Best source for 7075 links??

[patooyee]

2" 6061 round bad, 36" long = 11 lbs.
2" 7075 round bar, 36" long = 11.4 lbs.
2" x 1/4" wall DOM, 36" long = 14 lbs.
2" x .188" wall DOM, 36" long = 10.9 lbs.
2" x .120" wall DOM, 36" long = 7.2 lbs. (Chromo in the same thickness won't be much different.)

I don't think anyone would debate the strength of a 1/4 wall DOM for an upper link, correct? (Whether it's stronger than 6061 or 7075 is irrelevant since I think we all agree that it is more than strong enough for the application.)

I don't think anyone would debate that the threads in just about any steel are stronger and more resistant to wear than 6061 or 7075, right?

It's been a long time since I've priced 1/4 wall DOM but I'm fairly sure that is is cheaper than 6061 round and even more certain cheaper than 7075 round, correct? And its only 2.6 lbs heavier per link, or 10.4 lbs heavier across the entire rig.

So why risk any strength for such a small loss of weight and large increase of price? Seems to me that there really isn't a place for aluminum upper links on any rig in that case.

Or if you're willing to accept .120 wall chromo HT, which I think is going to be about on the same price level as the 7075, you are gaining about 4 lbs per link and losing thread wear characteristics for no gains anywhere at all other than to say you have blingy aluminum links. Again, no place for aluminum uppers unless you just want to sacrifice performance for bling.

Or consider .188 wall DOM as a median between .25 and .120. at slightly less weight compared to aluminum, probably lower price, it's going to have better thread wear characteristics and probably more than strong enough for 99.9999% of rigs for the uppers.

Finally, this was all just keeping OD the same. But if you keep ID the same instead (So that you can use the same weld-in inserts.) the OD actually goes down. That brings the weight of the steels down as well. .120 wall comes down to 1.75 OD which is 6.3 lbs per link (making it the lightest of all the options) and .188 wall comes down to 1-7/8 OD which is 10.2 lbs per link, making the weight savings of steel over aluminum even better with only strength gains and cost savings. (Granted, 1-7/8 x .188 wall DOM is probably a bugger to find. Speedymetals.com does list it though.)

(And I'm sorry to anyone that had to read this multiple times, I had to go back and correct typos like 15 times! )

 

[redneckengineered]

I may be the odd man out here...but I have always had luck with regular old steel links.

.375 lowers, .250 uppers (.188 wouldnt scare me, I just sleeve .120 with more .120 on uppers usually)

I have only ever bent one, and they are cheap enough to just have a spare on the trailer. Of course...it helps to not have links that are 6 feet long. My lowers are ~36" eye to eye and I havent ever had issues... even the bent one was just a slight bend wasnt bad enough that I felt i needed to change it out that day.


That all being said...I will eventually run alum (at least on the lowers) bc they are lighter (and blingier ) but I have always been happy with my regular ass steel links.

I used to run 2" OD 1/2" wall DOM lowers on my old buggy and I bent every one, front and rear. I also broke tube adapters out several times. My buddy broke an adapter out of his DOM lower just this weekend. I'm not saying you can't rip the threads out of an aluminum link but I've just seen way more failed steel links than anything else.

 

[patooyee]

I used to run 2" OD 1/2" wall DOM lowers on my old buggy and I bent every one, front and rear. I also broke tube adapters out several times. My buddy broke an adapter out of his DOM lower just this weekend. I'm not saying you can't rip the threads out of an aluminum link but I've just seen way more failed steel links than anything else.

There's way more steel links out there to fail though. And since most people can weld steel you'll find more out there that are home-fabbed whereas nearly all aluminum links are professionally made.

I've run ...
2.75 x .375 wall lowers, bent them ...
2 x .25 lowers, easily bent them ...
2.5 x .25 chromo HT, bowed one, flipped it over, bowed it back never bent one. These have been my favorite so far.

I've never ripped a bung out of one that I've welded. After your whole ordeal with Heretic I went back over some of the welds on my Heretic links though. I understand why you seem to loathe Heretic, or at least steel, links but I definitely feel that you had faulty welds and would have been happy had good welds been put on your links to start with. A proper weld should be stronger than the material, right? So by default, if a weld breaks and the bung comes out, the weld wasn't done properly. In the 2.75 x .375 lowers I ran for years there were no bungs available with the right ID. So I just got the closest I could find and welded those bitches in hot. They were loose in the bore, uncentered as a result, totally booty-fabbed. They never cared. If anyone should have tore a bung out of a link it should have been those. This just goes as evidence to me how a good weld is so important on a link.

I'm going to try 7075 lowers on my next rig. But it's going to have .120 wall or .188 wall steel uppers. If I can find someone that sells chromo .120 wall HT tube that's my preferred.

 

[tiny]

6061 – Mechanical Properties
Ultimate Tensile Strength 45000 psi
Tensile Yield Strength 40000 psi
Fatigue Strength 14000 psi
Shear Strength 30000 psi
Hardness, Rockwell 40
Machinability 50%
7075 – Mechanical Properties
Ultimate Tensile Strength 83000 psi
Tensile Yield Strength 73000 psi
Fatigue Strength 23000 psi
Shear Strength 48000 psi
Hardness, Rockwell 53.5
Machinability 70%

 

[Neal3000]

There's way more steel links out there to fail though. And since most people can weld steel you'll find more out there that are home-fabbed whereas nearly all aluminum links are professionally made.

I've run ...
2.75 x .375 wall lowers, bent them ...
2 x .25 lowers, easily bent them ...
2.5 x .25 chromo HT, bowed one, flipped it over, bowed it back never bent one. These have been my favorite so far.

