Rod End Size? Right or Left?
 

I have a bunch of worn rod ends on a 2084 I am working on and while it's apart I want to replace them and tighten up the steering. I intend to replace the ends on the P/S cylinder and both ends of both tie rods. From what I see for the parts blow up, all the ends are 1/2"x20 female thread but there is no mention if they are right or left. Will probably order them from McMaster-Carr unless my friend at the race shop can get me a better deal. Going to get the heavy duty greaseable ones since they are cheap enough. I may get them for the 2086 while I am at it.

They should all be right hand thread. All the tie rod ends on my 1572 are right threads.:beerchug:

I just looked at the tie rod ends and the inner doesn't look like its 1/2" its much smaller. The outer looks like it may be 1/2". I'm sure somebody has been down this road, any insight on the correct ones I need to order?

Well, you could always look it up......

http://www.partstree.com/parts/?lc=c...&dn=0035800040

My bad, it doesn't say. But it does give a size for the jam nut for the tie rod. It's listed under the #7 listing for the tie rod itself. Process of elimination.

I did try to look it up first before I asked , I saw the size for the 1/2" jam nut, but missed the one for the 3/8" one. Unless there is something else I need to know about the rod ends I'm good for now.

If your thinking of using the Heim style, they can be had with oil impregnated bronze bearing surface.
Or a PTFE liner instead.
The HEIM joint wipes the bearing surfaces clean when it moves.

If you use a non-stud type HEIM joint directly bolted with a bolt in the eye, then the movement will be restricted.
Use the stud style HEIM joint.

As inexpensive as they are, I would not use the greaseable type. Your just inviting dirt and grit to hang on the part that does not work well with such.

There are 6 joints on the super, the ones on the power steering cylinder and the inner tie rod ends are what you call "heim style" already, they work fine without binding. The outer tie rods ends are the ball joint style and will be replaced with a heavy duty joint of the same style with an attached stud. As far as the grease attracting dirt, regular greasing flushes the grit out of the joint, installing them with the matching rubber seals helps too. I'm familiar with the care and feeding of these joints, my race car has 36 of them on the suspension alone.

Race Cars have Heim Joints? No kidding? Just busting. Go get out the Q1 catalog. I know you have one. :biggrin2: :beerchug:

I was surprised to see that the QA1 prices were actually a little lower then McMaster-Carr for the same type joints, I had already put in the order and McMaster does deliver quick. I live close to their Jersey warehouse and they actually have a local delivery van, if you order before 10:00 am they get it to you that afternoon. I used mostly Aurora brand joints on the race car , that was what the chassis builder recommended, but they weren't cheap.

The truck from McMaster just showed up, to my surprise the rod ends were QA1 brand. Who knew?:beer2:

That's funny. I need to do 3 Supers. When you get a second how about posting the McMaster part numbers and prices. Just for kicks I want to compare them to some of the Race Car parts suppliers.

Here ya go Sam, the mounting bolts for the power steering cylinder had the threads worn down. I don't think the it is a good idea to have threads inside the rod ends, like having a file in there.

Line Product Ordered Ships Price Total
1 4444T211
Steel Ball Joint Rod End with Grease Fitting, 3/8"-24 Right-Hand Female Shank, 3/8" Ball ID, 13/16" L Thread 4
each today 4.93
each 19.72
2 4444T231
Steel Ball Joint Rod End with Grease Fitting, 1/2"-20 Right-Hand Female Shank, 1/2" Ball ID, 1-1/16" L Thread 4
each today 6.98
each 27.92
3 4444T951
Steel Ball Joint Rod End with Grease Fitting, Linkage, 1/2"-20 Right-Hand Thread Female Shank with Right-Hand Thread Stud 4
each today 9.59
each 38.36

Nice hardware with grease fittings! My guess is they with out live the tractor. Nice work, I'm impressed! :beerchug:

Now I need to get off my lazy butt and do the same.:biggrin2:

They look great. Thank you for the part numbers! I will be ordering a set for my 2182. Mine all have a little play and my bolts are also worn on the threads like yours are. I am going to try and find a longer bolt with a shoulder the correct size and cut it down to work so the threads are not inside the rod end.

:beerchug:The one thing I forgot to mention was the replacement outer tie rod end isn't drilled for a cotter pin. I ended up using nyloc nuts as a replacement for the cotter pin/castle nut setup. I suppose you could drill the new joint but I didn't feel like drilling the threads, just lazy I guess.:beerchug:

I like the look of those tie rod ends. I know they are greaseable, but do they have seals to keep out dirt dust and chaff that would be attracted to the grease?

After looking through my catalogs it looks like McMaster is the way to go. They are with in penny's of the cheapest stuff I can find from the race suppliers and the race cars stuff doesn't have grease fittings. Looks like I'll be ordering enough to do my 2 Supers.

the non-stud ones are certainly more stout than the original sheet metal casing ones.

There are rubber cups available that cover the ball but my experience has been if I follow a regular schedule of greasing and wipe the excess away I don't need the seals. I find the action of forcing grease into the joint flushes the dirt out and although the grease does attract debris the coating seems to keep the dirt from actually getting into the joint in addition to preventing corrosion which has been reason for the most of my failures. I find that most of the members of this forum are rather anal when it comes to maintenance so a regular schedule of greasing is a normal thing, I wouldn't expect to see a ball of debris-encrusted grease hanging on each joint. Also the general use of the tractors has something to do with my preferences, my equipment is primarily used fro snow removal where moisture and salt is a concern, the grease blocks that as well.

Frank

I think this would solve the seal issue.
http://www.sealsit.com/rod-end-seals.html

If you're ordering from McMaster-Carr, one stop shopping for the seals too:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#rod-end-seals/=v2twc3

Thanks Sam, I'll be putting in an order to McMaster....

As far as the seals go, I'd only put them on the ends under the tractor in the center.