There is a limit to how far the knuckles will turn, this is why you gotta disconnect the drag link, so you know your hitting the full rangge of the steering box and not the knuckle. If the pitman arm is wrong it's probably for a different truck with a different steering system. The splines on the stearing boxes are the same for most domestic full size pick-ups. It wouldn't supprise me if inthe search for a pitman arm with a big drop they grabed one for a differant vehicle.

 

Pretty sure it came with the Skyjacker lift kit...

 

Well lets see if it's right. Find the center of the box and see if its perpandicular to the truck/paralell with the axle.
If it is we got to find another problem cause that's not it.

 

Anything new?

 

This system is "a good system and is easy on bumpsteer"?

While this can be a fairly true statement for trucks that have neg arch springs, or stock leafs, it is far from true after a truck has been lifted.

By using a leaf spring that has been designed to provide some lift, the axles movement becomes greater as the suspension cycles.
When the driver side is compressed, the axle is moved towards the rear of the truck, and this is indicated by looking at the shackle. This will be facing the rear of the truck.
The tire also moves back as the leaf spring becomes longer. This movement will make the distance between the steering arm, and the pitman arm greater, and a short link is going to have ill effects on the steering system.
Since the push pull drag link is connected to a rigid mounted steering box, the only thing that can happen is the drag link is forced to pull on the pitman arm, and this will pull the steering wheel to the left. Viola, instant bumpsteer! I does not matter what angle you run that drag link at, this will happen every time. The opposite is true for suspension extension. This system is old and antequated, and is not a very effective design.
Notice even new trucks use invterted "T" steering designs?
Making the drag link as long as possible, and connecting it to the opposite end of the axle minimizes the effects on the steering box (feedback) during suspension cycles.

Experiment:
Using some lift device (forklift) and using appropriate saftey precautions, cycle the suspension by lifting the diver side wheel only.
Watch the steering wheel, and see what happens.
If you would like. place a piece of tape on the very top of the wheel to indicate center, you will note how far the wheel turns during the suspension cycle. Yours will move a ton. I guarantee it. I can say this with confidence because I have performed this already, and I already know the results. (this may vary if you have stiff springs and the suspension does not flex well, but the results will still be accurate.)
(Also keep in mind that during actual off road driving situation, you may not be able to turn at all because of this.)
After you perform this task write back with results. I will even go as far as performing the same task and documanting it as well.
My steering wheel (truck equiped with x-over) will barely move. During the design, my suspension was cycled several times to verify working angles.

There is no way that the push pull design is even in the same category as the crossover design. Once the suspension is modified, the steering also has to be upgraded as well, and performing second best modifications should not be an option.
Steering is a very important thing, and throwing money at a poor design is a waste of time, energy and money.

Quick fix for that turning radius problem would be to eliminate that block. This will create a greater distance between the box and the steering arm, and you can utilize you dropped drag link.
You should improve your radius.
This should only be used as a quick fix, and will not solve your entire steering problem.
The correct solution is to eliminate the junk "push / pull" design.

 

I disagree with much of what you said here I'll break it down;

Most important, it is almost imposable to eleminate "bump steer" with leaf springs during axle articulation. This is because the entire axle is turning. As the leaf spring compresses it travels through an arc that moves the axle towards the shackle. If the axle is articulating this is happening on one side more than the other. In this truck compressing the drivers side will always cause the truck to turn left.

As to comparing bump steer between the two designs the important factor is not which way the draglink goes. But rather it is traveling in the same arc as the axle. With his system the draglink needs to be parallel with the spring (center of front spring eye to center of axle) and equal in length. Similar is true for a crossover set up. To reduce bump steer as much as possable you must also have a panhard/track bar and it must parallel the draglink and be equal in length.

Bottom line this system works well for a truck that only uses the springs to locate the front axle. And is quite strong as the stress on the steering box is in line with the frame. If changing to a crossover it is important to add a properly designed panhard bar and reinforce the steering box mounting. (fords are infamous for braking the frame at the steering box) When converting to crossover you should also use a two hole steering arm, and have an added clearance problems of the crossover draglink.

 

I've already ordered the kit - just waiting for my friend to move into her house so I can take over her garage mwahahaha

 

Man y'all are pointing out some really good points here... *confused*

 

Only truth comes out of a lively discussion. That's what this forum is for.

 

[quote=Opossum;6753870]I disagree with much of what you said here I'll break it down;

Most important, it is almost imposable to eleminate "bump steer" with leaf springs during axle articulation. This is because the entire axle is turning. As the leaf spring compresses it travels through an arc that moves the axle towards the shackle. If the axle is articulating this is happening on one side more than the other. In this truck compressing the drivers side will always cause the truck to turn left.

No it is not impossible to eliminate bumpsteer. I dont have any, and I can prove it. My crossover and hydro assist does not bumpsteer. I have hit tree stumps and broken a wheel, and never a bumpsteer problem.
Can I eliminate it, Darn right I can.
Now, in your example above, you have actually proven my point. The axle does move, and the wheelbase changes., but the only reason the truck turns left wil crossover steeringis because of this wheelbase change and not a result of the steering wheel beeing pulled on..
Regardless of the position of the drag link, the link will always move at a different rate than the spring, during the arch of travel during suspension movements.
See as the spring extends (gets longer during suspension compression), it moves back (privided this has a rear swing shackle) the axle is forced to move also. The drag link has to be change length, and it cant. the only thing it can do to compensate is to move the steering wheel, and this is the problem with such a system.
This becomes a greater problem when more arch is added to the spring.
The problem becomes amplified. Solution there would be to drop the entire steering box, and that is outof the question.

