I tore up my front end on my Yerf dog 3206

[bwomack524]

I went out Sat on the trails just after a rain. OMG it was so muddy and this was my first time to really rode in mud. I did sevral rooky miss takes. First I still had the stock tuff tires on the back. The trails had been torn up by 4- heeler and razrs and I was fishtellling all over the trails and since I didn't have fenders on my kart I was covered with mud within a matter of mins. My brake started failing due to the mud. I decided to go back to the truck to see if I could do anything about my brakes. Here's the second thing my coil got wet and it quit running. A very nice guy on a big side-by-side offered to pull me back to the truck. ( I didn't have my coil enclosed when it got wet ) I will now. When he was pulling me we went down a hill and my brake FAILED big times and the tow strap got wraped around my right spindle and it ended up by ripping my swing arms from the center. Ripped the ball joints out. Should I just replace all of thr front end, BMI has a new one for 150.00, but I don't think it has the ball joints included or what should I do. I'm begaining to think my little kart can't handle all I'm putting it through. I had modified the front suspension and it was workig great

[GX150]

Accidents will happen regardless of your modification level. If you think you can come up with a stronger replacement when something breaks, here is your chance. If it is too expensive or labor intensive, you may want to go back to what you had.

My single rear brake never had problems stopping me. Check your pads for glazing and the caliper for proper movement and float.

[bwomack524]

The brake is one of the things I haven't gotten to yet because it was doing fine. How well do adding the front brakes work? I love my little buggy and I think I've done the front end up grade right. I had BD rebuild my spindle and I got the extension for my tie rods so my steering not in a bind. I put on hubs with 20 x 9 x 8 tires and just put on the surplus center coil over shocks and it was riding great. When I tore it up it pulled the bolts out of the front center plate. I had already on the front end I put on 3 u bolts 2 on the rear of the front plate with 2 turn buckles the attached to the center part of the frame, because the front with the angle up looked like it needed some support. I need the help of deciding how to fix the front end now

[GX150]

Let's see the damage so we can figure out some options. Did you see the BD bulkhead that is built up?

Sorry links to BD don't work from this forum...

[bwomack524]

No it was just a stock. Does BD rebuild the bulk head? And how do u post pic to this site?

[bwomack524]

The A frame bars look to be straight except where.the ball joints attach

[metalstudman1]

To post a pic- go advanced,manage attachments,browse for source of pic.
Even without the force of a tow strap snatching the whole side of your buggy- the bulkhead plate is weak at the A-arms bolt connection when taking an impact. If you have the tooling, weld another piece of plate over the original bolt holes of the bulkhead front and rear for the additional lateral impacts, also when drilling, make the holes a tight fit-assuming there was wear on the factory holes. I had to replace my bolts as the originals weren't long enough after the plating. I believe I used 1/2" bolts - verify with what will fit through the A-arm bushings (another item to check for replacement) and internal sleeve. If considering the stock replacement frontend-it will have the crappy/stock ball joints, so replacing them with the HD ones should factor into your budget. I'd just re-enforce the bulkhead and get ball joints to make the repair. If you buy the HD ball joints they come with washers to install in the original ball joint tabs- I'd replace the twisted tabs with new solid ones and just drill the threaded bolt hole out and eliminate the washers completely, also this is the perfect time to re-align them for your longer shocks so you have max. travel on the ball-joints,with the shocks still on the A-arm,set the new ball joint tab horizontal with the ground.
The wife glanced off a tree and tore her bulkhead up not long after buying the Spiderbox and I did the repair mentioned/shown and haven't had a failure since.Trust me when I say my wife thrashes her Spiderbox!!

[GX150]

Go to the Buggy Depot store and select Reinforcement Services from the left frame to see the bulkhead repair.

[bwomack524]

My friend is going to be able to weld a plate on the front and back of my bulk head. I also going to try to do the angle iron under the frame piece. Is there any thing else that will help the strength of the front end. I am having one problem of getting bolt out that holding on the bottom a-frame. Can any one give me some help on getting it out.

[metalstudman1]

The bolt not coming out tell's me it's bent, find something similar to the same diameter (another bolt) and drive it out from the other end with the other item taking care not to mushroom the threads.

[bwomack524]

Ok a bigger hammer haha. The bolt will turn and I used a hammer,.nut on the end of the bolt and a piece of 2x4 and tried but the bolt didn't move Thats why I asked before I got mean with it. On that note I should plan on replacie the sleeve and the brass bushing on it right? It was also tight on the other side but its the one that was ripped off. How exactly does that all work on pivoting of the A-frame? Its has the 2 brass bushings, the sleeve and the bolt so how does it get grease into it with out having some kind of a bearing in it

[bwomack524]

How do I put pictures on? I would like to show whats going on

[GX150]

If you do not periodically disassemble the front a-arm pivots to lubricate them, it causes the frozen bolt issue you experienced or it will prematurely wear the bushings. CKau drilled holes in his steel sleeves and added a Zerk filling to the arms to be able to grease them without disassembly.

[bwomack524]

I had thought about putting a grease zert in but didn't think about drilling holes in the sleeve. Drill about 3 or 4 holes? Boy I'm learning a lot from y'all

[metalstudman1]

To post a pic:Go advanced,manage attatchments,browse to get pic's from your computer.

