Gearbox Test Bench Explanation
What exactly does “testing” mean?
As you can imagine, the first thing that usually comes to mind, is to test for leaks. But, once a gearbox passes the leak test, there is more we can learn. We run the box through its full range of travel, hard to the stops. Just like you would if you were wheeling your car into a tough parking spot or hammering a rocky trail. We check the force it takes to move the steering box at the wheel. This is usually called out in “pounds” or a torsion bar size. But, the torsion bar size does not always guaranty the force it takes to turn your steering wheel.
There are other aspects of the steering valve that result in the final steering force. Once we determine the force is correct for your order, we check the most important aspect of the box, the balance of the valve! This is the effort it takes to steer your car left versus right. An unbalanced steering valve will steer your vehicle easier one way or the other and in some extreme instances, it can actually pull the vehicle in one direction.