For those of you running Rusty's tracbar

[vetteboy]

Straight off Rusty's site:

Limited Warranty Rusty's Off Road products are warranted to be free from material and workmanship defects for as long as the original purchaser owns the vehicle. Rusty's limit of liability under this warranty is to repair or replace the defective product. Cost such as labor fees, loss of use, loss of time and freight charges are not covered. If you think you have a defective product, contact us for a return authorization.

Nice quote. So what part was defective, and why do you think you deserve something beyond a replacement TRE?

From a metallurgical standpoint, that break is what a *ductile* (edited) steel piece should look like. Probably what happened is it developed a hairline fracture at the minor diameter of the threads, from being overstressed, and the crack propagated through. There's no fatigue markings so it looks like it just was overloaded in one single instance.

So Rusty's didn't make the tie rod end. Instead, he figured out somewhere along the way that a certain part # rod end would work, and bought a ton of them. And 99% of them out there have more than likely been just fine. Your problem does not lie with Rusty at all, it lies with the TRE manufacturer, who is responsible for ensuring that their version of TRE #xxxxxx is a good interchange for the OEM part used in that application. If their version fails prematurely, that's not something Rusty would have ever known OR could be held responsible for, because the outside vendor's part did not meet the promised expectations.

Secondly, anyone with that much lift who is still using a panhard with a TRE does not understand the physics of what's going on. He admittedly cheaped out on it which tells me that he paid inadequate attention to other parts of the rig as well, and more than likely overstressed that piece at some point. If I run 39.5's on my Dana 30 and break the ball joints off, is Dana responsible because they provided the axle? Is Moog responsible because they provided the ball joints? Or am I responsible because I modified the vehicle beyond OEM specs, and nobody's guarantee covers that anyway?

It sucks, and Rusty should probably do something show some good faith. But there are also reasons why the running gear under my rig is as heavy as it is.

 

[HilltopXJ]

Are TREs hardened? I would think it would have more of a shattered effect(smooth break) if it was. Maybe case hardened, but I know you can scuff them pretty easy with a file.:dunno:

 

[vetteboy]

No, you're right - that's a ductile break. 'stretched' rather than a smooth fracture.

Still looks like it was a one-time event though.

edit: original post edited.

 

[DeftwillP]

He was doing about 30 in a corner

:hang:

 

[FlexdXJ]

yeah i would say your insurance company is gonna ream Rustys. my buddy has all rusty's stuff on his Xj no problem's so far but i will tell him to trash his trac bar.

 

[98XJSport]

Read the thread, it's not a part made by Rusty's.

After seeing what Ive seen here and elsewhere, I don't have much faith in a trac bar that uses a TRE in a flexing application.

 

[Gil BullyKatz]

yeah i would say your insurance company is gonna ream Rustys.

What insurance co. is this that would cover a vehicle that has been heavily modified... and try to sue an aftermarket co. that has OFF-ROAD in it's name...

Last I checked... The insurance co. might cover the damages to the vehicle but won't go after an aftermarket company for modifications done to a vehicle post oem. Disclaimers really don't mean much in litigation, no more than waivers usually do, but you'd have more luck with a failed TRE in a stock vehicle.

 

[BlueCuda]

I think the biggest problem is that a TRE is bieng used improperly. That thing is designed to work with steering components. Not to hold the wieght of an entire jeep inline with its tires. The steering components see much less stress than the end of the trac bar. Its flat out just a bad design IMO, that part is overstressed anytime you make a corner at moderate speed.

 

[sjkimmel99]

I think BlueCuda and VetteBoy hit it, the use of a TRE in this application is not appropriate. If you look at a stock trackbar at the steering box end it's not a TRE, it appears to be one piece (forged?) with the socket even for stock tires.

A couple of quotes from a Google search on "Metal fatigue"

Scratches, pits and machining marks add stress
concentrations. Fine grained materials (high strength steel)
more affected.

Metal fatigue is caused by repeated cycling of of the load. It is a progressive localized damage due to fluctuating stresses and strains on the material. Metal fatigue cracks initiate and propagate in regions where the strain is most severe. The process of fatigue consists of three stages:

• Initial crack initiation
• Progressive crack growth across the part
• Final sudden fracture of the remaining cross section

The machining of the threads create stress concentrations which the repeated stress of keeping the axle centered finally exploited. I can't find it now (can't remember what I searched on before) but found an example picture of a broken metal bar with the same appearance as the TRE - two smoothish areas top and bottom that show where it broke first and the line of coarse break is the "final sudden fracture" mentioned above caused by nothing so much as a slight curve in the road at 30 mph.

