Let's see some ram mounts

NotMatt · Dec 22, 2010

Getting ready to figure out how to mount my single ended ram on my rig. Right now I have a clevis ended 2" bore x 8" stroke (1" rod dia) ram. I'm nervous about the clevis mount because any way I figure it, there will be stress on the mount(s) at full lock turns. The tierod moves on both x and y axis when turning, which makes me want to get myself a new ram with rod ends rather than clevis style, and mount one rod end vertical and one horizontal.

Maybe I'm overanalyzing the stresses involved in the clevis style mount, but this is steering... not only is it safety, but also security that I won't have to winch a rig with busted steering out of the trail. I want nice, tight steering with no slop and no binding.

Anyone have some pics of how you mounted yours?

CHOP SHOP · Dec 22, 2010

Heres a couple toyota ones I have done in the past.

crash2 · Dec 22, 2010

some......

crash2 · Dec 22, 2010

some.....

mark · Dec 22, 2010

Remeber, the shaft will twist in the bore, giving you a rotational componant as well. You probably can't do it by hand but that should relive some of the stress.

NotMatt · Dec 22, 2010

So here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about with Mike's pic of Joe's ram mount. That is the exact style ram I have. The tie-rod moves in an "X" pattern as the steering cycles back and forth. At full lock, one side is higher than the other, and the further out towards the knuckle that you mount the business end of the ram, the more pronounced the effect will be. This is a concern for me, as I have a pretty short tie-rod due to narrowing the axle almost 6".

The red arrow represents the stress on the ram mount that I see happening when cycling side to side. If not stress on the mount, then stress on the seals and rod end of the ram.

Like I said, this is my first full hydro setup. I guess I'm overanalyzing it since I see a lot of people do it this way... but it still doesn't sit well with me. Now, if both mounts incorporated a rod end somehow, and were also mounted 90 degrees offset... I could sleep at night. :redneck:

Bill · Dec 22, 2010

I haven't done it but the guys in my Duluth club cut off the end of those imp cylinder then drill and tap, I asked about the hardness of the rod and the guy said it is thin and not hard to do...I will be doing hydro assist in the near future and what I am going to do is replace one of my high steer arms with a double end one so the ram can go on the back...my .02

crash2 · Dec 22, 2010

Bill said:
I haven't done it but the guys in my Duluth club cut off the end of those imp cylinder then drill and tap, I asked about the hardness of the rod and the guy said it is thin and not hard to do...I will be doing hydro assist in the near future and what I am going to do is replace one of my high steer arms with a double end one so the ram can go on the back...my .02

They are cutting what? Do you mean the shaft?

Bill · Dec 22, 2010

crash said:
They are cutting what? Do you mean the shaft?

yes and putting a rod end on it...really eases friction

crash2 · Dec 22, 2010

Bill said:
yes and putting a rod end on it...really eases friction

hmm--well they are not real smart. Those rams are threaded already. Take 1 1/4" nut and weld in a 3/4" bung and then run a rod end.

crash2 · Dec 22, 2010

Here is mine matt

NotMatt · Dec 22, 2010

crash said:
hmm--well they are not real smart. Those rams are threaded already. Take 1 1/4" nut and weld in a 3/4" bung and then run a rod end.

The way I see it, you'd need a rod end on both ends, mounted 90 degress off like your pic to completely get rid of any stresses.

The tierod also moves front to back as the steering cycles, so putting a rod end on the tie rod side would fix that, but still would not fix the stress at the clevis mount from the tierod moving up and down as the steering cycles.

Bill · Dec 22, 2010

crash said:
hmm--well they are not real smart. Those rams are threaded already. Take 1 1/4" nut and weld in a 3/4" bung and then run a rod end.

Andy is anal about the weight....that would bug him...bet he couldn't sleep if he did that...plus adds to the diameter of that end making it hard to fit in tight places unlike your set up which has plenty of room

Bill · Dec 22, 2010

NotMatt said:
The way I see it, you'd need a rod end on both ends, mounted 90 degress off like your pic to completely get rid of any stresses.

The tierod also moves front to back as the steering cycles, so putting a rod end on the tie rod side would fix that, but still would not fix the stress at the clevis mount from the tierod moving up and down as the steering cycles.

correct...use a rod end for the mount on the other end but carry spares because if it isn't a 1" rod end it will break sometime

crash2 · Dec 22, 2010

NotMatt said:
The way I see it, you'd need a rod end on both ends, mounted 90 degress off like your pic to completely get rid of any stresses.

The tierod also moves front to back as the steering cycles, so putting a rod end on the tie rod side would fix that, but still would not fix the stress at the clevis mount from the tierod moving up and down as the steering cycles.

You are talking about "not so tight" tolerances matt. With a 1" drill bit you end up with an oversized hole(couple thousands) which is just enough to give some up/down movement. Mine had been that way since--a few years now and still works fine. You will find the holes start to oblong on the ram itself a tad over time. Mine has done this but still works perfect.

NotMatt · Dec 22, 2010

Bill said:
correct...use a rod end for the mount on the other end but carry spares because if it isn't a 1" rod end it will break sometime

Easier said than done. My clevis ends have a 1" bore, and a 1.125" opening width. Nobody makes such a rod end, and even if they did there would not be enough room for any misalignment. I could run a 3/4" bore rod end and use some tube to sleeve the clevis... just seems kind of hokey.

crash2 · Dec 22, 2010

Bill said:
Andy is anal about the weight....that would bug him...bet he couldn't sleep if he did that...plus adds to the diameter of that end making it hard to fit in tight places unlike your set up which has plenty of room

Weight--what weight? The diameter of the end part is far less that the ram housing.

NotMatt · Dec 22, 2010

crash said:
You are talking about "not so tight" tolerances matt. With a 1" drill bit you end up with an oversized hole(couple thousands) which is just enough to give some up/down movement. Mine had been that way since--a few years now and still works fine. You will find the holes start to oblong on the ram itself a tad over time. Mine has done this but still works perfect.

I still don't like it! :haha: