I am getting a LOT of side to side flex out of my waggy springs on the front of my rig--just trying to go straight down a smooth dirt trail. I get up to 1/2 turn on the steering wheel some times before the wheels turn. I can see my axle moving side to side. Anyone have any advice on building a stab. that wont limit my articulation?

Three main things to remember when you're fabbing your own panhard bar.

1) Make sure its length matches your drag link length.

2) Make sure the mounting points of the panhard match as close as possible the vertical drop between your drag link mount points. You want the angles between the drag link and the panhard to match.

3) The panhard takes alot of stress. Use a gusset plate on the frame that is larger than you think you might need. Spread the load. Weld it well!

Whoops. One more thing......

Use good rod ends! We use at least 27,000lb rod ends for our products. You can pick up cheap 9-17,000lb ones, but they'll rattle and won't last long. Just spend a few more bucks and get some good ones from the get-go and you won't have to worry about future problems cropping up.

sorry to bust in on your post newbie(:flipoff2: ) ........ but why would it have to be the same length as your drag-link??????? why would that matter?????
l8r

Originally posted by mud-magnet
sorry to bust in on your post newbie(:flipoff2: ) ........ but why would it have to be the same length as your drag-link??????? why would that matter?????
l8r

That is for working under same arch and avoid bump steer.

ok, makes sence........... i'll be making on soon and just thought i'd ask......
thanks

You want the panhard and drag link to be parallel thru as much of your suspension travel as possible. Therefore, having them the same length makes the geometry easier...

At the very least make sure there very close to parallel at normal drive height.

It´s a bumpsteer thang...

:beer: :beer:

I ordered all the stuff from Spidertrax for mine. It cost around $70 bucks which ain't bad. I did all the stuff that they said :rolleyes: . Works GREAT, so good in fact that the first time I drove it on the street and went to turn a corner, I turned WAYYYY too sharp. It'll tighten things up a bunch.

Originally posted by AkDale
I am getting a LOT of side to side flex out of my waggy springs on the front of my rig--just trying to go straight down a smooth dirt trail. I get up to 1/2 turn on the steering wheel some times before the wheels turn. I can see my axle moving side to side. Anyone have any advice on building a stab. that wont limit my articulation?

How long are your shackles? I havent heard any complaints of the sort and the few ive driven seem fine. By the way, how's the caster angle ? Is it pointing at the stars ? You shouldnt need a panhard bar unless u wanna mask the problem.

Originally posted by Titanium
You shouldnt need a panhard bar unless u wanna mask the problem.

If the problem is shimmy a.k.a. death wobble, I agree. But for limiting lateral axle travel and improving turning radius (which is already bad), a properly designed panhard bar works great. The "problem" is the long, limber, arched springs. IMHO, if a panhard bar is a mask for limiting lateral axle travel when you've got the wheel cranked with this setup, then returning to stock springs is the cure :D.

I only twisted the caster angle 1.5 degrees. The death wobble was terrible until I put a steering damper on. The problem is in my long limber springs. I only have 3" shackles, and they have no slop. The rubbers are new. I can actually see the axle moving side to side while turning the wheels.

I was talking to Brent about death wobble as I am in the process of finally gettin my spoa done and I wanted to make sure I did everything right. He told me that 90% of the time this death wobble comes from belt seperation in the tires. He has people come in all the time with the problem and he will swap tires with someone that doesn't believe it, and thats what it's usually caused from. A better steering stabilizer will only mask the problem a little.

Hey TUSKER:
Please post the list of materials that you bought from Spidertrax.
I dont know what rod rnds to use. Got some dimensions and pics? That would be really nice. Thanx :-)

you definatly need to check the real problem. Obviosly your steering box is pushing the draglink down into your tierod or steering arm whichever way it is mounted. try a drop pitman arm. you need to get that draglink more parallel with the tie rod. A pan hard is just another suspension link that helps the suspension locate the axel. It's soul purpose is not to hide steering problems

Originally posted by AkDale
Hey TUSKER:
Please post the list of materials that you bought from Spidertrax.
I dont know what rod rnds to use. Got some dimensions and pics? That would be really nice. Thanx :-)

I can take some pictures tomorrow and e-mail 'em to you. I can't post cause I am not a "red star" member (ok, I'm CHEAP!). But I got the 1-3/8" OD x 7/8" ID inserts (one left hand thread and one right hand thread), 4-feet of 1-3/8" OD x 7/8" (1/4"wall) DOM tubing, Aurora XM series rod ends in 3/4-16 (one left hand and one right), and two jam nuts. Their prices must have gone up a little, cause that stuff will cost you around $95. It is REALLY stout though. Mine would be overkill for my F-250 IMHO.

I just made a bar that dropped down from the ouside of my driver's side fream at around 30 degrees from vertical (angled out towards the tire. I used 1"x2"x1/4" wall rectangular tubing as I recall and welded it to a 1/4" thick plate. I made a duplicate plate and sandwiched the frame with four 1/2" bolts. Drilled a hole in the 1x2 and relieved it with the dye grinder at the same elevation as my drag link (to get them parallel), and welded a piece of 2"x4"x1/4" tubing with a stud facing forward to the u-bolt top plate on the passenger side. This lined up with my drag link exactly as far as angle goes and almost exactly as far as length goes (the panhard is a little longer though because I have cross-over steerring too).

Mine looks a lot like the Spidertrax panhard bar. You can see that at http://www.spidertrax.com/suspension_pnh.htm There is also a helpful article at http://www.off-road.com/suzuki/reviews/traxpanhard.htm . Just call the guys at Spidertrax and tell them what you are doing and what you think you want. They are GREAT guys, and will set you up with the right stuff. E-mail me if you want any more info. Good luck.

If you have missinglinks in the front you should tilt the castor out to about 4 degrees. Thats really a separte subject it has nothing to do with this problem.
If he can see his axle move laterally it's not because of his steering linkage, unless he has moved his axle more then two inches forward, and only runs a z-bar. With any steering short of a cross/knuckle over set-up the stock linkage will bind if you move your front axle forward 2" or more.

Also the whole purpose of the panhard bar IS to cure lateral axle travel when your trying to turn. Like already stated the combo of length, softness of the springs, and shackle set-up all have to do with lateral axle travel.