Re: looking for ideas on a vibration

From: Michael Maskalans (dml@tepidcola.com)
Date: Thu Jan 06 2005 - 00:29:07 EST


On Jan 5, 2005, at 20:19, Walt@Walt-n-Ingrid.Com wrote:

>
> That shouldn't be the case, the driver should have winched it onto the
> flatbed
> with the truck in neutral. Even if he dragged it up, it not far enough
> to flat
> spot the tires.

I wouldn't worry about flat spots either, just possible park-pawl
damage, which seems not to be the case since I park on a hill and the
truck hasn't rolled into the street yet ;-)
>
> Mike,
> How did he hook it? I assume he either used J-Hooks on the axles or
> he short
> chained it by wrapping the chains around the axles and hooking the
> clevis ends
> to themselves.

damned if I know. my assumption would be J-hooks around the axle, at
least in front, but that's only because that's how I would have done
it. I haven't taken a close enough look at it to see if there are any
"tracks" from the hookup.

> Double check your suspension brackets and make sure he didn't
> bend or break any of them including the welds. I've seen allot of guys
> who
> will hook the front and rear suspension when loading a lifted vehicle
> onto a
> flat bed and really crank it down with the winch.

oh, that would definitely be great. even worse on a frame than
winching with an anchor....

> The strength in a suspension
> is stronger with the vertical load and not as much horizontality. When
> the
> chains grab tight on the rear axle and the winch is pulling on the
> front, it
> pulls the axles apart latterly. Too much tension on it can damage the
> suspension. Another thing to do is making sure he didn't catch any of
> the
> brake parts. He could have kinked an e-brake cable or something else
> when he
> hooked the rear axle and a rear brake is hanging slightly.

possible but unlikely - I already know one of my rear ebrake cables is
sticky, and I couldn't feel any pulsation when it was dragging. the
drums are freshly turned, so the drag is smooth.

> I’ve accidentally
> done that myself. IIRC, you have a high-steer setup on the front so
> that
> should be OK but I would still look at it. I’ve seen bends to
> steering parts
> over tightening.

I was kinda wondering if maybe he hooked to my tie rod or something,
but the steering feels fine and the truck handles as it did before.
That definitely wouldn't be the case if something knocked it far enough
out of alignment for the tire to be hopping and vibrating.
>
> If I were towing your truck, I would prefer to wheel lift it from the
> rear with
> the truck in 2wd and the front hubs unlocked.

agreed.

The other thing I forgot to mention - the broken wheel weight was on
the right front, and there was also a scuff on the sidewall of that
tire as if it had been curbed, which I don't recall doing since I
bought that tire three weeks ago. I was backed into a parking spot
with the right side of the truck against a curb (about 18-24" away from
it, as I recall), so I can't see any way that could have happened when
being towed. No joyriding either, since it was still locked and
nothing in the cab was disturbed.

Supposed to be a nice big snowfall tonight followed by icing rain
tomorrow, so I'll probably further put off pulling my rear driveshaft
to see if I should be looking at that or at the right front hub area.
I might go over everything visual with a fine tooth comb if I get to it
before the snow turns to rain though.....

I'll keep you all posted, and thanks for the ideas so far.

--
Mike Maskalans   <http://mike.tepidcola.com/dodge/>
'98 Dakota SLT 318 4x4                    SFA & 35s
'84 RamCharger Royale SE 360 4x4              stock
mobile.612.618.4652               home.585.935.7129



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