When I got this
Dave-Co LT pilot, the front right upper ball joint was loose. After about 9 months of rides it was getting worse. Wheel was able to be moved 1/4" in the direction of negative caster. I was starting to fear separation and crashing at speed.
Why did the original fail? Some say they fail find when bound, but in the case of this machine it was not binding. I believe the massive welding heat from Dave-Co chopping off and welding the OEM joints to the long travel arms caused this joint to give way due to excessive welding heat. From then it was only a matter of time.
The new balljoint is from Alba Racing for a TRX450r. Its got about a 30 degree angled head.
Yes I did have to chop the arms off the OEM ball joint. I TIG-welded in a 16mm threaded sleeve to where the aftermarket ball joint would then thread in nicely. The bad about this is this likely won't work for a stock pilot as I also had to make several adjustments to the inner Heims (Which are fully adjustable on this LT pilot) in order to get caster/camber/toe back to exactly where it was and all is now tight as a virgin.
I hope this joint holds up else I'll be looking for some OEM TRX or FL400 arms to chop up...
Also I hope my lower ball joints live a long time. My fear is the weight, suspension, and ride is counting on the strength of the lower joints much more than the uppers. Will see.