TTB Bent Beam Lift?

[MikeWild]

yea if you could the inside area where the tubing meets the factory flare up by the axle, i know how to build the back, just curious how you braced and welded that joint for the front half

K, I snapped off a bunch more, hopefully they'll give you an idea

And a gratuitous shot of my Ranger humping the exploder!

 

[kevinsranger]

K, I snapped off a bunch more, hopefully they'll give you an idea
And a gratuitous shot of my Ranger humping the exploder!

nice, thanks alot., did you add anything to the inside edge (the side facing the engine)? that looks really strong, what did you use 2" dom with 1/4 wall?

 

[MikeWild]

I used 2-1/4” x 1/4” 1026 DOM for the radius arms

 

[4x4junkie]

yea if you could the inside area where the tubing meets the factory flare up by the axle, i know how to build the back, just curious how you braced and welded that joint for the front half

Looks identical to mine (did he steal mine? lol) J/K

Here's a couple pics that show the inside:

Stock style bushings are a common weak spot on 'unlifted' TTB's and constantly need replacing. With the added travel on the suspension, IMO, they'd wear out faster and you'd be always under the truck replacing them. Heim or Johnny joints work so much better in that type of application. You get so much more rotation out of a heim joint than the stock bushing.

My "stock style bushings" have needed no attention for 4 years now, show no signs of wearing out, and have plenty of travel (even with being urethane ones).


I also drive this thing on the street a good amount. Unless you're abusing it in a Baja race, I don't see any good reason to deal with the maintenance hassles of heims.

 

[MikeWild]

Well it's good to hear your bushings have worked out for you. I just figured it best to go with Heims as all 3 exploders I've had, had issues with them. I don't know if perhaps the added weight of being an exploder has something to do with it, but meh...

Nice looking BII ya got.

 

[4x4junkie]

Thanks for the comment

I doubt weight would affect it much. I think more likely would be too much angle being put on the bushings from too much travel on stock stubby radius arms, or a crossmember/bracket design (such as the stock one) that has a lip around the hole digging into the bushing because the OE plastic spacer is broken or missing.

I don't mean to be down on heims, they certainly do have their place, but IMO not on a rig that sees a lot of street use due to the amount of grime, mud & dust they get exposed to over 10s of thousands of miles. Baja racers on the other hand are able to swap theirs out after every race if needed.

 

[MikeWild]

My street use of the truck is comparative to the amount of time it spends traveling off road. I have the fortune of being able to pick and choose what to drive for the day, and that being said, each day presents different circumstances which sway me towards one vehicle or the other. Again, I guess it all boils down to personal decision. In my mind, I wanted the best, and in that I found that adding heims was the way to go, they've stood very well up to the pounding that I put them through, in your opinion, rubber bushings did the trick and have stood up very well too. I went with the heims with the mind set of being easily exchangeable, which has yet to present itself. To each their own right?

 

[4x4junkie]

To each their own right?

Works for me

I was mainly just countering to what you said about bushings "constantly need replacement" is all. Mine haven't ever presented any issues.

 

[canyoncritter]

The stress of leaving the c-clip in on a cut and & turn will put too much pull on the retaining washer on the passenger side stub shaft resulting in it rounding itself and no longer holding the shaft in place causing you to lose the locking functionality of that hub. I had an external retaining ring machined that bolts to the pumpkin and after a while that too would blow the retaining washer. I've since added a valve spring to the slip yoke to see if that helps, and so far it's been holding up. I've done the same proceedure to my ranger with a 6" BDS lift & the c-clip eliminated and so far so good for that too. If I get a chance I'll snap some pictures & post'em up tomorrow.

Not trying to start a pissing match in any way, so don't take it as I am.

Today I cycled out my autofab kit, looking for this problem.I can go full droop,full bump,one side full bump, one side full droop,both ways on both sides. Wheels turned full right and full left in every way in full droop and full bump and again one side full bump, one side full droop on ethier side.
I do not have that problem with my beams. the passenger stub shaft clip dose not bind against the spindle's.I still have movement between the clip/washer and spindle snout.

I also checked at the axle shaft slip yoke, and where the axle shafts gos in to the diff on the passenger side and mine dose not bind up.I still have the slight pull in push out movent in the diff from the c-clip.
The autofab kits are set up with a STX "highrider" style pivot bracket and the beams are cut and turned at the lower ball joint.


I guess its just the pro's and cons on the 2 diffrent ways of cutting and turning beams.
I have a jacking effect from being cut at the ball joints,
And your way of cutting and turing the beam's seem to have a problem with the stub shaft clip binding up and poping and causing the 4wd to no longer work.

and when you say the passenger side stub shaft, I do belive you mean the one that gos to the hub, threw the knuckles. this one correct?

 

[MikeWild]

yup, that's the one I'm referring to. Even while cycling, I still had play between the shaft and the washer/clip, it's just under extended abuse that the washer would fail. I've since added a valve spring to the slip yoke as well as tacking the dust cap in place, and so far I've beat'en the snot out of it and it's held up great. There's also 2 different types of retaining washers made from different materials. The thinner of the 2 when doubled seemed to hold a lot longer than the thicker singular type.
What do you mean by 'jacking effect'?

 

[canyoncritter]

I guess once I really get this pile on the road Ill have to keep a a eye out then.

good to know about the 2 diffrent spline washers. next time Im at pocket a part I mean pick a part type of wreckers Ill have to grab all that I see.(most the time they get thrown in the dirt anyhow)


jacking effect, KPI, king pin angle incline.....when the wheels turn right and left my front end will raise and lower. ie jacking

 

[MikeWild]

Ahhh yes 'Jacking' lol My Ranger does the same thing because I removed the sway bars after adding the BDS lift to it.