HELP - Broke frame side mount bolt on FOX ATS stabilizer

[Rigger]

A happy ending!

 

[Hoody]

I know this is an old thread however here we are 2024 and I just had the same exact thing happen on my 2021 tremor. Has anyone seen a fix for this. It looks like the bolt point was not well planned out with the way it uses a long spacer. Puts a lot of torque on the bolt. Any other fixes anyone else seen?

 

[GreyBeard22]

Unfortunately, on a rounded curb, broke the 12.9 grade (?) in the exact same way…

Spent $100-ish to get all new factory bolts and stabilizer and have had zero issues.

The Fox ATS is an ornament on a cabinet in the garage now….

Considering a Bilstein direct replacement here in the near future when I do the shock for the rest of the truck

 

[Silver-Bolt]

In the photo is looks over torqued during installation.

 

[GreyBeard22]

Very unlikely, unless the 60 ft-lbs from the Fox installation guide is inaccurate

 

[MrFancypants]

Unfortunately, on a rounded curb, broke the 12.9 grade (?) in the exact same way…

Spent $100-ish to get all new factory bolts and stabilizer and have had zero issues.

The Fox ATS is an ornament on a cabinet in the garage now….

Considering a Bilstein direct replacement here in the near future when I do the shock for the rest of the truck

Sounds like a design problem. I have read a lot of people adjust the Fox ATS very high and that kind of stiffness puts a lot of repetitive strain on that bolt. It's also worse when the suspension is extended or the truck is lifted. In case you didn't know, you can keep the stock upper and add an aftermarket lower from Carli or someone else.

 

[Canyon Trekker]

Maybe not related exactly to the steering stabilizer setup but something to consider, if the bolt threads are on a "pinch point", it can shear,
or stress break much easier than if it was on the shoulder of the bolt.

Attached are pictures from a Ranger boat trailer with a walleye boat in tow. (Heavy boat) the trailer has a swing away arm for storage and is held in place with this grade 8 bolt and a stainless-steel lock with a sleeve that protrudes all the way through the opposite tube. I broke this grade 8 bolt TWICE before I figured out what was going on, both times on the threads, not the shoulder. Buying a longer bolt, so that the shoulder now contacts both upper and lower pinch points, solved the issue. Pictures show the original bolt in comparison to the replacement bolt.

As for the stainless-steel lock, it actually bent one time under extreme pressure, but did not shear. (long story at the boat ramp) However the stress sheared this grade 8 bolt. The lock is much softer than the bolt.

The other time I found it sheared, was simply by inspecting the trailer one day. I saw it was loose, changed it thinking it simply "must have been a defective bolt".

If Ranger trailers has this issue and hasn't been resolved, any manufacturer could be making the same mistake. The tensile strength is for the shoulder of the bolt, not the threads.

Hope this helps