Silly axle question...

25th October 2018, 23:36

Im sure it's a daft question, I just can't figure it out. What in theory actually holds the trailing arms onto the beam? All the guides I see show the torsion bar being drawn out and the ARB being removed, then the trailing arms can be removed. To me it looks like the torsion bars are only held in place at one end (the drivers side one is bolted to the drivers side arm but is only pushed intno the other end and vice versa) and the ARB is attached to the end plates only via the splines. What physically stops a trailing arm from coming off?

26th October 2018, 00:38

The offset washers, there is a washer on the end of each bar. that stops it coming out.

26th October 2018, 07:06

Thanks Martin. Hmm, still don't get it. At the opposite end, the bar just presses in, no bolt. Why in theory, couldn't and arm just pull out the beam with bar pulling out it's opposite end and the ARB plate just coming off the splined end of the ARB? Not sure what the offest washer does?

26th October 2018, 12:01

there are washers and bolts at both ends

26th October 2018, 13:48

ARB doesn't hold the arms on, that's the torsion bars, with their offset washers.

26th October 2018, 17:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by dturbo

Thanks Martin. Hmm, still don't get it. At the opposite end, the bar just presses in, no bolt. Why in theory, couldn't and arm just pull out the beam with bar pulling out it's opposite end and the ARB plate just coming off the splined end of the ARB? Not sure what the offest washer does?

Okay so the torsion bars have a hole in each end, and they're threaded.

A washer with an offset centre hole goes into the axle on the end of the bar, so the washer does not line up with the end of the bar and it slots into the arm. the securing bolt stops the washer falling out. The washers hold the bars in place.

the ARB end plates cant fall off because the plates are bolted to the arm.

26th October 2018, 23:26

Ah.. I get it now. For some reason I thought the bars were only bolted at one end. So essentially any desire the bar has to move in either direction, the washer sitting in its slot resists movement of the bar and as you say the washers don't fall out because of the securing screw. Quite clever actually! So the securing screws don't bear any load transferred by the bars, the washers do.

Thanks for the clarification