I've never ripped a bung out of one that I've welded. After your whole ordeal with Heretic I went back over some of the welds on my Heretic links though. I understand why you seem to loathe Heretic, or at least steel, links but I definitely feel that you had faulty welds and would have been happy had good welds been put on your links to start with. A proper weld should be stronger than the material, right? So by default, if a weld breaks and the bung comes out, the weld wasn't done properly. In the 2.75 x .375 lowers I ran for years there were no bungs available with the right ID. So I just got the closest I could find and welded those bitches in hot. They were loose in the bore, uncentered as a result, totally booty-fabbed. They never cared. If anyone should have tore a bung out of a link it should have been those. This just goes as evidence to me how a good weld is so important on a link.

I'm going to try 7075 lowers on my next rig. But it's going to have .120 wall or .188 wall steel uppers. If I can find someone that sells chromo .120 wall HT tube that's my preferred.

It pretty much comes down to one thing- Bling AL uppers AND lowers drops the fawking panties, everything else sux

He-Man's links are cheaper than you can buy the material off ebay

 

[patooyee]

Well, the only panties I need to worry about dropping are my wife's, and links don't impress her either way. And He-Man won't sell to me so I'll stick with my original plan.

 

[slravenel]

I used to run 2" OD 1/2" wall DOM lowers on my old buggy and I bent every one, front and rear. I also broke tube adapters out several times. My buddy broke an adapter out of his DOM lower just this weekend. I'm not saying you can't rip the threads out of an aluminum link but I've just seen way more failed steel links than anything else.

I have every intention of eventually running alum lowers... but not until I hotdog these steel ones haha

I havent ever had a bung pull out either...but I always drill and plug weld them in pretty hot after grinding down a bevel on the end of the tube itself. I have seen too many people just slap a bung in and weld it up without any prep work or any plug welds...and those are the steel links i wouldnt touch with a 10 foot pole.

 

[patooyee]

I don't even plug weld. I grind a good chamfer on the tube, most of the time the insert will have one machined into it, I clean everything really good, get down to shiny steel, and make a good, deep root pass and then another one or two on top of it.

 

[Elliott]

Why will he not sell to you?

 

[patooyee]

Re:

I have no clue. He has publicly stated his hatred of me both here and on pirate.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[al1tonyota]

Re:

I have no clue. He has publicly stated his hatred of me both here and on pirate.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

I'm not sure why but I know of a few people he doesn't care for???
But hey there are a few I don't like either! haha

 

[Elliott]

Some smart people are intimidated by other smart people, go figure???

 

[pholmann]

Hell I think you can be a prick but I still have bought **** from you a couple times. Business is business. Doesn't mean you don't have some very valid points at times and you have good tech. Still a prick.

I have no clue. He has publicly stated his hatred of me both here and on pirate.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[patooyee]

Re:

Well thank you for your business.

And my wife agrees that I am a prick so it must be true.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[redneckengineered]

There's way more steel links out there to fail though. And since most people can weld steel you'll find more out there that are home-fabbed whereas nearly all aluminum links are professionally made.

I've run ...
2.75 x .375 wall lowers, bent them ...
2 x .25 lowers, easily bent them ...
2.5 x .25 chromo HT, bowed one, flipped it over, bowed it back never bent one. These have been my favorite so far.

I've never ripped a bung out of one that I've welded. After your whole ordeal with Heretic I went back over some of the welds on my Heretic links though. I understand why you seem to loathe Heretic, or at least steel, links but I definitely feel that you had faulty welds and would have been happy had good welds been put on your links to start with. A proper weld should be stronger than the material, right? So by default, if a weld breaks and the bung comes out, the weld wasn't done properly. In the 2.75 x .375 lowers I ran for years there were no bungs available with the right ID. So I just got the closest I could find and welded those bitches in hot. They were loose in the bore, uncentered as a result, totally booty-fabbed. They never cared. If anyone should have tore a bung out of a link it should have been those. This just goes as evidence to me how a good weld is so important on a link.

I'm going to try 7075 lowers on my next rig. But it's going to have .120 wall or .188 wall steel uppers. If I can find someone that sells chromo .120 wall HT tube that's my preferred.

I've never actually had a weld fail in a link I welded up. I mentioned I've broken several adapters off, each time it was the adapter that failed with the exception of the Heretic Fab links where the weld cracked right in the middle of the pass. They clearly were not welded right as you said. One of the guys I ride with almost weekly runs the Heretic Fab links on his rockwell buggy and beats them to death so I know they can work. Anyways, that all being said, make sure your adapters are good quality and not ching chong bargain bin junk if you're going to run steel links.

Also, I found this interesting in light of all our discussions.

THE KRACKEN VS MOONLIGHT RACING NEW YEARS BOUNTY HILL

 

[patooyee]

How does the adapter fail?

 

[redneckengineered]

How does the adapter fail?

Snapped clean off

 

[patooyee]

Like the head of the adapter snaps off after the weld leaving the threaded portion inside the link still? That's very odd. I've never seen that. I feel like I'm not understanding you correctly though.

Edit, well the threaded part would have to come out as well which means the heim is also breaking? I'm sorry, I don't understand.

 

[redneckengineered]

Like the head of the adapter snaps off after the weld leaving the threaded portion inside the link still? That's very odd. I've never seen that. I feel like I'm not understanding you correctly though.

That's pretty much it. Threaded portion and weld still sitting in the link with the head snapped off. Both times it happened to me I was able to thread the heim back in and ride out. Kinda lucky in a way.

 

[patooyee]

That's pretty much it. Threaded portion and weld still sitting in the link with the head snapped off. Both times it happened to me I was able to thread the heim back in and ride out. Kinda lucky in a way.

Shouldn't the heim be long enough to go part way into the tube portion of the link though?