Maximum Misalignment with Front Axle Clevises??

[Motorhead]

Hi,

I was wondering what's the maximum misalignment I can get using clevises on my front axle? It looks like my wishbones will have about a 5º angle with respect to the frame rails. I initially designed my front suspension to use heim joints, but a buddy of mine is giving me 4 clevises for free.

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Sniper]

There should be no misalignment present with a fork style clevis. The clevis, the hairpin it's threaded onto, and the batwing it's bolted to, should all be in a straight line. Any misalignment on a clevis causes a side load on the exposed threaded shank. Whether the shank threads are rolled or cut, it won't matter. It will act like a scored mark that will leave it weak and it will fail within a thread valley. A clevis has to receive any load straight on whether it's a compression or tension load. Otherwise the constant flex at the thread area from the loads imposed will cause a failure.

 

[Motorhead]

I understand what you mean, but ANY fastener, standoff, bearing or bushing EVER made has a maximum degree of misalignment before problems start to occur. Bolts (which have threaded shanks like a clevis) often experience side/radial loads. As long as the stress is below the fatigue limit of the matrial, no failure would occur over time.

The reason I asked is because I have already made the brackets for my front axle and I was planning on using heim joints to compensate for that misalignment. Heim joints aren't very expensive, so I'll just buy those instead of using the free clevises that I was given.

Thanks Sniper!