My experience with my H2 was that the tie rod was always the first thing to go!
They're the same tie-rod for the Chevy pickup for goodness sakes! You'll spend $300 or more to replace one, and keep one as a spare. Buy the time you replace one set, and have one spare set, you might as well buy an aftermarket set that won't break!
RubberDuck4x4 sells a set that are beefier than the H1 tie rods. He's sold quite a few, and the latest customer installed a customized set on his 6" lifted H2, pretty cool.
Here is his response from a previous post, that will answer your questions, and put many of the 'myths' to rest...
"The reason the factory Tie-Rods break is because the Center Link twists to the point where it makes contact with the bottom of the frame. This Twisting motion can be seen when the truck is crawling through an obstacle and the tires "Pigeon Toe" in but the Tie Rods do not bend. Once the Center link makes contact with the frame, the stress has nowhere left to go but onto the Tie-Rod itself. Thus bending the 14mm Factory Tie Rods. Once the Center link makes contact with the bottom of the frame, you cannot stress the Factory Idler and Pitman arm any further.
The same instance will happen with the RubberDuck 4x4 Tie Rods however, you will not bend the 22mm Set-up and the stress will be in keeping the wheels straight.
So, will you wear out the Factory Idler and Pitman arms faster with the Heavy Duty Tie Rods?
As stated above, the Factory Tie Rods already cause the Center Link to flex and beefing up the Tie Rods WILL NOT cause the Centerlink, Idler, or Pitman to flex any further. However, I DO NOT know how this will effect your Factory Warrenty on any steering components. But, if it were me, I would follow the instructions that are included with the kit.
So, is it better to keep the Factory set-up or to go with the Heavy Duty Tie-Rods?
Throughout the Testing process, I have seen Factory Tie Rods break in many different situations, some due to Driver error, (ie. excessive wheel spin, incorrect line. ) and some have broken over the most minor obstacles while the truck was at a crawl. The Heavy Duty Tie Rods will not make you a better driver, but they will prevent you from bending Tie-Rods under normal Wheeling.
Please call or email me with ANY questions.
(513) 617-0913 or (513) 863-0231"
Travis DePew
aka. RubberDuck
Those of you that have delt with RubberDuck on the undercarriage, know that he is always willing to answer questions... Hope this helps!