Ram assist mounting

[mortimersnerd]

I'm working on the mounts for my hydro assist ram and am wondering if there is anything I should be considering as I design it. Does it need to be parallel, or can there be a little angle without putting too much load on the tie rod ends? I know that mounting the tie rod to the top of the drag link can cause some slop in the steering-is this a concern with the ram mount as well? I'm also not sure how much load I should plan for. Any tips?

 

[broncoman1972]

The only input I can give is to mount it parallel. My ram is mounted at an angle to the tierod (I have a 60 with high-steer) and when the ram pushes on the rod it 1st twists the rod then pushes. After replacing a rod for worn ends I had to position the ends so they bind against the knuckle so the ram will push. I'm thinking I may reposition the ram before completing my powertrain swap.

 

[treihesse]

I agree as parallel as possible also make sure you stroke the ram. If you have a 8" stroke and only 7.5" of steering travel you will put a lot of stress on the ball joints and the knuckles and steering joint ie heim or gm 1 ton. I mounted mine to the axle and the tie rod. Solid to the axle stroke to the tie rod

 

[mortimersnerd]

Trei, I've referenced your pics a bunch of times over on CCB. Do you have any roll in the tie rod as the ram cycles? I think mine may wind up mounted almost identically to yours.

 

[treihesse]

I don't see any deflection in the tie rod at all the steering moves on a axis a little so a small amount of angle is good in my opinion