long travel vs reg travel a-arms

[pmg8134]

how do you tell the difference between a long travel a-arm and a regular travel a-arm?

[400man]

usually its where the the shock mount is? on long travel arms the mount is lower in the bottom arm and sometimes closer to the balljoint end then regular travel arms

[Stickman400]

Usually the long travel arm shock mounts are below the centerline of the a-arm. Regular travel arms are above the centerline. And by that I mean if you drew an imaginary line from the mounting bolts of the lower arm to the ball joint, that imaginary line is the centerline, or just think of the arms main tube as the centerline. Of course when the a-arms are longer (+2 or +3) they are just mount further out towards the spindle to attain the travel without stressing the arm or frame. Here's the best pic I could find, notice how on the stock a-arms the shock mount is slightly above the centerline and the long travel is slightly below:
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv192/Stickman400/Quad%20Pics/DSC00474_zps1d0ddf8a.jpg (http://s683.photobucket.com/user/Stickman400/media/Quad%20Pics/DSC00474_zps1d0ddf8a.jpg.html)

[pmg8134]

thanks man. I don`t think you could have gotten a better pic or explanation. i really appreciate it

[Stickman400]

No problem.