Replacing tie rod ends

[Shayne]

I think but i'm not sure i eventually fitted "Blueprint" because they had a grease nipple for the ball .

 

[Chris]

Nick, to stop them spinning you can place a bottle jack under them and press them into the rod eye. That locks them and stops them spinning

 

[chapel gate]

It is after all only a ball joint

Small though they are, what do you think would happen if one of these failed at speed nick?

 

[TonyP]

Nick, to stop them spinning you can place a bottle jack under them and press them into the rod eye. That locks them and stops them spinning

Good tip, never thought of doing this, thanks masta yoda

 

[nick_the_fish]

That’s a good idea @Chris i’ll try it in the morning.

So do you think I should be going genuine here Mike @chapel gate if I do decide to replace them ? The Roughtrax set seem to be made by a reputable Japanese company, and I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that Roughtrax only sell good quality gear.

They are going to be doing a lot of driving on dirt roads so I want to be absolutely sure that they are up to the job

 

[chapel gate]

That’s a good idea @Chris i’ll try it in the morning.

So do you think I should be going genuine here Mike @chapel gate if I do decide to replace them ? The Roughtrax set seem to be made by a reputable Japanese company, and I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that Roughtrax only sell good quality gear.

They are going to be doing a lot of driving on dirt roads so I want to be absolutely sure that they are up to the job

I had a bad experience with aftermarket. I won't take the chance again.
https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/threads/pitman-arm-ball-joint-just-snapped.144735/

 

[nick_the_fish]

I had a bad experience with aftermarket. I won't take the chance again.
https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/threads/pitman-arm-ball-joint-just-snapped.144735/

Well that was a scary read Mike! Looks like my sojourn into non-genuine parts is going to be short lived. I've always put genuine parts onto the truck, and reading this reinforces that viewpoint. This build is costing us a small bloody fortune, but I'd rather go without a luxury item or two on the trip rather than put non-genuine parts on the truck.

 

[Chris]

I've never had one fail I have to say and if you stick with decent stuff from good resellers I don't see why you would. Blueprint stuff for example is excellent. Unless we know the reason for failure it's necessarily that helpful. As to cost, yes, front end rebuild isn't cheap. I have people asking if I'd do one for them and when they get the parts estimate alone they go all quiet. At least you're learning some important stuff here Nick.

I've never had any reason not to trust the stuff from Roughtrax. The Kavo stuff even seems to have TUV certification. I do think there is a distinct difference between cheap rubbish and genuine and between decent quality aftermarket and genuine. There's a time for cheap rubbish sure, but not in a safety critical component but that's not to say I wouldn't use decent quality copy parts from a known source. I fitted those RT ones and spent a month off road in the Kola Peninsula and nothing fell off.

I guess genuine parts are a bit like Stella. Reassuringly expensive.

 

[chapel gate]

Yup, you pay yer money and take yer chances..
I don't run genuine cvs and I've never had a problem. Many people have.
All my other ball joints are original, the original one on the pitman arm did well over 200000 miles. That will do for me.

So for the sake of an extra 30 quid I'm not gonna roll the dice.
Why did it fail? I just put it down to the fact it was shit..

 

[tim falce]

That’s a good idea @Chris i’ll try it in the morning.

So do you think I should be going genuine here Mike @chapel gate if I do decide to replace them ? The Roughtrax set seem to be made by a reputable Japanese company, and I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that Roughtrax only sell good quality gear.

They are going to be doing a lot of driving on dirt roads so I want to be absolutely sure that they are up to the job

I've just fitted a track rod end from Roughtrax, made by company called Camelot which I'd never heard of but it looks a lot sturdier than the original one I removed plus it has a grease nipple fitted which the original doesn't

 

[Chris]

Yes I've fitted those before.