Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Who has made their own track rod or sleeved a stock one? What did you do (and any pics?).

Managed to turn mine into a boomerang yesterday driving a very easy track at the powerlines (had a slight bow in it already which didn't help). Thanks to the high-lift jack I got it reasonably straight again.

Straighten it and weld 20 x 20 angle to it, works a treat, the angle is tougher alone then the original arm

cloughy wrote:Straighten it and weld 20 x 20 angle to it, works a treat, the angle is tougher alone then the original arm

good idea - only problem is it will look very home made if I get pulled up for an inspection.

Could you sleeve it with some pipe that slips over it with a few holes drilled in it and fill with silicon to stop it rattling around.
Just a thought

Now that your in W.A. Rovercraft sell HD ones for around
$300 apair [tie rod & drag link] Though I still managed to
bend them!!

cheers Jeff

Sleeve the original arm and drill and tap a small hole each end and fit a grease nipple.....The grease stops it rattling and also allows it to rotate on the original arm

G'day Ben
I have sleeved my original one with some heavy wall seamless tube
and it bent where the adjuster is.
I think the best solution is a one piece unit with one end threaded left hand to adjust toe in/out .
Evidently the MD units are very good .
Smithy jnr told me to keep the standard drag link as this will be the fuse instead of your steering box.
Regards
Michael.

G'day Ben
I have sleeved my original one with some heavy wall seamless tube
and it bent where the adjuster is.
I think the best solution is a one piece unit with one end threaded left hand to adjust toe in/out .
Evidently the MD units are very good .
Smithy jnr told me to keep the standard drag link as this will be the fuse instead of your steering box.
Regards
Michael.

Thanks for the responses guys. My track rod was too bent to sleeve, and I had no luck finding a 2nd hand one that was straight. I looked at making one, but there was no way I could get the LH 11/16x20tpi tap in time.

So I ended up buying one from Jordan Rover Tech - looks like it is the one made by QT services in the UK. Should have bought a MD one, but needed it ASAP, and this one looks pretty solid.

So does anyone else have one of these? And has anyone ever bent one?

Hi Ben.

The track rod you 've bought is a SUMO bar, now supplied through QT.

They are very good bars, but not indestructible. They are about 29mm OD. I ran them on my winch comp 90 for 3 or so years and I did end up bending one. Later on i added a box section guard as well to stop it hapening again.

At least if they bend slighylt they will protect something further down the line. IMHO the locknuts are a better system of clamping the rods in place on the tie rod ends than the more traditional "clamp" such as on OEM or MD.

I am looking at buying stronger rods soon and would like to go with them over MD if only for cost. Plus the MD steering damper relocaion kit does not fit these bars as its designed for a 32mm rod.

Hope this helps.

James

I made one for Jbell and a disco owner out of 32mm 4340 chrome molley bar dont think it will bend.

James Brittain wrote:Hi Ben.

The track rod you 've bought is a SUMO bar, now supplied through QT.

They are very good bars, but not indestructible. They are about 29mm OD. I ran them on my winch comp 90 for 3 or so years and I did end up bending one. Later on i added a box section guard as well to stop it hapening again.

At least if they bend slighylt they will protect something further down the line. IMHO the locknuts are a better system of clamping the rods in place on the tie rod ends than the more traditional "clamp" such as on OEM or MD.

I am looking at buying stronger rods soon and would like to go with them over MD if only for cost. Plus the MD steering damper relocaion kit does not fit these bars as its designed for a 32mm rod.

Hope this helps.

James

Hmm - should have bought an MD one if they are 3mm bigger diameter - might have to sleeve it... If you want to buy one James - PM me if you want to know the price I paid.

duncan wrote:I made one for Jbell and a disco owner out of 32mm 4340 chrome molley bar dont think it will bend.

Now you tell me - so where is mine?

Ok, so plenty of you guys sleve them, is there a reason why you couldn't fill one instead?
Make the bar solid so to speak. Obviously you'd still have he issue where the adjuster is.

...as said protect it with a box section. Used a Defender rod on the D1 and build a box section around it and so far very good....unless of course you are bending it because of high steer loads??

The US has ones available that are shaped to 'hide' them behind the diff housing better too.

disco95 wrote:Ok, so plenty of you guys sleve them, is there a reason why you couldn't fill one instead?
Make the bar solid so to speak. Obviously you'd still have he issue where the adjuster is.

Wouldn't be anywhere near as strong as increasing the diameter - and what would you fill it with.

Happy with the quality and standard of machining of the QT/Sumo track rod.

The box section guards are an idea, more heavy bolt-on steel bits though... However the stock one bent because of side loading - front right wheel dropped into a hole, and must have copped a hit at the rear, which buckled the tie rod. No actual tie-rod contact, so in that case a guard wouldn't have helped.

agree, had the same issues with thr standard D1 TR, but the replacement Defender single piece unit has so far stood up to it. It was very straight to begin with though, and any bent will of course weaken it from the start.

Jbell fitted one from some after market place here in Perth looked good untill it bent if you want a chrome molley one pm me we can get one together for you good price

My plan in the back of my head for one of these was..... use a LHD (or td5) defender swivel hub and run the track rod infront of the diff with a MQ patrol lower rod end (has a tapered hole for another link) that way it can only bend as far as the diff housing (stuff all).

Andy

Curiously, has anyone bent a Maxi Drive one? Dunno if anyone on here has them but I was considering buying a set.

Could make my own but the rear one has been re-bent back into shape too many times in the last few months

Trav

Aquarangie wrote:Curiously, has anyone bent a Maxi Drive one? Dunno if anyone on here has them but I was considering buying a set.

Could make my own but the rear one has been re-bent back into shape too many times in the last few months

Trav

Maxi drive are 32mm diameter - AFAIK the largest (and probably strongest) commercially available track rods.

I run Maxi drive rods. (should have made own but to lazy)

no bend

Michael.

yeah trav i have maxi's on the wombat and haven't managed to bend them in the last year and a half or so.

The MD track rods are good, so far.......