What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

EZ-inch question

82355 said:
Correct.



Correct, but this is not a block.



Incorrect.



I have blocks being held in place on reused u-bolts right now.

Martin
Click to expand...
My friend I'm not saying it isn't possible to reuse U-bolts I'm saying it is bad policy and should never be done and I'm taking that from more than a decade of experience in hauling heavy equipment and driving dump trucks for a living.

When U-bolts are tightened the threads will stretch and change shape as the torque increases. When the nuts are removed they have to go back up the undamaged threads. If you reuse the U-bolts the threads can jam before they are truly tight. Meaning your axle might not be as tight or secure as you think it is.

Still don't believe me. Read this.

http://www.artictruckparts.com/documents/techtips/ubolt2.pdf

Removed U-Bolts should NEVER be placed back onto the vehicle, they should be thrown away. Suspension U-Bolts are manufactured with a smooth rolled thread, while the mating Hi-Nuts are manufactured with sharp cut threads. When a U-Bolt is tightened to it's recommended torque level, the U-Bolt threads stretch as they mate with the Hi-Nuts. Although, not always visible to the naked eye, this damages the threads. Removing the Hi-Nuts from the U-Bolt will cause a cross-threading that will not allow the U-Bolt to be adequately re-torqued. A common practice in most maintenance facilities is to use a impact wrench to tighten U-Bolts. Consistent, accurate torque is next to impossible to obtain with a impact wrench, and in most cases an over-torqued fastener is the result.
 
Replacing good u-bolts is a waste of money.

Of course the company selling you the u-bolts tells you not to replace them......

Martin
 
I have done it a few times and never died. But just in case, i will always get new from here on out. Its only $40 an axle.
 
It's $0.00 to reuse the ones you already have if they are still in good shape.

Martin
 
Until you are replacing axle tubes that have holes worn in them, or worse, buying some kids casket because you cut a cheap corner. For no more often than you actually have to remove them, it's worth $40 to me.
 
Whiterockfire said:
Until you are replacing axle tubes that have holes worn in them, or worse, buying some kids casket because you cut a cheap corner. For no more often than you actually have to remove them, it's worth $40 to me.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of guys on here are unbolting their front ends often enough that it does become silly to keep replacing u-bolts.

I have taken my u-bolts off, and it has been quite obvious they stretched, so I got new ones.

If they look ok and you are re-torqueing them every once in a while I don't see a problem with it.
 
in my early post on NOT to reuse them i stated i almost lost my front axle.

its not a fun felling at all to be doing 60mph down the highway and have the steering wheel move all over and no truck movment .

my ubolts were hanging on by about 2 threads each nut. it as said above chewed my center pin out and leaf pad on driver side of the 60 .

also i have noticed the ubolts sold to us in lift kits are of very cheep quality and i have seen more problems with them .

i recently had a guy with a lift kit stop in and ask what could be done with his rear axle to fix the play . i found lift kit blocks stacked on factory blocks ( ford stupid duty ) ( and as per kit instructions i read up on the kit on line ) and the ubolts falling off.

i tryed to sell the guy new taller blocks to eliminate the 2 block setup . he wouldnt buy . so i did my best to fix / modify the setup he had . then i went and got new ubolts / nuts / washers and installed it all.

i also noted all this on the work order as to cover my a$$ . . . :whistle:

there is a lot of no-no's still going on by the aftermarket industry and or people them selfs . we need to learn whats good and bad and make this sport / hobby safe and respected for quality .

is it realy worth 40-50 hell 100 bucks to chance reused major suspension holding parts ? ? ?
 
I dunno about you guys but my weekly income is $150 a week. That and I fudge with my axles a whole bunch. If you can't tell your u bolts are ****ed, or that the nuts don't thread on smoothly, you need to get your eyes and hands checked for nerve damage.

I replace them if they need it. If not, I put them back. These AREN'T DUMP TRUCKS. we're not going to lose a 10,000 pound load. And most of our wheelin trucks don't see the highway.
 
Well if it's never driven on the road, then by all means pull out your bubble gum, duct tape, and bailing wire. Out on the trails you can do what ever you want, nobody else is in any danger when failure occurs, but on the road is a completely different story.
 
I put thousands of miles a year in used u-bolts, on highway.

Martin
 
For me, there is a whole nother motivation for changing them everytime. They are always rusted stuck, saves me the time enough to make it worth it to remove them with the torch and throw on new ones. DONE!
 
This thread is really funny :haha: I have bought new u bolts, and reused old ones. Felt 100% safe with both.
 
I always read these U-bolt threads because I don't know what to think. If I'm doing a lot of tweaking and work on my truck, it seems crazy to call ORD every week or two and drop $120 on U-bolts... what exactly is supposed to happen when you reuse U-bolts? Does the 1/2" tube of steel just crack in half? Or the nut slides right up the threads? U-bolts on our trucks seem pretty tough for what they have to do. I've always been a little more paranoid with spring under vehicles where the whole wight of the truck is on the U-bolts, but that may just be ignorance on my part.
 
If a Ubolt is torqued properly it is torqued to yield. Which means it stretches just a bit. This in turn gives a high preload and will increase the fatigue life of the ubolt.

Because it is a torque to yield fastener and you've done that once already, you don't want to stretch it again. Stretching it the first time has changed the bolt permanently. Its a whole nother animal the second time around.

As many will tell you, they have reused and have gotten away with it. It all depends on the loads being applied as to whether or not it will work. Ubolts on your axles get loaded and unloaded hundreds of times in a trip down the road. Not very high loads but your average wheelin' trip when your twisting the suspension up those loads will be more with higher frequency. Now we can start thinking about fatigue.

EDIT: Now if you're wrenchin' on your truck and haven't gotten it on the road, please don't torque the ubolts. Snug them up and get things set up. Don't drive it like this obviously. You'll never know though, you just may decide to change something. If you haven't torqued them yet the whole conversation is moot. Generally speaking that's one of the last things we do on a build. Just torqued Brett's ubolts about a week ago. They've been under the truck holding the axles on for a long time.
 
I worked in automotive testing for years and can tell you it was NOT common practice to replace the u-bolts everytime you took them off. This was working with the engineering and design departments of major truck manufacturers and axle suppliers. Personally saw trucks and SUV's that had the rear axles replaced numerous times and then subjected to heavy abuse testing and never saw any issues. The only time I replace the u-bolts is if they are rusted on and can't easily get them off without cutting them.

I think the biggest issue is that people reinstall an axle using the old u-bolts but don't get them properly torqued, or the axle housing is not fully seated on the springs (a little rust or dirt on the spring pads or in the hole where the center pin sits) which effectively makes the u-bolts loose after the parts fully seat. Personally seen a couple trucks have issues after a lift kit install with brand new u-bolts because they were either not properly torqued to begin with or they didn't recheck them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom