Stick 'yer' Polybushes where the Sun don't shine

[Boothy]

Just in the process of changing front hockey sticks for camber corrected one's,

all's going well, chassis built 3 years ago, all put together with Polybushes and copper slip where neccesary, when low and behold the rear bolt of the axle pair on the nearside turns and turns, now this axle was fitted less than 2 years ago, nut comes off but bolt just spins and wont pull or push through insert,

won't tap through insert, remove caliper hit it with long drive bolt, no way is this coming out,

grind both ends and spead axle receptacle's (like that word) as far apart as possible to drop stick out,

Result 2 hours,

Drawback of Polybush- it doesn't help removal because metal insert just turns and is not gripped by nylastic type bush as used on standard (and new hockey sticks) so makes and easy job a possible pain in the tool box!

Dead easy to assemble with Polybush, what a pain to get apart.

Take warning, anybody else had simlar troubles or it it just my luck?

[Milemarker Type S]

I don't usually get this problem as long as the bolt is given a good covering of copper grease when it is assembled... maybe I have just been lucky?

[nige90]

Sacked mine on the hockeys too as they didn't flex enough to get the benefit

of the longer shocks. They didn't flex enough even to let the standard shocks

travel to the limits

[jules]

I use them because there easy to replace and I haven't had any problems with them ever.

they wear out and I can replace them with nothing more the a spanner which is what I like about them.

the freelander racer's only ever wore out one diff bush in the three years of racing but no trouble removing them ever.

sorry

I've used PB themselves and SP ones as well

[clbarclay]

The tubes can still get stuck to the bolts with metalastic bushes, had one on the hockey sticks where the rubber had parted company from the steel and the steel had grown on to the bolt. 5 mins with a grinder had it apart.

Unfortunately the RRC fitted with blue polybushes at home hasn't been working for long enough at a time recently to get it on a ramp and compare to the softer polybushes to metalastic and deflex bushes. I have deflex bushes on my arms untill testing on a ramp demonstrated how little articulation they allowed.

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

I tried a set of blues in the 90.

They fell apart - and mean into bits (do a search on polybush on this forum - I posted a pic of the mess) - in less than a year.

For me back to genuines, I have now heard from friends who have had same issue, one having a casing turned to scrap as the polybush rotated within it making the hole too big

Genuines do hold back on flex when fitted new, but they do soften when they have been used a bit - and they last

Nige

[Steve 90]

3 years, In my experience thats pretty good for a polly bush. Ive roasted them in 4 months before and wont use em now. Since then ive stuck to GENUINE rubber bushs as they seem to outlast and outflex everything tho I have got super pro in the panhard rod and they are holding up too it well so im gona try a full set when I get time.

[darthdicky]

I got through a number of genuine bushes (fitted by a well known LR specialist who have repeatedly told me that they only use genuine bushes), lasted about 6 months on average, blue polybushes lasted over a year but still wore out, currently trying Superpro ones but the vehicle hasn't been used for 3 months so can't really say whether they're any better or worse...

If you've got the early narrow hockey sticks then in my experience nothing lasts that long!

Richard

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

I got through a number of genuine bushes (fitted by a well known LR specialist who have repeatedly told me that they only use genuine bushes), lasted about 6 months on average, blue polybushes lasted over a year but still wore out, currently trying Superpro ones but the vehicle hasn't been used for 3 months so can't really say whether they're any better or worse...

If you've got the early narrow hockey sticks then in my experience nothing lasts that long!

Richard

6 months ?? - then they will be pattern parts....... I will promise !

Buy from a dealer in sealed packets, get a mate to press them in, ......then you are sure....

Yes narrow hockey sticks do wear faster but thats not the problem here.

I personally know of a "Well Known" non franchised dealer who uses both genuines and pattern parts on customers LR - ,

.........funnily enough the owner regularly "Collects" any empty genuine boxes for some strange reason from the workshop bins..... .....can't think why ?

Nige

[jules]

when competing you can change poly bushes in minutes in the pits but a a 10t/20t press is not normally something that lives in the top of the tool box.

[mickeyw]

I only have good things to say about Polybushes. I used to chew up a set of std bushes in less than a year. I've had blues at the chassis end and reds at the axle ends for over 5 years now and still nothing wrong with them.

Having never changed them i can't comment how easily they'll come apart.

Michael

[landybehr]

Hi Jules,

I don´t do any racing. But I´d think that you wouldn´t wait for the bushes to disintegrate on the track but rather change them at home comfortably. Is there really a need for changing bushed outdoors ?

I still wonder and no-one ever told me how the polyb. can do it´s task on the panhard rod, chassis side on Defender/RRC/Disco setups. The OEM rubber has the inner tube that is clamped by the bolt. And the rubber is doing the flex-work. I would expect from the poly in that area that the bush will not flex but rather let the inner tube rotate. I saw that the cast iron arm that holds that panhard rod bush has not enough surface area to cover the bush. In fact it will cut into the side of the polybush and hold it firmly. The rubber of the OEM bush does not contact the cast arm.

Pity because I think that this is the only real place where a polybush has real advantages, because it will not suffer from the PAS fluid which in usually present there.

I am back to OEM rubber after I saw how the Poly suffered in the panhard rod. And after I saw that the polybush rotated in the front radius arms and wore out the bore. Not enough to not give the OEM bush a good fit but nothing I´d like to see. To me it was evident that the polybush does not work with the suspension arms like engineers asked for when they developed the suspension. The rubber lasts for 60k miles easily on normal road use which equals into, well, 5-6years. Racing or extreme travel suspensions will change that schedule.

I have to admit that I only had the Ironman polys, not the polybush©

I sometimes make the experience that not everything of the aftermarket is superior to the standard parts. Car manufacturers watch closely to the costs and will try to cut it down. But they also care for function, life span and reliability. Not so sure about aftermarked generally. I´ve tried s/s brake pistons and was shocked - bad rust around the dust seal, much worse than on a 10year old vehicle though I only drove them 1.5years. Pistons pitted and scars by rust particles. Leaking seals. s/s piston too soft to survive. I am back to OEM stuff there. And I put the polybushes in the same class.

Not saying that I doubt they work for You or you. But I am not convinced and know that the OEM rubbers predictably perform how they should.

Too often, I think, when swithing to polys, worn out OEM rubbers are compared to freshly installed polybushes. That´s not fair. Raised suspension, way beyond what was within the designers tolerance -- that´s something I shouldn´t try to speak about. I drive H/D springs, nothing more.

[nicks90]

i love genuine bushes - although i have just changed mine for polys.

the ONLY reason i changed to polys was because there was no way for me to press the new metalastic type into the arms on my drive, as i dont have a press. Plus there were time constraints and polys are very quickly fitted. If these dont last and fall to bits, i will remove the arms and take them to the local LR specialist and get him to press genuines back in again.

except for the rear chassis end bushes [*] all the bushes i changed were the original ones from the factory and had only just started to feel sloppy and required changing. not bad for 140k miles and alot of trials and play days for the past 6 years.

[*]the rear chassis radius arm bushes died a year ago due to extra droop etc from longer shocks, still lasted 125k though! Changed for originals again - but i doubt they were genuine as they seperated after 6 months.

[Mo Murphy]

I like polybushes, they last well on my 90 and they are easy to fit. I don't go along with the forum parts brand mafia. Genuine are great but not easy to fit and cost more to fit because of the requirement of a press (not everyone has a m8 with a press).

For everyday driving, a bit of laning and playing and foreign trips, polyurethane bushes have been fine for me and I would recommend them to others using their 90's similarly.

Mo

[white90]

I always fit and remove the genuine bushes with a Hammer-chisel for removal/Vice to install

never been beaten by a bush to date

[JST]

I like polybushes, they last well on my 90 and they are easy to fit. I don't go along with the forum parts brand mafia. Genuine are great but not easy to fit and cost more to fit because of the requirement of a press (not everyone has a m8 with a press).

For everyday driving, a bit of laning and playing and foreign trips, polyurethane bushes have been fine for me and I would recommend them to others using their 90's similarly.

Mo

Billy no press mates!

I always fit and remove the genuine bushes with a Hammer-chisel for removal/Vice to install

never been beaten by a bush to date

i too just use a vice to fit the new genuine bushes although i have been beaten trying to get old genuine ones out using the chisel and sledge approach i gave up after 45mins and took them into a Wksp to borrow a press they cam eout when it was registering 50T in the end.

I have gone to blue polybush on the truck cab, not had any problems changing them and find they have better flex than OME rubber on chassis end of radius and trailing arms although they only last 2 yrs (6k miles).

I have a set of Super Pro ones for the td5 which i will change as the others wear out. ease of fitting is my main decision on buying poly but genuine have alot to offer and do last well. difficult to fit but only need to change once or twice!

[Guest WALFY]

Billy no press mates!

i too just use a vice to fit the new genuine bushes although i have been beaten trying to get old genuine ones out using the chisel and sledge approach i gave up after 45mins and took them into a Wksp to borrow a press they cam eout when it was registering 50T in the end.

I have gone to blue polybush on the truck cab, not had any problems changing them and find they have better flex than OME rubber on chassis end of radius and trailing arms although they only last 2 yrs (6k miles).

I have a set of Super Pro ones for the td5 which i will change as the others wear out. ease of fitting is my main decision on buying poly but genuine have alot to offer and do last well. difficult to fit but only need to change once or twice!

Do you pay some one to drive your truck for you then James?

[nicks90]

i have been beaten trying to get old genuine ones out using the chisel and sledge approach i gave up after 45mins and took them into a Wksp to borrow a press they cam eout when it was registering 50T in the end.

didnt have a problem getting the old originals out - just boring burning out the rubber and making slits through the outer collar with a hacksaw and chiseling them out.

takes ages, luckily most came out with just one slit through the outer, but two of them required 3 slits. You dont realise how long (and tiring for my arms) it takes to cut through the outer that many times until you're half way through and completely balled off with it!

[jules]

I always fit and remove the genuine bushes with a Hammer-chisel for removal/Vice to install

never been beaten by a bush to date

I have broken a big vice before now changing GP & pattern bushes I find whole saws better

Iron man bushes are aptly names but I think Iron is far softer than their bushes I was told that when I was 17 and was looking for bush's for my Range Rover classic and then went for reds and that was all they made in 93

Iron among others are some of the ones responsible for Chassis wear.

Polybush is a trade name so don't tar all bush's they aren't all the same

I use proper poly-bush and or Super Pro but do run different strength bushes for different parts of the chassis.

The average comp safari is (has been proven but can't remember who did the research) the equivalent of 40,000miles of normal road driving but for those that don't compete the average comp is about 120 miles one one track .

I'm not disputing I have seen mates cars knock them out in no time at all but I have obviously been lucky but the racing freelanders were free issue to my racers but I still buy them for my other cars.

I have just bought a new toy well racer which is more powerful than anything I have ever driven let alone raced which I would expect to munch bushes but I will be running poly bush same as I normally do but bushes giving out after a few laps is not uncommon GP, pattern of poly bush but the ability to repair as fast as possible is the most important factor to me.

So durability, strength and simplicity to change

[ciderman]

Well I have found a good use for the Deflex bushes that Paddocks sell , The chassis bushes make good bump stops on the winch rope , to stop the hook coming in contact with the fairlead .

[bishbosh]

Hmmm, good idea Jase! Wonder where you got that from......