Question: Traction bar mounting location?

[frankenstien]

built a set of traction bars, have been looking high and low at pics of different types, cant really find the answer to my question.

mine are mounted to the axle u bolt plate, is it better to mount it to the side of the frame and keep it in a straight line? or mount it under the frame and have it be offset? or does it even matter?

thanks

 

[Budneeds2beers]

What ever you decide this company is having a sale on fad parts. Tabs brackets ect.
https://www.ballisticfabrication.com :thumb:

 

[frankenstien]

What ever you decide this company is having a sale on fad parts. Tabs brackets ect.
https://www.ballisticfabrication.com :thumb:

thanks! i already have the brackets and have the bars built, this is the last thing i needed.

if i mount it on the side of the frame i need to ad some triangle brackets to help brace above where the bar mounts and make room for the parking brake cable. Anyone know how to get the cable ends out of that retainer?

 

[rcr1978]

thanks! i already have the brackets and have the bars built, this is the last thing i needed.

if i mount it on the side of the frame i need to ad some triangle brackets to help brace above where the bar mounts and make room for the parking brake cable. Anyone know how to get the cable ends out of that retainer?

They are a real piece of shit there was lots of mutha fukn going on the first time I messed with them . I just drill out the dimple now and they usually come out pretty easy.

 

[frankenstien]

Thanks, yeah they dont look like fun to get apart

 

[OregonDMAX]

That's when I took cable cutters to them and said **** it. Fwiw I really don't think mounting them and having a slight inward angle is going to matter.

 

[frankenstien]

i mounted them directly under the frame, so far so good

 

[frankenstien]

so little update, they worked great over the summer, been hauling my water tank with no real issue, rides a little stiff,

saturday, i drove about 200 miles round trip and towed an old chevy truck back, parked the truck when i got home and had some other stuff to do, went to move the trailer and found 1/2 of a U bolt on the ground, not off the junker truck, guessing having too much load on the truck with the trailer and hitting some large bumps, and the traction bars pushed too hard and broke them.

one U bolt on the front side of the axle broke, drivers side, passenger side broke on the back side of the axle

I was running 55psi in my air bags

 

[frankenstien]

poking at this one, spring is here, time to get my bars back on and NOT breaking U bolts.

so far i got some pieces to make the front of the traction bar on a shackle, so when the axle moves up and down it should be able to move freely and with the shackle mounted vertically as it sits normally should still keep the axle from wrapping.

I have been googling traction bars high and low, saw some that have springs in them and "telescope" to help with the push on the axle, another guy bult his own and machined dom to slide into a larger piece of dom to telescope to help with it as well.

anyone else haul or tow with traction bars have any issues like breaking U bolts? i see alot of brackets welded to the axle tube, i just don't have room with my air bags

I was also thinking of replacing the bushing end with a johnny joint to aide with left and right movement on the frame end.

any suggestions appreciated

 

[N2BRK]

http://www.duramaxforum.com/forum/s...mple-effective-traction-bars-diyable-guy.html might give you an idea.:thumb:

 

[torqued2dmax]

Did you put new U bolts on when you started the first time ? How long are your bars ?

 

[frankenstien]

Did you put new U bolts on when you started the first time ? How long are your bars ?

I did replace the U bolts when i did it the first time. the bars IIRC ( i am not where they are) are 66'' eye to eye mounted

 

[frankenstien]

http://www.duramaxforum.com/forum/s...mple-effective-traction-bars-diyable-guy.html might give you an idea.:thumb:[/QUO

Thanks, I might try getting some of those tabs that weld to the axle, i might be able to make room for them. also, is your truck lifted in the back? i have a add a leaf worth an inch. i also use air bags that lift the back maybe 2''? so my bars arent as flat as they should be

 

[torqued2dmax]

Did you have the truck full weight on the ground when you mounted the front and if you did , if you haul large loads often , you might need to per load the truck a little then rework the front mounting point , unless you can make the bars adjustable and change them according to your load , that is how my BDS bars are ! GOOD LUCK !

 

[frankenstien]

Did you have the truck full weight on the ground when you mounted the front and if you did , if you haul large loads often , you might need to per load the truck a little then rework the front mounting point , unless you can make the bars adjustable and change them according to your load , that is how my BDS bars are ! GOOD LUCK !

i didnt pre load them. but i did mount everything with the truck sitting level ground

 

[N2BRK]

I've used them at stock height and with Roadmaster Active Suspension springs cranked up a couple inches. I also used them unloaded and fully squatted with no issues, and on multiple trucks. They were pretty much invisible.

I did swap them for Caltracs on the street. They ride like shit but I love them. LOL

http://www.duramaxforum.com/forum/s...mple-effective-traction-bars-diyable-guy.html might give you an idea.:thumb:[/QUO

Thanks, I might try getting some of those tabs that weld to the axle, i might be able to make room for them. also, is your truck lifted in the back? i have a add a leaf worth an inch. i also use air bags that lift the back maybe 2''? so my bars arent as flat as they should be

 

[frankenstien]

I've used them at stock height and with Roadmaster Active Suspension springs cranked up a couple inches. I also used them unloaded and fully squatted with no issues, and on multiple trucks. They were pretty much invisible.

I did swap them for Caltracs on the street. They ride like shit but I love them. LOL


nice, ill have to get some of those axle tabs and see what i can do

 

[frankenstien]

hers some pics of my bars when i made them and how they looked the day i broke them.

maybe welding shorter brackets on the axle tube might level them out with out shackles?

 

[torqued2dmax]

They dont look to be at that bad of an angle at all and length looks ok too . Maybe you can just adjust your air bags according to your load , that is , unloaded is as important as loaded !

 

[JoeyD]

You need some flex built into it. This is from off-road design but you could make it yourself