DesertJeep

Writeup and review: TeraFlex HD Tie Rod and Drag Link kit

Writeup-wise, this is quick and easy. My HD Tie Rod and Drag Link kit showed up with all the ball joints pre-installed. And, as I’ve come to expect from TeraFlex, the install guide was very detailed and accurate. You can download the install guide and purchase the kit here: https://teraflex.com/shop_items/54d5...a57b6ef9ef9980


As Donald Trump would say, YUGE!

Installation of the drag link took about 10 minutes:

• Knock out the ball joint from the steering knuckle (I was replacing my original TeraFlex flipped drag link; TeraFlex makes kits for flipped and original orientation).
• Use a ball joint puller to remove the other end from the pitman arm. Don’t use a pickle fork or otherwise hammer on the pitman arm unless you want to drastically reduce the life of your steering box.
• Using the drag link you’re replacing as a guide set the rough length of your new HD drag link, put it in place, and tighten down the ball joint nuts per the instructions. Don’t let the drag link hang freely from one ball joint while you get ready to fasten the other side; the ball joints have very nice dust boots you don’t want to pinch or tear.

Sorry I didn't get a shot of this pitman arm side of the drag link with it's oversided collar and clamp next to the OEM unit. This thing is so much thicker.

Another 15 minutes to install the HD tie rod:

• Drop the old tie rod by removing your steering stabilizer or hydro assist, then pulling the pins and castle nuts from the tie rod ends and tapping the ends and knuckles with a hammer until the ends drop out.
• You’ll probably need to push one or both tires out of the way if you didn’t remove them in order to pull the old tie rod out from under your Jeep. Use it as a guide to set the rough length of your new HD tie rod, and hang it up by the ball joints. The heavy duty ball joints aren’t drilled for castle nuts and retaining pins, so I put a small amount of Loctite on the threads and torqued them down to 63 pounds per the instructions. I’ve checked them several times since installation, and they’ve never loosened a bit.
• When youI've got a brand new JCR Offroad Crusader front bumper for a Jeep Cherokee (XJ) that I don't need. The shipping create has never been opened. This bumper is $450 plus shipping from JCR. It looks just like the pictures, but this one doesn't have the hitch receiver option. If the ad is posted the bumper is still available. When you’re finished reinstalling your steering stabilizer or hydro assist you need to set your toe-in (you really want to take it to an alignment shop to get it done right, but you should get it close before driving it to the shop). One of the beautiful things about the HD tie rod is that it's adjustable on the vehicle without the need to drop one end from the knuckle. Get your toe-in right, then lock it down by tightening the jam nuts on each end.
• The joints in both the tie rod and drag link are greaseable, so hit them with your grease gun, then cover the grease fittings with the included dust covers to keep out the grit.
• Lastly, turn the adjusting collar on the drag link to get your steering wheel straightened out unless you like your ESP and ABS shining up at you while you drive.

Now go get an alignment before you totally forget about it.


One of the HD tie rod's forged ends and HD ball joint next to another well known brand.


The ball joints are greaseable and pre-load adjustable.

Review by way of my impressions:

The first clue that these parts mean business is that the shipping box is heavy. The drag link, tie rod and forged ends are heavy. Really heavy. They gave me a good feeling just pulling them out of the box. Laying beside the tie rod I was replacing the TeraFlex HD tie rod is absolutely massive. What made me as happy as the thought of upgrading this critical steering component to such a strong piece of equipment was seeing that the tie rod itself is straight, with the bends to clear the differential incorporated into the giant forged ends, meaning no more dropping an end joint to adjust my toe-in. Not that I anticipate this thing bending on the trail.

I’d previously upgraded my drag link, but I was still running the original pitman arm side end and adjusting collar and clamps, which had all seen better days. The HD drag link replaces the whole linkage with much thicker forged components and an oversized adjusting collar and clamps. I have a lot more faith in my Jeep’s critical steering hardware with these massive parts doing the work.

So, how do you measure a steering upgrade? Tie rods and drag links don’t make your Jeep any faster or grip rocks better. It’s nice to have quality tie rod end joints that reduce tie rod roll, but that's really not the main reason for this kind of upgrade. You upgrade your steering components to reduce the chances of them failing. I can drop the weight of my Jeep on this tie rod (I have a few times now) and slam it coldheartedly into the largest of rocks, and it doesn't bend. It doesn’t snap. I can put my weight into my steering to force a turn when the tires don’t want to budge, and I don’t have to worry about the adjusting collar buckling or the ball joints being torn up. My steering wheel has remained straight, and my toe-in hasn’t changed despite the unkind things I sometimes do to my Jeep. I think that's about all you can ask of your steering, that it not fail you. For that kind of peace of mind I'll give TeraFlex's HD Tie Rod and Drag Link Kit two thumbs up. And five stars.

WEB4BYN

Nice write up! Just upgraded my front end as well!

FlexyJK

Awesome write up! They look massive!

harve22

Nice write-up Bill.

CALIJK

Thanks for the info Bill. We should probably pick one of these up for Vince's Jeep since he tends to break the stock ones about once a year.

sm_rubi

Those things are definitely the answer to the question "where's the beef!" nice job on the write up!