Author Topic: I'm starting another trac bar discusion (Read 3910 times)

Suprarunner · « **on:** Oct 10, 2004, 03:18:04 PM »

Ok, I was in Tellico this weekend and got an idea for a trac bar. I was going to build one before I left but there was no way to mount it without droping the tank or cuting the exhaust and moving it and niether I had time to do before I left. Well While I was up there I was talking to some guys in another group about their trac bars and one guy had one that screams out what I need. He ran a truss over the diff and put one bar running straight back to the rear and attached to the rear bumper with a heim on both ends. He said it doesnt limit his flex and eliminates all his wraping problems. I damn sure have more room to run a link back rather than forward so I'm gonna try it and if it works I'll let yall know and put some picks. My freind Hal watched him go all the way up guard rail in tellico wich is a gnarly climb and said it didnt wrap at all and did well. Any thoughts, opinions?

BigMike · « **Reply #1 on:** Oct 11, 2004, 04:10:27 PM »

Wait,

He has a trac bar on the back side of the axle? So he reversed his shackles to the front of the springs then?

If you did that to a normal rear shackle rear suspension, then you would eventually break the traction arm off.

The only way I could see this working is if you had a 2 link system and the upper link was at an extreme acute angel from the lower arm...

Hyena · « **Reply #2 on:** Oct 11, 2004, 06:02:49 PM »

There was a taco in Peterson's 4-wheel&off-road a while back. It had a triangulated 1 link going from were the rear bumper is to the top of the axle. Is this the same thing you are talkign about? the 1 link was on the axle and it had 2 links going to the frame. It still had leaf springs with the shackles on the back of the spring.

Suprarunner · « **Reply #3 on:** Oct 11, 2004, 06:25:59 PM »

No, homeboy had leafs, shackels in the back, and one bar running from the middle of his axle to the rear bumper with no pivot shackel, just a heim on both ends. He gave it hell with no wrap and said he'd been running it like that for a while so apparantly it hasn't broken. I mean damn, it wont cost much of nothing to build it so I'm gonna try it and I'll let you guys know what happens. I was to the point of if I'm gonna have to drop the gas tank to run a link then I'm just gonna four link it. If this doesn't work than it's getting four linked.

Fireimp141 · « **Reply #4 on:** Oct 11, 2004, 07:11:35 PM »

Keep the pics posted, i wanna see this!

BigMike · « **Reply #5 on:** Oct 12, 2004, 12:23:39 AM »

I must have a different picture in my mind because if you connect the axle to the frame from behind the piviot point of the leaf springs (front spring pirch), position the connection at an angle lower than the center line of the piviot (below the frame horizontal), and then point the connecting piece in line with the leverage of the piviot (in line with the spring and pointing towards the back of the vehicle), then you will have infinate dampening and either the leaf spring will break or the connecting piece will brake; and I doubt a rod with heim joints can take more tension than two leaf springs sharing the load..

Yes, if you have some pics, please

Thanks!!!

Suprarunner · « **Reply #6 on:** Oct 12, 2004, 08:15:34 PM »

I'm hoping to get started on it this weekend, I'll definitly load up some pics, and just for the record I dont have high hopes of this working but I damn sure saw it work with my own eyes on that heep.. I mean jeep.

Suprarunner · « **Reply #7 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 01:52:12 PM »

Ok. just finished project back'ards link and am about to go give it a good flogin

to see if it works. If someone will tell me what I need to do to my pics so that they're not "too lage" I'll post em. I'll keep you guys posted!

79coyotefrg · « **Reply #8 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 03:09:38 PM »

hmm, looks like a link to the crossmember at the rear of the cab directly over the driveshaft would be the best way to go, mounted to the top of the diff

KYOTA · « **Reply #9 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 03:19:19 PM »

works great

Suprarunner · « **Reply #10 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 04:51:30 PM »

Does'nt work.... Just cant figure it out, worked on those jeeps I saw in Tellico. I'll try to get some pics on here so maybe I can get some suggestions. It will be difficult to go forward because the exhaust on th 5M is on the pass. side and I got all this crazy crossover exhaust under there.

