Branson Tie-Rod end replacement

[defranks]

I just broke the ball-joint on the right side tie rod of my Branson 4220. Unfortunately, the ball joint is welded onto a short piece of threaded pipe, about 5 inches long. I did a quick search of the Branson websites, and it looks like they want almost $300 for the part. Do any of you know of a replacement ball joint that will fit the steering knuckle? I think I can cut the old ball joint off and weld on a new one if I can be sure of the fit.
Thanks!

 

[K5lwq]

That is the tie rod end. It should not be $300! If so that is crazy. I may even have a old one that will work. Is that the right or left side?

 

[defranks]

Is that the right or left side?

Right side. Yeah, the price seems insane, which is why I was looking to replace the ball joint. It looks like it's a common failure, and Branson now offers and update kit with heavier components, but for nearly $1000.
de KC7TEN

 

[K5lwq]

I bought an upgrade kit last year that came with new tie rod ends and new knuckle arms for both sides. I think it was around $500.00. The problem I had was they kept sending me left arms and no right arm. Took 3 attempts to finally get it right.

 

[K5lwq]

Actually after thinking about it I think the tie rod was the same for both sides so I should have one that is not too bad of shape. I will have to look next time I am at my shop.

 

[LouNY]

Here is a link for Moog tie rod ends;
Outer Tie Rod Ends by Dimension - Moog Suspension Parts

You will not likely find your exact replacement but one that could easily be welded to your rod section should be obtainable.

edited to add;
if you scroll down a bit on the page you can sort by the size of the taper big and small end then scroll down to decide which would be a good fit.

 

[defranks]

I think it was around $500.00.

I'll check with the local dealer, but I found one online for almost a grand.

 

[defranks]

Here is a link for Moog tie rod ends;
Outer Tie Rod Ends by Dimension - Moog Suspension Parts

THAT is what I was trying to find. THANK YOU!

 

[defranks]

You will not likely find your exact replacement but one that could easily be welded to your rod section should be obtainable.

I did as you suggested and went to the Moog webpage and found a tie-rod end that should work. I'll have to cut off the ball joint from the old tie rod end, thread the rest of the tube, and thread the new tie-rod end into the old tube. Just in case anyone else wants to do fix this problem for $15 instead of $300, the Moog part number is ES3099RL The threads on the shaft are M20-1.8. The taper may not be exactly the same, but it's within couple of thousandths, close enough for government work.
Thanks all for your help!

 

[mike0000]

I did as you suggested and went to the Moog webpage and found a tie-rod end that should work. I'll have to cut off the ball joint from the old tie rod end, thread the rest of the tube, and thread the new tie-rod end into the old tube. Just in case anyone else wants to do fix this problem for $15 instead of $300, the Moog part number is ES3099RL The threads on the shaft are M20-1.8. The taper may not be exactly the same, but it's within couple of thousandths, close enough for government work.
Thanks all for your help!

Please update when you receive the part. I went through a similar tie rod break on a 3510. Dealer couldn’t get old style replacement, I ended up doing what K5lwq did, I think I paid closer to $700 for the upgrade kit. I did weld my old broken tie rod back together and used it until the kit came in.
I‘ve since sold my Branson, not knocking the brand, it was just getting too difficult/expensive to find parts on one as old as mine.

Mike

 

[Leejohn]

There should of been a recall on them!!!! What would of happened if someone got killed because of one braking that easy and often.

 

[mike0000]

There should of been a recall on them!!!! What would of happened if someone got killed because of one braking that easy and often.

You’re probably right Leejohn, I don’t know if other owners had it happen earlier in the life of their tractors. Mine broke after owning it (from new) for about 17 years, but I do not put heavy hours on my tractor.
They (both tie rod ends) had gotten sloppy/loose in the tapered receiving mount. I dealt with it for several years by adding a washer under the castle nut on each one. That was probably when I should have “fixed it right”, but I’m a bit of a red neck engineer.

Mike

 

[defranks]

Please update when you receive the part. I went through a similar tie rod break on a 3510.

The part arrived fairly quickly from an eBay seller who had one in surplus, so I paid just $15 for a replacement tie rod end. But the replacement was not exactly as was removed from the tractor. I had to cut the threaded bit of the new tie rod end to make it much shorter, and cut the old ball joint off the old tie rod end.
Branson had used the same kind of tie rod end on their assembly. It's actually threaded into the tube that connects to the steering actuator. That tube has internal threads at each end, but not all the way through. I tapped it a bit deeper than it was to make up for a slightly longer new tie rod end.
The threads on the tube are a common M20. I didn't weld the new tie rod end to the threaded tube, but I did put a little loctite in there. So far it seems to be fine.

 

[defranks]

There should of been a recall on them!!!! What would of happened if someone got killed because of one braking that easy and often.

I bought my tractor new over 17 years ago, and the ball joint broke while I was running over some very rough terrain in the woods, so I'm not REAL upset that it broke. I was unhappy that a replacement part is so expensive. $300 is absolutely insane for a $50 tie-rod end welded to a short length of threaded tubing. And the price for the upgrade kit is unreasonable, too.
If the other side breaks in the future then I'll just do the same fix again. But if I were driving on the roads often then I might be more concerned.