good 2.5" lift, i can afford any of the kits out there, so without that being a factor, im trying to figure out which to get

i know the f'lift is tried and true with all the miles put on it, but what about the a-arm problems that are prevalent in all lifts, where the rockfather boasts it wont have problems like that...

ive also heard that the frankenlift uses internal spacers , which are not good because it causes overcompression on the springs....

but all in all, the f'lift is proven to be kickass, and havent heard much about the rockfather

this isnt meant to be a bash against either, and this is about rockfather kits, not rro ott problems!!!

any insight on anything would be great and helpful

- mike

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:46 pm

You are in error. I have not heard of any issues with the A-arm from Rusty's 2.5" Full suspension (coil) lifts.

Just because Rockfather says they won't have problems means nothing. Look at Rock Krawler and their 7-up lift. They made claims and failed miserably.....with the lift and with customer service.

It would be hard to prove the Rock Father II is great or bad. Not many people have that lift so it could look like nothing ever goes wrong with them due to the lack of numbers, while the Frankenlift and Rusty's lifts are the most popular and will eventually get a few fails as with anything that gets more and more buyers. It's all statistics. People do so many different things to their vehicles that you can never compare one with another when something goes wrong. A guy with a frankenlift that stays on-road with 31" tires will most likely not suffer issues as often as a person with a frankie going off-raod all of the time with 32" tires. So many variables.

You can be one of a few guinea pigs with the Rock Father II or stick with what is definitely proven.

Just my two copper Lincoln's worth.

lilmatty · **Posted:** Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:20 pm

Well, Frankenlift did not copy Rockfather.

Advise you to go with the proven lift. And one of our best best best sponsors. Let's support them when we can. You'll also know that if there is a problem of any kind AllJ will support you. Many here can attest to that.

Mutt · **Posted:** Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:26 pm

Yep, you can't beat All Js (Heather) customer service! The Frankenlift is a proven winner.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:01 pm

Has anyone read what they say on their site? They are making fun of the Franken lift!

"Some kits come with the OME springs as ours do, but use an internal strut spacer for the extra lift height. This is very poor engineering. The only way to obtain extra lift height by an internal strut spacer is to over-compress the spring so that there is little to no suspension movement left in that spring. These systems are a great way to RUIN the Old Man Emu smooth riding spring design. Our kits use the OME springs as they are intended inside of the strut assembly, and then include the additional lift spacer on the outside of the strut assembly. This does not affect the ride quality of the Old Man Emu springs, reduce the suspension travel, or void the warranty of the OME springs as the other lifts will do. If you have questions on this, please feel free to email us.." Shot down...

HyperKJ · **Posted:** Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:50 pm

reguardless of where the spacer is located(inside/outside of strut),, if the same amount of lift is achevied, there could still be ball joint issues with either lift right??

also, is there anyone out there that would be able to verify if you actually get as much flex/articulation as a frankenlift?? or anyone on here that has a rockfather II??

in my opinion the frankenlift is trail proven, well known and loved by all,, plus ALLJ's customer service is the best around..

also eliminating the rear sway bar with the Rubicon Express arms let it flex like crazy, but still have good road manners..

Pablo · **Joined:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:06 pm **Posts:** 1201

I looked at the site carefully and it struck me as odd.

It seems they are saying their lift solves rubbing issues by using a spacer. In other words, unlike the Frankenlift gas lift, which gives you 2 1/2 inches more spring (give or take) lift. The Rockfather gives you lift by lengthening the spring a little and then gets you the rest of the lift with the spacer. Now I could be wrong on this, but that is what it seemed to say. If so, I suppose It is a cheap/clever way around the bumpstop issue some have brought up. I would be left to suppose that the Frankenlift has more articulation and suspension travel, but the rockfather might tear less CV joints. My question is: how much of the RockFather II's lift height is spring travel and how much is only spacer?

Also note they claim to have a spring available for CRD's. Beings I have a CRD, I am considering it. I would rather have more travel up front. But I would also like to know what the spring rate is on the replacement spring-- it would need to be as high as stock or higher.

dcljeep · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:08 pm **Posts:** 9

I have a Frankenlift with 70 000 Km on it. Still working beautifully.
I've had an OTT lift and a combo lift. The combo lift performed very well but my springs fatigued over time which led to the the frankenlift. I switched to the combo lift because the OTT lift was riddled with problems and caused headaches galore. ( I won't harp on this but all the negative posts regarding this lift are true ).

Getting to the point.... SERVICE, SERVICE, SERVICE.

I am sure that anyone who has had the pleasure of dealing with All J would happily recommend them time and time again. If you have problems they are quickly rectified. They (Quinn and Heather) are an absolute joy to deal with, very knowledgeable, professional and eager to help.

As I mentioned, I have had problems with RRO in the past (OTT lift). They did not offer the same type of service or professionalism that All J was happy to offer. ( to say the least ).

