A direct replacement extreme duty Tie Rod and Drag Link assembly to replace your underperforming OE steering. Oversized tie rod and drag link ends, connected by massive Polished Aluminum adjusting sleeves, eliminates death wobble and tightens up steering under the most extreme conditions. Weak adjusting sleeves are replaced via tie rod and drag link ends threading directly into the connecting rods, secured by jam nuts and our proprietary ninja lock-washers and our New ProLock washers.
This will change the way your vehicle drives forever!
What It Fits:
Ford F250 Super Duty (2005-2016) 4WD (except wide track)
Ford F350 Super Duty (2005-2016) 4WD (except wide track)
Fitment Notes:
- Dual Steering Stabilizers - Due to our tie rod ends being 1/8 inch larger in diameter than OE, modifications may need to be made to dual stabilizer kit, tie rod end brackets to fit.
- BDS Trackbar - Our drag link is not compatible with the BDS Adjustable Trackbar as the adjuster sleeve on the BDS unit will contact the Apex drag link in operation.
- High Mount Steering Stabilizer - Must be mounted in OE position at taper hole in pitman arm side drag link end. We recommend OE style stabilizers from Fox (Part 985-24-001) and Carli (not through shaft stabilizers such as Fox ATS).
- Not Compatible With Wide Track
- Ford F250/F350 05-07: This kit works with 08-Present trucks but for 05-07 will not work with a stock steering stabilizer. You'll need a lower steering stabilizer mount or a dual stabilizer kit. KIT178
The Special Sauce:
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Housing
- SAE 1045 Solid Steel Forged Housing: This is unequivocally the best carbon alloy steel for this application.
- CNC Machined Housing: Make our parts and bearings dimensionally perfect, eliminating any die wear issues.
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Ball Studs
- SAE 4140 Hot Forged Chromoly Ball Studs: For the strongest possible metallurgy.
- Induction Heat Treated Ball Studs: Provides a very precise heat treatment to the exact depth and location we want it.
- Rolled Threads: Made by pressing the shape of the threads into the ball stud instead of cutting. This strengthens the threads instead of weakening them and allows for easy movement of hardware. This ain't no Ikea furniture!
- Step Threads: Allows for very easy movement of hardware on install and superior holding when torqued (installer choice).
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Bearing Design
- Rugged Metal to Metal Bearing
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Boots
- CR Rubber Boots: The most durable material for undercar applications. Resistant to deterioration from road level ozone, oil/gas/engine fluids and extreme heat or cold.
- Accordion Boot: Ideal for high-articulation components, more flexibility means longer life.
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Finish
- Polished Aluminum: Highly polished, raw aluminum
- Black Aluminum and DOM Steel: Powder coated black
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Hardware
- Grade 8 - Class 10.9 Hardware: Superior tensile strength.
- Castle Nut: Industry standard where high vibration loads occur.
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Adjusting Rods
- Tie Rod: 2.125 inch DOM SAE 1020 Tube: Heavy walled steel tubing provides the tightest most robust steering on the market.
- Drag Link: 1.75 inch DOM SAE 1020 Tube: Heavy walled steel tubing provides the tightest most robust steering on the market.
- Tie Rod: 2.125 inch 7075-T6 Aluminum Rod: The best aluminum available for this application. Extremely durable but has some flex and memory if you really bash it into something.
- Drag Link: 1.75 inch 7075-T6 Aluminum Rod: The best aluminum available for this application. Extremely durable but has some flex and memory if you really bash it into something.
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Lubrication
- Pre Threaded Zerk Housing: If you have ever installed a MOOG Ball Joint without a pre-threaded zerk fitting you will understand what a simple but great feature this is. Another installer fav.
- Greaseable: Because it should be.
- Pre-Greased: Just in case you forget, we have you covered.
- Gull Winged Grease Grooves: Allows for improved lubrication disbursement around the ball stud.
- Zerk Fittings: Included for every application.
Special Features:
- ProLock Link Connect System (TM): Exclusively from APEX - This patent pending system utilizes a precision keyway cut into the threads of our tie rod and drag link ends, and a pre-bent keyway washer that locks onto the wrench flats of the connecting rod to completely stop any tie rod rotation once the jam nut is set. The jam nut, once torqued to spec, is then locked in place with 3 set-screws inset into the jam nut.
- Pre Bent Ninja Washers (tm): An APEX exclusive is our Ninja Washer which is a unique method of securing the lock nut to the tube, erasing the need for lightly built adjusting tubes with ugly pinch clamps.
- And who doesn't want a ninja on their front end!
- Reversible Drag Link: Another APEX Innovation: In some lifted or aftermarket applications the pitman arm end of the drag link is flipped over causing difficulties with mounting the steering stabilizer into the tapered hole on the drag link end. To solve this we have drilled the hole out straight and provided a reversible stainless steel taper sleeve so the steering stabilizer can be mounted from either side.
- Greaseable, High Articulation Spherical Bushing: For extreme durability our passenger side tie rod is fitted with an oversized greaseable high articulation spherical bushing. This allows for maximum articulation and load disbursement, for better performance, and longer life.
- Minimum Engagement Mark on Drag Link End Threads: If this mark in the thread of the drag link is showing it means you are beyond the safe engagement of threads into the adjusting sleeve. You may be lifted too high and need to switch to a flip kit or you may need to equal out the adjusting sleeve between the two ends.
