i keep bending drag links! wt sierra

[Pauly]

hey guys

my wt sierra seems to like bending drag links nearly every time i climb rocks. I'm beggining to get over it quite rapidly!

i posted this up on AZ and some one reckons its the offset of my wheels doing it the wheels are 15 x8.5 ROH steel wheels that have had the barrel of the wheel reversed and re welded just measured the offset to be -80

the drag link doesnt bind on the tie bar which was my initial thought , just seems to not like mounting rocks
im not hitting things with speed as it has what i think to be 6.5:1 transfer gears (first is pretty useless if your not climbing a brick wall)

any ideas as to what i can do to stop this from happening? i was going to get another drag link and sleeve it but that seems to be a big no no in everyones eyes
im confident i could trust my self to sleeve a drag link im a beater by trade and i have welded enough chassis, suspension mounts, engine mounts, rear cuts, front cuts with out any problems so i think a drag link wouldnt be safety issue like everyone else seems to think on other forums

[built4thrashing]

I bent one in my sierra and i wasnt even trying to do anything stupid. The original ones were made of a heavy wall tube. New replacement ones are alot thinner and bend really easy. Not sure what ones you have been using.


Sleeving it or welding on some 40mm angle would not do it any harm.


B4T

[Pauly]

im just getting ones from the wreckers they are decently heavy so im thinking they are the standard ones that im bending

[V.W.Dave]

Hey mate I have bent snapped and pretzeled plenty of them. Once they have been bent once they will keep on doing it.

If you cut it in half then using a hammer belt a thick walled tube over it. Make sure its the same length as it started at. Drill a few holes through it and fill the holes with weld and it will never happen again.

I have seen another guy weld a length of angle iron on to it as well.

PM me if you want to drop by the shop and I can fix it up for you.

[inbits]

Don't cut it in half!!!!!! That is a very bad idea. Get some tube with the same inside diameter as the outside diameter of the drag link, cut it in half length ways then put the 2 halfs over the drag link and stitch the tube back together.

Dave why you would tell someone to cut a steering component in half is beyond me and is very f&@king stupid

[Pauly]

the thick wall tube cut length ways then stitch welding was what i had my mind set on that way if i clean it up nicely along the bar it will look factory and only have a weld at either end

cutting steering or suspension components to sleeve them then drilling holes and welding them up is pretty stupid and not to mention dangerous... you want as little heat into the factory part as possible! exactly why you wouldnt even completly weld the tube length ways nor on the ends! you would be suprised how strong 2 cm of good mig weld is

[Breaker Brother]

Don't cut it in half!!!!!! That is a very bad idea. Get some tube with the same inside diameter as the outside diameter of the drag link, cut it in half length ways then put the 2 halfs over the drag link and stitch the tube back together.

Dave why you would tell someone to cut a steering component in half is beyond me and is very f&@king stupid

So rather than have a heavy walled tube just like those that Superior etc sell with the original link up it's guts, and a few small heat affected zones, your telling the guy to weld the entire length of the drag link on 2 sides?

And you have the hide to call V.W.Dave stupid ?

Go lean something about metallurgy....fer phucks sake

[V.W.Dave]

Don't cut it in half!!!!!! That is a very bad idea. Get some tube with the same inside diameter as the outside diameter of the drag link, cut it in half length ways then put the 2 halfs over the drag link and stitch the tube back together.

Dave why you would tell someone to cut a steering component in half is beyond me and is very f&@king stupid

Mate you have no idea do you? That or you have no idea how to weld. Before you make your self out to be an idiot think about what you have to say.

[inbits]

If you actually read what I wrote I said "stitch it" big difference To welding the complete length!!!!!! I sure as shit wouldn't be cutting the link in half and I know alot of other people would agree with me. I'm not starting a shit flinging session here so this is all I'll ad

[Pauly]

who said anything about welding the entire length of the sleeve tube?

[Guy]

The cut and shut (provided it is properly welded) is a non issue.
Tight fit, plug weld all good .. imagine the force needed to sheer the plug welds


If your really stressed make a whole new one with newly cut threads and new tie rod ends ... no welds, heavy walled drag link and new TRE's

[Black Bull]

If you actually read what I wrote I said "stitch it" big difference To welding the complete length!!!!!! I sure as shit wouldn't be cutting the link in half and I know alot of other people would agree with me. I'm not starting a shit flinging session here so this is all I'll ad

From a purely mechanical point of View,
cutting the link in half and plug welding it into a larger diameter heavy walled tube is going to be a lot stronger than clam-shelling it.

From engineering/legal point of view,
Cutting, modifying, or welding of any steering component is illegal, period.
The only exception to this is having said piece heat treated and then X-rayed before having it signed off by an engineer.

IF you're bending them, contact any one of the many aftermarket guys, Lukey, Superior, Snake etc and talk to them about getting a new one made out of heavy DOM tube or Chro-moly

[11_evl]

put your wheels on the rocks not the drag link.... simply

[Dominator]

i bent one of mine. so i cut and sleved a spare i had and it is good as now. have given it hell and no bend.

