WHAT IS 4 LINK SUSPENSION???

mitchmp2005

New Member
Joined
May 16, 2008
Location
greenville
Hey, I have been reading alot in Peterson's Offroad about rigs having a 4 link suspension put on them. I have an idea of how they work but could use some more experience. Can anyone provide further guidance? Has anyone ever done one and on what vehicles are they mostly applied too?? What are the cost involved in relation to SAS and IFS suspension lifts and applications?? Are there any pics of such a conversion to be found that show what it looks like? Thanks so much.:driver:
 
This is mine...
Rear
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Front
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Flex
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The idea is to be able to run air shocks, coils, ect without the need for a pan-hard bar. The top triangulated links eliminate it and center the axle.:beer:
 
you could still have a non truangulated 4 link and have a track bar . but the traingluated 4 links like the one above seem to be more popular
 
too simplify cause i know your new...not cause i think your stupid:

there are basically 2 types of suspensions


Leaf spring: pretty self explanatory, just look at the rear suspension of almost every truck. the leaf spring connects to the frame in two places and the axle is centered between those two places. can be either on top of (SUA, Spring Under Axle) or below (SOA, Spring Over Axle). This is the type of suspension you will see on on your F250, used in both front and rear applications.

Linked suspension: could be 4 link or 3 link. 4 is most popular. Kinda like the front suspension on a jeep cherokee sport. rather than using leafs, it uses coils or airshocks or coilovers ( a combination of the two). the links serve to hold the axle in place and transfer the motion from the axle too the frame. Triangulation means that the upper two links form a \/ shape and the lowers form a /\ shape. these triangles help keep the axle from moving side to side. a non triangulated link set up has upper and lower links set up like this ll ll and the axle will slide side to side. to stop that people add a track bar (also called panhard) it simply connects the left side of the axle to the right side (or vice versa) of the fram and keeps the axle in place.


your F150 is kind of....gets comlicated....a 3 link set up. the two radius arms being 2 links and the hinge in the middle being the 3rd link. lol...sorrry....i hope that didnt confuse you, fords not exactly a good example but i know your familiar with it.
 
Gotcha!! Amazine rig!! Thanks so much for the pics. They really helped alot. The write up explanation was perfect. I was curious on what a 3 link sus was and now I know. I am very clear on how the 4 link sus works on the rear but not quite so much on the front. I'm one of those people who can learn from pics. I tried to magnify your front end pic but still couldn't really tell exactly what I was looking at. I will search for more pics. Thanks so much for the info!! I also understand why they are used now also. What are the cost involved in replacing sping leaf suspensions to 4 links?? It looks to me like there is less parts and so it would be less expensive. I also wonder if having the 4 link suspension is legal for regular road driving? It seems like it would be for strictly offroading. I saw some chains that looked to be attached to the chassis and axle. Is that a must have to keep the chassis from flexing to much and overextending the coils or airshocks??
 
If you are wanting to convert from leaf springs to 4 link then it can get to be a little pricey depending on what what you need to do to your axle for it to be able to handle the arms. Having a 4 link suspension is fine for on the road. Jeeps actually use a stock 4 link (non triangulated). The chains you saw are most likely limiting straps to do exactly like you said. Limit the amount of down travel so that the axle does not over extend itself.

BTW..Welcome to the Forum.
 
your best bet might but suspension componants for a 78-79 bronco or other ford. it will be a radius arm set up with a track bar. (for the front anyway).
 
Unless you have the room up front for a double tri 4 link, a 4 link with radius arms and a panhard bar is probably your best bet, if you want to go the 4 link route.

Lbyota85 - nice work.
 
4 link suspensions can get extremely complex in design, function, and behavior. There are many things to consider such as Anti-Squat which will come into play when you brake or acclerate (on road mostly) Also the amount of Vehicle Steer - there's a more formal word for it but it escapes me at the moment - to be considered.

They can be extremely impressive though once dialed in right.

For the fun of it check out this 4 Link Calculator (borrowed and props given to Pirate4x4 for the creation and maintenance)

Document Link
http://mysite.verizon.net/triaged/fi...arLinkV3.0.zip

Pirate Thread:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204893&highlight=link+calculator



Best of luck
 
yeah, link suspension done correctly and safely will be more expensive than leaves. do lots of research before trying your first one. safety first.
 
If mitchmp2005 wanted more flex out of the rear leafsprings could he intall revolvershackles? I know you can install on the older broncos but don't know about pickups and how it would affect hauling loads.
 
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