P500 P500 Broken Steering Rack - Updated - Completed

[DG Rider]

Thanks 100Acre - Yup I'm no speed daemon but the conditions where good and I was heading back after a camping trip and wanted to get off the road section ASAP as there are big oil field trucks that use that road too - and they are normally hauling @ss.

I'm glad you liked the videos - I try and be unbiased - The P500 is a great machine but it has it limitations, like all UTVs.

Were you filming when it happened?

 

[CptOvo]

And here's the link. JWB vids
I had enough storage space to add the mount repair to the existing file, so the other vids are still up as well.

Hey JWB - watched all the videos - great work! You should share them on YouTube - lots of people would find them useful.

I have to repair the exact same A arm mount! I think I should able to get it back into place with the "old persuader" and a few levers then grind and weld a bit.

Those steering boxes are serviceable - I removed the bearings from the pinion shaft without much trouble - there is another smaller roller bearing at the base of the same shaft too that might be tricky to remove. The dustcover at the top of the pinion shaft was the worst - I had to destroy it to remove it :/

I love your shop too - that looks like a great place to work in.

 

[CptOvo]

Were you filming when it happened?

Sadly no - If only I had - the video might have earned me some YouTube money to fix it

 

[JWB]

Hey JWB - watched all the videos - great work! You should share them on YouTube - lots of people would find them useful.

I have to repair the exact same A arm mount! I think I should able to get it back into place with the "old persuader" and a few levers then grind and weld a bit.

Those steering boxes are serviceable - I removed the bearings from the pinion shaft without much trouble - there is another smaller roller bearing at the base of the same shaft too that might be tricky to remove. The dustcover at the top of the pinion shaft was the worst - I had to destroy it to remove it :/

I love your shop too - that looks like a great place to work in.

Thank you for the compliment on the vids!....and, I wish the shop was mine! That's where I work, and it's usually filled with broken boats, so I have somewhat limited windows of opportunity to use the space, but my employer is very gracious to me in this regard. I used a big pair of channel-lok pliers with a stainless bolt through the mount holes and twisted it back as much as I could, and then used a 2' x1" diameter brass drift and 5lb hammer to um.. 'tweak' it back into alignment, and then welded. With the relatively low price of the complete assembly here in the U.S., I opted to get the new assembly, and add some more support to the drivers side end of the unit due to my (abusive) riding style. I also wanted to minimize my down time and have all components ready to install at the same time. After seeing how badly scored the rack is in mine, and it's getting harder to steer every time I move the machine now, I don't think it's salvageable at this point- at least not in a practical time vs. dollars sense.

 

[CptOvo]

Hi All

I've finished part 1 of the video if you'd like to see my progress on the fix.

Thanks again for all the kind suggestions and interest in the repair.

Regards

Michael

 

[JWB]

Hi All

I've finished part 1 of the video if you'd like to see my progress on the fix.

Thanks again for all the kind suggestions and interest in the repair.

Regards

Michael

Ah yes... editing... Your vids always look like a serious production. Very well done. Thanks for the shout out- made my day man! I'll do another set of vids when I make the bushing for the drivers side end of the box. I thought I could use the same bushing that's on the pass. side, but it's too loose, so off to use a friends lathe to fab one up. I'm still hopeful that Torq Masters is going to have that locker available so I can do the whole group of repairs/mods at the same time. Looking forward to the next video.

 

[CptOvo]

Hi all

The final instalment is now on YouTube.

My welding is not as pretty as JWB but its on there nice and strong

Anyone know what the correct toe in angle is for the P500?

Thanks again for all the assistance!

Michael

 

[JWB]

Hi all

The final instalment is now on YouTube.

My welding is not as pretty as JWB but its on there nice and strong

Anyone know what the correct toe in angle is for the P500?

Thanks again for all the assistance!

Michael

Don't know what the toe is... Enjoyed the vid- nicely done as usual! I measured the adjustment length of the tie rods before I disassembled anything, so when I put it back together it will at worst be very close. I finished adding the additional bushing to the drivers side end of the new box about an hour ago, and hope to be reassembling this wknd. I'm going to add a little more support to the back side of the upper rear mounts by tying them to the cross bar. If your steering wheel is a little off, it's easy to remove and rotate it a few splines as needed.
Cheers!

 

[CptOvo]

Don't know what the toe is... Enjoyed the vid- nicely done as usual! I measured the adjustment length of the tie rods before I disassembled anything, so when I put it back together it will at worst be very close. I finished adding the additional bushing to the drivers side end of the new box about an hour ago, and hope to be reassembling this wknd. I'm going to add a little more support to the back side of the upper rear mounts by tying them to the cross bar. If your steering wheel is a little off, it's easy to remove and rotate it a few splines as needed.
Cheers!

Hi JWB - My steering wheel has always been off centre since I bought the thing. This time I removed the steering wheel completely and correctly entered the rack then put the wheel on. I used a 2x4x8 held against the front wheel and aligned it with the rears so its close now. I'm going to try something with lasers and a garage door soon - more for fun that the need to make it better.

I did notice you measuring the steering rods (smart idea) and I copied you but decided centerings the wheel was more important and that threw out the measurements one I'd finished playing around.

I'd love to make a video of installing the Torq Masters diff lock - that will be a game changer for the P500. Hopefully this will be released soon.

Regards

Michael

 

[JWB]

Hi JWB - My steering wheel has always been off centre since I bought the thing. This time I removed the steering wheel completely and correctly entered the rack then put the wheel on. I used a 2x4x8 held against the front wheel and aligned it with the rears so its close now. I'm going to try something with lasers and a garage door soon - more for fun that the need to make it better.

I did notice you measuring the steering rods (smart idea) and I copied you but decided centerings the wheel was more important and that threw out the measurements one I'd finished playing around.

I'd love to make a video of installing the Torq Masters diff lock - that will be a game changer for the P500. Hopefully this will be released soon.

Regards

Michael

So you've probably got it very close to '0' ? Does it feel right? My old R&P is laying on the bench right now, still completely assembled, boots, tie rods and all. If memory serves, the measurement difference between right and left was only about .100". Did you 'center' the rack by adjusting the tie rods? Any Idea how much you moved them (assuming you did) to get it centered? Just curious. By the way- adding that bushing in the drivers side end of the R&P was more than a notion. As luck would have it, (or not) the rack is not centered in the bore of the housing at that end, so I had to perform all sorts of acrobatics and 'brain thingys' to get it to work. I did a bit of video on that, but I doubt anyone will bother adding the bushing- most aren't as hard headed as me, and apparently have far more good sense!