[HedgeBoar]

Sleeve it with two sections of angle iron attached with three or more U-Bolts, not welding. Any welding on the link will decrease it's fatigue life, no matter how well it is welded -- anyone telling you otherwise obviously knows very little about metallurgy. If it's only used offroad, I'd just weld it anyway -- a fatigue failure will just mean you have to fix it up to get home. If it is used on the road, I would steer well clear of welding, since a failure could be fatal.

Sleeving the link with two sections of angle secured with U-Bolts will protect the arm form impacts to some extent, which I suspect is your problem....

[Remydog05]

Don't cut it in half!!!!!! That is a very bad idea. Get some tube with the same inside diameter as the outside diameter of the drag link, cut it in half length ways then put the 2 halfs over the drag link and stitch the tube back together.

Dave why you would tell someone to cut a steering component in half is beyond me and is very f&@king stupid

Mate you have no idea do you? That or you have no idea how to weld. Before you make your self out to be an idiot think about what you have to say.

And again Dave

Champange Comedy mate!

[Pauly]

I honestly don't understand how you guys think I'm bending a draglink by sitting the draglink on a rock... Fair enough if it was a tie rod, but it's the drag link


I stitch welded some angle steel on as a temp fix and it has lasted numerous trips and daily driving since i last posted.

(and yes I know welding shit that isn't supposed to be welded is "stupid and dangerous"

[BlueSuzy]

Mine used to bend them too on stockers. Too much momentum up rock climbs is my reason with too much grip on the steering wheel...

What kind of lift do you have?

I reinforced mine a similar way also.

[weaves]

i did this. works a charm. I did it to both drag ling and tie rod, if you do it to both, make sure you put the angle on outter and inner sides, so they dont rub

weaves

[zookprojectfnq]

I machined my own out of 4140. Get the original drag link and cut the female tapered end off leaving 55mm of round bar. This mesures exactly 19mm or (3/4). .Run a 3/4 unf die nut down this. Now purchase a Trans steering TE619R tie rod end. (suzuki tie rod RHS). Now take a piece of 1"4140 round bar and cut it to your desired length, I chose to make mine longer and bend it to allow for bump steer. Drill each end to desire tapping drill size to suit 3/4 unf and m16 -1.5 (iM DRUNK AND MY MEMORY IS HAZY SO CHECK IT WITH THREAD PITCH GAUGE) Run a taper tap and botteming tap down each end for each size. Now go to aa bolt shop and get a 3/4 unf and a M16 nut to use as a lock nut for each end.
Screw the tie rod end and female tapered end in and vola you have an unbreakeable drag link. As for the tie rod . thats another story. By the way a lathe will be haNDY FOR THIS PROJECT. Now the tie rod end is a greaseable and replaceable Item

TOP IS NEW ARM BOTTEM IS OEM ARM

[zookprojectfnq]

oH AND THE iDEA OF WELDING ANY STEERING COMPONENTS GOES AGAINT ANY ENGINEERING PRINCIPALS iVE EVER HEARD OF.
iN BITS AND vw DAVE YOU ARE BOTH WRONG!

dO IT ONCE DO IT RIGHT

[Guy]

oH AND THE iDEA OF WELDING ANY STEERING COMPONENTS GOES AGAINT ANY ENGINEERING PRINCIPALS iVE EVER HEARD OF.
iN BITS AND vw DAVE YOU ARE BOTH WRONG!

dO IT ONCE DO IT RIGHT

Soo something like these fabricated knuckles is just silly I suppose ... after all they are not only part of the steering the also have lots of different loads on em ?
http://www.spidertrax.com/Pro-Series-60-Knuckle" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[zookprojectfnq]

Stuff engineered and set up in jigs and manufactured by a professional tradesman/company is a lot different to Back yard Bill welding up his own steering arms with a supercheap brand stick welder and farmer rods

[Guy]

Stuff engineered and set up in jigs and manufactured by a professional tradesman/company is a lot different to Back yard Bill welding up his own steering arms with a supercheap brand stick welder and farmer rods

I agree completel, but that is a far cry from "AND THE iDEA OF WELDING ANY STEERING COMPONENTS GOES AGAINT ANY ENGINEERING PRINCIPALS iVE EVER HEARD OF" ..
All I was trying to demonstrate was if it is properly done like just about anything it will be a safe and reasonable mod.

[31zook]

Stuff engineered and set up in jigs and manufactured by a professional tradesman/company is a lot different to Back yard Bill welding up his own steering arms with a supercheap brand stick welder and farmer rods

I agree completel, but that is a far cry from "AND THE iDEA OF WELDING ANY STEERING COMPONENTS GOES AGAINT ANY ENGINEERING PRINCIPALS iVE EVER HEARD OF" ..
All I was trying to demonstrate was if it is properly done like just about anything it will be a safe and reasonable mod.

X2