My traction bars

[Whit]

I wanted something different so I designed these, I like them because they dont hang down lower than the driveline, the tubing is 1-1/4" square 1/8" wall

 

[Whit]

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[Whit]

Front mount

 

[Whit]

The front idler or pivot.....this is what makes it all work, the purpose of traction bars are to prevent axle wrap, so the rear of the bar must be mounted solid to the rear axle,When torque is applyed to the rear wheels the axle wants to rotate in the oppisite direction. There are bushings in the rear mounts to keep them from squeeking. The front mount is a little different, the bar when under load will want to raise, this is why the shackle is mounted upsidedown, I built the front idler as a single unit and mounted it to existing holes in the bottom of the frame, I was surprised to find the frame to be double thick and has a strap style plate there inside the frame so strength shouldnt be an issue. The shackle will allow rotational movement forward and backward for when the axle travels up and down working the suspension, If you look at this pic you will also see a swivel build into the front section of the bars allowing them to twist when the truck is on uneven ground like going thru a big ditch on an angle.

My findings so far, I used to see slight amounts of axle wrap happening in deep gravel even at an idle, the wheel would want to kinda go in short bursts making serious impact on all drivetrain.................now that has gone away.
I used to be able to break the wheels loose most any time especially in cornering, now it is still possible in curves but not near what it was .

Washboard roads , the truck stays put much better now and doesnt want to swap ends on me.

Overall, impressions, I think I have something that will help me to preserve my drivetrain and help me to put the power to the ground, I would say that if anyone plans on drag racing their truck or especially pulling with it that traction bars are a must.

Cheers, Kevin

 

[bigbrowngoat]

good job the bars look first class how about keeping us up to date on them if they work the way you want I may want to buy a set of plans form you. You may want to think about a patten on them! it could make you some cash

 

[Whit]

Well I would certainly be up to the task of plans but I got enough stuff I is sposed to be doin let alone buildin these thins fer other dudes.

Cheers, Kevin

 

[Whit]

A view from the back, notice they hang no lower than the differential but do have a mechanical advantage on the axle housing

 

[TPCDrafting]

Kev ya need to get out some hot soapy water and wash them truck nutz!

I'll request that you report back on the improvement in snow. I get tons of wheel hop going through the drifts and I've read the traction bars will fix it.

 

[dazedandconfused]

Seriously, if I was you I would work on pattening your design and build them when you can for guys on these sites. I would be interested in a set as the only ones I can find I dont really like! Beautiful job and nice truck, Dodge man.

 

[bigbrowngoat]

I told you it looked like an A-1 job even one of the furd boys likes it

 

[XcumminsX]

are you gonna make some for your wifes truck? If you do i may be interested for a 3rg gen set

 

[Whit]

Thanks for the nice comments, I been designin em in my head fer quite some time now and they came out pretty much like I planned, with winter on its way I will have lotsa experiences with deep snow , hop, wrap and traction issues so I will keep ya posted as to how they perform and if any improvment needed. I really want to get the truck on some binds to see if they do as I planed .

Cheers, Kevin

 

[Whit]

Originally posted by XcumminsX
are you gonna make some for your wifes truck? If you do i may be interested for a 3rg gen set

My woman gets real nervous when I change the oil on her rig, she stayed with me the whole time, I didnt have a filter wrench to come up from the bottom so I had to pull the 4" tube from airbox to compressor............she was quizzin the heck outa me cuz she thought I was fixin to bomb it Anyway I dont think traction bars are in her near future. Nick the hardest part of the whole deal was machinin the bushings , 8 of them total.

Cheers, Kevin

 

[XcumminsX]

Whitmore...send me a print of those bushings and i can make as many as you want. My family owns a machine shop

 

[Whit]

Ever heard of Delrin............its a high grade of industrial plastic