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probably be going to order my hydro assist ram in the next few weeks. PSC has 6.75 rams, and 8 inch rams
i recall seeing somewhere that the knuckle throw for a waggy 44 is somewhere inbetween these numbers. can anybody confirm this. and im assuming that too short is better than too long, which will keep me from busting knuckles
ok..would the best/easiest way of doing that be to disassemble the ram and put a stop in it, or should i buy a ballistics clamp and set it up that way?
I think its all in how you mount the ram, if it were too short, it would limit your steering in both directions, too long and you would end up with bent steering linkage, seems best option would be to sacrifice some turning diameter which would also put less stress on the u-joints.
Just get some clamps and put them down by the end so they hit the ram body first. You can take it apart and limit it internally but I find it's easier to just do it on the outside.
just measure the length of throw in your tie rod from one lock to the other. Give PSC that number when you order the ram and they will space it internally for you.
kind of what vetteboy said. im gonna take an 8 inch ram. extend it all the way, and weld the mount to the tie rod, so that the ram cant extend anymore.
and im guessing by the clamp part, i could do that on the return stroke. only problem is i dont know where i could get a "clamp" that would be HD enough to stand up to this job
How much pressure is your power steering pump putting out, the larger the ram the higher flow power steering pump you need. Hydralic pressure. its gunna have alot of force, things will bend, collers will move. best bet, go short and do a really good job mounting it, or go for it and go full hydro.
Why don't you just make the steering throw to match the length of the ram, or order the ram the length of your steering throw. It's really so simple if you're starting from scratch and ordering new parts.
On my buggy I drilled the holes in the steering arms to use all of an 8" ram. On the XJ I ordered the ram the exact length that I needed it.
Figure it out.
Also, never limit turning radius, you need as much turning as you can get on the trail. While having the ram be too long isn't recommended, it's debatable whether it's bad or not. Once the steering box bottoms out there is no more oil flow to push the ram further, so the whole argument that you will break the knuckle could not be valid at all. Some have run the ram too long with no ill effects whatsoever. Plus, the smaller size of an assist ram isn't like the force of a larger full hydro ram. A smaller ram will have better steering response, and work better if your box and pump aren't modified to provide increased volume and flow to the ram.
The perfect way to configure it is to have the ram bottom when the steering stops are hit while the box is just slightly short of bottoming. This keeps the force of hard steering bottoming (like from hitting a big rock that slams the steering over) off the sector shaft and box and keeps it on the axle at the stops. You'll need to adjust the stops a bit to get everything perfect. Steering takes thought and time but getting it perfect is worth it, and it makes it all more durable over time.
Once the steering box bottoms out there is no more oil flow to push the ram further, so the whole argument that you will break the knuckle could not be valid at all.
Ditto everything Goat and Vette have said, with the above exception.
The spool valve and torsion rod controls the flow of oil through the ports in the steering box. Once the box limits against the edges of the sector shaft gear, the piston can not move any farther, but the torsion rod/spool valve will still be sending pressure to one side of the boxes piston. This is why when you are making a turn against the internal stops, the PS pump will still be whining. In this scenario, the torsion bar/spool valve will still be sending flow through the boxes ports and into the hydro assist cylinder.
On my set-up, I have two steering stops on the knuckles (front and back). These hit simultaneously on the driver's and passenger's sides, at the same instant the steering gear bottoms. My ram is an 8" Surplus center model (2"), and works great.
The length of the ram has no impact on steering response, only the internal diameter and rod size.
My tie rod is bent so the travel isn't perfectly matched with the ram position anymore. If I turn it to full lock and then try to go a little further with the wheel, it'll "twitch" the tire out a little more - the ram is still applying pressure even though the pitman arm isn't moving any further.
I don't know where exactly the extra turning is coming from, but it can't be good. Need to readjust the tie rod clamp soon.
FWIW I also use a 8" ram that almost exactly matches the travel of my tie rod...close enough that until this recent issue, the ram functioned as the hard stop on both full extension & compression.
I guess I really should have said once you stop turning the wheel, and thus turning the steering box. Brain slippage. I have a habit of never holding the steering wheel against the stops in the box, since it throws the system into bypass. Once I hit the end, I move the wheel just slightly back to keep it out of that mode.
I still don't think it's the big deal that some make of it on a hydro assist setup, if the ram is a little long. However, I would never run mine that way, it's dead on.
