Bobby Long called me yesterday. We were talking about how many failures he had soo far and what the failures were.
He said he has sold 1400 Longfields to date and has warrentied 12 soo far. THAT IS LESS THAN 1% FAILURE RATE (.0086% to be exact). He said that 2 had twisted the stub shaft off of the bell and 10 failures were a result of the balls binding on the welded ring because of improper steering stop adjustment.
Also, he said that Marlin Crawler is going to start selling Longfields. You can still buy them from Bobby, but if you want to pay with credit card you can buy them from Marlin.
I talked to a guy that was responsible for 2 of those on the trail a few weeks ago. He fully admits that he didn't adjust the stops correctly. Also he mentioned something about new ones being heat treated differently????
BensonMN's are making some clicking sound, but he hasn't tore it down to check it out.
Finally got to see one the other day. I noticed all the innards were very tight but he said that was expected. I assume they still come apart normally, just with a little more difficulty?
I'm one of the 12, the problem was steering stops. I put longer bolts in but ended up bending one of the mounting ears. When it broke it took out the detroit as well.
Longfields are one of, if not the, best bang for the buck on a Toy.
Finally got to see one the other day. I noticed all the innards were very tight but he said that was expected. I assume they still come apart normally, just with a little more difficulty?
glad to hear that they hold up so well. ill be getting some over the winter. what size tires are most people running using the longfields? i was looking into 37 or 38.
glad to hear that they hold up so well. ill be getting some over the winter. what size tires are most people running using the longfields? i was looking into 37 or 38.
If you aren't running them by now, you're a fucking idiot. Two short side inners, a front Detroit, a front ring and pinion and mine are still golden even with mashed steering stops.
Like the rock going to the lakebed says, Bobby Long is Allah.
Nope, the welded ring prevents them from being taken apart. When the buggae blew a short side inner, the remaining piece of the shaft was so distorted that we had to pull the nub out of the birfield with a porta power.
i don't know how you cant afford them i got mine in march and just orderd a spair 2 days ago justincase that way if one dose go out i wont have to put a stock in and take it back apart later just do it one time.
I am part of the problem! I removed my steering stops and have returned 2 Longs to Bobby. He took care of them, and warned me (for the 4th time or so) to put the stops back on and use them.
I do NOT expect him to warranty my misuse/abuse of his product so don't interpret this as a complaint in any way. These are the best mod for a solid axle mini or Cruiser out there, period!
I am using them for comp rock crawling, stubbornly keeping my Cruiser axle with mini outers. Since January when I bought my first pair (I have since bought 6 pair, I think, and resold them to my broke down buddies) I have broken 2 long side inners, and 7 short sides. This is a combination of trail riding with 38" swampers, rock crawling with both 37" MTR's and 35" BFG's. The 35"s are the limit in Legends,and all the comps were on them and that where half of the inners where broken. A pair of the inners where spendy 4340's from Dutchman, they broke too! Late this summer I chopped 500 lbs or so off my Cruiser and have not broken any axle parts since, and have competed in 2 events, the SuperCrawl and the season finals at Erocc, which I won!
Both of my broken/abused/damaged Longfields didn't actually break and stop progress, the inner cage split and they either stopped turning or started clicking and popping. They never left me in 3 wheel drive!
Bobby and I have communicated often, so I am sure he references my abuse and his warning when someone asks. If you want long term life from your Longs, adjust the stops to factory which is near 30 deg and they will last! If you buy Longs, pick up some spare inners, at least the short side.
His newest mods include treating the ball cage which was the point of most damage. I ran them in the last 2 events and have no clicking so I'm convinced it was an improvement. I do suggest buying a spare, mostly because if you snap an inner it may require additional hassles to pull the stub outta the birf cage. I've had to weld a rod/bolt to 3 of mine to extract the stub. This is not an option in comp where every minute counts against you.
I could be his HAPPIEST customer...................................
BUT I can't afford them right now. When I can, I will be swapping mine out also because I don't want to deal with this again! And this is only my first broken Birf.
How many people have broken Aisin Hubs with the Lonfields? I finally got myself a spare.
Does Bobby Long have a detailed description of how to adjust the stops and how to do the Martack? I remember seeing a FAQ on POR a few weeks ago, I think. Can someone write a tech article on these on get it put in the Tech section so this information doesn't get lost?
BUT I can't afford them right now. When I can, I will be swapping mine out also because I don't want to deal with this again! And this is only my first broken Birf.
I just broke my first birf also and my second at the same time. the short side shattered the bell and cage the other just the bell cracked. so I went to bobbys and picked some up. Nice guy.
I broke a rear Aisin hub while running Longfields.....probably not what you meant though.....huh?
Jay
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Pirate 4x4
18.7M posts
366.4K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to custom off-road vehicle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about trail reports, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, fabrication, drivetrain, and more!