Thoughts on PSC's weld on tie rod attachment point? (1 Viewer)

[vtcruiser60]

PSC has a solution for fabricating your own tie rod/drag links and the solution has caught my attention. What are your thoughts?

They offer a thick steel tab, chamfered at the base and designed to be welded to a 1.5 inch tubular draglink. The tab is designed to carry a Heim rod end, and I suspect designed to connect the pitman to the draglink through a tie rod. Here is a link for more information:(BK-TR01) Heim Joint Tie Rod / Drag link Adapter [BK-TR01] - $36.00 : PSC Motorsports, Off-Road Steering Experts

I would like to build my own tie rods and drag links, and incorporate a set of new FJ80 TRE that I have on my shelf.

The adapter seems to offer another solution to those not running high steer (double steering arms) or cross over steering. I don't see any influence on ackerman angles as the steering arms are not impacted.

But I have never seen HEIMs used for steering linkages and only heard that they are not so good over time on the road. I am also a bit leary of an untested product....especially over something as important as steering.

So...thoughts?

 

[woody]

I'm one of those weird folks who firmly believe heims should be in double-shear as much as possible...

that said, I run a single-shear QA-1 5/8" heim at the pitman arm on my FJ40 and have yet to have a single issue with it...I've carried a spare for many years, still unused. One of the 1-ton ends on my 4x4Labs arms has been replaced...


my 'guess' is that piece is designed for mounting one end of a ram for hydro assist...


one issue with using that to attach the drag/tie together is under hard articulation/steering force...picture the left tire at full droop, the right tire stuffed, the tie rod at a 'severe' angle relative to the frame, and being forced to try and steer...that tab is a 'relatively' short span when the drag link is far less than parallel to the tie rod...without a beefy tie rod, you might bend it there....

thinking out loud...

 

[boots4]

Perhaps sleeving the tube a couple inches and then attaching that piece will help distribute the force but I agree with Woody that it's probable intention was for a ram that can usually be set up on more parallel travel.

I'm actually going to be stepping up to Heim joints to replace my FJ80 tierod ends because the recent set I bought is already loose. I do wheel, have a ram, heavy front end, and heavy tires/rims. I'd like to get more than 1/2 year out of my ends and I think quality Heim joints can get me there. I'm hopeful of the joints from Bulletproofsteering.com and plan on getting a tierod kit from them.

 

[woody]

I've run QA-1 XMR 5/8 bore-3/4 thread heims on my rear 4-link for...mm.....5 years? believe the debut of the suspension was 2004 at Cruise Moab....

all but one are original...given the bend in the 1/2" wall lower link and the other abuse they've been thru, I'm a fan

 

[Tapage]

I'm actually going to be stepping up to Heim joints to replace my FJ80 tierod ends because the recent set I bought is already loose..

really .. I'm still using the stock 60 series ends .. and they do the job flawlesy until now .. I was thining in 80 series soon .. but with your advice ( sure diferent kind of off roading ) I will re think kit ..

 

[vtcruiser60]

Woody....and others.....I actually phoned PSC to inquire about this adapter...asking if they had heard of any problems or malfunctions since its design in 2006. They said that they had not.

I asked if it was designed for ram assist. They said it could function that way, but was designed for exactly its specification.....terminating the tie rod on the draglink when it was not feasible to link over to the steering arm.

I have searched high and low online, but can't find anyone that has used the adapter.

 

[boots4]

really .. I'm still using the stock 60 series ends .. and they do the job flawlesy until now .. I was thining in 80 series soon .. but with your advice ( sure diferent kind of off roading ) I will re think kit ..

The shank of the FJ80 joint is huge but it was the socket part that has failed/loosened up on me giving me more wander on the highway. I didn't see the GM 1Ton TREs being much more of a gain over the FJ80 joints so I started looking for something stronger so they'd last longer. I understand with harder use, things just wear out quicker.

Hijack over.

 

[woody]

Woody....and others.....I actually phoned PSC to inquire about this adapter...asking if they had heard of any problems or malfunctions since its design in 2006. They said that they had not.

call again, talk to Lance...call him a putz, tell him I told you too...hang up quickly...

 

[orangefj45]

a few things come to mind.


1) i would'nt recommend heims for street useage. they wear out a lot faster than a TRE and they get pretty noisy as time goes on. if you're gonna run heims, then buy the good stuff. don't skimp out on them........

2) welding anything to a drag link,tie rod or any other piece of stubing will automatically create a "weak" spot. improper geometry will magnify this.

if you decide to use this setup, then ream out the weld on bracket for an 80 series TRE but don't run heims.

$.02

georg

 

[Mace]

I'm one of those weird folks who firmly believe heims should be in double-shear as much as possible...

that said, I run a single-shear QA-1 5/8" heim at the pitman arm on my FJ40 and have yet to have a single issue with it...I've carried a spare for many years, still unused. One of the 1-ton ends on my 4x4Labs arms has been replaced...


my 'guess' is that piece is designed for mounting one end of a ram for hydro assist...


one issue with using that to attach the drag/tie together is under hard articulation/steering force...picture the left tire at full droop, the right tire stuffed, the tie rod at a 'severe' angle relative to the frame, and being forced to try and steer...that tab is a 'relatively' short span when the drag link is far less than parallel to the tie rod...without a beefy tie rod, you might bend it there....

thinking out loud...

Mount it to the top of the Tie Rod..

angle won't make any difference then..

 

[vtcruiser60]

I phoned Lance as per Brian's suggestion above. Mace was correct, this is and should be mounted on top of the tie rod. I am also more convinced(thanks Georg) now that I should be running a FJ80 TRE with this adapter and plan on reaming it out appropriately. Its a 5/8ths hole now...so there should be plenty of room to ream it to the m23mm x 1.5 step.

Seems like a write up is in order...

 

[Chop Shop]

I have searched high and low online, but can't find anyone that has used the adapter.

Nobody uses them cuz you can do the same thing with two, two dollar tabs instead. Two tabs would be double shear aswell.

Putting that "thing" on the top or side of a tierod and using it as a draglink attachment point is going to create a flip flopper. Everytime you go from right to left it will go, "thunk and flip from being on top to being as low as the joints allow it to.

One ton chevy 7/8 tierod for steering first. Heims second.

 

[orangefj45]

Not gonna work Kieran..........


The taper on an 80 series end is roughly .625 at the thicker end so there won't be any material to ream out. That leaves two options:

1) larger Tre like a GM 1 ton. Problem with that is the fact that there's not enough material on the stock steering arms to ream them to that size without compromising strength.

2) have lance send you the "thing" with a smaller hole, like 1/2". Then you could ream it for the 80 TRE.


Either way, you'd still be dealing with the flip-flop factor.


I say sometimes it's not worth re-inventing the wheel.


HTH

Georg