Your steering linkage takes a beating every time you turn the wheel, and a lifted truck or a Jeep on big tires puts a lot more load on it than the factory planned for. If you're shopping for American made steering parts, the center link is a good place to start. It's the part that holds your alignment.
What a center link does in your steering
The center link is the long body of your tie rod or drag link, the part that runs between the two ends. On Apex kits it's also the adjusting sleeve. Your tie rod ends and drag link ends thread straight into it, which replaces the weak adjusting sleeve on stock steering.
You set toe and steering wheel position by turning the center link, then lock it down with our jam nuts. Each one has three set screws that tighten into the wrench flats, and our ProLock washers hold the ends in place. Since your alignment gets set at those threads and flats, they have to be cut right and they have to hold after potholes and trail hits.
Why we moved center link production to the USA
Our goal is to support American businesses, American workers, and American families. Whenever we can, we buy U.S. made steel and aluminum and turn it into finished parts here, and we're working to bring more of our manufacturing home.
In 2025 we moved our entire center link production from overseas to the United States. That year we made more than 10,000 steel and aluminum center links in the USA. Laid end to end, that's nearly six miles of them.
How American made center links get built
It starts with American made steel and aluminum, bought in bulk. We cut each piece to size, then machine the threads your tie rod or drag link ends screw into and the wrench flats you'll use when you adjust it.
Next, aluminum center links get polished or black anodized, and steel ones get powder coated. Last, we laser etch the Apex logo on each one. Every one of those steps happens in the USA.
Tie rod and drag link kits for Jeep, Ford, and Ram
You'll find these center links in our steering kits for the 2007-2018 Jeep Wrangler JK, the 2018-2026 Jeep Wrangler JL, and the 2019-2026 Jeep Gladiator JT. The JK has both 1 Ton and 2.5 Ton ProLock kits, and the JL and JT use our 2.5 Ton ProLock kits.
For full-size trucks, they go into our ProLock steering kits for 2005-2026 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty 4WD (except wide track) and 2003-2026 Ram 2500 and 3500 4WD. If you have a 2003-2008 Ram, check the pitman arm options on the product page before you order.
Most of these kits come in steel, polished aluminum, or black aluminum. The center link in every one of them is made in the USA.
If it says Apex, it means something
Every Apex product is engineered and developed in America and made or assembled in the USA. Our own team ships it to you from here. Thanks for choosing Apex Chassis.
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