Whitlock Cobra rose joint replacement

[Danny]

I have to replace the rose joint on the forward end of the draglink that connects the steering to the rudder stock on a Whitlock Cobra steering system. I can get to the draglink by lifting a panel in the deck behind the pedestal. Being a pessimist I suspect that I might have a few problems removing the old joint from the draglink and getting the old ball off the pin at the bottom of the pedestal. If anyone's had to do this job I'd be interested to hear of their experiences and any hints/tips they might have.

 

[captainboo]

In theory, and this is my experience with my steering, the retaining nut on the pin on the steering pedestal output arm was a nylock nut. This undid easily and once removed the rose joint slid off the pin and then could be unscrewed from the end of the drag link once the locking nut was slackened.

The retaining nut is in theory is tightened sufficiently to stop the center bearing of the rose joint rotating about the pin which is parallel sided.

The rose joint hopefully won't be seized on as the pin is stainless steel.

You may need to undo both ends and remove the whole drag link which is easier to work on and also allows you to measure the pin to pin length before disassembly to ensure you don't change the steering geometry.

Hope this helps.

 

[Danny]

Thanks Captainboo. That's very reassuring. I had imagined that the pin (and hole in the centre bearing) would be tapered and likely hard to shift like track rod ends on cars are. It's good to know that it's parallel sided and unlikely to be any problem to shift. I like the idea of removing the whole draglink assembly so that I can accurately measure it between bearing centres. It'll also give me a chance to have a good look at the bearing at the rudder end of the link.