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Help! Keep snapping links!!

D

DSN46

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Columbia, MO
Okay, I've about had it with my front sway bar.
I bought longer links to go on my 5" of lift.... they snapped when crossing a little ditch..... then I "fabbed" up my own by cutting a set of Moog links and welding a grade 8 bolt in the middle to lengthen them.... they snapped when hoisting the Jeep on a lift to rotate the tires!! (My welds did not break, neither did the bolt... just the original metal part)

I have the bar sitting at level horizontal when hooked up to the links. So what the hell? Why do they keep snapping? Especially when there is no real great stress being put on them.

Please give me some answers as to what to do if you can. I have to take family on a trip tomorrow and would like to weld something up tonight. What is the right length? And what is wrong with my sway bar?

Thanks for any and all advice.

James
 
pics would help others analyze the failure, if you can provide (i) a picture of how things looked before they broke, and (ii) a closeup of the carnage.
 
Wished I could. Wont have time to get any pics up before I have to leave tomorrow. I can tell you that they have been catastrophic failures both times. In other words, there was no deformation or bending from strain prior to the break.

Thanks again.

James
 
Easy. Don't wheel or put it on a lift with your links connected. :)

Many of us have had this same experience. Make or get links with a swivel at the top or always disconnect them.
 
Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone :)
The links are "home-made" from grade 8 bolts so they are stout. They are of the quick disco design that a few others have made on this forum. (wing nut on top with cotter pin and cotter pin set-up on the bottom) EAsy to disconnect, so that wouldn't be a problem. I just never imagined that simply lifting it on a hoist to rotate the tires would be a problem.

Now I have to admit what I found to be the culprit this last time.
(swallow hard... deep breath....) A close inspection of the break revealed that my weld on the top part of the bolt did not penetrate enough. I could tell because of the perfectly flat surfaces on each piece. So, tonight, I made sure to bevel both pieces ALOT, and turn up the heat on the MIG. It is very solid now.

However, from now on, I will take your advice and disco them even when having the tires rotated.

Thanks again.

James
 
Unbolt the sway bar and use it to hang bicycles from the garage rafters or something.
 
DaffyXJ said:
Unbolt the sway bar and use it to hang bicycles from the garage rafters or something.
Click to expand...

Or keep using it if it handles better......... :rolleyes:
 
DSN46 said:
Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone :)
The links are "home-made" from grade 8 bolts so they are stout. They are of the quick disco design that a few others have made on this forum. (wing nut on top with cotter pin and cotter pin set-up on the bottom) EAsy to disconnect, so that wouldn't be a problem. I just never imagined that simply lifting it on a hoist to rotate the tires would be a problem.

Now I have to admit what I found to be the culprit this last time.
(swallow hard... deep breath....) A close inspection of the break revealed that my weld on the top part of the bolt did not penetrate enough. I could tell because of the perfectly flat surfaces on each piece. So, tonight, I made sure to bevel both pieces ALOT, and turn up the heat on the MIG. It is very solid now.

However, from now on, I will take your advice and disco them even when having the tires rotated.

Thanks again.

James
Click to expand...

If the weld didn't break then they would just bend, so either way it's a problem. Here's what I finally did to eliminate the problem, after bending my previous homemade links many times. I still just took off the top wing nut and lower pin to disconnect them.

standard.jpg
 
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