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Broke waggy style pitman arm. Can a replacement be made reliable and safe?

Y2kmxz

Member
Joined
May 22, 2020
Member Number
1226
Messages
11
So last weekend after I aired down my YJ and proceeded to the first obstacle, the pitman arm snapped. It was a wagoneer pitman. Pitman has been in service for about 5 years when I switched over to a 3 link front with coilovers on a Waggy Dana 44. Tires are 37" Falken Wildpeaks with KMC Machete bead locks.

The failure was 100% a fatique failure. Luckily I was going 2 mph and not the 50 mph I was doing an hour before.

I bought a replacement pitman to get the jeep back in service. Would I be helping or hurting myself by adding a weld bead and smoothing to create more of a rounded fillet where the old pitman failed? Trying to decrease the point where crack propagation can start.

I'm going to look for a different style pitman arm, maybe hydro assist to remove some stress from the pitman arm. Currently using a PSC Big Bore steering box as I had to replace my old box anyway.

Thoughts?
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This happens more often when you put a TRE / rod end in a bind.
Address your steering setup, or run limit straps.
 
welndmn said:
This happens more often when you put a TRE / rod end in a bind.
Address your steering setup, or run limit straps.
Click to expand...
Thanks for bringing up the TRE's in bind. There was evidence upon disassembly that the TRE did bind. Limits straps are now on the list as well.
 
I've dropped the idea of welding to the pitman arm. Worried about the heat effected zone it will cause.
 
Y2kmxz said:
I've dropped the idea of welding to the pitman arm. Worried about the heat effected zone it will cause.
Click to expand...

Yep, this was going to be my answer.

Welding on a pitman is not going to do any good in and of itself. Maybe if you fully plated the arm, connecting the two splined portions with steel that boxes in the center of the arm, or going as far as wrapping a strap around each splined end and welding that in place. But even then the HAZ could be a concern.
 
Run ram assist to take the load off the steering box?

And yes you can weld on pitman arms no problem. Most are cast/ forged steel.

Welded up my waggy arm for double shear with heim.
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HAZ is not really a big issue in steels unless the steel in question is something that has a bunch of post-treatment done to it that you're going to ruin by reheating it. A pitman arm is not in that category. I would have no qualms about beveling, welding and then wrapping some plate around it (since it clearly already broke at that spot once).
 
arse_sidewards said:
HAZ is not really a big issue in steels unless the steel in question is something that has a bunch of post-treatment done to it that you're going to ruin by reheating it. A pitman arm is not in that category. I would have no qualms about beveling, welding and then wrapping some plate around it (since it clearly already broke at that spot once).
Click to expand...
This. It has been done for years on plenty of rigs. I just pre and post heat stuff like that, let it cool slow and plat it like said above.
 
Doubt anyone does anything on that stuff besides a hot preheat and turn the mig up job, but you could do the same pre and post heat and weld with a NI99 if you're real worried about it. I've even beat the flux off of nickel rods before and tigged patches on cast water pump housings before at an old job to get shit running again. I'd get them orange hot, weld it, and throw in a bucket of sand.
 
Genright stil shows their welded up pitman arms.

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