NEW PRODUCT RELEASE205 PART#122321 PRODUCTRadius Arm Upgrade Kit APPLICATION2013-2015 RAM 3500 4WD 2014-2015 RAM 2500 4WD SUPPORT FILES & LINKS |
BDS Radius Arm Upgrade For 2013+ RAM 3500/2014+ RAM 2500Coldwater, MI—May 11, 2015— Following last month’s announcement of complete 3″ Radius Arm Systems for 2013-15 RAM 3500 4WD trucks, BDS has packaged the new arms as a stand alone radius arm upgrade available for late model ’13-15 RAM 3500 and ’14-15 RAM 2500 trucks. These arms are designed to correct the suspension geometry when used with 2-6″ of lift kits. These massive radius arms are built to handle the use and abuse RAM 2500/3500 owners demand and far surpass the factory stamped steel arms with thick wall tubing and support gussets. The arms are formed inward to allow for addition tire clearance of oversized tires and incorporate factory style 3-1/4″ rubber bushings to minimize road vibrations while allowing for long, maintenance-free bushing life. The new radius arms are designed as a direct bolt-in replacement for the factory radius arms allowing for quick and straight forward installation. To maintain factory alignment adjustability OE eccentric adjusters are supplied with the arms and install using OEM hardware. The arms come finished in a durable textured black powder coat finish with a copper BDS nameplate. These new radius arms are a great addition for RAMs running the 2″ leveling kit. They should not be used in conjunction 4″/6″ radius arm drop bracket kits, but are a great addition to improve the performance over the factory arms when used with 3-6″ lift kits. For more on these radius arms and available accessories for your RAM 2500/3500 truck from BDS Suspension, log on to bds-suspension.com or call (517) 279-2135.
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Hello, I work as a mechanic at a Chrysler dealership and I just had a Ram 3500 with a BDS suspension lift with the BDS front radius arms. I would like to mention that the design of the arms makes it pretty much impossible to safely lift the vehicle on a hoist. The factory arms have a flat metal pad welded to the bottom of the radius arms to place the arms of the hoist under. Your factory arms have no such pads and are round tube construction. Any attempts to lift the vehicle by placing the hoist arms under your radius arms results in the truck sliding off the arms as soon as any weight is applied when lifting. Thankfully this happened when the vehicle was still on the ground and not up in the air. I do not believe the vehicle can be lifted safely by placing the hoist arms just behind the radius arm frame mounts, it just places it too far back. For safety your arms should have similar pads welded to them like the factory arms to allow safe vehicle lifting on a hoist.
Hey Graham, we appreciate the concern and in this case a new mounting location for the hoist arms would be needed. This is similar to if the vehicle was raised to repair/replace the factory radius arm for any reason. Different shops have their own way of securing the vehicle on the hoist, but in our shop we use extension tubes on the end of our hoist arms that go around the body mounts. This offers a safe and secure mounting position to support the vehicle while still allowing access to suspension components.
Those flat spots are not for lifting the vehicle.
will these arms work with a 2017 2500 and 2in leveling kit? i am looking to find something that position the front tires back to the middle of the wheel well to reduce trimming needed.
Hey Darrin, As the description lays out these replacement radius arms are designed to be used with 2-4″ of lift on the late model RAM 2500/3500 trucks. At the time when the post was published back in 2015 these had only been fitted on the 2013-2015 trucks, however they will work on your leveled 2017 RAM 2500 4wd to help recenter the front axle and correct caster angle as well as improve strength over the factory stamped steel units.
I have a 2018 Ram 2500. I want to install a 2″ leveling kit. So, would I have to upgrade the factory arms in order to have that done correctly?
Hey Manuel, at 2″ of lift the HD radius arms are recommended to correct caster and improve strength, but are not a requirement to installing the lift. 2″ is right at that threshold of needing to make adjustments to correct caster, but many choose to reuse their stock radius arms.
? tengo una 2500 Ram 2013 y compre un kit de elevación 6” con radius arm ,el problema es que esta Ram no tiene la base (drops o brackets) para estos radius arm.
La pregunta,viene algo para poder modificar.
Gracias.
