BENT RZR RADIUS RODS

BENT RZR RADIUS RODS

Dear Sarge,

I need your advice on lower radius rods on my 2017 Polaris RZR 900 Trail Edition. Riding these tight East Coast trails, I keep denting the factory straight lower radius rods. If I don’t catch it soon enough the Heim joints break. I could go aftermarket straight or aftermarket angled, “high clearance” arms. What is your advice Sarge?

Cleve Johnson

Marienville, Pennsylvania

Private JohnBoy, when you bend a straight lower radius arm, side loads are increased in the joint. The Heim joints are designed for straight line loads only. Increase the side loads and the joint fails or the threaded rod simply breaks. Installing bent rzr radius rods will give you more clearance and they are generally made out of higher quality materials. However, if they utilize Heim joints, there is an increased side loading to the joints due to the nature of the bent rods and you may well see broken threads. If you opt to go with the so-called “high Clearance” lower radius rods, my advice is to find a set that utilizes the stronger spherical bearing setup. And yes Boot, I am aware of the squeaking problem with these spherical bearings. So now I will show you how to eliminate the dreaded suspension squeak. Requisition RaceReadyProducts.com’s FKS-T Heavy Duty Spherical Bearings with Teflon liners, here: https://www.racereadyproducts.com/fk-rod-ends-and-spherical-bearings/fks-t-heavy-duty-spherical-bearings-alloy-steel/. The Teflon liner reduces the suspension squeak to near zero for most applications. This Teflon liner is a much longer lasting solution than repeatedly disassembling the suspension for greasing. And the grease attracts dirt which will quickly turn a tight suspension into a collection of barely connected arms. “Two Sheets And A Blanket, Boot”! And I better not hear a squeak from Your Rack! Dismissed!

See UTV Action’s full test on the Polaris RZR 900 Trail here: 2015 POLARIS RZR 900 TRAIL – UTV Action Magazine