Help Choosing 4140, 1215, or 12L14

We are needing to make what you would call a bushing that is going to be used in low carbon steel that most say is 1018 that is commonly used in equipment. This bushing will be going through a 1 inch hole in 3/8 thick flat bar. The bushing will be bolted solid and the bar that's 24 inches long made of 1018 will rotate up and down moving no more than 8 inches. This is not much movement but it is continuous and has a rather heavy load up, down and side ways.

The current design is a hardened bushing that wears out the arms so they have to be replaced instead of the bushing which would be much cheaper. I want to make these bushings out of something that will wear some instead of the arms but understand they have to be harder than the 1018 to prevent galling. It has been recommended that we use 4140, 1215, or 12L14 for this and would like to see what everyone thinks would be best. These have to be tightened down tight and are only a little over an 1/8 inch thick so I was leaning towards the 4140 thinking the others might want to flatten out on the end when they are drawn tight. I have been told the 4140 will cost more and is harder to machine so if something else would do the same job and cheaper it would be great. TIA

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RUFAZZ said:

You could try Delrin for bushings

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I have some experience with Delrin...very machinable, reported to be self-lubricating.

Sorta expensive, $75 for a 10 foot rod with a diameter of less than 2".

My suggestion would be graphite impregnated polyurethane. In the end not quite half the bushings I installed on my Cobra's parallel 4-bar rear suspension were delrin, the rest were graphite impregnated poly and I can't tell a bit of difference between the two in performance or durability.

If you're interested in the graphite-impregnated poly, here's the info I can give.

Enough bushings and the inner sleeve to refurbish one end of a bar was around $7, IIRC...that was cheaper than we could machine them out of Delrin by far. The information included said to lube the assembly with anti-sieze compound. It worked exactly as described, has performed flawlessly.

Admittedly, there isn't much rotation to the action, but the rear bars do move in much the same plane as would your trailing arms.

Here's where I found them, you can search by specific function or there is a chart for standard sizes available in the after market:

Here's the main page:

Here's the info on ordering bushings to your specifications:

While they may not help in your specific application, here are the standard size 4-bar bushings available:

My experience with the company was quite satisfactory, their shipping charges were reasonable (mine came USPS, Priority Mail), their service was quit speedy...the quality of the parts seems to be equal to the Delrin at least...AND, NO SQUEAKS!!! The graphite impregnated material really doesn't seem to squeak, although I must have really used WAAAY too much anti-sieze compoun putting them together, it was squeezing out the ends.

The sleeves fit the OD of my bolts perfectly....

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

Doug

I have some experience with Delrin...very machinable, reported to be self-lubricating.Sorta expensive, $75 for a 10 foot rod with a diameter of less than 2".My suggestion would be graphite impregnated polyurethane. In the end not quite half the bushings I installed on my Cobra's parallel 4-bar rear suspension were delrin, the rest were graphite impregnated poly and I can't tell a bit of difference between the two in performance or durability.If you're interested in the graphite-impregnated poly, here's the info I can give.Enough bushings and the inner sleeve to refurbish one end of a bar was around $7, IIRC...that was cheaper than we could machine them out of Delrin by far. The information included said to lube the assembly with anti-sieze compound. It worked exactly as described, has performed flawlessly.Admittedly, there isn't much rotation to the action, but the rear bars do move in much the same plane as would your trailing arms.Here's where I found them, you can search by specific function or there is a chart for standard sizes available in the after market:Here's the main page: Suspension Restoration Parts Co. Here's the info on ordering bushings to your specifications: Suspension Restoration Parts Co. polyurethane special order bushing page While they may not help in your specific application, here are the standard size 4-bar bushings available: Suspension Restoration Parts Co. polyurethane special order bushing page My experience with the company was quite satisfactory, their shipping charges were reasonable (mine came USPS, Priority Mail), their service was quit speedy...the quality of the parts seems to be equal to the Delrin at least...AND, NO SQUEAKS!!! The graphite impregnated material really doesn't seem to squeak, although I must have really used WAAAY too much anti-sieze compoun putting them together, it was squeezing out the ends.The sleeves fit the OD of my bolts perfectly....Hope this helps!Cheers!Doug

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