Cracked Pitman Arm
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 41
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 9,601
Likes: 1,174
From: San Jose, CA
I'm remembering things as I go...
One rule of thumb for these installs is: "Locktite is your friend!"
So maybe it wasn't the improper torquing of the nuts, but that even when done correctly there was just too much force and flex on these things. A longer/higher arm, coupled to larger tires and a good power steering setup (and yours is good enough to crack a pitman arm!) probably add an inordinate amount of flex.
So thread locker seems a good practice with those buggers.
Paul
One rule of thumb for these installs is: "Locktite is your friend!"
So maybe it wasn't the improper torquing of the nuts, but that even when done correctly there was just too much force and flex on these things. A longer/higher arm, coupled to larger tires and a good power steering setup (and yours is good enough to crack a pitman arm!) probably add an inordinate amount of flex.
So thread locker seems a good practice with those buggers.
Paul
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 9,601
Likes: 1,174
From: San Jose, CA
Cool. I would have said over 100lbs from memory. But that 90 seems "authoritative" enough for now.
Wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion though if you happen to be looking around still.
I don't think whoever wrote the instructions was fully versed in either testing procedures or full grasp of English.
Here's what I mean:
"3) Turn the steering wheel all the way from lift to right, counting the number of turns as you go.
First, to get the full movement of the box needed to be accurate in all conditions, you need to disconnect the linkage so there is no possibility of it limiting the box.
Then you can turn the box fully lock-to-lock.
(edit: And it took me another day just to notice that they spelled left "lift" so I guess we're even!)
4) Turn the wheel back 1.5 the number of turns to put you back to about center."
Just what the heck does "1.5 the number..." mean? Well I know they were trying to say "1/2 the number" or "half the number" but that's not what one-point-five means to most people. At least I hope not.
But with luck, most who are doing this will figure it out during the install.
And even in your case, with you having driven it for awhile already, it would definitely not hurt to verify that whoever did the work originally also centered the steering box when it was installed.
Maybe they got it right, but I would not necessarily trust that at this point. It's ok to trust, but it's better to verify.
Paul
Wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion though if you happen to be looking around still.
I don't think whoever wrote the instructions was fully versed in either testing procedures or full grasp of English.
Here's what I mean:
"3) Turn the steering wheel all the way from lift to right, counting the number of turns as you go.
First, to get the full movement of the box needed to be accurate in all conditions, you need to disconnect the linkage so there is no possibility of it limiting the box.
Then you can turn the box fully lock-to-lock.
(edit: And it took me another day just to notice that they spelled left "lift" so I guess we're even!)
4) Turn the wheel back 1.5 the number of turns to put you back to about center."
Just what the heck does "1.5 the number..." mean? Well I know they were trying to say "1/2 the number" or "half the number" but that's not what one-point-five means to most people. At least I hope not.
But with luck, most who are doing this will figure it out during the install.
And even in your case, with you having driven it for awhile already, it would definitely not hurt to verify that whoever did the work originally also centered the steering box when it was installed.
Maybe they got it right, but I would not necessarily trust that at this point. It's ok to trust, but it's better to verify.
Paul
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 41
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So the Moog arm was a complete failure. Only a small portion of the splines engaged and once I put the tires down and turned without moving they stripped out. I called Pat again at Benchmark and he suggested this as a stronger option. It's designed to be cut to length.
https://benchworksteering.com/produc...arm-10-5-long/
https://benchworksteering.com/produc...arm-10-5-long/
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,099
Likes: 8
From: York, Pa
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