4ws Alignment Procedure

M274 Mechanical Mule Knowledge Base
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rtadams89
G-Staff Sergeant
G-Staff Sergeant
Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2020 7:46 am
Location: Phoenix, AZ

4ws Alignment Procedure

Post by rtadams89 » Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:16 pm

I'm planning on doing an alignment on my A5 w/ 4ws, but have two compounding issues that make following the TM difficult: I don't have the "special fixture" tool called for in the TM and my 2ws lockout bracket is an aftermarket bolt on one which may not be properly positioned. My game plan is to sort of follow the "Alternative Procedure" described in the TM and do the following:
  1. Get the wheels mostly aligned and then unlock the steering wheel
  2. Disconnect the rear wheel steering control rod
  3. Wrap string around the perimeter of the mule at hub center level
  4. Move the rear wheels so they have the same amount of toe in (i.e., are both aligned) and move the front wheels to have the same amount of toe in
  5. Swing the rear wheel steering control rod over the frame and attach the 2ws bracket to the frame such that the rear wheels remain where they were in the step above
  6. Adjust the rear wheel tie rods to get proper toe in
  7. Adjust the front wheel tie rods to get proper toe in
  8. Reconnect the rear wheel steering control rod to the front bellcrank, maintaining the rear wheel is the same position
  9. Adjust the both front tie rods together to get the wheels aligned


rtadams89
G-Staff Sergeant
G-Staff Sergeant
Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2020 7:46 am
Location: Phoenix, AZ

Re: 4ws Alignment Procedure

Post by rtadams89 » Mon Mar 15, 2021 3:00 pm

I've been working on this but decided to replace/rebuild most of the steering linkage while I have everything apart, so it's going slower than expected.

I see that recommended toe-in is 1/8 inch, but the procedure in the TM seems like it would produce only a 1/16 toe in...
This is the diagram in the TM:
Capture.PNG
It shows 1/8 inch between the string and the edge of the tire. But that string is against the rear of the tire, which has a toe-out. So the measurement between the string and front side of the tire will be the toe-in + the toe-out or 1/4. Am I overthinking this?

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