Rubber Down Customs Leveling kit
A few months ago I decided I needed a little more ground clearance (due to the front of my rhino setting lower than the rear) so I called Rubber down customs and ordered one of their 2 inch kits. Upon receiving the kit I was impressed with the design but after installed I found it put the suspension in to much of a bind for me to feel comfortable. With this in mind I called Paul at RDC and explained my concerns and mentioned to him that with his kit I received 3 inches lift in the front and 1 inch lift in the rear which leveled the rhino great but personally I was uncomfortable with the angles of the cv's and ball joints for the way I ride. I also mentioned I felt his kit was super strong and if the front plates were modified to offer 1.5-2 inches lift it would make a great leveling kit for the rhino (Keep in mind all my measurements were taken at the front and rear skid plates). After a little R&D he shipped me this kit which consists of a set of modified plates for the front and nothing for the rear, With this kit I found I gained almost 2 inches lift up front.
(Keep in mind my plates came bare due to it being an experimental project but if you purchase this kit it will come powder coated)
This kit mounts by bolting to your existing shock mount locations and includes the required hardware. What I really like about this kit is it ties both front shocks together by stretching across the front frame support and in return offers additional frame support. This kit is a real easy install with a couple 14mm wrenches and a 17mm wrench, it should take less than 30 minutes for the complete install. What I did first was jack up the front of my rhino till the front wheels were a few inches off the ground, Then remove the upper shock bolts. Then I slide the plates into place one at a time and installed the shims+bolts (leaving them loose) at the original shock locations to retain the plates from moving. Next I mounted the shocks in the new outer positions leaving the mounting bolts loose. Next I let the jack down to put pressure on the suspension so I could tighten the four nuts+bolts.
After several hours of rough riding to settle the suspension I found my front end sets 1/2 inch lower than the rear (when unloaded). On the trails my skids take noticeable less abuse and the ride is more comfortable because with the front lifted the seats seem to lay back more. When descending a steep hill it is also more comfortable than before, with less nose dive. I did however notice slightly more push in the turns and when climbing hills with the front lifted it causes the hill to feel slightly steeper than before.
In conclusion I find this a worthy investment for the way I ride, but keep in mind anytime you lift your UTV you will have a higher center of gravity so you have to learn its capabilities all over again.
Update:
Due to this kit being 1/4 inch thick and moving the top of the front shocks forward a full 1/4 inch I was having issues with the shock bushing busting. With this kit when the front shocks were compressed fully it caused uneven stress on the shock bushings and caused them to bust due to the excess pressure (over a period of time) so I removed this kit. Note this is due to the way I ride and may or may not be noticeable by you depending on the way you ride.
Update:
After setting on the shelf a few weeks I decided to modify this kit so it would give the lift without moving the shocks forward. In order to accomplish this I cut the ends off one of the cross braces so they would sit on the outside of the stock shock mounting brackets instead of the inside (Pictures added to slide show)..
For any questions you can email me directly at: Neil@mudandgutsoffroad.org
Don't forget to check out the forum: www.mudandgutsoffroadforum.org