Interesting Hydro Assist

jesseshoots

jesseshoots

TJ Enthusiast
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Feb 20, 2019
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Charlotte, NC
Just came across this on another forum and it’s something I’ve never seen before. Mounting the ram to assist the pitman arm. Seems like it would be tons of work to get set up, not to mention all the additional stress on the pitman arm, but if all of that was accounted for I could see it being beneficial to get the ram up out of the way.

It still seems like a bad idea the more I think about it. Thoughts?

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It would still help take stress off of the steering box. However, the increased stress would present on both the steering knuckles and on the trackbar and its mounts. By mounting it on the axle, you can reduce the stress on all of those points.

Mine is mounted in place of the steering damper. I haven't seen anyone complaining about a smashed steering damper, so I imagine damage there is improbable.
 
jjvw said:
And also miss the point of hydro assist? If that is where the ram is going to go, why not just get a larger steering box?
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My knowledge of hydro assist is admittedly lacking but would this not provide the extra steering power that a normally mounted hydro assist would?
 
jjvw said:
And also miss the point of hydro assist? If that is where the ram is going to go, why not just get a larger steering box?
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Depends on the mount strength. I wouldn't do that on a TJ, I would on a JK. The box will still suffer though.
 
jodomcfrodo said:
My knowledge of hydro assist is admittedly lacking but would this not provide the extra steering power that a normally mounted hydro assist would?
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Likely, but without the benefits of reducing stress on the steering links and the track bar.
 
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jodomcfrodo said:
My knowledge of hydro assist is admittedly lacking but would this not provide the extra steering power that a normally mounted hydro assist would?
Click to expand...
Normal hydro-assist isn't done to just get power to turn the tires. I can get you all the power you need to turn tires without assist. Everything else will pay the price though since all the steering reaction is transferred to the frame.

The entire point of HA in a TJ is to move some of the load off of the trackbar and steering gear.
 
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mrblaine said:
Normal hydro-assist isn't done to just get power to turn the tires. I can get you all the power you need to turn tires without assist. Everything else will pay the price though since all the steering reaction is transferred to the frame.

The entire point of HA in a TJ is to move some of the load off of the trackbar and steering gear.
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I'm sure this has been asked before, but where does that extra force go? It seems like it eventually has to be transferred to the frame via the track bar in my head? The ram is mounted to the axle which is then mounted to the frame (laterally at least) with the trackbar?
 
jodomcfrodo said:
I'm sure this has been asked before, but where does that extra force go? It seems like it eventually has to be transferred to the frame via the track bar in my head? The ram is mounted to the axle which is then mounted to the frame (laterally at least) with the trackbar?
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No, not to the frame. In stock form, the steering reaction forces transfer through the trackbar. No trackbar, no steering. If you have hydro assist, you can steer a fair bit even with a broken trackbar since the reaction force is between the cylinder and the axle housing.
 
mrblaine said:
No, not to the frame. In stock form, the steering reaction forces transfer through the trackbar. No trackbar, no steering. If you have hydro assist, you can steer a fair bit even with a broken trackbar since the reaction force is between the cylinder and the axle housing.
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What is counteracting the force you put laterally on the axle in the situation without the trackbar? The control arms? It seems in my head that the axle would just move side to side in the hydro assist case instead of turning the tires. I've also never looked at a hydro assist in person before, so keep that in mind.
 
What is the advantage to doing a hydro assist versus full hydro? Seems like you could ditch the linkage fairly easily? I know full hydro can be hard to drive on the road due to steering wheel feel (or at least I've heard that before).
 
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