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Tim & Mike Rogers, TMR Customs
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Tim & Mike Rogers, TMR Customs
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Tim & Mike Rogers, TMR Customs
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Tim & Mike Rogers, TMR Customs
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Tim & Mike Rogers, TMR Customs
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Tim & Mike Rogers, TMR Customs
Story & photos by Tim & Mike Rogers, TMR Customs
Chances are if you are using rod ends (also referred to as heim joints) on your rig you’ve spent some time scratching your head trying to determine what type of spacers you need. There are a ton of options – cone spacers, high misalignment spacers, step down spacers, safety washers, etc. Each one has a different purpose and it’s important to choose the right spacer for your application. Follow along as we educate you on what to look for when choosing spacers for your next project that uses rod ends.
The first choice you have when choosing rod end spacers is the material they are made from. TMR Customs only produces and recommends spacers made from high grade domestic stainless steel. Stainless steel spacers are the preferred choice due to their strength and corrosion resistance – often times they will outlive your rod end and can be re-used multiple times before replacement is required. Cheaper spacers are often made from imported poor grades of stainless steel, mild steel or aluminum and they are highly prone to crushing under severe use, which will provide inadequate torque on your fasteners. This will cause loose nuts and bolts on your suspension and steering components.
High Misalignment Spacers
High Misalignment Spacers are the most popular type of spacer for 4WD vehicles since they provide your rod ends with the greatest amount of misalignment and flex. They reduce the rod end bore size down to a smaller bolt and extend the ball diameter of the rod end. High Misalignment Spacers are most widely used on applications where a great deal of misalignment is required – either in a steering system on a link suspension kit where there are large amounts of up-travel and/or droop. Since High Misalignment Spacers reduce the bore of your rod end they must always be used in pairs – one for each side of the rod end.
Cone Spacers
Cone Spacers provide a small improvement on the rod ends ability to misalign and flex. They are best used when you need to retain the existing bolt size of the rod end for maximum strength and your rod ends are perfectly aligned and sitting neutral within their brackets. Cone Spacers should not be used when a high amount of travel or misalignment is required. Cone Spacers are generally short in overall height so they can also work great as a general spacer where additional height or clearance is required.
Step Down Spacers
Step Down Spacers are an effective way to reduce the bore of a rod end in applications where a cone spacer or high misalignment spacer is not required. The shoulder thickness on step down spacers is very thin, which helps in applications where you have limited space for mounting rod ends. Step Down Spacers can also improve the versatility of parts you already have – say you have a rod end with a ¾-in bore and a steering knuckle with a 5/8-in hole. If you do not have the ability to drill out the knuckle to ¾-in you can simply use a pair of step down spacers to reduce the rod end bore to 5/8-in. Similar to High Misalignment Spacers Step Down Spacers must be used in pairs since they reduce the rod end bore.
Safety Washers
Safety Washers are designed to be used in conjunction with rod ends that are mounted in single shear and are most commonly used in steering applications. If the rod end body were to break and separate from the rod end ball, the safety washer would prevent the rod end body from passing over the head of the bolt resulting in a total loss of steering control. The “dished” shape of a Safety Washer also means they can be useful in providing a small amount of misalignment. Since Safety Washers do not reduce the rod end bore, they can be used individually and are not required to be used in pairs.
TMR Customs is the industry leader when it comes to all styles and sizes of rod end spacers. All TMR Customs spacers are CNC machined in-house from high-grade domestically made stainless steel. Should you have any questions regarding what spacer is best for your application do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
TMR Customs Rod End Spacers are available for purchase direct or through one of our Authorized Dealers.
For more info please visit www.tmrcustoms.com