what do u think about this

[92f150300six]

hey guys i found this on the net. and well this just dosent seem safe to me .but hey what do i know.so what do u guys think of this

[92f150300six]

o yeah i guess i should havd said what it is.its a high steer arm.its used on lifted truck to get better steering.most bolt on but this is welded right to the knuckle on the truck.

[specter]

Looks like some one's cheap attempt at a lift kit. Personally I would have spent the money and got proper lift kit! Not sure I would ever trust that! Especially if you do any off roading.

Would also be interesting if that is an on road truck in a state that has yearly inspections to see if something like that would pass inspection. If it fails it could also be interesting to see how the reverse the job that they did since it appears permanently welded.

If that is in fact a steering arm I wonder just how well it steers going down the road and if it affects the alignment?

[farmersamm]

The bottom weld might be fine. Don't know about the weld on the tie rod end. There are some meltable parts in some tie rod ends.

But consider this, some(not all, so y'all don't get your undies in a bunch) spring hangers on semi trailers are welded to the frame. If done properly with the right filler, I don't see a problem.

I have quite a few factory welded front end parts on my tractors, and they seem to hold up well.

I guess.........IT DEPENDS

[farmersamm]

Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever seen a trailer spring hanger that's been bolted or riveted on. I'm probably wrong.

Quite a few FWD pickup axles have the steering knuckle/king pin knuckle (whatever) welded to the end of the axle tube. I don' t know if it's actually sleeved with the weld to lock it in place, or totally dependant on the weld. Just never thought to take a look when I had an axle apart.

[whipitweld]

This becomes a question of liability. Usually steering parts are designed to withstand a specific load and are usually forged. While properly placed welds are usually stronger than the parent metal when you weld on a forged metal be aware that you are in essence changing the molecular structure of the parent metal. The heat affected zone especially has incurred dramatic granular changes.
Should this ever fail and the is an accident that involves injury the individual who welded this would be held liable. I don't think this is ever a good idea.

As far as the spring hangers being weld to frames of trailers this is a different matter as the trailers are not manufactured from an alloy steel and neither are the hangers. This is a common practice but you would never weld a spring for much the same reasons as above.

[Fat Bastard]

The guy that did it is an idiot. Plain and simple.

[tigmusky]

yikes!!!


Daye

[paweldor]

The guy that did it is an idiot. Plain and simple.

Yeh, but he's cool. Sort of like the idiot that held up the cop at a cop's convention here in Harrisburg last month. His comment to the press as they were leading him to jail "I'm smooth."

[smokin_dodge]

every trailer ive built had welded hangers. but your talking about welding a crucial part of your front end. put into consideration that if that breaks at a relative high speed your tire could cave in and you could flip your/severly damage your vehicle.

i view that welding on crucial mechanical parts on tractors is one thing, but on your truck that will drive on the highway?? just kinda not smart at all. just break down and buy the part. if you cant afford the part, maybe its time to get a new hobby

[farmersamm]

every trailer ive built had welded hangers. but your talking about welding a crucial part of your front end. put into consideration that if that breaks at a relative high speed your tire could cave in and you could flip your/severly damage your vehicle.

i view that welding on crucial mechanical parts on tractors is one thing, but on your truck that will drive on the highway?? just kinda not smart at all. just break down and buy the part. if you cant afford the part, maybe its time to get a new hobby

Lot of the old Freightliners used to have Reyco suspensions on the rear. In addition, at the time, they were experimenting with aluminum frames. Stuff used to break on the tandem suspensions, and at any kind of speed it would put you in the ditch. Rear suspensions are pretty crucial too.

I think Duane is the Freightliner/Peterbilt expert, he might remember some of this.

[farmersamm]

I remember driving an old recycled Weyrhauser COE Pete in the late 70's with the Reyco, and one of the arms that controls the alignment of the axles broke. I forget the name of the part, but it darn near killed me.

If the rear starts steering the truck, you have one heck of a time compensating for it. Specially hooked to a trailer.

I remember getting hosed for it. Shop mechanic swore up and down that the reason it broke was because I was going too fast over RR tracks. Get real. Those suspensions were junk.

It's usually the trailer that gets hammered over tracks because you don' t feel the impact as much, and you have a tendancy to speed up after the back end of the tractor clears the ruts.

[92f150300six]

this truck is driven daily from what it said .and i think its from florda. i just dont know seems very iffy

[Ironmower]

If it was a "mudder" who cares, but on the road, IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII don't think soooooo! I do some pretty "REDNECKIN' stuff but that there takes the cake!!!! We'll call it STUPIDNECKIN'!!!!!!!!

[the Q]

picture all the forces acting on those welds.
not really smart.

[92f150300six]

ok so i talk to a few 4x4 shops in FL about this and they said that its just fine.from what they told me they stick weld it on first and then make 3 to 4 pass with a mig. my thought i dont care how much weld is on it its not safe.

[Nitesky]

ok so i talk to a few 4x4 shops in FL about this and they said that its just fine.from what they told me they stick weld it on first and then make 3 to 4 pass with a mig. my thought i dont care how much weld is on it its not safe.

Typical remark I would expect from a 4x4 guy with no welding training. Gob on the MIG and it will be plenty strong :jester:

[bigmookied]

There is no welding on the tie rod or end, just the knuckle. Provided the weld is done correctly it should not be a problem as if it does break you just lose steering from one side and the wheel is allowed to wobble. Not any worse than losing a tie rod end.

Would I do this to my truck, no way!!

The problem I see is that knucke is probably cast iron, so you need to really have your act together to get that to work correctly.

Seems like a long stretch to save the $250 to get a junkyard flat top and a high steer arm.

[92f150300six]

no u loose steering all toghter the tierod that hooks to that welded arm goes to the steering box

[handtpipeline]

I remember driving an old recycled Weyrhauser COE Pete in the late 70's with the Reyco, and one of the arms that controls the alignment of the axles broke. I forget the name of the part, but it darn near killed me.

If the rear starts steering the truck, you have one heck of a time compensating for it. Specially hooked to a trailer.

I remember getting hosed for it. Shop mechanic swore up and down that the reason it broke was because I was going too fast over RR tracks. Get real. Those suspensions were junk.

It's usually the trailer that gets hammered over tracks because you don' t feel the impact as much, and you have a tendancy to speed up after the back end of the tractor clears the ruts.

Did you ever have trouble with busting springs with the Reyco? I ask because everyone I know around here that runs Reyco on Dumptrucks spend a lot of time and money at Tulsa Spring. I like the Pete AirLeaf suspension myself, and Camelback on my Macks.

[MikeD74T]

There is no welding on the tie rod or end, just the knuckle. Provided the weld is done correctly it should not be a problem as if it does break you just lose steering from one side and the wheel is allowed to wobble. Not any worse than losing a tie rod end.

Would I do this to my truck, no way!!

The problem I see is that knucke is probably cast iron, so you need to really have your act together to get that to work correctly.

Seems like a long stretch to save the $250 to get a junkyard flat top and a high steer arm.

Last summer a Volvo sedan lost a tie rod end in front of my house & did two 360's before stopping in the ditch. Seemed like more than a wobble to the driver !!!:dizzy: MikeD74T