 

[Ray H]

Just a meaningless little question that I dont think anyone has asked yet.
Do we actually know that the TRE broke and caused the accident, or did it break during the accident?
Did anyone check the other steering and suspension parts to see if one of them may have failed, causing the accident?
Im wondering if he was making a right or left turn when he lost steering. It would almost have to be a right turn to PULL the TE apart. A left turn would mean the TB would be under a compression load, not a tension load. In addition, the right side suspension would be compressed in a left hand turn so the TB wouldnt be over flexed at the time.

 

[BlueCuda]

From the looks of the pics the steering system is still in place, it also appears he was turning right as well.

Looks like a nice well built rig that he spent good money on....except for the TB.

 

[sjkimmel99]

Compare this drawing with the initial pictures of the broken piece:

From here:
http://materials.open.ac.uk/mem/mem_mftext.htm

A phenomenon which results in the sudden fracture of a component after a period of cyclic loading in the elastic regime. Failure is the end result of a process involving the initiation and growth of a crack, usually at the site of a stress concentration on the surface. Occasionally, a crack may initiate at a fault just below the surface. Eventually the cross sectional area is so reduced that the component ruptures under a normal service load, but one at a level which has been satisfactorily withstood on many previous occasions before the crack propagated.

 

[XJ Eric]

All I gotta say is I'm glad I went with the Rusty's Heavy Duty Version of the trac bar and the mount. It can droop as low as it wants and it won't bind on the body side. The axle side on the other hand is a different thing. But thats the Jeep factory design.

 

[DaffyXJ]

Hi Glenn! :wave1:

I'm the epitome of a member properly using this forum. Been on here longer than nearly everyone and have just over 1800 posts. I rock!

And here I thought it was like golf, the lowest score wins. arty:

 

[goodburbon]

I have seen a few pop right there. Weak component, no 2 ways about it, and Thread engagement doesn't have a thing to do with it the way it broke.

 

[shelbyluvv]

With all the Rusty's bashing going on, did anyone else notice that the wheel that was not on the Jeep broke the center out?

The lug nuts were still on the hub aLong with the center of the wheel.

I have seen a lot of weird stuff but have never seen that. Wonder if the wheel let go, slammed the Jeep into the bank (breaking the T bar), then rolling over?

I for one hate Rusty's. I got burn for $1500 buy is shitty company. But we gotta look at the whole picture.

 

[xjcody]

If you want to see videos of a cop car pushing the jeep off the road, go to youtube.com/pondomoto. I don't remember what video it is, but my buddywalks up to the torn off tire and you can see the mounting flangle torn off from hitting the bank. It's at a body shop right now and they are quoting the insurance company how much to fix. I'm surprised that they might not total it out. Either way, the next jeep is getting a full roll cage and not one piece of rusty's.

 

[alex22]

With all the Rusty's bashing going on, did anyone else notice that the wheel that was not on the Jeep broke the center out?

The lug nuts were still on the hub aLong with the center of the wheel.

I have seen a lot of weird stuff but have never seen that. Wonder if the wheel let go, slammed the Jeep into the bank (breaking the T bar), then rolling over?

I for one hate Rusty's. I got burn for $1500 buy is shitty company. But we gotta look at the whole picture.

To me it looks like the track bar failed first. Here's my thinking: The driver is out wheeling and the crack in the TRE begins then grows as he drives it home. While takeing a right turn the TRE fails and the tire wants to go straight again (in line with the rear tires). The tire directs the jeep towards the bank before the force of the jeep combined with the sidewall of the tire grabing on the pavement and then dirt causes the stamped steel to sheer appart. The jeep comes down and lands on the brake rotor and the jeep flips over on more of a diagonal plane instead of a sideways rollover or front over back roll.
but... i'm not a crash investigator, just my thoughts.

~Alex

 

[Darky]

The only flaw is that it was a track bar that failed which doesn't affect which way the wheels go, it locates the axle under the vehicle. Basically the track bar goes and now the axle can go whichever way but the wheels will still be controlled by the steering wheel and tie rod etc.

 

[Fred]

My Rusty's track bar with a Moog TRE has been working fine for 9 years, and I go real fast around corners since I have a 28 mm front swaybar and energy suspension bushings. Then again, my nine year old 3" Rusty's coils have sagged a 1/2". I've only run 30's and 31's which I'm sure makes a difference.

I did get a replacement TRE last year. No free play, but I think I'll install it anyway.

Fred