BigMike · « **Reply #11 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 07:01:35 PM »

KYOTA: Home made? Very nice

Suprarunner · « **Reply #12 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 07:17:01 PM »

Pics.

Skinny_Pedal · « **Reply #13 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 07:48:04 PM »

thats a different look. does it work good?

KYOTA · « **Reply #14 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 07:52:12 PM »

Quote from: BigMike on Oct 17, 2004, 07:01:35 PM

KYOTA: Home made? Very nice

Yep, copied Jay K's design works very well

KYOTA · « **Reply #15 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 07:58:43 PM »

Trac bars with only 1 attachment point on the housing still allows the bottom of the housing to rotate under, 2 attachment points wont allow the top to move back or the bottom to move forward.

shortbus · « **Reply #16 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 08:33:56 PM »

Were the jeeps you saw spring under axle? That could be why it worked better for them as the spring mounts under the axle creating a lower link??? I think its still a bad design. You need two solid axle mounts coming forward attaching to a vertical shackle at the frame, cut the exhaust out. if you can fab a trac bar you can fab exhaust

Look at KYota's bar and copy it.

BigMike · « **Reply #17 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 09:04:42 PM »

Suprarunner - I'm telling ya that design can not physically be good. It may work but its stealing a whole lot of up-travel.

I will say it one more time, that link is taking load of the suspension uptravel. Try to avoid doing that setup if possible!!!

It will still articulate ok because the center line of the axle doesn't have to move up or down in order to articulate, but up travel and down travel will be severely reduced. That part will break off some day.

jvministries · « **Reply #18 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 10:54:39 PM »

in normal operation. Springs which have an arch to them will move the axle rearward when compressed and when you truss one it will cause lateral forces to be applied to the mounting points. that is why crossmembers are breaking. People are running rubber bushings or a shackle link to oppose these forces.

you have basically caused the springs to rotate using the housing and rear crossmember as leverages against the springs natural articulaion movements.

so your springs will take all the forces causing extra multiplied flex to the front half of the springs. (forced spring wrap) the springs cannot go forward and up at the same time with out bending to compensate for it. so either the housing mounts will fail or the rods attachment points or the springs which ever is the weakest.

BigMike · « **Reply #19 on:** Oct 17, 2004, 11:56:04 PM »

yeah. the springs would have to 'S' bend in the front half in order to allow full up travel.

WHITE_TRASH · « **Reply #20 on:** Oct 18, 2004, 12:07:16 AM »

Wow I just caught on to what style of trac bar you were talking about suprarunner, listen to mike on this. When I bought my 84 the toothless yokel that owned it before me had built a traction bar like that. It was attached to the top of the housing and ran back to the crossmember for hte spare tire. The crossmember was wasted! THe rearend actually moves back on compression and forward on droop so the bar was trying to limit that motion and the crossmember gave before anything else.

BigMike · « **Reply #21 on:** Oct 18, 2004, 12:11:42 AM »

Suprarunner -

I know your exhaust is in the way, but is it possible to cross it over beneath the trans bellhousing? or somewhere up front? so that way you could build a forward trac bar?

Suprarunner · « **Reply #22 on:** Oct 18, 2004, 05:19:03 AM »

Well, I thought I would try this because I saw it work on the other trucks. It was only experimental, I plan on making a trac bar that runs forward now but I just wanted to see if I could get away with this. I'll either run me a cross bar where Kyota did and run a trac bar there or drop the gas tank, put the exhaust down the side it's suppose to be on and four link it.

It was worth a try, now I know it doesn't work so I'll just build it different.

BigMike · « **Reply #23 on:** Oct 18, 2004, 10:14:38 AM »

What ever you do, good luck with it and start a topic in the project section so we can cheer ya on!

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