steering rack questions....

[digglesworth]

So I was wondering if steering racks have an expiration date... My 06 has 72,000 miles and probably the original rack.... I dunno if the trucks been wheeled or not... It had a leveling kit on it when I got it and inside the fuse box looks a little sandy like it may have been exposed to some dirty environments..... I need to find 16mm tie rods to replace the 14s I got now. And I'm gonna do one of the rack mounts.... Just wondering if I should replace the rack too while I'm at it or if there's no need.... What, if any signs, should I look for that the rack is deteriorating....? I wanna get the steering beefed up before I put 35s on and put a real strain in things.....

 

[atvspeed4]

As long as your rack is not cracked or leaking you are fine. Mine has 90,000 hard miles and is still fine.

 

[digglesworth]

What tierods are you using?

 

[alrock]

The 14s are not as bad as people say. Many have wheeled hard and never bent or broken a 14mm tie rod - and those trucks are now 6-7 years old. And other still bend or break the 16s. Obviously the 16s will be stronger but I wouldn't let having 14s on your truck hold you back. Whichever size you have installed, make sure you have spares for the trail.

 

[4speedfunk]

If your rack is fine, you could simply replace the tie-rods. However if your tie-rods are worn, it might be easier to just replace the entire unit. New tie rods are $42 each and you need four of them, for a total of $168. Then you have the labor to change them while your rack is in place (you'll bleed doing this). A new rack (with 16mm tie rods) is only $290, and all you have to do is take it out of the box and bolt it on. Either way, you'll need an alignment but, brand new tie-rods will yield better alignment results. Keep your old rack/rods for a trail spare. I'm not sure 14mm tie rods are even available any more. The last two racks I bought came with the 16mm's already installed and they are nearly perfectly adjusted right out of the box. True...swapping the entire unit gets messy because you have to deal with the hoses but, you get to by-pass the wrestling match and adjustment issues you'll have by replacing only the tie-rods.

As always...the mount itself is a bigger issue. I'll go as far as to say...it probably contributes to more alignment problems than either the tie-rods or the rack unit! Whatever you end up doing, definitely get the mount upgraded, especially if you have cranked the t-bars. Once again...since you'll have to pull the entire unit to do the mount, it sort of makes sense to just put a new one in.

 

[08H3]

I agree with the statement that the mounting makes for more alignment issues than any other component. Everything else on mine was still tight at 110,000 miles.

 

[digglesworth]

Where'd you find the rack with 16s for $290.... I've only found remanufactured ones with 14s.... I haven't looked a ton though. And the new rack will come with the inner tie rods installed... I'll need 16mm outer rods too?

 

[silvrzuki77]

I take it you guys are talking about alignment on a brand new rack? I installed the mayhem metal works steering brace mount on my dads and had zero alignment issues after.

 

[Bigunit]

I installed the Preferred Chassis steering brace mount on my H3T and had zero alignment issues after.



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[alrock]

Yes, alignment on a new rack. Unless you are changing or adjusting the tie rods, or if you had an alignment done while you're steering rack was out of whack, you should not need an alignment just from changing the mounting bracket.