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Damm, I found out what "Death Wobble" is!!!

munepit

munepit

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I mounted the 42s and took it around the block. I was doing about 30mph when it happened. Holy crap!!! This is messed up!! I have heard about this but it has never happened to me. I did notice the stabalizer is unhooked, and my crossover steering is not on yet. My 38s didn't do this ever. It is pretty scary when it happened. I'm going to hook up the stabalizer and try again and see what happens.

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Welcome to the club Jeff!

I solved my death wobble with an extra washer under the kingpin
 
I have a Balistic Fab springless crossover arm that I have not put on yet. I will be ordering the drivers springless arm soon. I hope this will help. I have a lot of research and learning to do. I also want those brass cups or whatever they are called. If I don't figure this out in the next few days, I swapping to 38s until I can solve this. Thanks Eric!
 
When I first started hanging out here, I kept hearing about this so-called "Death Wobble", and I thought to myself, "what a bunch of wussies".

Back in the day when I was driving my Jeep, we called it a "shimmy", and most jeeps would do it from time to time.

If you want to see a picture of it, check out Terry Thomas's Jeep in "Its a mad mad mad mad world".

When it would happen to us, we would just slow down until it stopped, and then get on the gas again.
When it started doing it too often, we would tighten up the front end parts.

But, after hanging out here for a while, and seeing some videos, I realized that while technically what you folks are calling a Death Wobble is a shimmy, its way the heck and gone worse than what we used to have to deal with.

I want to ride in one that is doing it SO bad.....

I have unusual ideas of fun......
 
You, my friend, are a sick man. It was not fun at all. Scared the shiet out of me. It felt like every bolt in the whole rig fell off.

Doesn't seen to be a huge differance between 38s and 42s, but enough I guess.
 
Congrats...:haha:


First time I had "Death Wobble" was about five years ago when I was still driving the Blazer to and from the trails...

Until it happens, in that violent front end jumping side to side 4-5 feet each way, you could never understand...:eek1:
 
Going from 38's to 40's wont make a big diff, neither will your stabilizer.......Start with 1 fender washer under each cap.
 
Fordum said:
When I first started hanging out here, I kept hearing about this so-called "Death Wobble", and I thought to myself, "what a bunch of wussies".

Back in the day when I was driving my Jeep, we called it a "shimmy", and most jeeps would do it from time to time.

If you want to see a picture of it, check out Terry Thomas's Jeep in "Its a mad mad mad mad world".

When it would happen to us, we would just slow down until it stopped, and then get on the gas again.
When it started doing it too often, we would tighten up the front end parts.

But, after hanging out here for a while, and seeing some videos, I realized that while technically what you folks are calling a Death Wobble is a shimmy, its way the heck and gone worse than what we used to have to deal with.

I want to ride in one that is doing it SO bad.....

I have unusual ideas of fun......
Click to expand...


I have a long running experiment going with a Death wobble truck. Terrible death wobble. You should come up and go for a ride. :D Worst death wobble I have ever experienced.
 
Back when I still had some money, will have again if I have anything to say about it, I got a call from a fellow I know asking if I was in my boat.

I was, but I was hanging around in the bay, since it was too rough to go through the pass into the gulf.

Seems he did not think so, had gone offshore, and his engine quit. Hes got got quite a bit bigger boat than me.
He had found the problem, but needed a part. Wanted to know if I would bring it to him.
I told him to call SeaTow.
Oops, he had let his membership lapse, and they wanted a big fee to come out.

I asked the guy who was fishing with me if he wanted to try it. Hes been on the water as long as me, so he said sure.

Swung by the Marina and picked up what he needed. Headed for the pass.

I've got a 25 foot Ranger Center Console with twin 250s on the stern. They are Mercurys, so I don't trust them completely, but I have full faith in the hull.

Usually the waves get nasty in the narrow pass, but the wind was right, and they were not higher than the boat.

Eased out through the pass, headed into about a 2 to 3 foot sea, and let her rip.
Every so often, I would hear the motors race as they caught a little air.

That heavy Ranger hull, with the trim tabs down would bust the waves, launch out through the back side and pound into the next one.

I was having a ball. Glanced over at my friend, and he was giving me a strange look.

Got the other boat going, surfed back through the pass, and was heading for the boat ramp, when I asked what he was looking at me like that for.

He said I had this maniacal grin on my face, and was yelling "BUCK, you son of a bitch BUCK"

Never even realized I was saying it.

Sometimes I just have too much fun...
And a good death rattle sounds like just what the doctor ordered. ......
 
Chaddy said:
Going from 38's to 40's wont make a big diff, neither will your stabilizer.......Start with 1 fender washer under each cap.
Click to expand...



How do I do this? Just take off the cap? Is it under any pressure? I'm a noob when it comes to a 60. Just take the cap off, slap on a washer, the reinstall the cap? Thanks guys!!!
 
munepit said:
How do I do this? Just take off the cap? Is it under any pressure? I'm a noob when it comes to a 60. Just take the cap off, slap on a washer, the reinstall the cap? Thanks guys!!!
Click to expand...

Pretty much. Make sure though that the wheel is off the ground otherwise you'll be in for a big surprise.

I tried the fender washer trick, first one per side then two per side, then three per side (three was too many and it bound up the knuckle) and it DID NOT work for me. My final solution was adding hydro assist and NEVER looking back, haven't had DW since.
 
If you can afford hydro assist, then do it. If not, 30 cent washers work good. I have 2 in each side.
 
I've always wondered whether more toe-in was needed with bigger tires like that. The forward movement of the truck would seem to push that extra rubber out so the tires are actually toeing-out and cause the wobbling. I added a little extra on mine (~3/8") and have zero issues even without fender washers. I do have radial tires so I'm fully aware that 42" tires are a lot different but that doesn't explain Scotts wobble with the same size tires.
 
I also tried EVERYTHING, and checked/replaced everything before I finally went hydro assist.
 
Thanks guys. First I need to complete the crossover steering. I still need to buy the driver side arm from Balistic Fab. I think I will get the high steer arm instead of the springless cap. I think it about $60.00 more, but then I can do highsteer if I ever get that far. Then, hydro assist. So for now, meaning this week, I will do the washer thing.



Funny thing is my wife said to me she loves that I have a hobby other than golf and guns, but this is getting pricey. I said I will be done soon!! She now knows it will be never done.
 
I've had sets of tires that were just horrible not matter what... It doesn't have to be a bigger tire that sets it off... The crew cab drove better when I had the 38.5 grooved Swampers SXs on it than with the 35" BFG MTs...
 
those arms are cool. I may try to unload my ORD arms to pick some up in the near or far future, wait no I won't one of my next mods is full hydro.

Scott a buddy had a truck a while back a Dodge that had death wobble. Nothing got rid of it we had to stack so many washers under the dang king pin he had to get hydro just to steer. Never did figure out what was wrong with that thing.

Fordum, you want death wobble cruise up here I will take you for a ride in my truck with no washers under the caps. Better yet I will let you drive. It is not fun. It is a feeling of total loss of control and it can become so unless you slow down or in some cases speed up. My death wobble only happened at speeds under 30 mph anything over than that and it was just a shimmy :D
 
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