Then I kinda of understand where your going, the only problem I can foresee is a reliability issue. You have to remember that the spring pockets don't move on a single axis, limit straps are simple and work very well.

 

pics are sexy!

 

Thanks everyone for all the complements.

 

The load factor is indeed increased with the lower links at the axle center line. That is one of the reasons that the holes start to wear. The rig uses heim joints at the axle and frame. There is nothing there to absorb the shock load. And with the lower links at the axle center line the load is greater, thus causing the holes in the mounts to enlarge. That, combined with the crud that gets in there and wears away at the material can wear out the mounts really fast. All it takes is one good hit to enlarge the hole just enough for the bolt to start moving.

As for the shock mounts I agree that a double shear design is far superior. I should explain that the rig this axle is going on is a customers rig. And he has his own ideas about things that I don't quit agree with, but the customer is always right. My ideal setup would include a poly bushing on one end with a heim on the other. This would allow some shock absorbtion so that the mounting holes would not get elongated from impacts, and this would solve the problem of holes wearing out. Since the customer is dead set on using double heims I had to engineer a solution that would allow him to do so and be reliable.

BTW close guess with vertical seperation. It is actually 9 inches.

 

914runner,

I would be happy to make one for you. I live in Grants Pass. Maybe if you were headed down south we could get together.

 

yep the customer is always right, beside you"ll see him again, to do it right when it breaks..... more $$$

I will be using heims as well, but with the addition of mis-alignment spacers to spread the load over a larger area, that should prevent the bolt movement.
I did look into the johnny and RE joints, but there is no room for fine tuning the alignment and I'm not that good at getting everything welded on that accurate.

I plan on running double heim shocks as well but will use limit straps to prevent the sudden shock at full extention.

 

We rarely have issues with the holes egging out, and thats on our full comp rigs (poor bastids are beat to death,lol). Of course, you can use stronger material (The exact name skips my mind but the tensil strength is greater than mild steel and welds like mild steel)... I think with the shock loads, you will see hiems(even good ones) wear out before you see holes get egged out. Lookin good so far BTW...

 

Stronger material is always the best option, but most people don't want to spend the extra $$ for it. I use .1/4in cold rolled plate for all my mounts if you are wondering. The rig I am speaking of that has the elongated holes has just started to show the wear. It has been linked and abused for over a year now. In the long, run even the high strength material will wear. With the way rigs are used and abused these days it becomes only a matter of time before parts wear out not a matter of if they will wear out. So when I build a project like this I approach it with the mind set that someday it will wear. But in this application the washers will wear out and not damage the mounts. When the washers wear out simply grind them off, weld new ones on and be on your way again. On another note, I just got a new program called solid works. It's a computer aided design program that lets you test the parts you make in 3D. Below I posted a pic of a link I designed that I will test in the program soon.

 

It is always wise to plan around potential weaknesses and make replaceable parts (in this case washers). Especially if you have seen problems with that exact thing in the past. Solidworks is great, But unless you are an engineer don't count on the numbers being correct for the FEA or stress analysis (whatever it's called in that program). All of the variables need to be perfectly correct. We use it just for modeling because of that. I'd like to use it for more but I want to know I am doing it right...

Keep the pics coming!

 

You are right about the variables having to be perfectly correct. Another major problem is that you cannot build a part and specify different materials for different sections. Like the hiem joint for example, it's materials are different than those of the actual link. But the stress analysis is a great place to start.

 

Are you talking about chrome Moly?????

 

No, its a flatbar/sheet material.. For the life of me I cannot remember what its called, gettin old sucks....

 

And here is the finished product installed in the truck.

 

Looks good to me. Tough, simple, and functional??? got any tweaked pics?

 

Sorry no flex pics yet, but you can see it in action here http://www.haz-fest.com/video/2004nov.wmv. It is the blue Yota with no bed and an exocage. It also has a bra on the front. The footage of it starts at 3:23, 4:26, and 6:23. Enjoy.

 

Kicka$$!! That looked like it was a phokin' blast. Some sloppy slick ˟˟˟˟˟ eh? Nice little rock garden too. That's better than pics anyway. Thanks

 

What an awesome thread guys! I haven't read it all, but I wanted to be a part of this.

Chris

 

Any new pictures of it flexed out?

Chris

 

Love it! Good thing to see as link and coil suspension is the next evolution for my toy. Really nice work.