200-series Land Cruiser Steering Rack for use with RCLT HD

Extra 200-series and MarRack Info

The following information is taken from BigMike's Questions & Answers page.

Q: What is the MarRack?
A: The MarRack is an oversized heavy duty steering rack used exclusively with RCLT HD. Originally, we sought to make our own custom Heavy Duty steering rack, however, after working with both Koyo Seiko and JTEKT direct in Japan it was impossible to compete with the low cost of simply modifying an existing rack. So instead, we evolved RCLT HD to work with a Land Cruiser rack which is modified into a MarRack. All parts are transferrable so should you ever need a new MarRack you simply grab an over-the-counter LC rack, convert into a MarRack, and install!

The name "MarRack" is derived from Marlin's traditional nomenclature dating back to the mid-1980s where he invented the MarTack (prevents locker damage at time of axle failure), Marlink (first heavy duty replacement steering tie rod), Marfield (first heavy duty replacement Birfield axle joint), MarJoint (rebuildable uniball), and the 22MAR (one of the first 20/22R engine builds).

NOTE: Due to inferior bushing design and inconsistent high pressure line fitting tolerances, we no longer recommend remanufactured racks or racks with double D bushings. Please see this image for reference.

Top: Factory light-duty steering rack.
Bottom: Marlin Crawler MarRack with DOM MiniMarlinks & 7/8-14 X ⁵⁄₈" TREs

Q: How strong is the MarRack?
A: The MarRack is the only DOT-approved steering rack to survive KOH as well as more than 55,000 miles of daily-driving and rock crawling across six-states with 40" tires, Triple Transfer Cases (580:1 Crawl Ratio), F&R lockers, cutting brakes, & never trailed. It has three frame mounts instead of two with M14 mount hardware instead of M12 (2.1 X stronger frame connection), mounts are wider than stock for greater force loading, uses M28 ITRs instead of M14 (4.0 X stronger connection), and is built from a one-piece oversized aluminum housing that is 54% more massive than stock. On top of all this, our HD Knuckle steering geometry reduces load upstream to steering components, so every trail object the MarRack "feels" is reduced by our patented design.

Q: Can the MarRack be used with stock IFS or other LT kits?
A: No. Because the MarRack is derived from a Land Cruiser, which is wider than the mid-size SUV/Tacoma, a new steering, knuckle, and suspension geometry is required for it to work safely & properly. I spent over two years perfecting this geometry to be stable throughout 14-inches of travel and patented the design allowing an oversized rack to work in narrow frames.

Longer answer: From a safety standpoint I am compelled to express further that mismatching IFS geometry may cause injury or property damage as vehicle control is a critical safety aspect that MUST be taken deadly serious.

The narrow mid-size frame width (Tacoma/4Runner/FJ Cruiser/Lexus GX) is NOT compatible with a wider Land Cruiser steering rack. That alone throws off steering geometry. But it's worse: The MarRack sits further forward and higher up in the frame than your stock rack. This incompatible combination results in a host of issues including bump steer, excessive cross-caster, increased brake-dive, and cornering instability. Additionally, your knuckle geometry does not match a Land Cruiser rack so you get a large slip angle (Ackerman) and a lower steering ratio resulting in twitchy steering, dangerous emergency lane changes, and a greater risk of highspeed roll-over. The cherry on top will be excessive front tire wear.

The wider Land Cruiser geometry does not
match narrow mid-size applications
The steering system of an IFS is more complex than a Solid Axle and one cannot throw random parts together, tighten shackles to quiet death wobble, and head for the trail. On an IFS, your tires are connected to lighter, more efficient components with built-in dynamic caster & camber that affect toe, so incorrect geometry is more detrimental to driving dynamics than a solid axle. IFS requires careful design to properly integrate with an entirely different steering system. When I first installed a LC rack in 2018 it handled so poorly that I could not go over 40 MPH and almost caused an accident. There is a reason why this had never been done before.

If simply throwing in a MarRack worked and
was safe then we would have patented it
For these reasons we do not build our HD Knuckles with reusable jigs in non-temperature controlled rooms, welding together thin plates of steel into hallow steering arms that customer lives depend on. The excellent drive & handling of RCLT HD comes from our HD Knuckles' one-piece solid billet double-sheer steering arms (the first Toyota LT of its kind) with CNC-precision mirror-matched geometry creating the first LT kit geometrically integrated with an oversized steering rack from a larger vehicle.

RCLT HD is the first LT kit with a
geometrically integrated oversized steering rack
The result of our patented geometry-stable design is driving characteristics better than any LT kit that reuses stock steering geometry in a lifted application. Customers praise how tight and responsive RCLT HD's steering feels, and a Grandmother could daily-drive RCLT HD with 40" tires and would not need a list of precautions.

RCLT HD's stable geometry has up to 14" of hub travel (+2.75" kit) that experiences only half a degree camber & toe change through 90% of flex

This is impossible with stock knuckles and a LC rack

Our stable geometry from lift-to-squat results in an exceptional driving experience