I'm sure that the Rockfather lift is a comparable product to the Frankenlift.

However, I know that if I should have any problems with my Frankenlift, I have purchased from a company that stands behind their products and offers exceptionable service to their customers.

Just my 2 cents worth though.

DCL JEEP

03 Rocky Mountain Edition, frankenlift, powertrax.

Bullet · **Posted:** Tue Aug 15, 2006 11:51 pm

I am in full support of the frankenlift for a few reasons.
1)BUILT FOR KJ'S BY LOVERS OF KJ'S!!! what more could you ask for??
2) Customer service is unbeatable. They will go to lenghts to make sure you are happy with your lift....all you need do is ask!
3) Frankie is tried and true by so many members of LOST who do ALL TYPES of wheeling.
4) I would much rather support a family owned business where you can talk directly to the guy (Quinn) who built your lift and the gal (Heather) who sold it to you and shipped it. These folks are the absolute best of the best!!

any questions??

nolakj · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:17 am

Dude!! Just order the Frankenlift already.....

LIFT THAT JEEP!!

EOD-KJ · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:47 am

well i cant lift it yet, im in iraq...the jeep is in hawaii

and about the comment of "built for kjs by people with kjs" ... so is the rockfather and RRO kj stuff....

nolakj · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:12 pm

Well God bless you EOD. Come home when you can and then....

LIFT THAT JEEP!!

BTW - Thank you and God bless America!!

elephantrider · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:13 pm

Quote:

also eliminating the rear sway bar with the Rubicon Express arms let it flex like crazy, but still have good road manners..

does anyone have a part number or link to the item above?

BJ'naKJ · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:23 pm

I was in the market for a lift for my CRD, narrowed it down to the Rockfather II and Frankenlift II, and have now decided on and ordered the Rockfather II.
I fully understand and respect going with a known and trusted vendor, but I think the Rocky Road kit is superior. That the standard non-CRD Frankenlift uses OME coils, I believe it's clear that a true spring-lifted kit (not a Daystar spacer) is the way to go. Why doesn't AllJ just supply the OME HD springs as part of their CRD kit?
As far as customer support, Glenn (developer and owner) at the family owned and run Rocky Road has been very helpful, promptly responding to email requests with product information.
AllJ on the other hand has yet to reply to my questions after several weeks.

alljeep · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:40 pm

BJ'naKJ wrote:

Why doesn't AllJ just supply the OME HD springs as part of their CRD kit?

The OME HD Springs do not work up front for the NEW 2.8CRD. They only worked for the older, export version, 2.5 CRD - and without any added weight up front (bumper, hitch, winch, ect.).

Folks have tested the OME HD Springs on the front of the 2.8CRD and posted pictures on this site as to what happens - after a few weeks, it sags badly.

BJ'naKJ · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 1:10 pm

alljeep wrote:

Folks have tested the OME HD Springs on the front of the 2.8CRD and posted pictures on this site as to what happens - after a few weeks, it sags badly.

So how can the standard OME coil work w/o any problems on a non-CRD with an ARB bumper as stated on the allJ website, but a heavier duty version of the coil not support a similarly heavy CRD?

alljeep · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 1:17 pm

BJ'naKJ wrote:

alljeep wrote:

Folks have tested the OME HD Springs on the front of the 2.8CRD and posted pictures on this site as to what happens - after a few weeks, it sags badly.

So how can the standard OME coil work w/o any problems on a non-CRD with an ARB bumper as stated on the allJ website, but a heavier duty version of the coil not support a similarly heavy CRD?

The Gas version Frankenlift does not use stardard OME coils up front, they use the H/D ones. In addition, the CRD comes with substantially more weight in the front end than what an ARB bumper would weigh.

From allJ's website:

Front Includes:
Complete front assembled struts using: OME H/D coils; Rancho 17505 struts; Daystar upper strut plates, and our custom designed Poly Urethane spacers - they fit better, they look better, and they're designed specifically for your KJ!

Guyute1210 · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 1:38 pm

BJ'naKJ wrote:

AllJ on the other hand has yet to reply to my questions after several weeks.

I think I read somewhere here that they are on vacation for a couple weeks. People need vacations too...

BJ'naKJ · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:11 pm

Guyute1210 wrote:

People need vacations too...

I hear you...but what if my vehicle was down in the middle of an install? Some type of backup would be nice.

BJ'naKJ · **Posted:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:25 pm

alljeep wrote:

In addition, the CRD comes with substantially more weight in the front end than what an ARB bumper would weigh.

Does anyone know just how much more the CRD weighs than the gas vehicle? What about the arb bumper.
It seems like an arb with a winch stuck way out in front would have to be comparable in added stress to the CRD.
Either way I guess I'll get some real world experience in how the Rockfather holds up.

Frankenlift vs Rockfather II

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