Same scenario, and consider the x-over design. With a long drag link, the drag link only has to move with the axle. This movement, of the axle is ony a matter of inches, and this has little effect on the crossover drag link, where as the shosrt push pull system is effected by this small movement far greater than it would over the x-over.
I mean the pitman arm only moves a little over a foot of full travel right? Change that by a few inches, and that could be well over 10% of inaccuracy.

Now by looking at the vehicle form the front, any change in suspension will not as much of an effect on the length of the drag link. So the axle moves to the rear of the truck, since the drag link is now facing left to right, you can move the axle back and forth, and never put the drag link in a bind. This lack of bind means less feedback to the driver. This drastically limits bumpsteer.
As you would view the drag link of the crossover from the steering box, looking parallel to the drag link, you will see that any movement of the axle from the front to the rear of the truck will not effect the drag link in the same manner that it would with the push pull design.

Now you did hit a key word on x-over design, and bumpsteer can be obtained with x-over in the same fashion that it can be in a push pull system, an this is when the axle moves from left to right.
This movement with lifted trucks is minimal, I mean absulutely minimal. Trac bars do help, but these really have to be engineered correctly or they will minimize articulation.

Lets see, if x-over bumpsteers if the axle side to side, which we can agree that though minimal, this can occur. Then why would it be alright to use a push pull system when we already knlw and have already agreed that in fact the axle does move from front to rear?
To eliminate this in a x-over system, one installs a trac bar, but how do you solve the same problem in the push pull system?
You dont!
Seems to be a contradicting statement.
The push pull is a poor design for any vehicle that has a decent amount of articulation, and lift.
Regardless of how flat you get the drag link, it will fight the suspension, and
promote bumpsteer.

Have you driven a push / pull system and then driven the same vehicle after a x-over upgrade?
This would answer everything. The difference is night and day.
I run x-over on all of my rides, and they perform far better than any push pull system ever could.

Another experiment:

On a truck equiped with a push pull steering system, perform the same experiment as before, and lift the driver side fornt tire, as far as you can and record how far the truck can be lifted before the rear tire comes off of the ground. Then remove the drag link from either the steering arm, or the pitman arm, and lift it again. Once again record the amount it can be lifted, and take the amzing difference.
The short drag link os the limiting factor, and this limitation is what causes bumpsteer, and limited turning radius.
Then buy or make a x-over system, and perform the same test. The trucks springs, and only the springs will be the limiting factors. Well, that is not true, the shocks will probably become the next factor, but this is an articulation factor, and not a steering issue.

The steering in this case is fixed by upgrading to x-over.
Stock trucks can use the weak push / pull system, but lifted vehicles are gonna require a better system, and this better system is either an inverted "t" system, or full crossover.

 

That I can 100% agree with....

 

I will give you that crossover steering is the better design I never said it wasn't. But your overly harsh and incorrect in your condemation of this design.

You state "Regardless of the position of the drag link, the link will always move at a different rate than the spring, during the arch of travel during suspension movement"

This is not true, in fact the opposite is true, they have to move at the same rate. The front of the spring and and the front of the draglink are both stationary pivot points and the axle and steering arm move in the same arc. Asuming the correct pitman arm is used, the front half of the spring (which as it flatens out acts as a trailing arm) and the drag link are parallel and equal in length during the full suspension travel.

These facts alone eleminate bumpsteer.

After re-reading your statement I'm curious just how you define bumpsteer?

 

*eats popcorn*

 

I was only going to respond to a portion of that,,,but I feel it is necessary to address the entire thing.
In your statement "they have to move at the same rate. The front of the spring, and the front of the drag link are both stationary pivot points, and the axle and steering arm move in the same arch." Is simply a not true statement. Here is why:
The point at which the front of the drag link is not fixed, it is connected to a pitman arm, that is connected to a stering box, and while the steering box is fixed, the pitman arm is not.
The steering box is not anywhere close to the front spring so the point in which an arch would begin to beging would make it as close to impossible as can be.
Very difficult to make two points pivot on similar archs wneh they are attached at different points, and have different length levers.
Add to this the added angle of lift springs, and this problem becomes even worse.
As mentioned before, the push / pull design works well with stock flat springs and vehicles that cant articulate. (stuck trucks)
Lifted and modified vehicles have a difficult time with steering because of this terrible steering configuration.
Now we should talk about the change in caster when the brakes are applied.
What happens to the short push pull drag link when the axle begins to wrap under braking or even acceleration?
I will tell you that it applies pressure against the drag link, and this is once again turned into feedback to the driver.
So now, we can prove that since the axle moves foward and back during suspension cycles, it contributes to feedback (bumpsteer) and another factor is axle wrap during braking and acceleration (while in 4wd) also promotes driver feedback (bumpsteer). Makes me wonder why anyone would support his design?
For the money and time invested into tryingto make this antique steering system work, one could have installed a far superior steering system into one of our beloved trucks.
Just cuz ford engineer did not do it correctly from the beginning, does not mean that we have to be stuck with a poor design.

I am 100% against push / pull steering and that is simply because of its design.
I would imagine that vehicle design engineers also agree since we have not seen this poor design in many, many years.
Lets see, this design has not been seen in a 4wd vehicle like these since 1979. Hmmm, I wonder why? It was not good, thats why.


Put on more popcorn! Lol

 

Ed you're a nut