Traction bars; anyone running some?

Also @SMKYTXN

Nathan, you’ve got some experience on this topic as well.

 

My axle wrap ended when i installed Dakars.. On stock leafs i had to baby the gas in the sand washs or it was going to throw a drive shaft.

 

Got one. Fixed any wrap issues I had.
Even with 35s and some boost.

Edit: Custom made. Weld on axle bracket. Had to move exhaust,etc.

 

@stairgod tested his fully. Only effected droop if both rear wheels were off the ground. We don’t Jump over here, so I’m not worried about that.

I never took any measurements, but the one he made for me does not seem to limit any articulation.

I like mine more for protecting the driveshaft, but with the Supercharger etc. it certainly helps with axle wrap as well.

The bottom tube on the bar is 1/4”. Very stout for rock sliding.

 

Only problem I had was the factory center support bearing crossmember was not up to the task. I had to make a new one. Not sure if it was rocks, the (roughly) 400 HP, or a combination of the two that killed it.




Articulation seems fine. That’s just Dakars, shackle flip, & B110s

 

I had the same issue with 150 hp, a bunch of gearing and big tires too. Ended up making nice frame plates and mount combo for the shackle.

Barnes sells a universal kit that works great for super cheap.

http://www.barnes4wd.com/Anti-Wrap-Traction-Bar-Kit_p_195.html

 

Contact bars attach to spring perch using factory u-bolts. Adjustable contact "snubber", low profile, no binding, no clearance problems.
Just another alternative.

 

That one weld looks like shit. Guess I need to work on my out of position welds.

 

Thin metal, under a truck, on your back, poor lighting, strange to you welder, AND the steel broke not the weld.

I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself

 

The entire reason to have traction bars is to cause binding and reduce the amount of (rotational) movement. Proper geometry will allow maximum articulation but binding will always be present to some degree.

Saying that any flexion will be at direct expense of the bushings is like saying wearing shoes will wear out the soles. The purpose of a bushing is to absorb shock loads to not create an abrupt physical jolt to the entire system. Your front suspension control arms are subjected to ridiculous amounts to flex during braking and any movement for that matter. Doesn't mean don't use your brakes or don't drive your truck. Bushing will actually increase your amount of articulation over a heim, so there's that too...

The only downside i found from my traction bars was the ground clearance. The truck flexed and performed through it's travel range amazingly.

 

Any pics of yours?

 

near bottom of first page

 

Ah. So a single bar. Mine(and HHG's) has a spread mount welded to the axle, so it basically forces the rear axle to track in the arc of the bar, not necessarily the arc it wants to due to the leafs. But it limits wrap much better. I kept the ladder bar length shorter to help with ground clearance, so it was not optimal for full cycling of the suspension. It does limit droop bit during articulation it is invisible. Does a damn good job of driveshaft protection also. And I incorporated a safety loop right at the rear u joint to save my gas tank in case of sudden joint failure. All in all, I am happy with it.

 

I also have an unistalled ATO bar just like your spread mount and was going to do a driveshaft loop as well. Personally, the DS loop is more useful at the front, to keep the truck from catapulting. The NHRA requires a front loop vs a rear for this reason.

After the Dakars/ubolt flip/shackle flip went in, from stock+AAL+1" block, I felt a dramatic reduction in axle wrap so i decided not to install the ATO bar. That and i didnt feel like the axle bracket they provided was stout enough for a supercharger. It's burly but I feel they could have beefed up a few spots.

 

@Littles

As per our discussion...

 

Fair points. If you’re out flexing heims with polys then...
Idk. I find that hard to believe.
I just tend to steer away from wear parts. Yes I understand heims are not forever.

I’m just speaking from experience. I’ve run different types of traction systems on a truck that had to have them.

When I get a minute I’m
Gonna take some measurements and model some things and post here for people to comment on.

 

I’m driving sorry for the broken English and sporadic response.

Yeah, we want to “bind” but we do not want to inhibit articulation. Bind is kind of a catch all term. I understand we will have some inhibitions but I want to broaden the range of motion before inhibitions occur. On paper/in theory, with any solid mount system binding occurs with any net change in axle location. But that’s just being picky.

What I want to accomplish is a shackled system with an adjustable “bump stop” so the bars become rigid and do their job once a heavy load is applied and the axle wraps. My problem now is this:

Where to set the bump stop?

As the rear travels up, the bars get “longer” and now we are back to limited motion.

If we set the bump far out to where this becomes a non issue, they’re just ineffective.

If we pick a “sweet spot” on the middle we run the risk of the axle wrapping and just repeatedly contact the bump stop, effectively just beating it up like a jack hammer.

There are some sharp cats in here. I’d like to
See everyone weigh in. Remember, this is only for dual sided, single, under axle mounted bars. I’m aware that a 3 link bae on a shackle could fix this no problem. That is not what this project is about.

Thanks guys. Don’t text and drive lmao.

 

And I’ll add...

Riddle me this. As the leaf pack compresses, the arch will flatten out. So this will effectively push the axle slightly further back.

Maybe this could be in favor, maybe against.

 

Definitely a ton of variables to consider.

Are you thinking similar to the Caltrac bars or something along the lines of a slapper bar? Can't quite picture what you are after.

 

Definitely the Calvert or Caltrac whatever it is.

A redneck engineering way to think of it would be like a leaf spring shackle on the frame, the trac bar on the other end of the shackle, and a stop behind the shackle to prevent the flex under load.