Trailing arm bushing help

YammyNER

YammyNER

New member
Joined
Dec 29, 2016
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15
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NH
When I bought the sled I noticed the LH trailing arm needed replacing. Doing a search seems these are very popular for the inexpensive option.

http://ebay.com/itm/SPI-Trailing-Ar...-2382E-03-00-/351630883831?txnId=859526351022

Problem is I can't seem to get the old bushing out of the old arm. Snowing now and would like to go out tomorrow. How do I get this thing out with minimal toolset?

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That is near impossible to get out and harder to get in. Best way I've seen is to cut a section of the trailing arm out very carefully to take some pressure off of it and press out with a big socket and vice. Put bushing in freezer before trying to put in new arm.
 
a press is going to be your best bet, at the least a big vice with the correct size sockets but a piece of pipe that just fits so you can press on a square edge would be better.
 
So I finally got it out this morning. I've never removed a bushing before so… For anybody else who hasn't, make sure you are pushing on the outer ring not the inner one. I ended up cutting through the trailing arm a little bit with a hacksaw and then using some vice grips and bending it back a little. Then the bushing popped out. I cleaned up the bushing with some sandpaper. Two blocks of wood on either side of the vise lined up the bushing in the trailing arm and tried to push it in slowly with the vise. Twice I've tried. Twice it goes crooked. I don't have a press. While I take a break the bushing is in the freezer. wondering if using a torch to warm up the bushing hole on the trailing arm would help? Or will that just burn the paint off and promote rusting faster? Any help greatly appreciated.
 
You might have some luck greasing it or oiling it before pressing it. Pressing it dry certainly won't help. If you have a bolt that is the right size you could try drilling through the wood so the center of the bushing can slide over it and act as a pilot to try and reduce the tendency for it to want to kick out. Fwiw don't be surprised if the sled handles different and you can't figure out why. All the aftermarket trailing arms are inferior to the Yamaha ones by a lot. Them metal is much thinner and when it is actually on the sled it's about at rigid as a wet noodle. They are great if you ride in the woods and know you are going to hit stuff because they bend that much easier but not so much for a trail sled.
 
I quit trying to use those aftermarket trailing arms. I bent or broke 2 or 3 in 2 seasons. In my opinion you are better off finding a used trailing arm. I bought a set of used trailing arms and have had them for 4 years now.
 
never had problems with aftermarket trailing arms on our vmax 700 deluxe when i restored it 4000 km ago. there's no way i was going to pay $300 each from Yamaha with the bushings installed when i could buy them from Royal here in Canada for $120 each plus $30 for the yamaha bushings each. i can replace those 3 times and still be money ahead. to each there own. if you're worried about the strength of the aftermarket just weld an angle iron on the underside of it to re-enforce it. i didn't and they're still working and holding up great.

when i installed the bushings i ground down the outside of the bushing until i could get it approx 1/4" to 1/2" into the hole then greased it and pressed it in with my 6" bench vise. worked great.

as for removing the bushing, i would have just cut the bushing in half from the inside out towards the trailing arm then knocked it out. i wouldn't have cut into the trailing arm itself but i guess that would work as well.

good luck
 
I just apply Aero-Kroil and then heat up the T-Arm until the Kroil starts to smoke and press it out. They come out pretty easy. No need to overheat.
 
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