traction bar's???

[jeepeater2003]

hey all

going to put on a traction bar on the jeep and just would like yalls imput on it.
i searched pirate and just get allot of BS answers and would like some real input.
i got a yj, xj springs and stock skid plate, it will be on the pass. side as well.

were did yall mount yours, make your own xmember for it or mount it on the skid plate and reinforce it?
did the upper and lower bar run the same length and meet at the joint or did the lower bar only run half way to the upper bar?
what is the seperation on the two bars at the axle?
is the shackle pionting up or down?

any pics and help would be nice.
thanks
tyler

 

[rockcity]

fab your own crossmember. its easy.

both the upper and lower bars should run to a point close to the joint. they don't have to, but it distributes the forces better (I think).

the verticle seperation is not that critical, put them where they work good for ground clearance.

the shackle should be as close to 90 degrees relative to the upper bar on the track bar (perpendicular to it).

All this info is from what I"ve read. I've never ran one, but I'm sure I'm wrong somewhere. anyone else correct me if I'm wrong.

Rob

 

[Rich]

mine..not without its drawbacks. (lots of anti-squat) Axle end separation - as much as you can. more separation = less force on the links.

try and keep the shackle end as low as possible to minimize anti-squat... And please ignore the shocks

I don't know how hard you drive, so you may never notice the drawbacks I had, or you might hate it from the first trip.

 

[upnover]

I am re-doing mine as well. What Rich has is pretty close to what mine will be. With the exception that I will have another gusset in the middle, and possibly heims at all three conection points. The super joints would work good here too I think. You can get the trick little brackets for the sxle from Andy at CRS.

 

[Wolfpack OffRoad]

This is interesting. I might do one while i am at it for my 8.8. Does anyone have any ideas on where to mount the upper end (i.e. the shackle mount) in a cherokee?

 

[farmboy]

Crossmember and traction bar I built for the 40....

Sam

 

[farmboy]

better shot of the cross member...

 

[farmboy]

While the bar was being made...last....

 

[mbalbritton]

Rich, did you not like the traction bar that was over your springs? or have you not finished them yet in that picture?

I was about to go that route with mine, but I've opted for a Range Rover Discovery Control arm deal. Wish I had a picture, but it's kinda like the typical Ladder bar, but the axle mount end is all part of the control arm. Ah hell, I'll see if I can draw a picture of it.

 

[mbalbritton]

VERY Crude drawing, but the red is the Discovery conrtol arm, the black being the axle tube. Weld a couple tabs on the axle, and make a mount at teh crossmember... basically the same as the ladder.. jus another route really.

 

[farmboy]

Rich had the other type of traction bar but he still had a good amount of wrap and ended up snaping a pinion. This is when he changed over to the other style i believe.

Sam

 

[Rich]

Rich, did you not like the traction bar that was over your springs? or have you not finished them yet in that picture?

I was about to go that route with mine, but I've opted for a Range Rover Discovery Control arm deal. .

The bars above the springs don't really CONTROL the wrap, they just lessen it slightly. They rely on the front half of the leaf spring being rigid in order to create the triangle... Well, if the front was rigid, you wouldn't need the wrap bar!

That control arm thing will work fine, it just puts alot of stress on the link because of the lack of separation...

Farmboy is exactly right. I broke a pinion because of axle wrap with the old style bars. Then i went to the current ladder bars, and broke another pinion, but this time, not from axle wrap.. it was from stupid right foot, catching air, and traction.

Last thing.. if you're using an axle with pressed-in tubes, it would be advisable to stitch-weld the tubes to the carrier, as I have sen the wrap bar hold, but the center rotate, and that ain't pretty.

 

[Caver Dave]

VERY Crude drawing, but the red is the Discovery control arm, the black being the axle tube. Weld a couple tabs on the axle, and make a mount at the crossmember... basically the same as the ladder.. jus another route really.

One drawback of the using *that* particular type of LR RadiusArm is the threaded end. Some have an eye like a spring (possibly Defenders?) & some have the threaded end (Discovery's... like a Ford RA).

Seems which ever one you get, the front end needs to be captive up/down, but needs to move fore/aft (like a shackle). I just realized that the LR RA Mike used on that red YJ had a HUGE heim for the treaded end to mount to, welded to the frame... *no way* for it to move to accommodate the springs flexing & the axle moving fore/aft. Bound to be restricting the axle motion...

Also, the "C" portion of a LR RA is parallel with the arm (not perpendicular like you've pictured/Ford RA) and mounts to the bottom of the LR axle...

 

[mbalbritton]

Last thing.. if you're using an axle with pressed-in tubes, it would be advisable to stitch-weld the tubes to the carrier, as I have sen the wrap bar hold, but the center rotate, and that ain't pretty.

already done... but good point!

 

[jeepeater2003]

sounds good. did you guys make your xmember bolt in or weld them in? also do you think it would be ok with bushings all the way around or would i need a heim joint on the shackle side?

tyler

 

[Gofer]

hey all

going to put on a traction bar on the jeep and just would like yalls imput on it.
i searched pirate and just get allot of BS answers and would like some real input.
i got a yj, xj springs and stock skid plate, it will be on the pass. side as well.

were did yall mount yours, make your own xmember for it or mount it on the skid plate and reinforce it?
did the upper and lower bar run the same length and meet at the joint or did the lower bar only run half way to the upper bar?
what is the seperation on the two bars at the axle?
is the shackle pionting up or down?

any pics and help would be nice.
thanks
tyler

Food for thought sorry for all the dirt.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/29128196/375618695farebX

 

[jeepeater2003]

kind off. can't really tell how you mounted it on the jeep with a xmember and shackle
tyler

 

[drkelly]

I like Gofer's traction bar because it is as close to the center as I have ever seen, and that is what bothered me about mine. I put mine as close to the center as I could using the basic plate design, but when the bar side of the axle drooped, the front half of the spring on the opposite side would bend up all funky. I think it limited axle movement. I built a crossmember out of a piece of pipe and some dumpsterized brackets and made it bolt on. The traction bar itself was made out of pipe and a couple of leaf spring eyes on the axle end. I splurged for a Johnny Joint on the frame end. Anyway, here are some pics of my old one.

I would say you definitely need a heim or similar joint at the frame/shackle end.

 

[BoltOnJohn]

The bars above the springs don't really CONTROL the wrap, they just lessen it slightly. They rely on the front half of the leaf spring being rigid in order to create the triangle... Well, if the front was rigid, you wouldn't need the wrap bar!

That control arm thing will work fine, it just puts alot of stress on the link because of the lack of separation...

Farmboy is exactly right. I broke a pinion because of axle wrap with the old style bars. Then i went to the current ladder bars, and broke another pinion, but this time, not from axle wrap.. it was from stupid right foot, catching air, and traction.

Last thing.. if you're using an axle with pressed-in tubes, it would be advisable to stitch-weld the tubes to the carrier, as I have sen the wrap bar hold, but the center rotate, and that ain't pretty.

Can you elaborate on the anti squat thing?

 

[Rich]

Can you elaborate on the anti squat thing?

Whoo-boy. That's a topic that can go on and on... Let's just say- typically, with a wrap bar like shown here, it's gonna make the ass end of the rig lift when you get on the throttle, which can contribute to wheel hop.


If you search the pirate General 4x4 section, "anti-squat" will keep you busy for a month. Look for posts by Gordon and Ed A. Stevens.