RTE Lower shock mounts Need Advice and a second opinion

ArmyRover

ArmyRover

Well-known member
Dec 4, 2007
3,230
1
Augusta, GA
My battle buddy ordered a set of DII lower front mounts from RTE. They arrived and he wasn't real impressed and wasn't sure if he should use them or not. So he called me and I had him send a few pictures over.

I was not impressed at all, the pics show what look like to me really bad welding work. It looks like what I get when I use my flux core mig welder before I clean the area. The gaps and melted away part of the mount and the spatter everywhere just don't scream quality. I told him not to use them, and look into returning them to the vendor.

What do you guys think? I'm not a welding expert by any stretch of the imagination but these don't look to good to me.







 
D

DiscoPhoto

Well-known member
Jul 23, 2012
2,581
76
Vermont
Much better than the old ones... and you don't have to ask, the holes did not line up. Thankfully Ryan has changed the design
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Buddy

Buddy

Well-known member
Nov 6, 2006
2,839
1
Central NC
ArmyRover said:
So what your saying the old ones really sucked the new ones just sorta suck?
Click to expand...

Actually the really old one are great, I have a set from when they were still in VA. I'm not sure what's up with the one DiscoPhoto posted. I've never seen them just weld tabs on. That must be part of the "New" RTE. All the ones I've ever seen used a U shaped bracket welded to a round plate.

I would not use the ones posted by DiscoPhoto. I would probably use the one you posted although I would have trouble paying their price for it. However, I'm not sure why they are welding inside the U on those ones.
 
ArmyRover

ArmyRover

Well-known member
Dec 4, 2007
3,230
1
Augusta, GA
I have a set of the really old ones on the Hunter and they look better than that after 5 years on the truck.

You know I hadn't even thought about the fact they welded in the U stock, that is pretty damn weird.
 
fjcardenas

fjcardenas

Well-known member
Dec 3, 2011
137
0
Winston-Salem, NC
For what it's worth, I bought a set of these a few months ago and they looked nothing like these. The welds were nice and clean and the holes actually lined up. That doesn't look like Bills work. With that said, I'd send them back and request a set that doesn't look like Eric Stoltz in Mask.
 
fishEH

fishEH

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2009
6,930
203
Lake Villa, IL
While I'll admit that the welding doesn't look great in Bill's pics and Zack's are designed differently, I think y'all are overthinking it.
These are shock mounts and welding two tabs to a piece of DOM or your axle is a pretty common practice.
Yes I think I could have done just as good a job as the ones Bill posted but either way I doubt they are going to fail from normal shock use. Now if you bottom out your shocks they may break but then again you may break your shocks too.
I would call RTE and ask WTF!?
 
D Chapman

D Chapman

1
Jan 3, 2005
11,746
73
On Kennith's private island
I doubt you'd ever break them. They're probably fine to use.

With that said, it looks as though someone just does not take pride in their work. That will be the fate of the business.

Who owns Rovertym these days, anyway? Seems the business has been passed around like a little slut.
 
KyleT

KyleT

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2007
6,059
8
39
Fort Worth, TEXAS
Mine looked that bad from a few years ago but I never used them because I made better ones that don't lose 2.5" of up travel...
 
R

robertf

Well-known member
Jan 22, 2006
4,801
366
-
Mine looked just like the advertised pic

That said, even though they look shitty, that weld is probably 20x stronger than the highest force it will ever see. Run them and don't think twice about it
 
D

DiscoPhoto

Well-known member
Jul 23, 2012
2,581
76
Vermont
so you'd lose an inch and a half, correct? But either way you need to lose up travel if you're converting to loop shocks unless you're raising your towers
 
D

DiscoPhoto

Well-known member
Jul 23, 2012
2,581
76
Vermont
They're almost identical, with the exception that the bottom plates are slotted and the tab goes through it, and is then welded on the bottom and the top. Not ideal, but they seem to work.

They're made by Eagle industries in Maine, owned by a fellow Rover enthusiast.
 
kennith

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
They fucking suck. I genuinely gave one to my machinist to hang on his wall as a joke example of shit workmanship.

There's no excuse for something like that. No excuse at all. People deserve far better, even at the price point.

Cheers,

Kennith
 
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