I have a 99 sportsman 500 and have replaced the tie rod ends twice and they are shot agian. I have heard of people using hiem joints like the ones on the steering post but not sure where they found them. I also found that these are wearing out also. Has anyone found an aftermarket fix for this or a high quality hiem joint? thanks in advance.

 

We had many posts on this subject about 6 months ago.
The gist of it is the OEM inner and outer joints can be replaced with industrial grade Heim joints for 1/2 the price. Some modifications need to done because the OEM are 3/8" ball joint with a 1/2" tie-rod whereas the industrial grade units are 1/2" X 1/2". It is well worth the effort to change them over. I also installed Polaris boots over the top of the heim joints to help keep the grease in. Works well too.
The industrial grade Heim joints can be obtained from any bearing supplier.
Another source of trouble is the lower steering bushing; there are after-market suppliers that sell good quality replacement bushings, HTP/HotSeat for example.
Hope this is of some help.

 

Traildog,
Could you go into some detail about the modifications required to install these industrial heim joints? I was not a member six months ago.
Thankyou, Outlawd