My truck is an 87 Ramcharger w/ 10" chevy lift springs & 39.5" swampers, no body lift. The front axle is an 8-lug D44 and I'm using the stock steering shaft. I am currently running a stock style steering box, 2" drop pitman, and a regular (non-crossover) steering setup. Everything on the axle and all steering parts are nearly new. On tight trails, the lugs of the swampers catch on things like roots hanging on and will turn around all the way to full lock. The problem is...the steering wheel doesn't even tug around in my hands at all. You wouldn't know they were turning unless you looked at them! Every time this happens I have to back up, straighten the wheels and continue. When this first happened, I replaced the steering box with a rebuilt stock unit. My first time out, the same thing happened so I am assuming it is not a problem in the steering box. The pitman was in perfect shape when I pulled it off the first box also. I don't think this is a problem related to flexing because this will happen when I'm on pretty even ground. It doesn't make sense to me that this is happening! but I do plan to do crossover steering on the truck but this doesn't seem like a problem that it will cure (should help my terrible bump-steer at least). Help!

check to make sure your axle is not sliding on your springs, as in broken center pin or the locating hole on the spring perch is wobbled out quite a bit. are you running the tires aired down? if so a 39 will flex quite a bit, but it sounds like a broken center pin. also check to make sure your frame rail is in good shape, not flexin around when your turning.;)

With the setup you described your drag link must be at a 30-40 degree angle. When you catch a lug the axle levers against the drag link and unloads/wraps the front springs; with that much of an angle the leverage is enormous and a small change in angle causes a large change in effective length of the link. Assuming that the axle doesn't wrap or move forwards or backwards relative to the frame on compression or unloading, the change in effective length of the drag link would just be the change in height over the sine of the drag link angle. Of course the axle DOES move front/back as the suspension works, which compounds the problem - as does wrap. Going crossover should make it all much better. Going to a flatter spring would help some also, as would antiwrap bars.

Get someone else to drive it very slowly through a situation like you've described and watch; you'll see it happen.

Broken center pin or frame around the box would certainly do it too...

Also check your steering shaft, and make sure it is not striped anywhere. just a thought.:D

A couple months ago Both stubs that go into the pig for the pass. side spring pad broke off, along with a cracked shim, so it would make sense that I have a broken pin. My frame appears to be in good shape unless there's something I can't see. I plan on putting a D60 in w/ crossover over the winter, so my problems hopefully will be gone then. You really think this could cause to tires to turn all the way to lock though? Seems like it could cause some play but not as much as I'm having. Maybe I better throw a borgeson shaft in there too while it's apart.

I was running the tires at 20 psi as these are some pretty easy trails.

Everytime I try to get out and watch to see what's happening the truck refuses to do it! :mad:

have someone else turn the wheels back and forth about 1/4 turn each way and see if anything has slop in it. might be worth it to take it to a shop and cough up the money for one hour of shop time and have the alignment guy look it over. i've had to do that when i couldn't find a weird vibration in my valiant road racer i had. :D

I think Lloyd (and FULLSIZE) are probably headed in the right directcion. The (possible) broken centering pin and the horrendous drag-link angle could both be causes. You'll really appreciate the crossover when you get it on there.

Pete

[i]Everytime I try to get out and watch to see what's happening the truck refuses to do it! :mad: [/B]

You could rig a test with a fencepost or piece of pipe or something under a tire and a nylon ratchet strap over a lug. What I'm envisioning would probably be most pronounced on an outside lug of the driver's side tire.