Rear Shock

[D&C&S]

Anyone remove rear-rear shock in their 129 viper skid without removing suspension.

 

[Turtle]

Yep ... And I have a few tricks for ya.

First - You will need to remove one or two outside idler wheels towards the front of the skid. You need to do this so you can remove the torsion spring retainer. With the torsion spring retainer removed, you can release tension on the torsion spring. You need to release tension on the torsion spring so that you have clearance to remove the top bolt on the rear shock. You only need to release tension on one spring - and it needs to be the one on the head side of the upper shock mount bolt - not the nut side (read that statement again slowly).

Now that we are past that spot, this next instruction applies to DX or SE models (not an LE model ... or in Cat world non-RR). There is a rod that is bolted parallel to the rear shock. It runs directly below the shock. Remove the lower bolt to this rod. This would be the bolt that is directly below the lower shock mount. Removing this bolt allows any preload on the shock to be released. Not releasing the preload makes it difficult to remove the shock bolts.

With that, you can now remove the lower shock bolt, followed by the upper shock bolt and take the shock out.

Procedure for re-installation ... here's the trick.
Install the shock back in the skid with the upper shock bolt followed buy the lower shock bolt. Now you have to bolt the parallel rod back in place and to do so you need to load the shock a bit. Find a long, strong screwdriver or piece of rod. Slide it through a hole or space in the rail and leverage it against the back side of the lower shock mount bracket. You can use the leverage to easily collapse (preload) the shock just enough to line up the mounting hole for the parallel rod. Insert that bolt. The follow up with putting the torsion spring and idler wheels back together again.

I've done this procedure a few times now. I can have a shock out in about 15 mins, and reinstall in the same time.

 

[D&C&S]

Thank's great reply.

 

[SnoNinja]

I know that this can be done, but why? I can loosen the bolt on the right side, roll the sled on its side, right end of bar on a 5 gal. pail, pull the bolts, and have the skid on the floor inside of 5 minutes. Don't even need to loosen the track. Install is not much more effort. Easy to get it in and on with sled on right side if you swing the suspension out to about 60 degrees before you pull it off the front shaft.

 

[Turtle]

I know that this can be done, but why? I can loosen the bolt on the right side, roll the sled on its side, right end of bar on a 5 gal. pail, pull the bolts, and have the skid on the floor inside of 5 minutes. Don't even need to loosen the track. Install is not much more effort. Easy to get it in and on with sled on right side if you swing the suspension out to about 60 degrees before you pull it off the front shaft.

Agree that removing the skid is easy. But you still have to go through almost all the same steps to remove the shock that I explained above to get the shock out. So I'd just do it with the skid in and save myself the extra work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[snowbeast]

Yep ... And I have a few tricks for ya.

First - You will need to remove one or two outside idler wheels towards the front of the skid. You need to do this so you can remove the torsion spring retainer. With the torsion spring retainer removed, you can release tension on the torsion spring. You need to release tension on the torsion spring so that you have clearance to remove the top bolt on the rear shock. You only need to release tension on one spring - and it needs to be the one on the head side of the upper shock mount bolt - not the nut side (read that statement again slowly).

Now that we are past that spot, this next instruction applies to DX or SE models (not an LE model ... or in Cat world non-RR). There is a rod that is bolted parallel to the rear shock. It runs directly below the shock. Remove the lower bolt to this rod. This would be the bolt that is directly below the lower shock mount. Removing this bolt allows any preload on the shock to be released. Not releasing the preload makes it difficult to remove the shock bolts.

With that, you can now remove the lower shock bolt, followed by the upper shock bolt and take the shock out.

Procedure for re-installation ... here's the trick.
Install the shock back in the skid with the upper shock bolt followed buy the lower shock bolt. Now you have to bolt the parallel rod back in place and to do so you need to load the shock a bit. Find a long, strong screwdriver or piece of rod. Slide it through a hole or space in the rail and leverage it against the back side of the lower shock mount bracket. You can use the leverage to easily collapse (preload) the shock just enough to line up the mounting hole for the parallel rod. Insert that bolt. The follow up with putting the torsion spring and idler wheels back together again.

I've done this procedure a few times now. I can have a shock out in about 15 mins, and reinstall in the same time.

Thanks Turtle,great info.

 

[Wannaviper]

Yep ... And I have a few tricks for ya.

First - You will need to remove one or two outside idler wheels towards the front of the skid. You need to do this so you can remove the torsion spring retainer. With the torsion spring retainer removed, you can release tension on the torsion spring. You need to release tension on the torsion spring so that you have clearance to remove the top bolt on the rear shock. You only need to release tension on one spring - and it needs to be the one on the head side of the upper shock mount bolt - not the nut side (read that statement again slowly).

