I see people interchanging ladder bars for tractor bars all the time. They both essentially accomplish the same thing, it's just the leverage point is different. Now this is my opinion, but to me a traction bar leverages against your leaf spring pack to keep the rear end square. More torque you put on the rear, the more it leverages against your leafs to keep it square. A ladder bar goes from the rear end up to a point on the frame. It does the same thing, but leverages against your frame instead of the leafs to keep your rear end sitting square. Ladders come in different flavors and mounting methods. The simplest is the single bar mounted to the bottom u-bolts under the rear axle housing. This is the kind that I made, it works for me, is it the best? Probably not, but it works for me, hasn't failed as of yet and I've abused the crap out of it. There are also the kind that resemble a 4 link setup, uses two bars on each side, one above the rear, one below both form a triangle and mount to a common point on the frame. This type is more "sturdier" since it divides the load among the bars, bottom bar receives a push and the top bar receives a pull.
Several companies offer both bolt on and weld on kits of both styles, I don't have a cost since I built mine myself. Used two top links off a three point tractor hitch, some tubing from a friend and some 1/4 plate remnants from a metal shop. I don't have a lot in it.
After I put them on the first thing I noticed was an improvement in ride quality, less bouncy in the rear. Second was shifting. With my dual disc in and my improved power anything less than a perfect shift resulted in my driveline telling me exactly where all the slop was. Ladders got rid of that and the only slop is the backlash in the rear end. I like them.
