bent tie rod

[mrutkaus]

Why straighten it? I bent mine in the first half hour I had the tractor. I adjusted the toe in with the bent rod.

As someone else said, the way mine bent made me question if it was supposed to be that way or not, it looks like it was made that way, Gives more clearance.

And you know you'll bend it again. The tractor doesn't know the tie rod is bent as long as the toe in is correct.

Mike

 

[Highbeam]

The bend is substantial. It is towards the rear and the weight of the bent section twists the tie rod against the tie rod end ball joints so that they would be operating against their stops.

I did put it back together with the toe adjusted just in case I needed to run it real quick. But I do not want to run the ball joint this way for too long. The part is ordered and is being shipped direct from Kioti in NC. I will take the old rod off and try to press it straight for a spare since I know it will happen again.

If the bend was such that the tie rod ends weren't loaded like that then I would agree and run it as is after adjusting the toe.

 

[BigDogues]

Well, not wanting to feel left out, I just bent mine. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I wonder if I couldn't have one fabricated with the offset already in it. You would think that Kioti might want to offer a fix-it-kit with the run on tie rods that they are going to have this year. (Hint, Hint! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) Not sure why they didn't put an offset in there from the beginning. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Highbeam]

Well guys, bad news. Kioti does not have the tie rods. Back ordered, noone knows when. I have officialy lost confidence in Kioti, they will have to prove themselves. My dealer, however, has gained respect by offering to pirate one off of a CK25 on the lot for me. If Kioti had them it would be a 30$ part. But they don't.

Aftermaket? jerry rig? We'll have to start fending for ourselves. I am going to keep this to myself as much as possible so I am not shamed and ridiculed by those brands with better support and the I told you so crowd.

I have taken one in the shorts.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I wouldn't worry about taking it in the shorts, every brand has some supply and parts problems from time to time.

What I am curious about is why this is so common? Right now there are at least 3 or 4 CK25/30s that have the exact same problem reported. There have been past reports of this same thing by other owners. I have yet to read that anyone even recalls hitting anything so I suspect that the tie rod has not hit anything but one of the wheels/tires has. When the wheel/tire takes an impact you will rarely feel it. My suspicion is that a wheel/tire is hitting something and it is twisting, that twist is probably what is causing the bending of the tie rod. Does that seem reasonable, it is just my guess?

 

[BigDogues]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have yet to read that anyone even recalls hitting anything so I suspect that the tie rod has not hit anything but one of the wheels/tires has. When the wheel/tire takes an impact you will rarely feel it. My suspicion is that a wheel tire is hitting something and it is twisting, that twist is probably what is causing the bending of the tie rod.)</font>

I wish I could say that I knew for certain. I have done both, run over some high objects, but never heard a bang, crunch, or any scraping sound, and have run my front tire in ruts and up against rocks and logs. I'm going to have to go out early in the morning and have a look for any abrasions.
Any of you guys that have the tie rod off already, can you see where you might of had an impact?

 

[shoppintractors]

Regarding bent tie rods....

From mrutkaus...

<font color="blue"> Well I walked around and found where I bent the steering rod within a short time after the tractor was delivered! I was just playing around, pushing this tree with the bucket and ran over it. </font>

From GregMVT.....

<font color="blue"> The only thing left of it was about 16 concrete pads that are about 3 feet square and from 8-14 inches thick. We had removed 12 of them that were in the backyard when we bought the house 2 years ago, they are real hard on lawnmower blades. The other 4 we didn't know about because they were in an area that were overgrown with weeds and sumacs. We piled the brush we had cut up 2 years ago on top of them. When I went to push the piles back the other day I ran over them....... </font>

TForan......

<font color="blue"> I want to clarify that it wasn't the fault of loose bolts. I think after I whacked the stump,it loosened things up a bit. Totally operator error! </font>

Don

 

[JayC]

After reading about these issues, I'm now curious. Where do other brands place their tie rods?

 

[shoppintractors]

Regardless of tractor brand I would say it would be prudent to scout unfamiliar areas prior to taking the tractor through them. If unfamiliar territory is a regular occurrence, then underbody armor would be advantageous. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Don

 

[VictorW]

I've seen Kubota's and Fords with the tie rod up front and a little higher than the bottom of the axle. If it wasn't for the deep oil pan of the engine, the Kioti's could be raised. Why not extend the forgings where the steering hydralic cylinders attach and put the tie rod up front and higher.
Highbeam, I found something better than paint to fix a hole in rubber. Liquid tape. I use this stuff to waterproof connections in electrical wires. Lowe's and Home Depot have it. Have the part clean, brush it on, (several coats can be applied) and it dries and is flexible just like rubber. It even comes in a few colors.
My wife ran over a piece of glass with my rear R4. It put a cut in the rubber but I couldn't tell if it hit the cords. I wanted to seal it up so I pushed several applications of liquid tape into the cut. It flexes with the tire and you can't tell the tire was cut.