Steering rack bushings cheap options and alternatives. Reviews pending!

[BroncoAZ]

I agree that Taylor and Amy very nice and helpful people that many of us meet on the trails and it hard to be objective even if the BB plastic cost so much.
Said that I think everyone knows that “plastic” parts are not all the same. Some part hold up for very long time and some are cracks and breaking after very short time. I personally would not invest my penny in un-tested steering part especially if that pat made in China. Kind of bad idea driving on freeway speeds and on trail until you know that it reliable. If someone here spend $40k + mod parts and try to save $300 on untested steering components - please help understand your logic.

For many on a budget it could be get the cheaper bushing and a tailgate reinforcement or just a more expensive bushing. $50 is much less likely to end up being noticed by the wife than $350. For others we see how simple a part is and refuse to pay the extra $300 Bronco Tax when there is a $50 solution. This group will do some comparisons and testing to see if the parts are comparable and we will each make a judgement call on where we spend our money. Some will spend the $350, many others will opt for the $50.

do you know what "research and development" is? BB is a US based, small business.. people complain about US jobs going overseas, but don't want to actually pay the people IN THE US who are putting the work into creating products, they'd rather wait for some Chinese based company to make a knock off using substandard parts that will sell them for a fraction of the price, using the research/development that was initially done by the small guy in the US trying to put food on his family's plate.

I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest the BB is not the first person to develop an internal bushing upgrade for a steering rack. He may have been the first to adapt the idea to a Bronco, but it seems doubtful that he spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars in R&D that he needs to make up selling them at the current asking price. Like others suggest, drop them to $99 and most here would spend the extra coin without question. Make your margin on volume rather than max profit per piece.

I buy American (preferably non union) frequently, and I’m willing to pay a certain amount extra to support the cause. There is a line where I will balk and end up buying the imported product. I work hard for my money too and need to stretch it. I try to at least avoid China, so tools from Taiwan or parts from somewhere like Mexico are my next choices. Sometimes China gets the buy, but I do look for COO on every purchase.

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[Jviz4u]

For many on a budget it could be get the cheaper bushing and a tailgate reinforcement or just a more expensive bushing. $50 is much less likely to end up being noticed by the wife than $350. For others we see how simple a part is and refuse to pay the extra $300 Bronco Tax when there is a $50 solution. This group will do some comparisons and testing to see if the parts are comparable and we will each make a judgement call on where we spend our money. Some will spend the $350, many others will opt for the $50.



I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest the BB is not the first person to develop an internal bushing upgrade for a steering rack. He may have been the first to adapt the idea to a Bronco, but it seems doubtful that he spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars in R&D that he needs to make up selling them at the current asking price. Like others suggest, drop them to $99 and most here would spend the extra coin without question. Make your margin on volume rather than max profit per piece.

I buy American (preferably non union) frequently, and I’m willing to pay a certain amount extra to support the cause. There is a line where I will balk and end up buying the imported product. I work hard for my money too and need to stretch it. I try to at least avoid China, so tools from Taiwan or parts from somewhere like Mexico are my next choices. Sometimes China gets the buy, but I do look for COO on every purchase.

I agree with you that if the cheaper option is as good as other and somebody can test it as BB tested, the market will adjust the pricing automatically. I will wait until someone (RC maybe) will publish testing on Bronco with 40” tires in long term test. I do like some of RC products and have no problem with non crucial and cheaper parts like bumpers or lights. I do surprised that so many members here so readily jumping on this product just because it easier to justify to their wife’s.
Anyway even BB not using his rig as daily and tracking it to the trails.
As someone who drives his Bronco daily with family, I personally will not install any steering parts component that are not tested extensively.
But I would not tell nobody how to spend their money or how to use their pony.
PS:But I will be first to watch YouTube movie to somebody that wants to test it.

 

[Tex]

I agree that Taylor and Amy very nice and helpful people that many of us meet on the trails and it hard to be objective even if the BB plastic cost so much.
Said that I think everyone knows that “plastic” parts are not all the same. Some part hold up for very long time and some are cracks and breaking after very short time. I personally would not invest my penny in un-tested steering part especially if that pat made in China. Kind of bad idea driving on freeway speeds and on trail until you know that it reliable. If someone here spend $40k + mod parts and try to save $300 on untested steering components - please help understand your logic.

The failure mode of these bushings are far different than the failure mode of something like a wheel bearing. They gradually get eaten up and leave telltale pieces in the grease that you can see, they don't suddenly break and shoot a tie rod through the wheel into a passing car. The failure environment is predominately offroad at slow speed, and while there have been plenty of chewed up OEM bushings, a lot of them were found before anything actually broke and were still mostly functioning as intended. They're not going to leave you stranded in the mountains or without steering on the highway by themselves. If they fail entirely and break down into tiny bits, they're simply going to allow something else to break while you're wheeling. If you want to keep tabs on it, just pop the boot off and take a look occasionally...if you see something, do something about it. If the bushing has completely disintegrated, you should be able to tell just by grabbing the tie rod and feeling for movement in the rack.

