Trackbar [panhard]
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Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2010
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From: barton city mi
Trackbar [panhard]
On another place I go, one of the members actually broke his trackbar. No idea how that was managed, but it did happen.
My wonderment is why Ford even puts that on a SD 4X4. I know the first thing that comes to mind would be body sway control. Now, I had a '76 and a '78 Power Wagon, granted, both W150, but they didn't have a trackbar, let alone a swaybar.
I had a '97 F250 HD, I don't think it had one, but that's a different suspension to begin with, IFS.
I've never had a semi with one on the front axle either, on the drives yes.
Now one guy mentioned it was because of weight.Maybe so, but when I've got 12k plus on a steer axle, and no trackbar [panhard], I think it might be for a different reason. Could it be overkill? Could it be the leaf springs are so chintzy they twist excessively? And when your suspension is extended, wouldn't it pull your axle to the right of center? I thought that was why guys put the adjustable ones on after a suspension lift.
My wonderment is why Ford even puts that on a SD 4X4. I know the first thing that comes to mind would be body sway control. Now, I had a '76 and a '78 Power Wagon, granted, both W150, but they didn't have a trackbar, let alone a swaybar.
I had a '97 F250 HD, I don't think it had one, but that's a different suspension to begin with, IFS.
I've never had a semi with one on the front axle either, on the drives yes.
Now one guy mentioned it was because of weight.Maybe so, but when I've got 12k plus on a steer axle, and no trackbar [panhard], I think it might be for a different reason. Could it be overkill? Could it be the leaf springs are so chintzy they twist excessively? And when your suspension is extended, wouldn't it pull your axle to the right of center? I thought that was why guys put the adjustable ones on after a suspension lift.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2010
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Its for bump steer and high speed stability. I drove my truck a limited amout of time without it and it was very noticeable.
The leaf sping suspension can be arranged to work without, as on older vehicles, with limited problems. An example of this is my 63 wagoneer, 8-9 inches of lift and very little, barely noticeable bumpsteer when set up right.
The leaf sping suspension can be arranged to work without, as on older vehicles, with limited problems. An example of this is my 63 wagoneer, 8-9 inches of lift and very little, barely noticeable bumpsteer when set up right.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2010
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From: barton city mi
Thank you there, few2many, it makes sense to me what you said. Having that trackbar must have been more cost effective than setting it up right. Would you say driving without it might be dangerous?
On a lot of semi's, all you have is pretty much only half a leaf spring, with an airbag at the end. Those trackbars/panhards are needed more so than a SD, I'd think. They're the only thing that holds the drive axles from a lot of sideplay.
On a lot of semi's, all you have is pretty much only half a leaf spring, with an airbag at the end. Those trackbars/panhards are needed more so than a SD, I'd think. They're the only thing that holds the drive axles from a lot of sideplay.
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Rogue River, Oregon
The track bar on SuperDuty Fords helps control axle movement side-to-side. The reason this is so important is that should the axle move even a little bit, it effectively "steers" the vehicle since if the chassis moves at all, it'll push or pull the steering arm, causing bump steer and quite likely an unexpected lane change!
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2010
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Trucks have had front leafs for years without the panhard bar, not many rear suspensions have them(of course rears dont usually steer).What was it, somewhere in the 80's or 90's they started coming with them? Then, everyone was trying to move to ifs.
They do, to a small extent, restrict unwanted side to side movement. However, Side to side movement wasn't too big a problem. They produce wanted side to side movement. As the axle moves up or down, you want it to travel in the same line as the draglink from the steering gear. IMO, it creates more side to side then it restricts.
They do, to a small extent, restrict unwanted side to side movement. However, Side to side movement wasn't too big a problem. They produce wanted side to side movement. As the axle moves up or down, you want it to travel in the same line as the draglink from the steering gear. IMO, it creates more side to side then it restricts.
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