Watts Link

Syndicate Chopz · Mar 4, 2010

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So... I got a question for you all...
Has anybody done any research, or ran across a Post on mounting up a Watts Link on tha Rear suspension..??
I will be building tha rear frame section this Week, and want to know tha direction I'm goin with it b4 I jus jump in!!!!
Guess what I really need to know is:

Do both Link Bars have to be tha same length?
Since I am running an Air Suspension... When tha truck is Layed all tha way out... Do they need to run parallel to tha ground and eachother?
Does tha middle pivot bracket need to be set up exactly Perpendicular to tha ground before cycling tha suspension??

Thanks for any help u guys might provide!!
I really appreciate it!![

Motorhead · Mar 4, 2010

I would have to know more about your suspension to give you more details, but here are a few "general rules":

- The two links would have to be the same length.

- When the middle pivot link is perpendicular to the ground, the other two links must be parallel to the ground. This is the neutral point of this linkage. You should design your suspension such that the ride height is at the neutral point of the watts linkage. This is assuming that you have the same bump and rebound.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I can't tell you what hub cap came off of what car, but I do know how to design a suspension system.

rockabillyrat · Mar 5, 2010

couldnt have said it better my self.

fuzz · Mar 6, 2010

If you locate yor rear axle with triangulated four bar you won't need watts linkage...[P

rockabillyrat · Mar 6, 2010

thats always a good way too.

i like 3 links with a triangulated wishbone in the middle for the top bar.

but a watts link looks realy cool....

Motorhead · Mar 7, 2010

fuzz said:
If you locate yor rear axle with triangulated four bar you won't need watts linkage...[P

rockabillyrat said:
thats always a good way too.

i like 3 links with a triangulated wishbone in the middle for the top bar.

but a watts link looks realy cool....

True!

I can never figure out why people run parallel 4 links with a panhard bar. Some of them have all the room in the world for a triangulated 3 or 4 link set up.