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Originally Posted by LynnEdwards
The other thing I notice is that the front wheels toe out rather severely as the suspension compresses. I think this is far worse for handling in rough situations than mere looseness.
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The action you're desribing sounds like bumpsteer. It occurs when the tie rod and control arm swing through dissimilar arcs due to dissimilar lengths. Your wheels toe out because the tie rods are behind the control arms. If they were in front, the wheels would toe in.
If the tie rods and control arms can't be modified or swapped, there is hope in shock relocation. If you put the front of the quad up on a jackstand and remove a front shock, you can raise and lower the front wheel by hand. As you move the wheel up and down, you'l notice the range in which the wheel remains straight. Once you are above or below that range, the wheel will begin to toe. The optimal shock location would put the wheel just at the bottom of the "good" range with a rider in the seat at rest. When the shock compresses, ideally it won't move the wheel up enough to toe again. Sometimes a longer shock is necessary to achieve correct geometry, and sometimes longer control arms are the only fix. Cars do the very same thing.
Don't put up with loose ball joints and tie rod ends. Dismantle each one, carefully insert a grease needle under the boot, and inject grease from a grease gun until it oozes out. Then reinstall the joint and tighten the castle nut until slop is removed; be sure to use a new cotter pin on each joint (Princess Auto and Harbor Freight sell large assorted packs for peanuts).
I know, more blah blah blah from Weldangrind. :roll: