Author Topic: Easy Radius Rods!  (Read 113051 times)

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Offline Tom Fox

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Easy Radius Rods!
« on: March 13, 2007, 08:57:21 pm »
All right for all of you who make these radius rods at home without a lathe...........I got a nice shortcut for making radius rods for your steering, brake & clutch linkages.

I use 3/8" rod ends on most of my linkages and tried the ol' drill and tap of a solid piece of aluminum and found it to be a frustrating trying to get a perfectly centered and straight hole drilled into it using a hand drill and a vice. Then you tap it and see crooked the tap is going in due to the wonderful hole you tried to drill straight!

Well...Here was my solution.....

I ordered a 8 foot long length of aluminum round tube from McMaster-Carr.

This tube has a O.D. of .563 and a I.D. of .327

Cut it to your desired length and tap it...No need to drill because the I.D. is perfect for a 3/8-24 tap!

The 8' length has a price of $10.58 +shipping (Dirt cheap......cost me less than $7.00 for shipping)

McMaster-Carr Part Number 1658T47

www.MCMASTER.com


I can make a total of 10 radius rods out of a 8' length of this tubing for my racer.

Being a 8' length....plenty left over to make spares to bring to the races!

Tom Fox       
Brookfield, CT

Offline Squidd

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2007, 09:03:01 pm »
Hey..I like that.. Gonna pick a chunk up on my next order...

Did they ship that UPS..???
Randy Stys
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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2007, 09:21:54 pm »
nice tip mowmanracer  ;)

Offline Tom Fox

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2007, 09:23:07 pm »
Hey..I like that.. Gonna pick a chunk up on my next order...

Did they ship that UPS..???

UPS!!  Ordered yesterday morning...Had a 8' long shipping tube sitting in front of my garage when I got home at 5pm today!!  

I'm very impressed with that company...I have placed many orders and have had the best luck.
Tom Fox       
Brookfield, CT

Offline Squidd

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2007, 09:25:47 pm »
I reccomend them a lot...for most hardware and misc stuff...very reasonable and quick to ship...

I actually have a paper catalog here...thing is like 3" thick... :woo:
Randy Stys
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 63 Cub Cadet S/A

Offline George Herrin

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2007, 11:02:32 pm »
we use the same rod for our tie rods and linkage rods here at E.C. makes life easy for the do it yourselfer
George Herrin #6
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Offline mowinmachine

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2007, 11:25:48 am »
Wow! great find. I seriously spent 2 hours drilling and tapping the radius rod for mine, and yes- did it with a hand drill. Almost impossible to get it centered that way. for $10... those tunes are worth every cent.
Nip it in the grass!
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Offline allen minaker

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2007, 11:42:02 am »
 :lol2:
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Offline Scurry Murry

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #8 on: March 14, 2007, 08:17:43 pm »
MOWMAN RACER, thanks for the link... Cheap shipping, where are these guys located. $6.00 dollars for shipping, I was wowed.

Thanks

Now this is happening,  :thumbsup: that is worth some karma points.
By the way I ended buying 2 8' chunks, for Team RPM's CP racers.
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Offline Tom Fox

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #9 on: March 14, 2007, 08:46:59 pm »
They have 5 or so distribution warehouses placed around the USA.

I don't understand how they can ship so cheap!

Wait till you see the shipping tube they send your sticks in!

I think the shipping container cost more than what they charge us for shipping!
Tom Fox       
Brookfield, CT

Offline DanW

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2007, 09:38:08 pm »
What I have done in the past is weld a flange nut to the end of a piece of decently thick steel tube and then weld another nut on the end of that for some more thread.  The things have worked pretty well for me.

Offline Skeeter

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2007, 01:13:42 pm »
Tom :+1: Karma for you buddy! Thanks for the info. Got one ordered and it is on it's way.

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Offline bpmowrsports

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2007, 10:02:17 am »
Hey Guys and Gals,

Another source might be metalsdepot.com.  I got som 3/4" tubing, 1/8" plate steel and some polished diamond plate aluminum at a very reasonable price.  Shipping was by FedEX ground and again reasonable.

They specialize in small quantity orders.

Budd Porter
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Offline ef13

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #13 on: July 29, 2007, 12:44:09 am »
Boy This saved alot of time! Ordered it wed. got it on thurs., cut and tapped thurs. night, and on the mower friday.

Two thumbs up for this idea! :twothumbsup:
Eric Fairfield
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Offline Tom Fox

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Re: Easy Radius Rods!
« Reply #14 on: July 29, 2007, 12:46:28 am »
Funny you brought this up....Made my spares today!
Tom Fox       
Brookfield, CT

 

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