4x4Review Off Road Magazine
 Sometimes the simplest, least expensive, and easiest to install products are the ones we tend to forget about. We want lockers, a quality suspension, big tires and low gearing. All of these hardcore products tend to create problems that could have been eliminated before it was too late. One of the inherent problems all Jeep owners face when they add the above mentioned products is the strain this puts on the stock steering box bolted to the frame. Turning those nasty meats while pinned up against a rock ledge or crawling through a boulder field creates enormous amounts of stress on the stock brackets and bolts used to hold the steering box to the frame. Eventually one of a few things will begin to happen, the bolts will work loose, the frame will crack, or the mounting plates will flex and break. All of these problems can be avoided with a simple, inexpensive steering box brace from Mountain Off- Road Enterprises. The principle is simple, use a brace that extends from the neck of the steering box to the opposite frame rail to keep the steering box from pushing and pulling against only one side of the frame. In essence, pinning the steering box between the frame rails so that it cannot flex. Simple, easy and worth every penny! Invest a few minutes and dollars now, or a few hours and a few hundred dollars later. You decide. Follow along though the installation and see just how simple it is to remedy a problem before it happens. |
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Installation
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The Mountain Off Road Enterprises steering box brace is a simple 20-minute install. The instructions contained with the kit are clearly written and easy to follow. Before you install the box brace, check to make sure all of the bolts that hold your steering box in place are tight. Loosely bolt the steering box clamp on the lower neck of the steering box with the nuts bolts and washers included. Loosely bolt the bracket that extends to the passenger’s side to the clamp. The other end of the brace is bolted to the frame using the rear spring hanger bolt and a predrilled hole behind it in your frame. Tighten both of these bolts into the frame and then tighten the one that mounts the bar to the clamp. Tighten all of the bolts per the instructions, and you are finished. Go wheeling and enjoy the piece of mind that comes from installing a product that will you steering straight!
| Description | Notes | Rating |
| Ease of Install | This is a true bolt-on, no brainer! |  |
| Ease of Use | N/A | N/A |
| Performance | It holds the steering box and keeps it from flexing, eliminating the possibility of a cracked frame or sheared bolts. |  |
| Durability | Fully mig welded at all joints, and grade 5 mounting hardware means it should last a life time. | |
| Appearance | As with all M.O.R.E products the brace is painted with durable, hammerite paint and the bracket is cadmium plated gold. |  |
| Drivability | Added some stiffness and got rid of the creaks and moans our steering box made when rock crawling. |  |
| Comfort | I am now comfortable when wrenching on the wheel and the front end is fighting boulders. | |
| Price in comparison to related products | It is the same price as all other brace systems on the market. | |
| Was it worth it??? | This is the least expensive piece of mind you can give yourself off-road. | |
| Tools Required | Just a couple of wrenches | |
| Editors Notes | I have seen a number of Jeeps shear the bolts off the frame where the box attaches to the frame and I have seen quite a few with cracks in the front cross member from the flex the box transmits to the frame without a brace. Don’t risk it, get a steering box brace from M.O.R.E. before you are repairing your frame or worse yet figuring out how to get your crippled Jeep back home…JC | |
