PSC SK284 - BIG BORE XD2 Overlander Kit

treys1

treys1

Member
Hey all,

Thoughts on the PSC SK284 - BIG BORE XD2 Overlander Steering Kit without the ram if I am planning on sticking to 37s? I'm sure the ram is great, but would it just add complexity to a system that doesn't really need it?

The Jeep is a weekend-er and spends a fair portion of its time on the trails, but nothing super major and my driving style is when I feel the steering lock up I generally try to replace the tires vs. muscle the steering wheel. This upgrade would mainly be for preventative maintenance vs. just wanting more muscle.

Or is it go straight to ram & don't look back?
 
Been down that road on 37s, and after adding the Ram, I wish I would have done it from the beginning. Just my 2 cents, but definitely definitely worth it


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler
 
I just installed the complete kit but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. My thought was since I was in there I mind as well do it all at once.
 
wjtstudios said:
Been down that road on 37s, and after adding the Ram, I wish I would have done it from the beginning. Just my 2 cents, but definitely definitely worth it


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler
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MericaMade said:
I just installed the complete kit but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. My thought was since I was in there I mind as well do it all at once.
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Thanks guys, I'm going to see if anyone has done the non-ram setup as well and see what they think. I was leaning towards the ram setup at first, but saw that PSC said this kit was good up to 37s.
 
treys1 said:
Thanks guys, I'm going to see if anyone has done the non-ram setup as well and see what they think. I was leaning towards the ram setup at first, but saw that PSC said this kit was good up to 37s.
Click to expand...

I believe Jerry or jdofmemi was running the XD box without the ram to test it in MOAB. He's on 37s and will hopefully chime in.
 
I am running it without the ram on 38’s with one tons and a heavy Hemi. I too wanted to keep things simple. No complaints. You can bind it enough in the rocks to not be able to turn it. Make sure your drag link and tie rod are up to the task. I like it a lot and no leaking line worries. You can always add the ram later if you need to.


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I’ve got the same kit on 37” Nitto Ridge Grapplers. I love it, super light and quick on the pavement, have only gotten it out once or twice in the rocks since I got it in last month. It did well, I found one time when I got pretty twisted up that I had to actually grip the wheel and turn. A stock box would have bound up long before that.

All in all I’m happy with it. And it’s ported so you can add a ram later for $250 +/- and an hour or two of time.


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RockinAZJK said:
I’ve got the same kit on 37” Nitto Ridge Grapplers. I love it, super light and quick on the pavement, have only gotten it out once or twice in the rocks since I got it in last month. It did well, I found one time when I got pretty twisted up that I had to actually grip the wheel and turn. A stock box would have bound up long before that.

All in all I’m happy with it. And it’s ported so you can add a ram later for $250 +/- and an hour or two of time.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE
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Did you install it yourself? Easy job?
 
treys1 said:
Did you install it yourself? Easy job?
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Yeah, it’s not a difficult project. It’s easier to do the pump with the passenger fender liner removed. Drop the gear in from above. You’ll have to remove your coolant Rez to do it. Put a strap in the gear and lower it down into place.


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler
 
As stated above, I have been running the Big Bore with no ram.

I am happy with it, and it steers much better than stock, plus no worries about breaking a sector shaft. I also like that it is one less thing to go wrong since I don't have the ram and hoses to worry about.
Just be sure you have a good drag link and tie rod, as it will taco a stock one.

It does fine with my 37s, but if in a bind in the rocks with lockers on, it will sometimes not be enough.

On the positive side of that, when in a bind with a ram, it will turn, sometimes even when it does so by tearing up something, or over stressing a unit bearing.

I also like that if I decide to go to 40s, it will be easy to add the ram.
 
I installed the Big Bore XD2 non ported... Still running the stock pump.. It’s one of my favorite mods.. I am on slabs with 35” TG’s so they are not light... and I have no doubt it will be fine with 37’s.. I installed it by myself and came up from the bottom... After removing the Coolant reservoir, I spanned a 2x6 block across the top and wrapped a pull strap to the gear box.... I pushed up on the box and pulled the strap leg at the same time to get it in position... there was some cursing involved.. lol
 
TrailHunter said:
I installed the Big Bore XD2 non ported... Still running the stock pump.. It’s one of my favorite mods.. I am on slabs with 35” TG’s so they are not light... and I have no doubt it will be fine with 37’s.. I installed it by myself and came up from the bottom... After removing the Coolant reservoir, I spanned a 2x6 block across the top and wrapped a pull strap to the gear box.... I pushed up on the box and pulled the strap leg at the same time to get it in position... there was some cursing involved.. lol
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Yup, definitely some cursing involved 🤣


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler
 
Side tangent here...I’ve been re reading this big bore related thread as well:

https://wayalife.com/showthread.php/60646-Considering-a-Big-Bore-Box-Some-Questions

I want to buy the ported big bore box and the pitman arm. That’s all I can afford at the moment. Anybody run this without the upgraded pump or cooling lines for any significant amount of time without issue. I’ll be on 35s for at least another year.

Bonus question: what does the ported vs Non-ported look like? Is it just a few extra drilled and tapped holes? Seems like a big price difference .


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE
 
Cousin Clyde said:
Side tangent here...I’ve been re reading this big bore related thread as well:

https://wayalife.com/showthread.php/60646-Considering-a-Big-Bore-Box-Some-Questions

I want to buy the ported big bore box and the pitman arm. That’s all I can afford at the moment. Anybody run this without the upgraded pump or cooling lines for any significant amount of time without issue. I’ll be on 35s for at least another year.

Bonus question: what does the ported vs Non-ported look like? Is it just a few extra drilled and tapped holes? Seems like a big price difference .


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE
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I ran it that way for years. Definitely a big improvement over stock. You can always add the pump, cooler, and ram at a later point.

The ported box has two added ports that are on the bottom of the gear for the ram otherwise they are the same. They come capped do you can add the ram later.


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler
 
Cousin Clyde said:
Side tangent here...I’ve been re reading this big bore related thread as well:

https://wayalife.com/showthread.php/60646-Considering-a-Big-Bore-Box-Some-Questions

I want to buy the ported big bore box and the pitman arm. That’s all I can afford at the moment. Anybody run this without the upgraded pump or cooling lines for any significant amount of time without issue. I’ll be on 35s for at least another year.

Bonus question: what does the ported vs Non-ported look like? Is it just a few extra drilled and tapped holes? Seems like a big price difference .


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE
Click to expand...

wjtstudios said:
I ran it that way for years. Definitely a big improvement over stock. You can always add the pump, cooler, and ram at a later point.

The ported box has two added ports that are on the bottom of the gear for the ram otherwise they are the same. They come capped do you can add the ram later.


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler
Click to expand...

I'm actually thinking about doing this exact thing after reading all the comment, as my main purpose is the sector shaft upgrade and I figure this would let me see if I felt like I needed more and add it on if so.
 
treys1 said:
I'm actually thinking about doing this exact thing after reading all the comment, as my main purpose is the sector shaft upgrade and I figure this would let me see if I felt like I needed more and add it on if so.
Click to expand...

That’s a good plan. You can always add to it if it’s ported.


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler
 
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