Grader Ball updates?

[shadowjeep]

this has been kicked around for a while and i was wondering if anyone on here finished there rear setup and if so how does it perform/work for them? pics would be cool.

im about to start the hunt for a 14bolt axle to possibly use with this setup.

[Poley]

do it.

[Brad W.]

I was gonna do it but I decided it was just more work than I wanted to do right now. Good luck!

[bigun]

There are lots of threads on this over on Pirate!

[shadowjeep]

i am planning on doing it soon as i get some better axles for my 87GW. i have read up on some of the zuks and a few other machines with it on pirate. i havent seen full size jeep with it done yet and after looking through some threads here, it seemed like several people had shown some interest in the unique rear suspension. i hadnt heard of anyone that had done it yet. i would like to see what it looks like on a longer wheel base vehicles. if im the first to do it on a FSJ ill take plenty of pics.:D

[Slick Willie]

I saw that one on the Scout, but other than that, it's been mainly toyotas and no-name vehicles. I pondered the thought pretty hard, since an offroad shop in Longview, Tx (pretty close to my home) has had booths at offroad shows around the country with their grader ball suspension products, and it's definately unique.

I just turned off the idea because of the bobbing the rear and running coil springs with it. I don't like coil springs. Leafs is the reason I first got a Wag to start with. It's the principal, I guess. And I don't want the wheelbase to be over 120", or bob the rear of my 4 door (cargo area).

Anyway, sorry for the rambling, but I still say do it. It's not for me, but I still like the idea of it on these rigs. :thumbsup: Keep us updated!

[rustywagoneers_com]

well, i have been keeping the cat in the bag for a while, but i will let it out just a tiny bit...

i picked up a 74 cherk with a T-18 a week or two ago... partly because the 304 in the turbo wag has started to suffer from it's past life sitting full of rainwater... (i didn't know about the rainwater when i started driving it... i found the former owner of the CJ7 it came out of... anyhooooo)

i have most of the parts to do a one-link rear and a modified home-made version of what amounts to an XJ long-arm suspension. the rear will be quarter elliptical on the one-link, front will be coils obviously. trying to get to the forklift junkyard to get an orbital valve and just go full hydro-steer. if not, then i will likely use my high-steer stuff just set up as a crossover, so i can move the front axle CL forward without the tie-rod / drag-link interference.

if the 360 in the cherk is solid, then i will toss the turbo goodies on it as is... it will get my cut-down dana20 as a range box behind the t-18, and one of my divorced 205's after that. i also have a ford 2wd t-18 that i might pirate the input, countergear, and speed gears (as necessary) to try to drop a 6.32 first gear into the jeep case (if it is not a 6.32 already)

i will come back and post a couple one-link links if i can find them... one is a very, ummmmmmm.... non-glamourous S-10 blazer on rockwells with one-links front and rear.

peace
Dave

[rustywagoneers_com]

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=235977

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=371647

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202150&highlight=tractor+hitch

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4288307673

http://www.texasoffroad.net/galleries/lonestar/RAMROCK

have some fun reading...

peace
Dave

[bigun]

well, i have been keeping the cat in the bag for a while, but i will let it out just a tiny bit...

i picked up a 74 cherk with a T-18 a week or two ago... partly because the 304 in the turbo wag has started to suffer from it's past life sitting full of rainwater... (i didn't know about the rainwater when i started driving it... i found the former owner of the CJ7 it came out of... anyhooooo)

i have most of the parts to do a one-link rear and a modified home-made version of what amounts to an XJ long-arm suspension. the rear will be quarter elliptical on the one-link, front will be coils obviously. trying to get to the forklift junkyard to get an orbital valve and just go full hydro-steer. if not, then i will likely use my high-steer stuff just set up as a crossover, so i can move the front axle CL forward without the tie-rod / drag-link interference.

if the 360 in the cherk is solid, then i will toss the turbo goodies on it as is... it will get my cut-down dana20 as a range box behind the t-18, and one of my divorced 205's after that. i also have a ford 2wd t-18 that i might pirate the input, countergear, and speed gears (as necessary) to try to drop a 6.32 first gear into the jeep case (if it is not a 6.32 already)

i will come back and post a couple one-link links if i can find them... one is a very, ummmmmmm.... non-glamourous S-10 blazer on rockwells with one-links front and rear.

peace
Dave
OH Boy Dave is starting another build!!!!!

[shadowjeep]

this should be good. keep us posted dave, and take plenty of pics.:thumbsup:

[shadowjeep]

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4288307673



have some fun reading...

peace
Dave

that blazer is scary lookin:eek: thats a trailer hitch under there with a trailer tongue from the looks of it. thanks for the links though.

[HotRodYJ]

Yeah I'm not understanding why people bother with the trailer ball thing when you can buy a 1.25"x1" Chromoloy rod end rated at more than 76,000 lbs for $60. :rolleyes:

http://ballisticfabrication.3dcartstores.com/XM-16-125-w-10-ball-CrMo-rod-end-w-kevlar-liner_p_84-1425.html

[rustywagoneers_com]

well.... i will be honest, i don't have a real big problem with using a 2-5/16 bulldog hitch personally... some will say something like 'go figure' but anyway...

peace
Dave

[shadowjeep]

i think i would trust a 4 inch grader ball than this even if it is rated for 76,000lbs. too many parts to tear up.http://ballisticfabrication.3dcartstores.com/assets/images/rodends/xm16.jpg (http://ballisticfabrication.3dcartstores.com/XM-16-125-w-10-ball-CrMo-rod-end-w-kevlar-liner_p_84-1425.html#)

[HotRodYJ]

You know of all the pic's I've seen of one link set-ups, it seems they either use a large heim joint or a trailer ball. Not sure I've ever seen one use a real "Grader Ball". Anybody got pics of one? Show me a link where you can buy the pieces to make a real grader ball work. I'd like to take a look at those pieces myself.

[shadowjeep]

this is what im talkin bout
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=164502&stc=1&d=1104296823


and this
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=164504&stc=1&d=1104297006

[rustywagoneers_com]

look for post number 23 in this thread.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...=tractor+hitch

dont have time at work to dig through the others for pics of the actual graderball parts, but they are in there...

picture a big big ball, and 2 clamshells that bolt around it...

peace
Dave

[shadowjeep]

says page not found.:confused:

[HotRodYJ]

Looks like Pirate may be down right now, but I do recall seeing one picture of the clamshells around what i thought was a trailer ball.

[shadowjeep]

i like the simplicity of it, if set up properly i believe it will work great. i have been eyeballing this for a while now. i have seen many different variations on it and i believe for a machine as heavy as a wag the graderball would work well. im not saying using johnny joints and the like wouldnt work on liter rigs because it has been done many times. and seems to work very well as long as its built tough enough to withstand the torque and wieght of the vehicle.

[the glassman]

my buggy has one links front and rear and it works good.

over biuld the panhard and use liniting straps.http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid222/pc6fab818db20f19cdc0866c5d02c54c2/eb1edca4.jpg

[shadowjeep]

very nice, do you have anymore pics. mabe some closeups of the rear:D