Steering linkage

Thoughts and opinions on this steering linkage. It looks like some pieces are fabricated to fit.



Thank You

 

The Drag link looks like maybe someone welded a stud to the TRE? And not sure what the bar that is bent above that is? ............More pictures would be Great

 

It's a spring-over. None of it is factory. I have no idea what that upper link is supposed to do.

 

Maybe setup as a track bar? Cut and welded at an angle to clear the crankshaft pulley.

Don

 

That looks scary as h___ to me. Steering is no place to butch stuff together like that. I wouldn't drive that anywhere but around the yard. That track bar set up (if that what it is) breaks, you could be in for some quick decision making. And, why weld the TRE up like that when the right parts are likely available somewhere? For farm use only until that stuff is fixed, IMO.

 

Yes I spoke to the owner and he did say it was a track bar, home made of course.
For you guys who are formiluer with SOA, does this look like it was done correctly?

thank you

 

Nope. It either needs a dropped pitman arm on the steering box or a high steer arm on the passenger side knuckle. The high steer arm would put the draglink over the leaf spring and the dropped pitman arm will lower the steering box end. The draglink needs to be closer to level. It also looks like the draglink would contact the passenger side spring if you turned full right with the right side flexed down all the way. Its better to spend the money and do things right for steering and brakes.

 

Also the track bar could be removed. It shouldn't be needed if the rest of the suspension is set up correctly. If the track bar is needed. It needs to be parallel to the draglink and the same length in order to function properly. If isn't parallel and the same length, it will cause some scary bump steering.

 

So a drop pitman arm may solve the issues? I know that it would make the drag link and tie rod parallel but does the drag link need to be above the spring?

thanks

 

wow. stay away.

 

that track bar is probrobly at an angle to match the angle of the drag link. pushing the entire front end over when going over bumps to keep the angled drag link from causing bumpsteer. that might actually work but sure as hell not suposed to work that way lol Drop pitman arm would probrobly solve it get rid of the track bar for sure and check all of the spring bushings.

 

Thanks for all the opinions and insight. I haven't drove it yet, but of course the owner says it handle great. Yeah, they all say that. But anyway, if a drop pitman arm levels the tie rod to the drag link on a typical SOA, would I still need a track bar?

 

I've seen many leave sprung suspensions with a Track Bar.........but I'm yet to see one that works.

Your still creating an arch with a fixed track bar that is 90 degrees to the motion that a leave sprung suspension wants to travel in.......If the springs, mounts, bushings & shackles are correctly installed and aligned they will work just fine.

Correcting the angle of the drag link vs the tie rod as mentioned above via a dropped Pittman arm off the sector shaft or a high steer arm at the R/S spindle or both will help or eliminate any bump steer created by axle wrap under de-acceleration / braking or suspension travel. Getting things correct is not a do this or that answer......one has to start from scratch as in your case and start correcting things along the path to make it all fit an align correctly.

If your rear is also Spring Over it will also need the correctt springs or a traction bar back there to eliminate axle wrap when accelerating a common problem with SOA. The Front can also have a similar axle wrap acceleration effect when in 4 WD but perhaps less so because of speed.

I think who ever installed that SOA suspension ,track bar & steering in the first place took a very novel approach...........

 

Thanks once again!