See anything the matter with this set up?

[Mudstud]

Playing with options for mounting the ram. I don't have the means to weld to the cast dif and i don't like the idea of welding to the diff cover. I also want to get the ram up as high as possible. I have flipped the ram to where the body mounts near the drivers side C and the rod clevis would be welded to the middle of the tierod. You guys see any potential problems with this set up? I would go with straight up hose fittings at the ram. The only potential problem I see is that if I bend the tierod too far up and back the body of the ram may come into contact with the U bolts. It'd have tio bend a good distance though. The one fitting is close to the leaf spring but it should be enough clearence to not make it an issue. I tacked everything up (after I took the pics) and then realized one problem. With my wheel locks (lock to lock limiter bolts at the knuckles) set at 1" out. With the ram fully extended and tabs tack welded in place when I turn everything (draqlink diconnected) the other direction, ram compresses and bottoms out before the wheel reaches lock- knuckle has about 1/4" - 3/8" left before it hits the stop. I guess I'm gonna have to loose some turning radius and split the difference in the rams throw?

Don't make fun of my white socks and sandles- It's not everyday I dress up like that.

I plan on using some 1/4" angle on the tierod to help distribute the force of the ram and keep the weak factory rod half way straight.

 

[Stomis]

Its not the white socks that do it. Its the samurai fabricator like combination of socks and sandals thats worthy of being made fun of o sensai of metal working


Anywho I would say that you will definately regret loosing that turing radius. You'll be on the trail and will barely miss clearing a turn and think to yourself "man I shoulda figured that out better".

Then again atleast it will be super easy to make K turns LOL.

 

[Mudstud]

I'd like to know how far out some of you guy'seses lock bolts are set at with ram assist.

I understand the end that screws into the body of the ram makes the over all ram length shorter or longer. Maybe i just need to 'play' with it a little more.

 

[Stomis]

Well I'm no hydro expert but I can apply my mind to think about how I would imagine if would work.

Imagine if you would :P

The ram has a total travel just like a shock or for better example a steering stabilizer. Say you have for simplicity a 10in travel ram. Obviously you want to turn the same amount each way, duh. So for instance if you need 5in of travel each way to make the wheel go lock to lock than you need to mount the ram with the wheel locked right and ram fully extended with the way you have it set up.

Now it sounds like your problem is that you have a 10in travel ram and your steering is requiring 6in of travel in order to turn completely. If you turn the ram adjustment out you will increase your travel for turning right but you have also equally subtracted the same amount of travel when the ram collapses.

A single ended ram is not technically designed for doing work while pulling. Although steering is a very light application for a ram so people do it all the time, the system is actually under more of a load coming in. Reguardless of that theres nothing wrong with the setup. What I am getting to is that the adjustment is only meant to dial in the extension of the ram. It will only adjust the center of the rams travel NOT create more travel.

The only time that adjustment will help you is if for instance you mount everything and go o **** I mounted the ram too close on the tierod and dont want to move the whole thing.

Wow I guess I know a little more about hydraulics than I thought. Either way to me it sounds like you didnt get a ram with enough travel. I believe basic geometry would yield the only solution to be to mount the ram on an angle therefor making the length the arm needs to travel shorter.

I think....

 

[4X4HIGH]

I don't like the ram mounted in that position because as the ram is extending it is exerting pressure on the tie rod which could easily bend the tie rod. If the ram body was mounted inboard and the shaft near the driver knuckle it would be ALOT harder to bend the tie rod. Think about it for a minute, something that is lets say 3 feet long (tie rod in this instance) and being pushed from the center is going to bend alot easier than the same 3 foot long piece being pushed near the end that is supported by the knuckle. Do you follow me?

I mounted my ram directly behind my tie rod to help protect it from being hit. I do have a large 1.5" OD x .312 ID tie rod so i'm not really worried about bending the tie rod.

A standard location tie rod requires an 8" stroke ram. You need to mount the ram first (as close to being centered as possible) then you can "fine tune" the location of the ram by playing with the heim ends and once that's done THEN you adjust your stops so that the knuckles hit the stop very close to the same time that the ram bottoms out. Ideally you want the stops to bottom before the ram does.

 

[Stomis]

Ideally you want the stops to bottom before the ram does.

You WANT the stops to hit first. I dont think its an ideally thing. Putting the stress of the lock on the ram is NG.

I think what hes getting at is that the ram doesnt have enough travel to move the wheels lock to lock. In that case you need a ram with longer travel. As I and 4x4high said the end piece is only for fine tuning the center of the rams stroke once its mounted to the housing. That way the only critically measure weld is the tierod mount making measuring easier.

I didnt even think of buckling the tierod... I think you may be better off just going from your diff cover to the knuckle. or end of the TR

Looking at the pics again you could mount the ram to the tube. Flip it over and utilize the steering stabilizer hole in the tierod.

 

[Mudstud]

You WANT the stops to hit first. I dont think its an ideally thing. Putting the stress of the lock on the ram is NG.

You are saying the same thing 4x4HIGH is. I have the 1.5x8" ram from PSC.

In the very last sentence under the pics I state I was going to use some 1/4" angle (or tube if I can find a stick) to reinforce the tie rod mounts because of the rerasons you listed.

I toyed with the idea of mounting the rod to utilize the TRE hole- maybe even drilling it out and adding a bolt to teh welded tabs but the flat into the round rod doesn't make for easy fabrication.

I need to reread this tomorrow as I'm falling asleep now.

Thanks guys.

 

[dremu]

Don't make fun of my white socks and sandles- It's not everyday I dress up like that.

I can't speak as to your steering issues, but I feel your pain w.r.t. your (lack of) fashion sense.

-- A

 

[4X4HIGH]

Hey, look at that purdy engine. Who built that thing. He sure seems to know what he's doing.

 

[dremu]

Hey, look at that purdy engine. Who built that thing. He sure seems to know what he's doing.

Depends if you mean the idiot who *put it together* though.

But it is indeed a beautiful thing to behold. And great fun to drive

-- A

 

[Stomis]

You are saying the same thing 4x4HIGH is. I have the 1.5x8" ram from PSC.

In the very last sentence under the pics I state I was going to use some 1/4" angle (or tube if I can find a stick) to reinforce the tie rod mounts because of the rerasons you listed.

I toyed with the idea of mounting the rod to utilize the TRE hole- maybe even drilling it out and adding a bolt to teh welded tabs but the flat into the round rod doesn't make for easy fabrication.

I need to reread this tomorrow as I'm falling asleep now.

Thanks guys.

Yesir I know. I was just trying to stress that that is very important.