Drag Links and Tie Rods
Drag Links (DLs) connect the steering gear and the pitman arm at one vehicle wheel. Tie Rods (TRs) connect the steering knuckles at the left and at the right wheel to transfer the steering forces.
THK develop and produce DLs and TRs for various load applications. The portfolio includes rods with a fixed length as well as rods adjustable at one or both ends, depending on requirements and customer preferences.
DLs and TRs consist of a tube and two Outer Ball Joints (OBJ) to adapt the design to customer space requirements. The length of links and rods can be adjusted to realize an optimized wheel alignment.
Outer Ball Joints
Outer Ball Joints (OBJs) are available in standard sizes (from 24 to 50 mm) depending on customer application loads. OBJs are used in Drag Links and Tie Rods to provide wheel guidance with sufficient angular movement.
THK develop and produce a wide range of high-quality OBJs in conjunction with customer requirements including the most reliable X-cap design for ball joint sizes 35 and 40 mm.
OBJs consist of a housing, a steel bearing providing a ball seat, a ball pin, a spring set, a housing cap, a dust cover and two retaining rings to fix the dust cover. They were developed for maximum reliability over the complete range of duty cycles in commercial vehicles. The X-cap joint includes a housing with inductive hardened inner contour and a special spring element and plug to ensure a defined axial elasticity.