Watts Link Assembly

WATTS LINK ASSEMBLY DESCRIPTION





The watts link assembly consists of a bell crank mounted to the rear axle and two links extending from the bell crank to brackets mounted to the body of the vehicle.





The cast iron bell crank has a non-serviceable sealed-for-life bearing mounted in the center of it through which it is fastened to the axle. It also has the words "BACK UP" cast into one side of it indicating the installation direction when mounted to the axle. Although the pivot may look identical end to end, it is not and must be installed with the words "BACK UP" toward the back of the vehicle facing upright in order to avoid premature bearing failure.

The upper and lower links both have ball joints on one end and bushings on the other. The ball joint ends connect to the bell crank and the bushing ends connect to a bracket on the body. The upper link extends from the upper hole machined into the bell crank to the bracket on the right side of the vehicle. The lower link extends from the lower hole machined into the bell crank to the bracket on the left side of the vehicle. Although the links look like outer tie rods, no attempt should be made to adjust them. They are fixed to a set length at the factory and require no maintenance. The bushings on the links are not serviceable.

OPERATION
The watts link assembly serves the same purpose as a track bar. That is, it is used to control rear axle lateral movement and provides cross-car location of the axle. Unlike a track bar, the watts link assembly offers more consistent handling and stability at varying suspension heights, either lightly loaded or fully laden. As the suspension lowers or raises, the watts link assembly compensates by rotating the bell crank in the desired direction. This rotation simulates shortening or lengthening of the links. Since there is one link on each side, the change affects each side of the suspension evenly.