30 minute Yerf Dog spindle repair

[Rarerat]

I thought I would post this & hope it might help someone else. My daughter took me for a wild ride yesterday and I am sure the fact that I am way to big for the Kart, help cause the bent the right side spindle. I had to call my wife to come pick us up with my truck because the tie rod was hitting the tire.





I figured I could easily fix it myself but looked into a new set of spindles and when I saw the 160.00 price tag I decided it was time to break out the welder.

I pulled the spindle off and stuck it into my press to straighten it but I am sure I could have easily done it in the vise.





Once it was straight i made some quick card board templates to cut out the 1/8 steel.





Welded them onto the spindle..





I went and test fit it on the kart and then realized I made the gussets about 1/2" to long and it was rubbing the lower control arm when you turn tight, so I just hit it real quick with a grinder and and clearanced it. Next just squirted a little rattle can silver on it and I was done.





Not my best work but it looks pretty indestructible now. I only spent about 30 minutes on this start to finish. I just need to let the paint dry and bolt it back on and she is ready to go...

[Rarerat]

Comparison pics..


Before..




After..

[Mike322]

I'm looking for a small welding machine to do some aluminum work on boats I own and for small metal jobs around the house. What machine do you recommend? Nice job by the way. Thanks, Mike

[Rarerat]

Thanks Mike.
I use a Lincoln 180 but it needs 220. The Lincoln 140 is a nice welder and it will run on regular house current which is nice.

[roysheepdog]

Originally Posted by Mike322

I'm looking for a small welding machine to do some aluminum work on boats I own and for small metal jobs around the house. What machine do you recommend? Nice job by the way. Thanks, Mike

for aluminum you have to have an a/c machine.mig will work well but tig is the best.d/c machines are the cheepest but you cant do aul..dont get the cheepest one you find becouse it is junk.get one that has a veryabl amps not preset(some have a.b.c.d).get miller, licon or thermal arc thay are all good machine.
get a mig or tig thats a/c-d/c and you can weld anything.

[BuggyMaster]

Wow what a piss-poor factory design but an excellent fix! Nice job!

[ckau]

good job, but I think you will find that the axles will bend next. That's sort of how it goes with these first generation spindles.The tabs are weaker than the axles but the axles are the next weakest link. Box in or double plate the spindle behind the axle then replace the axle with a 3/4 shaft. you will have to swap out the wheel bearings for the 3/4 size. I cut the old axles off, then used 3/4 grade 8 bolts drilled through the back side , then welded in place. This cured all my spindle problems!

[Rarerat]

Thanks for the heads up on the axle. I still need to plate the driver side spindle so I will just go ahead and upgrade the axle while I am at it on that side.

Thanks Again,
Nick

[Rarerat]

Here is another thought, since I will be upgrading the axle bolts on the front spindles, has anyone moved the position of the bolt down lower on the spindle to gain a few more inches of ground clearance?

[metalstudman1]

This is from an '04 model spiderbox that I modified a few years ago. I moved the rack down with a simple plate and re-enforcement half tube. Realigned & welded the angle for the ball joint tabs on the A-arms and added 12'' shocks for an even chassis clearance of 11". You have to shorten the driverside tie rod by cutting it in half and rewelding it back.Buggy Depot will rebuild your A-arms or just make the triangle tabs and do it yourself.Multiple of things happened with this mod-better turning radius,6-1/2" of wheel travel(3" stock),total stability of the kart in a hard turn without roll-over. I have 2nd generation spindles and the first thing I did was change the axle to 3/4" doing exactly as ckau wrote except I went longer with a bushing behind the wheel so I could use wider wheels if I wanted.Also I redrilled the driverside steering tab closer to the tube, that reduced the turning radius 3' all by itself. This kart has been well abused by my wife on some pretty extreme hills without failure

[ckau]

Originally Posted by Rarerat

Here is another thought, since I will be upgrading the axle bolts on the front spindles, has anyone moved the position of the bolt down lower on the spindle to gain a few more inches of ground clearance?

It's a lot easier to get taller tires. By upgrading to a 3/4 axle, it enables you to use 4/4 hubs available at northern tools. You then upgrade to a 8x7, 4 on 4, trailer wheel, use a 20x7x8 tire. Then your tire choices are opened up. there are tons of atv tires in this size. you get the ground clearance you need plus the taller tire rolls better over the rough stuff.The conversion will set you back about 60 bucks a side, not including the tire but it is well worth it.

[ckau]

Originally Posted by metalstudman1

This is from an '04 model spiderbox that I modified a few years ago. I moved the rack down with a simple plate and re-enforcement half tube. Realigned & welded the angle for the ball joint tabs on the A-arms and added 12'' shocks for an even chassis clearance of 11". You have to shorten the driverside tie rod by cutting it in half and rewelding it back.Buggy Depot will rebuild your A-arms or just make the triangle tabs and do it yourself.Multiple of things happened with this mod-better turning radius,6-1/2" of wheel travel(3" stock),total stability of the kart in a hard turn without roll-over. I have 2nd generation spindles and the first thing I did was change the axle to 3/4" doing exactly as ckau wrote except I went longer with a bushing behind the wheel so I could use wider wheels if I wanted.Also I redrilled the driverside steering tab closer to the tube, that reduced the turning radius 3' all by itself. This kart has been well abused by my wife on some pretty extreme hills without failure

One thing about this type of suspension modification. You have to keep the steering tie-rods running parallel with the a-arms. Otherwise you will experience "bump steer. Where the tie-rods travel in a different arch than the a-arms, causing the wheels to toe in or out during suspension travel. You feel this in the steering wheel as a jerking or binding as the suspension works up and down.

[Rarerat]

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[olderthan]

i like the looks of that setup

[Rarerat]

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[olderthan]

i like the 2nd setup better
when i patched my friends yerf
i never thought of moving axels
lower and going with 3/4 bolt
either i will try to talk him into it
next time he breaks

[kliff]

Great job on the spindle RR, now go ahead and do the other side before it collapses...

[Rarerat]

I am still at it trying to find the best deal on everything I need to convert her yerf to a better front tire set up for the deeper sand. Do you all think the 20" front tires will be to tall for her buggy" ?

[Rarerat]

Originally Posted by kliff

It's really hard to discuss anything here, which may involve the use of links, for anyone other than sponsors. But rest assured, more resources exist, beyond Northern. Email me sometime.

Thanks Kliff

[borrows123]

wow...
That is looking very cool....