Pitman arm help

[ImThatGuy]

I'm going to make a pitman arm but I don't know how long it should be. My spindles are 4 1/2in long. I know I need a 5/8 hole for the steering shaft and a 3/8 hole for the tie rods but I don't know how far apart they should be. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[KiwiMike]

Your pitman arm should be about 2-3" from center of steering shaft hole to center of the tie rod hole. The more leverage you have here the easier it will be to turn, especially if you are going to run a steering wheel, instead of handle bars.
If you want to build Ackerman into the front end, then drill 2 holes side by side, approximately 1" apart for your tie rod ends, instead of using the one hole for both tie rods.
This will make the front end dip on one side when you turn, picking up the opposite side rear wheel slightly, taking the push out of the front end.
When you have your pitman arm welded on and steering shaft in place, put a straightedge on your wheels from front to back and measure the hole centers from your spindles to your pitman arm to determine the size tie rods you need.

[ImThatGuy]

Thanks. I will make it tomorrow morning.