Thing is, how do you know the bushing material that BB is machining down is even made in the US? Maybe he got it from a US supplier, but where did they get it from? Sure, it's machined in the US...but where did that material actually come from? So many US made high end products are produced with materials imported from China. If the material, measurements, and tolerances are equivalent between the two, the only effective difference between the two is that the excess material never made it to the US.

As far as I can tell, the bushing is going to be some flavor of UHMW, nylon, teflon, or delrin, all of which exhibit great qualities for bushing materials. If you're splitting hairs you could argue one is better than the others for the application, but there's not going to be a huge disparity in durability like the difference between carbon steel and aluminum, for example. You'd probably figure out which one is best for the application after a lot of miles and abuse, but it would be a fairly close competition, and you certainly wouldn't notice one being stronger than another in a singular event significant enough to bend a tie rod...they'd all hold up or fail so close to each other that it wouldn't matter. China knows how to make all of these materials, and they know how to machine these materials...it's not a trade secret by any means. All of this to say, if the dimensions between the two are effectively identical, then their performance should be as well.

do you know what "research and development" is? BB is a US based, small business.. people complain about US jobs going overseas, but don't want to actually pay the people IN THE US who are putting the work into creating products, they'd rather wait for some Chinese based company to make a knock off using substandard parts that will sell them for a fraction of the price, using the research/development that was initially done by the small guy in the US trying to put food on his family's plate.

Our country has matured to the point where jobs going overseas has become inevitable. There are only two ways we can keep those industries competitive...either be better by a landslide, or work for peanuts. Either way, we're only going to get a percentage of the market with US based goods, and buying 100% American isn't the answer that people wish it was. I couldn't tell you how many times a US company ripped off a foreign product and marketed it in the US throughout history, so we really have no moral high ground here calling out China for doing the same. It doesn't make it right by any means, but if some overseas invention could make a ton of money here, people would copy it and sell it here if they could get away with it. The thing is, dozens, if not hundreds of members here and people outside the forum know what's going on with the OEM bushings, they know how the bushings fail and why, and it's not the first time in history that anyone has said "hey, let's put a BIGGER bushing in there, maybe that'll help!". The BB bushing isn't exactly a paradigm shift in our understanding of bushings, it's something people have been doing for as long as bushings have existed. All that BB did was notice the bushing was getting chewed up, got the measurements necessary to fit a bigger bushing in the steering rack, and had new bushings made. Some research was probably done deciding on which plastic to use, a little tweaking here and there perhaps. I could take my rack to a local machinist and have them drop in a 932 bearing bronze bushing, way overkill compared to a plastic bushing, and it wouldn't be a revolutionary idea worth patenting. I could even have the ID undersized and then line bored for an exact match to the rack with perfect concentricity and zero runout so there are no additional stresses present...but that's certainly not a patentable idea that needs R&D and a huge investment. It's just a well known solution in the industry, and for some machine shops, those types of repairs and solutions are their bread and butter. If I charged $2000 to take your rack to the same guy that did mine for $400, should I be upset if someone figures out my secret and everyone starts taking their racks to their local machinists and having them done for $400? Why are you upset that I was charging $2,000 for a $400 job? The 74Weld rack is twice that much at least, and this fix will pay for itself by not having to buy more weak OEM racks.

I like the guy, he seems genuinely happy to help others and I appreciate his desire to help 6G owners with a problem that should've been addressed by Ford...but he got carried away with his pricing, because he could. That's great for you when it's possible to do so, but it leaves the door wide open for someone to step in, and you have to be cognizant of it when you're putting a price tag on your stuff. Had it been priced realistically from the start, I doubt many people would be as willing to jump ship and would continue to support his business instead. Nobody prefers to send money to China, but they do want a product equivalent to what they spent. Usually the capitalistic response is to go make your own then and see if it's cheaper, except when someone does and it is.

 

[V1Rotate]

I understand that 74Weld is selling their own steering rack solution, and an expensive one at that. In one of their videos they state that adding the bushings are not recommended as the ends of the rack may be out of concentricity. They measured this on a Hoss 3.0 rack. They say the stock bearing is adjustable and putting tight bushings in will force the rack into a shape it doesn't want to be in, therefore placing stress on the rack. While talking about this he does mention placing bushings on both ends. Perhaps just one bushing as with the BB kit is preferable? Would this still allow some necessary adjustability within the rack? This is above my knowledge and experience level. Does anybody else have ideas on this?