Now that we are past that spot, this next instruction applies to DX or SE models (not an LE model ... or in Cat world non-RR). There is a rod that is bolted parallel to the rear shock. It runs directly below the shock. Remove the lower bolt to this rod. This would be the bolt that is directly below the lower shock mount. Removing this bolt allows any preload on the shock to be released. Not releasing the preload makes it difficult to remove the shock bolts.

With that, you can now remove the lower shock bolt, followed by the upper shock bolt and take the shock out.

Procedure for re-installation ... here's the trick.
Install the shock back in the skid with the upper shock bolt followed buy the lower shock bolt. Now you have to bolt the parallel rod back in place and to do so you need to load the shock a bit. Find a long, strong screwdriver or piece of rod. Slide it through a hole or space in the rail and leverage it against the back side of the lower shock mount bracket. You can use the leverage to easily collapse (preload) the shock just enough to line up the mounting hole for the parallel rod. Insert that bolt. The follow up with putting the torsion spring and idler wheels back together again.

I've done this procedure a few times now. I can have a shock out in about 15 mins, and reinstall in the same time.

I was just going to ask this exact question! Yesterday I was going to change out the stock rear shock in my LTX with a QS3, and I had the bottom bolt out, but when I went to remove the top bolt, no way. I looked at everything on the suspension, and said it is "beyond me, let the dealer to it." I was feeling pretty defeated, and then, even worse, I couldn't get it back together. The arms, shock and mount would not all line up for the bolt, no matter what I tried. I lifted the front; I lifted the rear; I compressed the suspension, and nothing was even close. Finally, I used a ratchet strap to compress the shock and the bolt slipped right in with no issue. This morning, I thought, maybe I can ask the guys on TY, and there was the answer on my first search. This is such a great site!!!!

I do have one question though, before I follow the procedure you laid out. How difficult is it to compress the torsion spring that has to be released? Are there any tricks for getting it out, or back into place?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Turtle]

I was just going to ask this exact question! Yesterday I was going to change out the stock rear shock in my LTX with a QS3, and I had the bottom bolt out, but when I went to remove the top bolt, no way. I looked at everything on the suspension, and said it is "beyond me, let the dealer to it." I was feeling pretty defeated, and then, even worse, I couldn't get it back together. The arms, shock and mount would not all line up for the bolt, no matter what I tried. I lifted the front; I lifted the rear; I compressed the suspension, and nothing was even close. Finally, I used a ratchet strap to compress the shock and the bolt slipped right in with no issue. This morning, I thought, maybe I can ask the guys on TY, and there was the answer on my first search. This is such a great site!!!!

I do have one question though, before I follow the procedure you laid out. How difficult is it to compress the torsion spring that has to be released? Are there any tricks for getting it out, or back into place?

Thanks in advance!

The procedure I laid out above is specifically for the RTX (129" skid). The LTX (137" skid) had a different design for the rear shock. On the RTX model, the two mounting points to the rod parallel to the rear shock are completely separate from the shock itself. On the LTX model, the lower shock mount and the two parallel rods share the shame mounting bolt. So I'm not sure if the trick I noted will work on the LTX model. You could try installing the upper shock bolt first, then the lower shock bolt with the parallel rods, then install the upper mounting bolt to the parallel rods using the pry bar to compress the shock (as I described above). It might work. I've used the ratchet strap trick before, but have never really liked it. Too much of a PITA. The torsion spring can be disconnected rather easy with your hands.

 

[Wannaviper]

The procedure I laid out above is specifically for the RTX (129" skid). The LTX (137" skid) had a different design for the rear shock. On the RTX model, the two mounting points to the rod parallel to the rear shock are completely separate from the shock itself. On the LTX model, the lower shock mount and the two parallel rods share the shame mounting bolt. So I'm not sure if the trick I noted will work on the LTX model. You could try installing the upper shock bolt first, then the lower shock bolt with the parallel rods, then install the upper mounting bolt to the parallel rods using the pry bar to compress the shock (as I described above). It might work. I've used the ratchet strap trick before, but have never really liked it. Too much of a PITA. The torsion spring can be disconnected rather easy with your hands.

Thank you for the clarification. I want to make sure that I am on the same page with you. The two parallel rods you referred to I think are the two bars that connect with the shock and the bottom shock mount. The tops of those bars mount to another mount behind the top shock mount. It was those bars that were the real PIA in reconnecting the shock to its mount, but the ratchet strap made quick and easy work of it. My only real problem was the top shock mount, and the fact that the head of the bolt bumped into the torsion spring and would not allow me to pull it out far enough to disengage the top of the shock. If releasing the torsion spring will allow me to get that bolt out, I think the rest of it will be easy.

Do you think that I will be able to get that bolt out if I release the torsion spring?

Thanks.

 

[Wannaviper]

This forum is awesome! I was able to replace my shock without taking it into the dealer and spending unnecessary time and money. Well, I did spend quite a bit of time changing out the shock, but that was my fault! Turtle, thanks again for the advice!