Hinged/pinned/wristed front radius arms

[o_teunico]

This is a spin-off from the antidive/antisquat thread.

It seems an easy way for obtaining extra front Wheel travel. After reading Pirate...

Pros:

-Cheap an easy

-Can be reverted to stock

-Some claim better road handling (less understeering)

Cons:

-Only one arm is dealing with the torque that previously was shared between two. Some have suffered axle tube wrap, bent arms and broken bolts.

Any real life experience in this forum?

[Lewis]

Amongst all the other topics being discussed the following thread does have some references to hinged radius arms, and some user experience from D90SV and SimonR

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=7276

I concur with Bill's assessment in the anti squat thread that you would be better off just removing a bolt rather than manufacturing a wristed arm with regards to keeping it discreet for your countries vehicle modification laws. Plus it costs nothing and you can easily go back to stock if you don't like it. Bill also described his real world experience of the bolt removed setup in the anti squat thread

[bill van snorkle]

Thanks Lewis. O'teunico ,there really isn't much difference in performance between removing a l/h/front bolt and a wristed radius arm, so why bother to do the work and attract attention to your vehicle for no advantage.Fit firmer eurathane bushings to both RA's, get a longer bolt, machine, file or grind a taper on the end to assist in realigning the bracket with the bushing and call it done.

this is something you can test and experiment with immediately. If you don't like it you can then move on to a One, Two, or Three link arrangement.

[Team Idris]

It was this part that made me wonder about a third radius arm, in the middle of the axel, to do the torque reaction of drive. The axel end is easy, just weld on two more brackets (cut off an old axel), and take two bushes out of the original arms. (put them in the third one if you're tight)

But the other end wasn't going so well

As the axel travels on the springs, this central radious arm has to lengthen and shorten in relation to the chassis. This meant a sliding part, or a shackle at the cross member end of the arm.

Advantage; simple to do, reversible and a bit more prop protection.

Disadvantage; Don't know how to do it

If it is offroad only, you could be pretty agricultural about the slide part on the third arm. Just a hole for the end to poke through would do

[missingsid]

Thanks Lewis. O'teunico ,there really isn't much difference in performance between removing a l/h/front bolt and a wristed radius arm, so why bother to do the work and attract attention to your vehicle for no advantage.Fit firmer eurathane bushings to both RA's, get a longer bolt, machine, file or grind a taper on the end to assist in realigning the bracket with the bushing and call it done.

this is something you can test and experiment with immediately. If you don't like it you can then move on to a One, Two, or Three link arrangement.

Hi Bill,

Would the Eurathane busheses stay in place or is the actual twist movement only milimetres and therefore within the bounds of the mounting plates on the axle?

What about wear/damage from the bush crush tube rubbing on these mounts?

Cheers,

Marc.

[bill van snorkle]

Hi Bill,

Would the Eurathane busheses stay in place or is the actual twist movement only milimetres and therefore within the bounds of the mounting plates on the axle?

What about wear/damage from the bush crush tube rubbing on these mounts?

Cheers,

Marc.

Hi Marc. I was thinking more along the lines of the one piece eurethane bushings with a lip on both sides. Keeping the crush tube from falling out may present a problem.are there any glues that will bond eurethane to steel ? On full articulation the 'free end' will completely dislodge from its mount, but back in the day when I played around with these things, I splayed the mounting bracket out slightly so that it wouldn't catch on the crush tube. There is enough spring in the metal of the mount, that the 'splay' was permanent whenever the bolt was removed. I never used eurathane bushings back then. they weren't available then to my knowledge.

Team Idris. Your third radius arm idea is something I think would work well as an antiwrap bar for leaf sprung LandRovers if less compliant bushings were fitted at the axle ends.The standard 2 piece rubber bushings at the chassis end have a little over 1" of give in them and if mounted close to the centre of the axle should allow the full range of articulation that those short leaf springs can give.

[o_teunico]

Thanks for all your replies. That thread from 2006 is very interesting.

No, I don´t want to make a wristed radius arm, but I asked about experiences with them on Rovers asuming that the "one less bolt" system will behave in the same way.

In my head I have a pin replacing that missing bolt. It is attached to a system that replicates that of the LT230 diff lock engagement. I move a knob in the cab and, when the pin has no forces in it, moves to the desired position, so I can choose flex/no flex on the move even with the suspensión working. Only problema, as always, will be road/MoT ruling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH4r71evEfo

[Nigelw]

Where you live, forget it!! Spanish authorities seem to have an even poorer sense of engineering humor than the Belgians, and these guys don't have any.