Cognito steering support

[PARAGON]

In all honesty, if you have ever turned a wrench on a car or truck, it's pretty easy to do. I'm just stubborn and like to use air and/or power and basically like to complain a lot.

[ree]

Well, I do think I could do it, but I'd probably have to get a new tool, which might not be so bad, plus something to lift the truck with, which wouldn't be bad either. Plus I don't have a backup car. So I don't really have the luxury of being able to walk away from it our of frustration until the next day and be without a running car. I think I'll just pay someone on this one.

[ree]

Being an auto mechanical noob, I didn't really I understand these things from Cognito's pictures and descriptions. But I've talked to the mechanic, looked at some virgin pitman and idler arms, and crawled under my own truck and peaked up under the skid plate and think I grok it all now.

But I have, hopefully, one last question: how do you tell just how worn your arm links are? If you remove the skid plate can you just grab ahold of the center link and try to twist/rotate it and it'll move if the links are worn, or is the wear not that evident?

[Dewi2005]

checking for wear is more of a two person job. One to move the steering wheel back and forth just until resistance is felt and someone to look at all the joints underneath while the steering is being turned. Any 'slop' on the joints would signify a bad/worn joint. You should be able to move/twist the arms on the joints but not have latteral movement at the joint.

[dochummer]

Originally posted by PhilD:
Lift the front off the ground and "wiggle" the wheel from side to side, top to bottom, and feel for free play.

Ok, it's always fun trying to play catch-up on this message board....way too many posts!

Phil, When you say "wiggle," do you mean to push it side to side, or push to turn the wheels?

[Ernie Italy]

Top to bottom free play is more dangerous than side to side... A-Arms problem !!!

For Phil...
At the end do you think that the COGNITO SUPPORT are ok or no ?
What is the problem you have encoutered to install... I receive mine next week (15 days overseas for delivery....)

Thanks.

[Alan06SUT]

Had to ressurect(sp?) this one...So Paragon, Ernie, Phil, what is the verdict on this product. My 06 has 16K on it and it feels sloppy, the fabtechs and Allignment I had done after Tellico tightened it up, but I will be putting lots of miles on this truck and if this kit could save me an alignment or two and/or keep it from following ruts, I would like to add it. So, whats your verdict?

[Ernie Italy]

I have replaced my idler and pitarms and installed the cognito.
At the moment i can not give you any reply.
My idler and pitman go out after 15-18000 miles and more offroad and more bump on the trail...

[PARAGON]

After Moab, Tellico, and 2 local trips (I didn't have cognitos on for moab or one of the local trips) I still do not need an alignment and I am running 37" and the Fabtech tie rods.

It definitely tightened up my steering, well, not so much as tightened it up but made the feel more actual.

I honestly think the cognitos are no brainers due to the extra support it offers if it didn't do anything else. It doesn't allow for some linear rotation in the centerlink that happens when you are in stock form.

[Alan06SUT]

Thanks guys, I think i'll order them.

[ree]

Ahhhhh! I just got mine put on. Things are noticably tighter now.

I drove home from the shop in some huge heartland of America farm crosswinds and it was easier to control than before. Instead of having the truck lurch sideways in gusts only to have the steering catchup in a time lag, I can feel the truck start to drift in the steering much sooner and correct right away.

My alignment was off, but probably only because I tightened my torsion bars last week.

[tomp]

There is one on ebay cheap!

[Mr. I - Man]

where on ebay?

[MarineHawk]

Yes, I love mine too. I also hope that they will prevent some of the pitman/idler wear as advertised by those crazy TrailDuty people.