straighten bent rail?

[bradmopar]

Well I was checking the sled out and found a slight bent in the one rail by the first outer idler. Outer idler hit something and twecked the rail, no cracks, not very bad, but bent. I'm going on a sledding trip next weekend, do I dare try to straighten it or leave it. The wheel is siting straight. Its bent just above the hole. I was going to try bolting a bar on and just heat very lightly and tighten the bolt and see if it comes back. Ideas?

 

[natedawgedog]

Well I was checking the sled out and found a slight bent in the one rail by the first outer idler. Outer idler hit something and twecked the rail, no cracks, not very bad, but bent. I'm going on a sledding trip next weekend, do I dare try to straighten it or leave it. The wheel is siting straight. Its bent just above the hole. I was going to try bolting a bar on and just heat very lightly and tighten the bolt and see if it comes back. Ideas?

I think a picture of the damage would give us a better idea of how to help with the problem your having. But the one thing I can tell you is to be careful when heating aluminum because the heat affected zone will be softer and more prone to bending than the rest of the suspension.