Bent A-arms.....repairable???

[ranger1]

I was driving about 5mph around a tight corner & my carbide caught something under the snow & stopped the sled dead in it's tracks, er...track,lol! When I got home I noticed that the lower A-arm bolt was bent. Couldn't even hammer it out, had to cut it on either side of the spindle to get it out!
Now the holes for the bottom A-arms don't line up with eachother & as you can see in the pic as well, the arms are bent back about 3/8 to half an inch.
Can the these be straightened? I was thinking on supporting the lower control arm where the support arm links both sides of the lower control arm together then giving it a whack with a heavy hammer at the end of the arm.
One more thing, the bulkhead is fine, Whewww!!!!
Anybody try straightenening these, if so, any tips on doing so?

 

[TBay Sledhead]

They can be straightened a bit but are a real b***ch. It is some kind of high strength alloy, chrome molly? I made a jig for the inboard end, welded to the work bench and started twisting until it was pretty close. Takes lots of checking.

 

[ranger1]

They can be straightened a bit but are a real b***ch. It is some kind of high strength alloy, chrome molly? I made a jig for the inboard end, welded to the work bench and started twisting until it was pretty close. Takes lots of checking.

Ya it's definitely some kind of alloy for sure, magnet don't stick to it. I was hoping to be able to bend it enough to get it fairly close without cracking it.
Next season I could replace the arm with a Kimpex one for $120 & change to oilite bushings while I am at it. Don't want to have to do it now as the sledding season is nearing the end & I don't want to miss any of it,

 

[APEX 06]

Good used ones are cheap.

 

[ranger1]

Good used ones are cheap.

The problem is I would have to have them shipped here thus missing going sledding this weekend.
If all else fails (can't straighten) will probably order an aftermarket one from kimpex @ $120. Used ones on E-bay shipped to Canada are more than that.
How do you access the bottom nut closes to the rear, is it hard to get at?

 

[APEX 06]

http://www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php? ... highlight=

This link will help with get it fix

 

[ranger1]

http://www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php?t=89905&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

This link will help with get it fix

Thats exactly what I needed!! Kinda figured it would have to be torn down to the battery tray but now I now for sure!
Thanks Apex 06 for supplying me with the link on how you changed the lower bushings, much appreciated

 

[apex55]

I put a small hydraulic jack in between the legs to spread them open, then with a big bar worked the twist out. Not 100% but good enough to ride. Mine was off the sled.

 

[ranger1]

I put a small hydraulic jack in between the legs to spread them open, then with a big bar worked the twist out. Not 100% but good enough to ride. Mine was off the sled.

I was hoping to leave it on the sled for support when trying to bend it. I figure bending one side at a time using heat should be less stress on the bulkhead than bending both sides at the same time out in the cold.
I will give it a go tonight after work. If I can find a big enough pipe to go over the end of the a-arm then pry it over, that might be better than trying to whack it with a hammer, lol!

 

[FlyinA]

I recently fixed the same problem on my '07 Apex GT, but I was going just a bit faster and bent them a lot so I had no choice but replacement.

I noticed that the Yamaha part numbers for my upper and lower A-Arms had been updated, and when they arrived the difference is the new style have grease fittings on the cross tube closest to the tunnel. Thus, no more need to pull the arms to grease/replace bushings. I'm half tempted to replace the other side just for that added convenience alone, but don't want to curse myself replacing stuff that ain't broke.....

 

[ranger1]

I recently fixed the same problem on my '07 Apex GT, but I was going just a bit faster and bent them a lot so I had no choice but replacement.

I noticed that the Yamaha part numbers for my upper and lower A-Arms had been updated, and when they arrived the difference is the new style have grease fittings on the cross tube closest to the tunnel. Thus, no more need to pull the arms to grease/replace bushings. I'm half tempted to replace the other side just for that added convenience alone, but don't want to curse myself replacing stuff that ain't broke.....

Would you be able to drill a small hole in your existing a-arm & tap a grease fitting into it?

 

[FlyinA]

I thought about drilling & tapping the existing A-arms on the other side. Tricky part would be deburring the interior of the hole so it doesn't interfere with the spindle. There's a bit of clearance inside there, but not much.

 

[ranger1]

I thought about drilling & tapping the existing A-arms on the other side. Tricky part would be deburring the interior of the hole so it doesn't interfere with the spindle. There's a bit of clearance inside there, but not much.

Ya i guess if you get filings in there it would probably be worse than having no greese,lol! Only other option would be to take the arm out & do it.....or, drive er til it needs to be taken out then do it!

 

[steiner]

I thought about drilling & tapping the existing A-arms on the other side. Tricky part would be deburring the interior of the hole so it doesn't interfere with the spindle. There's a bit of clearance inside there, but not much.

Weld a nut on that will accept a grease nipple. Just don't let the weld sag into the cavity.

 

[ranger1]

They can be straightened a bit but are a real b***ch. It is some kind of high strength alloy, chrome molly? I made a jig for the inboard end, welded to the work bench and started twisting until it was pretty close. Takes lots of checking.

TBay sledhead, you sure nailed that one, they are definitely a "B*tch to try to straighten!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy crap, as you can see by the photo, I supported the a-arm by placing a 2x4 at the brace on the arm & using a pipe tried to bend it back! Low & behold I moved it about an 1/8 of an inch out of the 3/8 it had to go!!After realizing that not only did both sides have to go forward 3/8", but the rear one had to go down & the right side had to come up!....Mission aborted!!
Plan "B" called my local dealer & asked how much $ for a new arm, he said Yammy one is $250...ouch! I asked him to see if he could get me an aftermarket one as they were selling for around $120 + shipping in the US.
He called me back & said he will have me one on Monday for $100, wuhooo!! My dealer is amazing, he goes the extra mile to get me the best deal possible!
Stripped the sled down & removed all the a-arms because I figured I might as well replace the bushings with the highly rated oilites while I have the sled stripped down