The PDF attachment is a write-up detailing the install of OUO traction bars on my 2000 F-250 with a 7.3 diesel.

The link below is to a video with similar details of the install, but with commentary.


Comments and questions on YouTube and the FTE forum are welcome.

 

Great video! 5 Star (Excellent) rated thread!

 

Wow. You installed those in about 7 minutes!

Most excellent writeup and documentation!

 

You know man, last night after finishing the video I laughed a bit and told my wife that 3 weeks of work in the garage and 12 hours of work on the footage has been condensed into 6 minutes and 51 seconds of video...

I watched it about 20 times trying to make sure I was not putting too much useless information in there, but was still getting the main points across and showing as much as I could of the install and details about the bars.

I hope it serves as a good reference for years to come because when I was looking for something like this video for our trucks, it just was not out there.

I took a leap of faith with these bars because of the price and my budget, but it turned out to be a superior product that I would recommend to anyone having axle wrap problems.

 

Big thanks for doing this. I hope these are not in my future but I know this will help somebody.

I do not have the patience to video let alone take the time to edit the footage. It's people like you that make this forum so great!

Keep up the good work.

 

You should send OUO a link to this video!

 

Excellent video and you definitely trimmed all of the unneeded stuff out of it. That was the shortest 7 minute video I've seen in a long time.

I don't know about you but my stomach would have been in a knot drilling those holes in the frame fearing that one (or more) would be off by 1/16". Congrats on a job well done (two jobs if you include the video).

 

The frame holes were not a big deal, the ones that I had to mentally prepare for were the ones in the bars that had to be drilled 3 times each. With the frame I was confident that I could get them where they needed to be because it took me a long time to mock the two sides up.

The bars on the other hand you get one shot at it. Sharp bits, slow speed and time is all that is needed though.

The bars truly are a work of art, they are very sturdy and robust. I am 100% happy with my purchase.

Thanks for the compliment.

 

Nice and to the point, Sous! Great job!

 

Looking at your mock up with the brackets and the markings you made on the frame reminds me of a tool an old timer told me about called a transfer punch. It's too late for you to use it but others might in the future. They are precision punches that fit tight into the hole and have a tit in the center so you can insert it into the bracket, rap it with a maul and have a divot centered where you need to start with your smaller drill.

For some reason I can't get Grainger to link up right.

 

Thanks for taking the time on the video AND thanks to Wally on the transfer punch info. If I ever get bored this winter, I would like to move my rear spring hanger and try some of the later model springs.

 

I hear you about the punch and thought of that when I was working under the truck. Although, not sure about how much space there is under there for that and I was already tired of getting up off the floor by the time I marked the holes.

It all worked out for the best though.

 

Outstanding work on the video and install! They are great aren't they? I got a little frisky with the throttle on my rig this weekend and did an uncharacteristic burn out....no wheel hop but plenty of smoke!

 

Thanks, your opinions and thoughts on the PMF bars are one of the main reasons why I selected the OUO bars. The two were neck and neck for a while, but went with the OUO only because I felt the bolt on method of the u-bolt flip would be a bit easier for my situation.

They work great! I was really quite anxious about how they would perform, but was very happy. I did get into the throttle more than normal from a dead stop and like you I saw no wheel hop or axle wrap, it just went. There is no need to feather the throttle and hope for the best anymore. I can apply fuel to the system as I see fit and know with confidence that the truck will do the requested work.

Thank you for answering the multitude of questions I had for you during my decision making process, I really appreciate the first had advice.

 

I received a PM today about the traction bars and thought I would answer it here. The bars have not had much exercise other than a couple of test drives to see if they performed well. I plan to start installing AirLift 5000 air bags tomorrow in order to handle the weight of the 5th wheel better. I think the combination of those two will make the truck a completely different animal when towing heavy come spring time.

More to follow, but still very happy with the bars and how well they went on and perform on the street in real world situations.