The first thing that comes to mind is that of course a company selling a $5k+ rack solution is going to tell you that simply adding bushings isn’t good. If they said that bushings did 85% of the same job then they’d have a hard time selling full racks

 

[V1Rotate]

I agree that Taylor and Amy very nice and helpful people that many of us meet on the trails and it hard to be objective even if the BB plastic cost so much.
Said that I think everyone knows that “plastic” parts are not all the same. Some part hold up for very long time and some are cracks and breaking after very short time. I personally would not invest my penny in un-tested steering part especially if that pat made in China. Kind of bad idea driving on freeway speeds and on trail until you know that it reliable. If someone here spend $40k + mod parts and try to save $300 on untested steering components - please help understand your logic.

As another stated - a rack bushing isn’t a high consequence failure from a safety standpoint as it’s not going to happen driving down the highway at 75 and completely disconnect your steering rack from the tie rods. I’m not saying that anything RC gives me the warm and fuzzies but it’s different than buying an RC tie rod or something if that existed.
Also - devil’s advocate here but I could see some deciding that these bushings are a “wear item” (as they likely are) and replace them at regular intervals when their SUV sees regular heavy offroading. If you get crazy and do it once a year then you’d probably exceed the average life of first-owner-ship of the vehicle at 7 years before you met the price tag of the original (which is still also the same wear item..)

 

[cyberfalco]

I do not support Rough Country.

 

[dj101nyc]

Broncbuster didn't invent anything innovative, bushings for high stress points is an application found in everywhere, he was basically first to market with a retrofitted design for a Gen 6. That's all he did, about a day on solidworks & another day or 2 milling a proto mold. The amount of "R&D" doesn't even equate to 10k I bet. I support American businesses 100% but let's not kid ourselves, the dude was out here price gouging & laughing to the bank, now the free market has caught up.

 

[Frankie945]

Only people complaining are ones who spent 350 bucks. I’m not going to bust my own head maybe other people that have the money to do it can but not me. I do buy American whenever possible but I’m not going to go broke doing it. I mean seriously get real your saving 300 bucks for something that does the same thing. Duh

 

[broadicustomworks]

Homie is pissed. Apparently America is officially dead and I’m the sole reason why. But is it really a lost sale if I can’t afford $350 hence why I’ve never purchased it? If this thing was $199 or $150 I would have already purchased it, but 700% more for plastic that could probably be 3D printed at this point?

This is such a touchy and complex situation that ALL of us face daily.
We have a choice where to spend our money.
Some have Gobs of money to spend freely and can afford the add-ons/upgrades/mods that some state-side companies offer at premium pricing, and do so with no concern.
Some work very hard for what they DO have, have their own families that have to have basic needs met, and in fortunate cases have enough left over to go on those family vacations and do things to give experiences to their kids. Maybe their budget is not one that has a lot left over for stuff like this. Yes, there's some, but they have this portion of $ that they have to work with and are faced with something like @BroncoAZ mentioned where they can spread it out to more than just one thing.

But again, as @Jviz4u mentioned, it's also where you have this investment in the vehicle on the front end and you want to get the best you can to upkeep it, within reason.
It is a struggle to wade through all of the range of products and price points and make the best decision.

I applaud those who are able to get away from working their lives away for someone else for a meager-to-decent income and have financial security, more free time to do things with their families. But the majority of us out here don't have that luxury or live in that world.
So we have to budget and consider how much we spend, and where.

So many times I've been resigned to spend money on a cheaper solution only to be let down when that solution isn't either durable enough, or perform the functions I wanted it to. Only to then buy again, spend money again to get a replacement that I hope is better.

Does this plastic bushing fit into that category?

I don't know. I'm not a plastics or bushing expert or a chemist. I can only assume and/or go off of reviews, tribal knowledge, or comparisons others do. OR gut feel.

It is not in MY budget to spend $350 on a plastic bushing, so I didn't.
But I wish BB all of the well wishes and success they earn.
But at the same time, a serious look has to happen internally at the price point and honest questions answered on profit margin there. Is it fairly priced? Am I taking advantage of the American public I just tried to rally in my video to make obscene profit? Am I making reasonable profit? These are rhetorical and obviously not questions they should have to answer to anyone else. They don't have to justify or show anyone else their ledgers. It's just not our business to know. But I think it IS an internal reflection that needs to happen with ALL vendors of products and services.
I'll buy domestic products every time I can, and where it makes sense. He made a lot of good points on there. Sometimes though, it just doesn't make the most sense financially to do so.

Capitalism, love it or hate it, it allows whoever to price whatever at any price they want.

