How worried should I be about tie rod ends?

[calgecko]

Initially, I thought the problem with tie rods snapping, was limited to the folks running 37" or bigger tires, and/or hardcore rock crawlers.. so I wasn't too worried - since I plan on keeping the stock 35" tires on my Sasquatch Badlands, and rock crawling doesn't interest me at all.. I prefer trails that get me to scenic places up in the mountains, maybe with some inclines/declines, but no rock crawling. However, recently seeing that someone had a tie rod end snap on them with stock suspension and tires, as they were making a U-turn in their driveway, in addition to the other folks doing the more hardcore stuff - really has me concerned. Most of the time, I'm off-roading by myself (currently driving a 2021 Chevy ZR2 Bison) - again doing trails and stuff just to get into the outdoors.. but now I'm concerned that I could have a tie rod snap on me doing something really mundane, which would leave me completely up a creek ... I'm curious if anyone else is having these concerns?
Pics of the usual type of stuff I do:

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[Bronco cat]

You shouldn’t worry at all. Or worry as much as you do with anything else

 

[chtucker]

Been contemplating this myself...

Do braces shift the forces elsewhere? Do screw
Do braces cover enough? Do the clamp ons (Bronco buster) work better?

Or do I just keep a spare set of inner/outer tie rods in the tool box?

 

[CheekyOldMan]

Just make sure you’re moving before cutting the wheel, and you should be fine. Most people don’t know how to drive a truck, so doesn’t surprise me they’re breaking tie rods on pavement. If your wheel can’t turn, what do you think should break?

 

[BlueBronco]

Just keep a spare inner tie-rod (or two) with your recovery gear and quit worrying.

 

[acetdeucy]

Just make sure you’re moving before cutting the wheel, and you should be fine. Most people don’t know how to drive a truck, so doesn’t surprise me they’re breaking tie rods.

Hey... why is everyone starting to use my avatar?

 

[CheekyOldMan]

Hey... why is everyone starting to use my avatar?

Hey... why is everyone starting to use my avatar?

 

[Copperhorse73]

A friend of mine snapped his , and he was only on the 32” KO2s, we were rock crawling at the time, but this problem is not limited to the big tire crowd. For me personally the peace of mind is worth the expense

 

[calgecko]

Just make sure you’re moving before cutting the wheel, and you should be fine. Most people don’t know how to drive a truck, so doesn’t surprise me they’re breaking tie rods on pavement. If your wheel can’t turn, what do you think should break?

he was on pavement, so there was nothing that should have caused his tire to NOT be able to turn.. and if you can't turn a tire on a concrete pad without worrying about the tie-rod snapping, that's pretty sad for a vehicle that is designed and marketed for being an off-road vehicle.

 

[CheekyOldMan]

he was on pavement, so there was nothing that should have caused his tire to NOT be able to turn.. and if you can't turn a tire on a concrete pad without worrying about the tie-rod snapping, that's pretty sad for a vehicle that is designed and marketed for being an off-road vehicle.

Exactly the contrary. Trucks are not meant to be turned while stationery. They never have been. It doesn’t have anything to do with how off road capable they are. The amount of lateral force exerted far exceeds that of off-road inertia directed upward.

 

[calgecko]

Just keep a spare inner tie-rod (or two) with your recovery gear and quit worrying.

I might look into that, but will also need to find a video on how to replace it (and save it to my phone in the event I need it when I have no signal), since I haven't replaced a tie rod end on a car in over 30 years.. that's part of why I drive new vehicles, I don't want to have to work on them LOL

 

[Rednek]

I think the truck in question had prev
offroad damage/stress so carry a spare for peace of mind.

 

[TXscooterguy]

Just make sure you’re moving before cutting the wheel, and you should be fine. Most people don’t know how to drive a truck, so doesn’t surprise me they’re breaking tie rods.

Wait, wait... are you saying I shouldn't turn my wheels lock to lock while they're sitting motionless on triple digit hot concrete? Next thing you know you'll be telling me I shouldn't use Trail Turn Assist to burn donuts on concrete either. You're a "BK" for sure. (That's Bronco Killjoy.)

 

[M4Madness]

he was on pavement, so there was nothing that should have caused his tire to NOT be able to turn.. and if you can't turn a tire on a concrete pad without worrying about the tie-rod snapping, that's pretty sad for a vehicle that is designed and marketed for being an off-road vehicle.

I "think" that member is a female, but I can't recall how I came to that conclusion. And it seems like it was determined that one tire was in the grass and wedged against the side of a concrete pad, but I can't swear to that either. LOL!

 

[BroncoPls!]

Running with the Buckn Bartz tie rod braces just for peace of mind. Stock 35" with occasional rock crawling, but mostly getting into back country for hunting.

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