No kidding.

I saw a REALLY nicely engineered homemade swaybar disconnect made by Bob (rwenzing) which nicely demonstrates his mechanical engineering vision! I don't think he's ready to "share" them until he's finished testing them -- but I'm sure he will (maybe he has and I missed it)...

Anyway, I've been threatening to do something and I finally did. Will these "hold up"? Who knows? But I had to do something because I'm just tired of taking off the nuts with wrenches. Bob's suggested to me that the strength required for a retainer was not as much as I thought, so I did this.

If you look you can see it looks as if I've just drilled the bolt and nut and pinned them. Yes, but I also drilled out the threads on the nut so it just slips over the bolt shaft.

I don't know what to call that pin exactly. It is a straight pin with a ring on one end that is mounted to a small block with offset holes. This makes it want to "spring" flat. You can flip it back out of the way to pull the pin, then flip it back over the pin to keep it from accidently pulliing loose.

Flip the ring back, pull the pin, the nut slides off and the bolt slides out and you can remove the center section (you bounce the bumper a bit to loosen it). Reverse that to reinstall it.

Note: I just installed this and I have no idea how it will hold up. I am not recommending or suggesting this, just sharing what I'm up to.

Here's a pic (sorry it's raining and dark here so it's not a great pic):

 

hmm interesting I now have a rear bar and wow no flex but nice road handling haha

 

Griggs you done it agian! Tell us how it holds up! Now you just need to figure out how to get more power out of a 3.0 than a 4.0!

 

Put sugar in the tank of the 4.0???

Thanks -- we'll see how it does. I'll be anxious to see if the pin bends much or not.

 

I'll be curious to see how it goes also! This was the number 1 mod I wanted on my old Ranger. Hopefully this works out well for you so I can put it on my new one! If not, I'll be curious to see what Bob cooks up!

 

interesting.


I was gonna have a peice machnied that I designed, as my buddes dad is a great machinist but never got around to it...

 

that looks like i great idea you got there john. im sure you are already doing this but i would keep a couple extra pins with you at all times. my lawn mowers use them all over the place and i found that the rings dont take much to pop out of the holes and when that happens its safe to replace than to try and repair them

 

I believe it's called a "lynch pin", John.

 

so, what does disconnecting sway bar give you?

 

more articulation.

less restriction to articulate.

 

Independent articulation of the front suspension which gives a smoother offroad ride, and helps keep you from "3-wheeling" it as much. I've not noticed so much difference overall when I've done it EXCEPT it is much smoother, and the truck stays more level when going over irregular ground.

It's not so great on the street, though. Mostly you don't notice it -- but do sudden high speed maneuvers and you're all over the place! Not my idea of a good time.

And, Bob, thanks! I saw what they were called when I bought them, but promptly forgot -- I'm good at that...

Ryan, I have two spares onboard in fact. I don't figure they are impervious, lol. I like them better on top than on the bottom, though, for obvious reasons. Normally, the swaybar links have the nut underneath the lower a-arm.

 

more like a better ride and letting the IFS actually be IFS...


doesnt do much for articulation...

 

I guess "free-er articulation" would have been a better way for us to say it. Didn't mean to imply there is any more of it, lol.

 

ok. excuse me.

 

https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...28&postcount=1

 

gildOWNED!

Did you do the same thing on the lower swaybar link too? Or do you leave the bottom still attached?

 

No, you don't have to. When you take off that nut, there's a long bolt that goes all the way to the bottom. You can just pull it completely out. Then that center spacer pops out if you bounce the bumper and pull. Then it's disconnected. It's not like two bolts that come in from each end -- it's just the one bolt going all the way through.

 

i did something simillar when i had my cherokee because i was too cheap to buy quick disconnects, except i just put a wing-nut in place of the bolt, i got at it too a lil shot of brake parts cleaner to clear the dirt off and one flick of the finger and it came off

 

That sounds like a good idea too. I'd almost do something like your idea, but then drill the wingnut and bolt to put a smaller lynchpin in to keep the wingnut from backing off. That might be stronger and I may try that next if this doesn't work out.

So far so good -- but only 35 miles or so of driving. I took the pin out and inspected it and it's not bent or dented so far. Guess it is a pretty hard steel. I did grind the tip down to a point to make it easier to insert.

 

i never put a pin on top of it, i did a few thousand miles like that and never had a problem with the winnut backing off

 

could by pass drilling the hole in the wing nut and the pin, and just put a lock washer on it... everything i put on my truck is supported by lock washers....

 

I think the hole and drilled out nut are for ease and quickness of removal... hence "Quick disconnect" lol. Seems to me lock washers might make things a little more difficult?

 

Yes, that's my thought also. If it's too much work, I won't bother with it!

 

Hooray for lethargy!

 

Yes! It's apathy I don't care anything about...