Here's almost a clear shot of the wife's grease zerk-When drilling the zerk make sure you can get to it with your grease gun.One hole in the sleeve is enough, countersink the hole into the sleeve after drilling through both. Look at your bushings for "egg-shape" wear, unless the sleeve is damaged from bolt removal it shouldn't need to be replaced.

[bwomack524]

I still haven't been able to get the bolt on the A-frame out, and after you told me the bolt was probably bent I started looking at the bulkhead. It looks like it as had a lot of abuse before I got the kart. Where it mount to the frame at the top is bent where the bolts attach and on the left side some welds are broke. That might be way it was pulling to the left from an earlier post. It makes me wonder if to do my front end right is to replace it. I can buy a complete front end from BMI for 150 which includes even a new rack and pinion. That will make every thing on the front new. What do y'all think?

[metalstudman1]

The frontend BMI sells is almost new!!! It was a take off a warranty buggy when they were dealing with the bad ball joints. I bought one and it's well worth the money to have a spare & spare parts. It ends up cheaper than trying to buy all the stuff individually. If you can afford it I'd do it.

[bwomack524]

Thats what I was thinking. I'm going to call them today and talk with them. Once again thanks

[bwomack524]

Well got the new front end yesterday. I think I will still go ahead and get the bulk head beef up, while its apart and I want to drill the zerks. Do I need the hole in the sleeve about the same place of the zerk? Also I had already put something I came up with to help support the plate that comes off the frame where the bulk head attaches. What I did is put 2 U bolts on the inside part of the bh and another ove the frame bar that run lenght wise of the kart and attach them toghter with a small turn buckel, kinda made it a V shape instead of welding a piece of angle iron under the plate like ya'll have shown me. I dont know if my way works or should I do tha angle iron. My seems to help keeping it from letting the plate weld take all the force, What do you think? I also got a new brake disk and pads the redo my brake. pictures to follow

[x-bird]

regarding the zerk locations and the sleeve --- rather than drilling a hole in the sleeve, consider slotting it wider than the zerk hole for about 1/3rd of the sleeve diameter. It'll make getting the alignment of the zerk hole and the slot much easier and will also keep the sleeve from blocking the opening if it turns inside the arm. as far as your beef-up ...need pics )

[metalstudman1]

From experience the hole for the zerk doesn't have to be lined up, the biggest issue is the open ends on the A-arms inside the tube taking the grease!!!! I did line up my holes but when disassembled the hole had rotated, it still had plenty of grease and the grease did ooze out the bolt ends(countersink the hole in the sleeve). Also your mounting plate doesn't take as much force as you think, the upper portion of the frame is where there always ends up being cracked welds. I've not had to repair or re-weld the angled plate, I welded gussets on the top portion to help spread out the forces. I welded a sleeve pipe on the lower drivers side of the frame to help support my lowered rack-n-pinion unit.

[x-bird]

I'm curious, what OD size sleeves do the stock 06-09s come with in relation to the arm's ID size? I need to sleeve mine and intend to use bronze sleeves that match the bronze bearings. the fit between that sleeve and the tube and the sleeve and the bolt is likely only a couple thousandth's, if that. I've been wondering how to even get a fitting in without it binding up the bolt when tightened in (my tubing wall thickness is only 1/16th.)

[metalstudman1]

I'll be tearing the frontend on off the Spiderbox soon and I'll check- the sleeve is thick, probably 1/4" and there's an air space between the tube and the (Galv.) sleeve, no problem with the threads on the grease zerk.There's a gap from the bronze bushings to the end of the sleeve as well (I'll have to measure that).The bolt is the metric size just under 1/2" as I replaced mine with grade#8- 1/2" and had to drill it out a tiny bit for it to fit. None of the Spiderbox A-arm parts are that close of tolerance other than the bronze bushing and hole at the bulkhead.

[bwomack524]

photo (1).JPGthis is pic of when I was putting on 12" coil-over shocks from when I had 11"' I also have on it 20" tires

photo (2).JPGthe wreck

photo.JPG battery box with a 12 volt cig lighter so I can plug in my phone charger in. I have xm I listen to while riding u can see the UNI air filter and more of the 12" coil-over shocks

[bwomack524]

now I figured out how to put pic on, I'll post updates. my kart now has about 13" of clearence

[x-bird]

Originally Posted by metalstudman1

I'll be tearing the frontend on off the Spiderbox soon and I'll check- the sleeve is thick, probably 1/4" and there's an air space between the tube and the (Galv.) sleeve, no problem with the threads on the grease zerk.There's a gap from the bronze bushings to the end of the sleeve as well (I'll have to measure that).The bolt is the metric size just under 1/2" as I replaced mine with grade#8- 1/2" and had to drill it out a tiny bit for it to fit. None of the Spiderbox A-arm parts are that close of tolerance other than the bronze bushing and hole at the bulkhead.

No need to bother going through the trouble of measuring, i was just wondering how you guys were installing them --what i've put together is so far from stock that it can't be done. But if i put sintered bronze sleeves in, they're self lubing anyway. kind of neat cutting/grinding it and seeing the lubricant (graphite i think) come out with the heat.

[x-bird]

Originally Posted by bwomack524

Attachment 2018the wreck

Ouch!

[bwomack524]

photo (4).jpgI'm trying to figure out why I dont have much bite on the disk

[metalstudman1]

With that much muck the caliper piston is probably getting in a bind. I'm glad you figured out how to post pic's but my neck is killing me now!!!! it's hard to view a sideways pic!!!

[bwomack524]

I'll try to do better