Rough Country Ball Joints

[GoodBuffalo880]

Question:
I bought rough country heavy duty ball joints. The upper ball joint right out of the box articulate up and down. The stud also spins in the joint itself. I am wondering if this is normal for upper ball joints for a solid front axle. The lower ones do not move or spin. I was always told no play in any ball joint. I have no idea. I contacted Rough Country, and they said that it is completely normal and that its the design of the ball joint itself. I read online that it's not normal. I am conflicted... Any information would be great.

 

[Snowbird Tom]

How many miles did you get out of the Jeep OEM parts? RC is not known for their quality, just saying. I’d swing by my local good parts supplier and buy good name brand stuff.

 

[krawlerkrew16]

I'm replacing mine with some Apex heavy duty ball joints

 

[FishFam JKU]

It’s true the upper joint has play in most cases. I don’t believe the upper joint is designed to hold an axial load but instead just keep the rotation.

Here is a good cut away representation from Synergy. I run Teraflex and have a similar design.