PSA on Marlin pittman arm!

[chicago]

Did some wheeling this past weekend in the Sierras...
BUSTED my Marlin Pittman arm about a 1/3 of a mile into the trail.
Fortunately I was wheeling with some great individuals who went to GREAT LENGTHS to get me out...(Mudders; Jack, calicrusier, LX450 and Silverscout and Hoser).
The details of that are not pertainant to this thread, however, what I found out about the pittman arm is...
The following day I contacted Marlin regarding this break...Apparently a couple years back (when I did my SOA) Marlin was obtaining their pittman arms from an alternate vendor (to remain nameless) and they did a recall on TWO types.
They are both 100% cast. ONe had "NC" or "MC" stamped into them, and the other had NOTHING stamped into them. They are wide, with a seam down the middle. They look beefy as hell, but looks are decieving.
I had apparently been one that had NOT been notified by Marlin of the recall, to my (and the others listed above) misfortune.
The guy at Marlin stated the he was surprised that it had lasted as long as it did...They have since stopped using this vendors product r/t this issue.
So be aware, if you bought a Marlin Hysteer kit, and or have used a Marlin pittman arm, double check that you DO NOT have this arm!
Apparently the arm that has a tig welded rod end hole is the GOOD ONE!
I would recommend that if you have any question to contact Marlin Crawler for verification.
They DID TAKE CARE OF ME on this and have shipped me a new one, free of charge and shipping, even though it was out of warrenty by a year.
For future, I will be carrying a spare!


Hope this helps someone!

Chicago

 

[chicago]

Here are a couple of pics of mine for referrence!

Chicago

 

[LCOwner]

Cool carnage. Did it make a big bang?

 

[CaliCruiser]

No problem dude, that is what is nice about wheeling with similar rigs. I'm glad you got it fixed, lets hit it up again soon.

Dylan

 

[YODA 88 62]

That is exactly like mine. Good to know. Did you have any issues keeping your nut tight? Mine has been fine after some lock tight.

 

[GulfShoresFJ60]

Looks like I might have to call up Marlin too. Mine looks exactly like that one as well. Luckily I still am "building" my rig, so I haven't had the chance to break mine.

 

[chicago]

Hey all,
Just got back in town...
Sorry I couldnt respond sooner.

On the sound...it wasnt a loud bang. It actually sounded like my MT's hitting the fender well bolt (which is common for me). It gave me some pause to where I thought "that was weird sounding"

Ive never had an issue keeping the nut tight.

I arrived home today to find my new pittman arm. Its the Marlin arm, and IT has the "MC" stamped into it and it too is cast without welds...I was mistaken that all the cast arms had issues...I called Marlin again for clarification. The guy said that if this one breaks, then there is an issue with the geometry somewhere.

Chicago

 

[YODA 88 62]

They just told me that I have to send it to them to inspect it. They also said that not all of them were recalled and there were no specific markings.

 

[ntsqd]

FWIW, the parting line (the seam) of the one pictured above is wide enough to be a forging. Parting lines in castings are classically very narrow, nearly knife-edge widths.
I'm curious about how those came to be considered castings.
Failure looks like a one time, brittle failure overload. No obvious fretting & "beachheads" visable. I'm suspecting that heat treat or alloy choice, or both, is the root of the problem.

 

[YODA 88 62]

Will this arm be more likely to let go at 60mph hitting a pot hole or is it more likely to let go while in a bind on a trail?

 

[chicago]

Will this arm be more likely to let go at 60mph hitting a pot hole or is it more likely to let go while in a bind on a trail?

No idea!
Ill tell you, I WAS NOT bound up when it let go.
My axels were crossed up, but I was not bound up with regard to the steering.
If you have questions regarding this pittman arm, I would recommend that you call Marlin for clarification. Again, the guy (JT or TJ...I forget his name, but he was really cool about it.) said that he was surprised it lasted as long as it did.
He also stated that it was not that it was DEFECTIVE, but it was an inferior product. Enough so that they issued a recall on it. FWIW!
In light of this event, Im extending my bump stops a bit more just in case. It cant hurt, and theyre easy to make...

Chicago