Caltracs vs. Custom Made Traction Bars

ENafziger said:
I got some of the Lazarsmith traction bars, and they've worked really well. I don't do much rockcrawling, but when I need the articulation it's there.


--Eric
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Man that's all the articulation I should ever need. Thanks for the pics man!
 
have yall ever heard f a pinion snubber..was a big drag racing thing back the early mopar days
 
bh10 said:
Why not go here, Ballistic Fabrication - Manufacturers of Precision Offroad Fabrication Supplies you can get everything you need to make the bars; tubing, mounts for both sides, and bushings/ johnny joint style for sub 400, all you have to do is weld it/ bolt it up.
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Maybe it was one of the other links in the traction bar sticky thread in the tractor pull section but when I priced out 10 feet of 2" .250" DOM, 4 tube inserts, 4 johnny joints and locknuts, and brackets for the rear and frame it was around $550. Sub $400 for bars with less durable joints, smaller tubing, etc.??? I'm all about saving money but if i'm going to go through this trouble I want them to be right!
 
Why do you think Johnny Joint are the strongest? Their Ballistic joints are just as strong if not stronger than Johnny Joints, and to save a little cash you could run a bushing at the frame and a flex style joint at the axle, you dont have enough articulation to need one at each end. I agree use 1/4" wall tubing, but you could get away with HREW tubbing over DOM since your not pulling.
 
bh10 said:
Why do you think Johnny Joint are the strongest? Their Ballistic joints are just as strong if not stronger than Johnny Joints, and to save a little cash you could run a bushing at the frame and a flex style joint at the axle, you dont have enough articulation to need one at each end. I agree use 1/4" wall tubing, but you could get away with HREW tubbing over DOM since your not pulling.
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Oh i'm not 100% certain they are stronger or as strong that's jus my idea at the moment. I will look at the ballistic joints as well and consider your input/ideas. :Cheer:
 
ENafziger said:
I got some of the Lazarsmith traction bars, and they've worked really well. I don't do much rockcrawling, but when I need the articulation it's there.

Here's some pics in front of the house...

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--Eric
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I've had my truck twisted up like that with my ladderbars too... same ones I pull with and tow my bobcat with. I used a heim joint at each end.

Every pic you need to build a set yourself in this album: Tracbar pics pictures by quickdiesel38 - Photobucket
 
You might want to look for the pictures of Wicked Diesel's ladder bars, it used a drop shackle on the frame end, if you replaced that ends rubber bushing with a heim or ballistic joint it should articulate really well IMO but keep any axle wrap at bay...
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Bingo, any significant wheel travel should necessitate a shackle, might as well go with spherical joints too on the shackle end-
 
Hurley said:
Bingo, any significant wheel travel should necessitate a shackle, might as well go with spherical joints too on the shackle end-
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I've gone back and forth on those, despite my buddy with some fabrication experience trying to tell me they won't work which I don't agree with. If I hadn't seen picture of the articulation shown in this thread with straight bars i'd probably make a set of ladder bars with shackles. They are more difficult to fabricate though for my limited skills and given the nature of how they work the potential for me screwing them up is far more than a simple straight bar design.
 
JFlagg said:
I've had my truck twisted up like that with my ladderbars too... same ones I pull with and tow my bobcat with. I used a heim joint at each end.

Every pic you need to build a set yourself in this album: Tracbar pics pictures by quickdiesel38 - Photobucket
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Thanks man! Those are new longer u-bolts on the axle right? Looks as such so you could fasten that plate like you did.

You running the skyjacker control arms in the front too? They look just like mine. If so how do you like them?

Edit: Just realized we've talked about these arms before lol. You just run the lowers and stock upper right? If you run both let me know.
 
NickTF said:
Thanks man! Those are new longer u-bolts on the axle right? Looks as such so you could fasten that plate like you did.

You running the skyjacker control arms in the front too? They look just like mine. If so how do you like them?

Edit: Just realized we've talked about these arms before lol. You just run the lowers and stock upper right? If you run both let me know.
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Yeah, I had a local shop make me new ones since the only way to get me stock ones off was with a torch LOL I had them add an inch I think? And yes, I just have the Skyjacker lowers and new stock uppers... next go around I'm making my own upper and lower.
 
JFlagg said:
Yeah, I had a local shop make me new ones since the only way to get me stock ones off was with a torch LOL I had them add an inch I think? And yes, I just have the Skyjacker lowers and new stock uppers... next go around I'm making my own upper and lower.
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I hear ya on that. If the fab goes well on traction bars I may try my hand at some new control arms as well.
 
I think its going to be tough to get the best of both worlds out of a leaf spring suspension. A typical traction/ladder bar is no prob but trying to aid weight transfer to plant the tires at the same time..
This set up is available with any size block but serves as an anti-wrap type bar vs something that will preload pinion angle. Strong enough to lay the truck on, stock ride, axle wrap is gone and the best customer service I've ever dealt with. But they will cost you. Pardon the poser pics, it would have gone more but I eventually spit a block into the CAD housing :doh: and gave up before I could bind the front shaft and get limit strap length. Not really pushing the rear in these pics.
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i made traction bars with tie rods off of over the road trucks, used the ball stud on the frame side and cut the ends off my stock track bar and fitted and welded them on to the axle side, i got some ford superduty rear axle shock brackets and welded them to the rear axle, i cut the ball stud mount off the semi spindles and fabbed a simple bracket to weld them to the frame, with the ball stud on the frame side i have full articulation, they are greasable,fully adjustable and strong, last summer i hooked to a sled, left the line at 4100 rpm with 37 inch mudders and at 70 ft broke both drivelines and my transfercase and the center section of my diff was pointing straight up at the bed, the axle tubes stayed straight and the bars were not bent, it just broke the rivets for the pumpkin
 
i may be way of here be way off here, but i have great luck with weld pipe and top links. i have less than 100 bucks in them and have lasted 4 years and 198k miles and counting. like i said from everything from sled pulling, towing 20k+ and fun on the street. i just cant see spending the money on DOM tubing and HEIM joints when you can have the same end result for 1/4 the money. i thave made 10 or 15 sets of these bars
 
For those with the Lazar Smith mounts on the 3RD Gen trucks: Did you guys use the channel frame mounts or the boxed frame mounts?

Traction Bars
 
I don't know how to post a link but if you search under "broke ladder bars" (a thread started by triton), there is a pic in that post from 2 years ago from Wickeddiesels. His ladder bars use a shackle. Look simple yet effective.
 
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