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Garage ideas for preloading a 14bolt weld on axle truss

BorregoK5

1/2 ton status
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San Marcos, Ca USA
I'm getting ready to truss the top of my 14 bolt but I lack the equipment to preload it... any slick ideas or tricks to doing this?
 
With the axle on stands get a bottle jack under the center section. Get a length of chain and loop it around the tube on the drum side of the perch on each side and under the bottle jack. As you pump the bottle jack it will try and bend the axle tubes downward giving you your pre-load...

Rene
 
Good idea! ... and to think I'm sitting here trying to figure a way to do it with my cherry picker... a bad case of rectal cranial inverison, thanks for the surgery!
 
LOL...I've had to use that method for straightening heavy haul trailer frames many times. Glad to help.

Did you ever get any pic's of your second prototype shackle flip brackets? I tried your sneak peek link last time but it didn't work for me...

Rene
 
Insert stupid question here. I have read on this form that preloading an axle trust is good. Why? I am not a gear head and am not sure of the physics behind preloading and what that will do for you when you are wheelin? It sounds like you want to put pressure on the third member and raise it. (to resemble a frown) Is that right? How does this help?
 
Once it's been welded with a small amount of preload the weight of the truck and the stresses it will see wheeling will get it almost dead straight. Ever hung a heavy door? I keep the latch side a little higher than where it should be. Then when it's all bolted up and you take the support out it will be nearly perfect.

By preloading the housing any slack or imprecise fitting will be made up for when the preload is removed as well as helping to compensate for weld distortion.

Rene
 
Couldn't have put the preload into better context!

I'm going to pick up the raw brackets right now so by tonight they should be assembled and installed. I've got my site up and running with the info, and pictures tonight or tomorrow if all goes as planned. It just rained so testing these new ones should be fun and make for some good mud video action!!! Click the signature link, I'm keeping all the info there for now.
 
The link works for me now. Looks much stronger/better than the first version! I like the flexibilty of shackle location.../forums/images/icons/cool.gif

Rene
 

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