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Torque Rod Ends

R

rtadams89

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Phoenix, AZ
I was under my M35A2 and noticed that my torque rod ends look pretty worn. It looks like there is a rubber(?) bushing in there that is cracked and dry on all of mine. Looking in the TM, there is no separate bushing called out, just the torque rod end itself (part A2110E109). When I look at that part online, the pictures I see don't look like they have a rubber bushing on them, but it may just be that I can't tell from the pictures. So, is there a rubber bushing in there, and if so, is that an integral part of A2110E109 (NSN 2530007521831)? Does anyone sell a discounted lot of bushing to replace all of them on a truck?
 
winfred

winfred

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port allen la
just shy of $600 will buy you a set of 12 original style ends off a popular auction site, two different sellers list em and one is a couple few bux less, i just did 8 out of 12 on my truck and posted about 3-4 pictures in the what did you do to your deuce thread
 
R

rtadams89

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So the part A2110E109 (NSN 2530007521831) is all I need, that includes the rubber bushing? How much effort/time was it to change out the 12 you did?
 
rustystud

rustystud

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rtadams89 said:
Think a 6 ton press will do it, or should I just use this as an excuse to get a 20 ton press?
Click to expand...
I've had them come out with just a hammer, and I've had to get a torch since the 20 ton press would not budge them. It's a roll of the dice really. When I reinstall the new bushings I always use "anti-seize" on them. Not only does it help with the installation, but I believe it helps when you need to replace them later on.
 
cattlerepairman

cattlerepairman

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rustystud said:
I so want those torque rod ends !!!!!!! :drool:
Click to expand...
I usually struggle with my default "thrift" setting. In this case, rationale prevailed and I am glad I put in the better parts. It is the same amount of labour, after all.

I am still amazed at how much calmer the rear end is, going over bad roads.

I had experimented with lower air pressure in the radials to reduce bounce when empty but in the end had to slow way down because washboard ripples or pot holes would make the rear end jump and offset sideways. This is uncomfortable and mildly disconcerting, keeping you quite awake behind the wheel. On slick asphalt it could be downright dangerous when the rear suddenly jumps to the right after a couple of potholes, and you have to catch your truck from aiming its front at oncoming traffic at 50 MPH. It took some of the fun out of driving it.

This "bounciness" is gone. The rear axles stay planted and axle hop is minimal.
 
bigmike

bigmike

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Tracer is working on a more cost effective torque rod bushing. Gimby tested them and will be posting results soon. Stay tuned.
 
B

brianp454

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Location
Portland, OR
Really? I've been trying to improve the bounciness of the back end and general "slickness" in turns on wet pavement. Which of the torque rod ends did you replace?

Edit for correction after reading other posts: All of them seems to be the answer. I'm very curious to know how much this helps after you've had time to run it more


cattlerepairman said:
I usually struggle with my default "thrift" setting. In this case, rationale prevailed and I am glad I put in the better parts. It is the same amount of labour, after all.

I am still amazed at how much calmer the rear end is, going over bad roads.

I had experimented with lower air pressure in the radials to reduce bounce when empty but in the end had to slow way down because washboard ripples or pot holes would make the rear end jump and offset sideways. This is uncomfortable and mildly disconcerting, keeping you quite awake behind the wheel. On slick asphalt it could be downright dangerous when the rear suddenly jumps to the right after a couple of potholes, and you have to catch your truck from aiming its front at oncoming traffic at 50 MPH. It took some of the fun out of driving it.

This "bounciness" is gone. The rear axles stay planted and axle hop is minimal.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
rustystud

rustystud

Well-known member
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Woodinville, Washington
cattlerepairman said:
I usually struggle with my default "thrift" setting. In this case, rationale prevailed and I am glad I put in the better parts. It is the same amount of labour, after all.

I am still amazed at how much calmer the rear end is, going over bad roads.

I had experimented with lower air pressure in the radials to reduce bounce when empty but in the end had to slow way down because washboard ripples or pot holes would make the rear end jump and offset sideways. This is uncomfortable and mildly disconcerting, keeping you quite awake behind the wheel. On slick asphalt it could be downright dangerous when the rear suddenly jumps to the right after a couple of potholes, and you have to catch your truck from aiming its front at oncoming traffic at 50 MPH. It took some of the fun out of driving it.

This "bounciness" is gone. The rear axles stay planted and axle hop is minimal.
Click to expand...

That is good to hear !!! It helps in justifying the cost of those torque rod ends.
 
cattlerepairman

cattlerepairman

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There is only one justification. The truck is my hobby. Otherwise I could never justify buying 1.5k in parts and assorted stuff to refresh a $600 multifuel that goes into a $4500 truck. And then adding $1000 in torque rod ends. And...and...and. At the end of the day, we are all a little crazy. In a harmless kinda way.

As for the upgraded ends: They are basically ball joints. I think that one big difference to the rubber ends is the fact that the ball joints do not store and release energy like the rubber bushings do when they become deformed and spring back. I think that this release of stored energy is what makes the axles much more lively. It is probably worse when the rubber gets old and hard. The ball joints just move when force is applied one way and move back when force is applied the other way. They do not want to return to a center position, unlike the rubber bushings. I have not seen any discussion about this, really, on this site but the before/after difference is striking.

I did service the trunnion and grease the bushings but that should not effect axle movement much.
 
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