Some vendors know this and their response is "Well if you can't afford it, you aren't the customer base we market to anyway, so no worries."
Not saying BB is taking that stance, but others have. And it is not a good look.

Some things produced domestically at a premium price hold true at "you get what you pay for."
A lot of things do.

But a large percentage of it does not and Caveat Emptor.

 

[V1Rotate]

I found it somewhat interesting that rather than explaining why his product is superior and worth what they’re asking (which would then give a major reason to at least consider purchasing it vs. just saving money) they went with the emotional plea and anti Chinese sentiment (not here to debate that in any way) and only really said they copied the design and have a lower price. Seems I’d have gone into more detail about why my product is superior vs. bashing the competition.
I LOVE the idea of creating a company/product and using it to support your family and add value to your community.. 1000% support that. If that’s truly your interest then build some BAD ASS products and give people no reason to look elsewhere. IMO they shouldn’t even waste any time acknowledging the competition publicly. Pursue them behind the scenes if they truly stepped on your patent but no reason to even address it. Let your products do the talking

 

[mcinfantry]

I found it somewhat interesting that rather than explaining why his product is superior and worth what they’re asking (which would then give a major reason to at least consider purchasing it vs. just saving money) they went with the emotional plea and anti Chinese sentiment (not here to debate that in any way) and only really said they copied the design and have a lower price. Seems I’d have gone into more detail about why my product is superior vs. bashing the competition

Often what isnt said means as much as what is.

not all plastics are the same.

not all solutions warrant or deserve a patent

everything isnt as it seems.

First to market sets the initial price.

i remember hydraulic steering late 90’s. You could buy kits that cost x, piecemeal it even cheaper by sourcing components and even fabbing your own parts in some instances. Lift kits, etc.

I am a data driven person.

1) what are the material differences?
2) what are the measurement differences?
3) what are the long term durability issues?

 

[V1Rotate]

Often what isnt said means as much as what is.

not all plastics are the same.

not all solutions warrant or deserve a patent

everything isnt as it seems.

First to market sets the initial price.

i remember hydraulic steering late 90’s. You could buy kits that cost x, piecemeal it even cheaper by sourcing components and even fabbing your own parts in some instances. Lift kits, etc.

I am a data driven person.

1) what are the material differences?
2) what are the measurement differences?
3) what are the long term durability issues?

Totally agree with you, but if you’re going to waste time addressing the competition then I’d prefer to see WHY your product is superior by answering your 3 questions..
I tell my wife at least once a month “that which is least expensive is often NOT the best value”.. and it might apply here. But again, if you’re going to address it then that’s where I’d focus!

 

[Classic28]

Totally agree with you, but if you’re going to waste time addressing the competition then I’d prefer to see WHY your product is superior by answering your 3 questions..
I tell my wife at least once a month “that which is least expensive is often NOT the best value”.. and it might apply here. But again, if you’re going to address it then that’s where I’d focus!

This 100%. I was looking for an explanation why his $350 piece of “plastic” is superior to RCs $50 piece of “plastic”.

Also why is the video so chopped up with edits. There’s one sentence where there’s about 4 cuts in it. I felt like I was watching a ransom video.

And to the wife crying that she doesn’t get to see her grandchild, that’s a you problem, not an us(consumer) problem. You can’t tell me she’s missing spending time with the grandkid because she wants to out of the goodness of her heart put in 110% to getting products out to bronco owners. There comes a point when you have to make a decision what’s more important, family or the all mighty dollar.

 

[redone17]

I found it somewhat interesting that rather than explaining why his product is superior and worth what they’re asking (which would then give a major reason to at least consider purchasing it vs. just saving money) they went with the emotional plea and anti Chinese sentiment (not here to debate that in any way) and only really said they copied the design and have a lower price. Seems I’d have gone into more detail about why my product is superior vs. bashing the competition.
I LOVE the idea of creating a company/product and using it to support your family and add value to your community.. 1000% support that. If that’s truly your interest then build some BAD ASS products and give people no reason to look elsewhere. IMO they shouldn’t even waste any time acknowledging the competition publicly. Pursue them behind the scenes if they truly stepped on your patent but no reason to even address it. Let your products do the talking

BINGO. That video was rough to watch and half the reason this country is so divided is because it’s just a bunch of finger pointing. Do better. The rest will follow.

 

[mcinfantry]

Totally agree with you, but if you’re going to waste time addressing the competition then I’d prefer to see WHY your product is superior by answering your 3 questions..
I tell my wife at least once a month “that which is least expensive is often NOT the best value”.. and it might apply here. But again, if you’re going to address it then that’s where I’d focus!

agreed. when you throw in the veterans severed for freedom clause, you lose me. I know i served and why. Dont need anyone to try to sell me on me


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