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Pitman Arm Comparison?


Kirby N.

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Hey Howdy! My steering clearance on my solid axle ranger is really close, especially now that I added aluminum links. I am running a dropped pitman arm and my geometry is setup for that- but ideally if I had a 1/2" longer dropped pitman arm I would be set.

I remember a thread (it might have been here or pirate?) where guys were comparing pitman arms and come to find out many of the "drop" pitman arms sold by lift manufacturers were just pitman arms off of other models. I remember that a pitman arm off a grand cherokee was the same as a drop pitman arm you would buy from a suspension company for a TJ.

Anyway, I am wondering if anyone has a spot to look for pitman arm comparisons, or if someone knows where I can get a drop pitman arm for my ranger that is a little longer than my current one. Maybe something for a different model- like a f150 or something.

Thanks!
 

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The only thing I'm aware of is the Skyjacker FA600...

It's listed for 6-8" of lift on Rangers and F150s.
 

alwaysFlOoReD

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What dropped arm are you running now? Measurements?
 

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I'm not familiar with this build but I'll tell you what I know. As far as pitman arms go you can get the normal one, or one that will work for up to 4" of lift (commonly available with most lift kits or on the STX high rider trucks) or the Skyjacker extreme drop one for a 6" lift.

On a solid axle swapped truck I don't think it matters quite as much as long as your track bar and drag link are about the same length and on the same plane. Assuming you have no other obstructions you could use any of those pitman arms and adjust your track bar & drag link mounting points accordingly.

Here are a couple pics of mine:

 

Kirby N.

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Thank you for the replies. Here is my setup:

IMG_1310.jpeg

IMG_1305.jpeg


4" drop pitman arm.

I solid axle swapped it a few years ago. I used 1" dom threaded links up until recently but I wanted to swap to the high travel tre on the lower drag link because of interference happening with the nut on the passenger tie rod end. as a result, I needed a shorter drag link threaded DOM. Unfortunately, my machine shop connection that built my dom links is no longer in business and I can't find a machinist in my town who is capable with a lathe. So I found Hammer Down Enterprizes- apparently no one is using DOM anymore and the hot setup is 7075 solid aluminum. Unfortunately, the smallest material I could get was 1.5". That is only .25 on each side , though- should be fine?

Not so much.

So the real solution would be to move the steering box forward. But if I could find a pitman arm that was a little longer, even .25, it would make a big difference. My stock one was "longer"/ further from pivot by a little than this one, so I would think it wouldn't be much of an ordeal- I am sure there is something out there that is perfect, I just don't know what it would be.

Thanks!

Kirby
 

alwaysFlOoReD

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The stock stx hi-rider arm is longer and has a slight drop to accommodate the 1.5" lift of the hirider. Not sure if they can still be found or if it would work for you. Pretty sure I have pics of one compared to a regular arm in my build thread.
 

Kirby N.

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Hmm. Post number 45 in your low buck race truck thread.


That looks like the extra length I need, I am not sure about the drop though. Does it have a part number on it?? there is one on rock auto, but I am afraid it would not be exactly what stock is. Its going to be tough to find a high rider in the junk yards.
 

Kirby N.

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ok I researched back through my build thread, and this was something I was trying to solve when I installed the front end in 2015, but I was trying to move the axle as far forward as possible- and ended up giving up and just pushing it back a little for clearance. On my explorer I used a stock pitman arm- but with the ride height the drag link was pretty steep, as was the trackbar to prevent bump steer and as a result the axle moved a lot laterally through travel. So on my ranger, I tried hard to use a drop pitman arm and I am at a lower ride height.

It looks like the pitman arm I have on there is a Procomp FD400A- same as the skyjacker (cross-referenced at least) FA400. It is 6 3/8" long center to center and 32 spline x pattern. I a going to scour the parts store websites and see if i can find something that will be a little longer.
 

Kirby N.

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the high rider arm on rock auto is only 5.374 center to center.
 

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Probably not all that helpful as I didn't include a ruler


Here's a pic. I can get you some measurements later today

Top - Skyjacker FA600
Middle - Jeep 52000616
Bottom - Factory manual 4x4 arm

 

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That looks like the extra length I need, I am not sure about the drop though. Does it have a part number on it?? there is one on rock auto, but I am afraid it would not be exactly what stock is. Its going to be tough to find a high rider in the junk yards.

That is the high rider pitman arm. It is an actual Ford part. TRW ground off the Ford part number and repainted it. I bought one and it is identical to the one that came off my high rider truck.

Bummer about the DOM/aluminum deal. I have a buddy who builds rock crawler stuff and he has a lathe & made me my drag link and tie rod. They were threaded and I used heims instead of TREs. I don't know if you can do that, some states care about heims, South Dakota does not. You can also get weld in threaded bungs and use those instead of threading a piece of DOM but you have to use larger DOM...so there are tradeoffs.

Here are a couple of my pics of my pitman arm collection:



 

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That is the high rider pitman arm. It is an actual Ford part. TRW ground off the Ford part number and repainted it. I bought one and it is identical to the one that came off my high rider truck.

Bummer about the DOM/aluminum deal. I have a buddy who builds rock crawler stuff and he has a lathe & made me my drag link and tie rod. They were threaded and I used heims instead of TREs. I don't know if you can do that, some states care about heims, South Dakota does not. You can also get weld in threaded bungs and use those instead of threading a piece of DOM but you have to use larger DOM...so there are tradeoffs.

Here are a couple of my pics of my pitman arm collection:



Going by the pics posted, there is a difference between the 2 drop arms. One has slightly more bend at both ends.
 

Shran

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Going by the pics posted, there is a difference between the 2 drop arms. One has slightly more bend at both ends.
I assume you mean the Rough Country & high rider arms?

They were the same length but yes the bends were in different locations. The flat parts are longer on the RC arm.
 

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Here are a couple of my pics of my pitman arm collection:
Some people collect stamps or coins or butterflies; and then there are some that collect Ford Ranger pitman arms. (y)
 

Kirby N.

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Ok, I measured my current pitman arm (Pro Comp). It seems to be about 6 3/8" from center of hole to center of hole (like if they were on the same plane). The drop seems to be about 4". Is there any chance someone would be willing to measure one of these STX High Rider pitman arms hole to hole and drop? Maybe @Shran?
 

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