Hi Nicolas,
I’m not sure I follow what your question is. Is your 2013 RAM 2500 a 2WD or 4WD model? These kits are designed for 4WD models only and uses our radius arms bolt directly into the factory mounts.
I have a 2016 2500. I have run out of + caster adjustment with my stock radius arms because EMF ball joints recommends 4.5 degrees + caster. Will these radius arms allow for more caster adjustment past the stock arms? Truck has 2 inch level with 35inch tires. Thank you.
Hey Kevin,
The #122321 radius arms allow for more caster than the factory radius arms and easy adjustment via the lower cam locks allowing between 0 to 4 degrees of additional caster over stock. For more info our sales and tech support are available at tech-bds@ridefox.com or (517) 279-2135
Hi, I have a 2016 Ram 2500 4wd with your 4” coil springs and stock radius arms. I am having an issue with the front driveshaft angle. Out of the transfer case I’m at +5 degrees and at the front dif I am at -6, 11 degrees total difference. Spec is 1-3 degrees. I have ruined my driveshaft velocity joint at this point. Before I install another driveshaft, Will these radius arms help correct the angles?
Hey Irvin,
This is really a better question for our tech support dept to assist you as they’ll have more experience on the technical side. You can reach them at (517) 279-2135 or by email at tech-bds@ridefox.com.
That said there are few things to mention here. At 4″ of lift height is typically isn’t required to index the transfer case to improve front driveline angle, but is something you can do to improve operating angle. We offer a kit to do this #122623 for the 6-bolt transfer cases. 2nd thing to mention, our standard 4″ kit uses radius arm drop brackets to correct suspension geometry with the factory arms. Our HD radius arms are designed correct caster at 2-4″ of lift based on the factory frame mounting location. TO install them with your current 4″ setup you would want to remove the radius arm drop brackets to mount them into the factory mounts.
I have 2016 Ram 2500 with a 6” bds lift with drop bracket for the stock radius arms. Could I replace my stock radius arms with this new style
You can Shelby, these are a direct bolt in replacement for the factory radius arms at the 6″ lift height and will help improve caster positioning.
Hi I have a leveled 2017 ram 2500 and was wondering if these would be good to throw In even though I’m not going for a 2” lift
Hey Manuel, these radius arms are designed for use with 2-4″ of lift and will be a direct replacement for the factory arms to offer caster correction and additional strength
Will this kit attach to a 2001 ram front donor axle?( Installing into a non-stock application.)
Hey Dave, short answer, no. They began using the radius arms from the factory in the 2013 RAM 3500 (2014 for RAM 2500) trucks that use a different setup from the 03-13 trucks and different yet from the 94-02 trucks. If you’re pulling the axle from an ’01 RAM its set up with a factory 4-link setup. We offer short arm and long arm replacement options for them, that could potentially be used for your custom application with some modification. For more on the topic contact contact our sales-tech support team / (517) 279-2135 or head to your local BDS dealer.
hey i have a 2014 ram 2500 with a 4″ lift. i want to go back down to it leveled. i was curious if i could get away with leaving the radius arms on for the 4″ lift and be able to put my stock springs and spacer in or will it mess up the front end?
Hey Brett, These radius arms are compatible with 2-4″ of lift so you’ll be fine to use them with a leveling kit. We offer 2″ spacers that are specially designed for use with the stock springs to eliminate any coil bow, #012203 coil spacers
Hey. My truck is a 2015 Ram 2500 with you 6″ lift with radius arm drop brackets. I’ve gotten mixed instructions for these and have been reluctant to order them because of that. Are they supposed to attach to the drop brackets for the 6″ lift or do I need to remove the drop brackets and install to the original brackets?
Hey Barry,
Short answer use our radius arms in combination with the drop brackets at 6″ of lift. The drop brackets lower the mounting point 4″ below the OE mount, the stock so at 6″ of lift the radius arms operating angle is similar to having a leveling kit installed. Our radius arms are designed to correct the geometry at 2-4″ of lift and uses a lower cam slot for caster adjustment/correction. When installing the radius arms and drop brackets together you can correct caster for 6″ and taller lift heights. We also offer a 4-link conversion.