Ok well, RRMike, and DC i think i am going to do either a 5.5" or 6" block in the back to replace the factory one, but i want to go ahead and fab up some traction bars for the axle. I can weld good and all that, so building it won't be a prob. My question.. does anyone have any up close pictures of the mounts at either ends that i could use for an idea? Also how do they attach, using heavy duty rod ends? Thanks

 

I have seen a few different mounting styles. The front mount on all of the ones I have seen is just a bracket that bolts to the frame......you could weld it if you like. Just fits on the frame rail and has a drop to mount the traction bar in. I guess kind of like the front spring hanger.


For the rear I have seen a bracket that is mounted in between the block and the spring perch. Or a bracket that is welded to the axle tube. I like the ones that are welded to the axle tube myself.


I have also seen many different rod ends. As a matter of fact I was just looking through some older truck mag issues and reading an article about all the different ends......pretty interesting. I'll dig it back out tommorrow......it even talked about the ends that Donahoe uses on his stuff.

There are companies that offer different mounting brackets and rod ends that you could buy.......Factory Tubular and Avalanche Engineering come to mind as places to look. You might even be able to purchase the mounting brackets and rod ends from an Edge dealer if you wanted to ( I know that they do offer a lot of parts sold individually).


You going to make them about 6 feet long?


Hope this helps.

 

6 feet sounds about right, when i look at pictures of some. The mount to the fram, i could just use some bushings on that like the bushings used on leafspring mounts too.. would that work? And another question, is it okay to weld to the axle tube as it sits or would that harm anything? Thanks DC

 

ttt

 

I suppose that bushings would work..........I think that the Pro Comp traction bar mounts are just bushings.

If you get Peterson's 4Wheel and Off Road look in the June 2003 issue. It has a little bit about rod ends and spherical bearings. It also shows the Donahoe Urethand-Bushing Rod End. I know that those ends are used on the trac bar, not positive if they are what is used on the traction bars or not.


As far as welding to the axle tube I'm not an expert in that area. All I have read about welding to the axle tube is to weld a small section (1") at a time so as not to overheat the axle tube and cause it to warp.



Hope this helps.

 

I don't know jack about traction bars because I've never had a problem with axle wrap. I do want to know what's gonna happen to the front of that truck of yours though

 

I just installed a set I made on a buddy's F350 dually 4x4. I made another set for my Excursion. E-mail me and I'll send you a photo or two. If you have the F350, your axle housing is probably 4" dia. You can make a couple clamp-halves from 4" pipe SCH40 (which is actually 4-1/2" diameter).

 

Another idea for the rear mount, you could get another rear shock mount (and mount it on the front side of the axle of course) and modify it to fit the rod end......and then weld it in place to the axle tube.

 

we'll see RRMike.. we'll see

DC and LAND, i think i will do your idea DC.. sounds like an easy already made mount just need to weld it on. This evening i ordered the bushings i will need, i decided to go with bushings like that from leafspring eyes. It should work, since there shouldn't be any side-to-side movement. I guess i will check either a few junk yards, or ahh.. the ford dealer... for the schoick mounts.. thanks again

 

I was doing some more reading about making your own traction bars. According to what I found you can use spring bushings inside 1.5" 0.120-wall tubing if you don't like rod ends.

The rear shock mount might have to be widened out to accomodate the bushing........at least it had to be on a truck I saw that used that as a mount for the rear four link setup.


What kind of tubing are you using?



Hope this helps.

 

i havn't really decided yet, it is probably going to depend on the bushings when they arive, i will take them with me to the steel store.. It says they are 1.5" bushings. Is 6' the optima lenght?

 

6' seems to be the length to make them..........that's what most of the ones I have seen are.

 

I'd skip that shock-mounting bracket ... only because its U-bolt is very small in diameter. I didn't measure them before tossing them out (replaced them when sway-bar was installed), but they were probably only 5/16" dia. rod. I use 1/2" dia. U-bolts.

You can fab brackets from pipe segments. The axle housing is manufactured from steel pipe. The Excursion is 3"IPS (3-1/2" dia,) and the F350 dually I just worked on was 3-1/2"IPS (4" dia.). I simply used pipe of the next size up with sufficient wall thickness that results in a radius that fits snug around the axle housing. Schedule-40 pipe has given the best results thus far.

 

what he was saying about the reversed shock mount is to use it.. but WELD it on, in turn trashing the u-bolts, i cant imagine them holding the traction bar anyways? Now i know why they build them 6'.. they clear the fuel tanbk thata way.

 

Right the u-bolt wouldn't hold the traction bar in place.........that is why I said to weld it. Just like if you were to roate up your rear shock mount to accomodate more lift or give more ground clearance it would have to be welded on or it will pivot back down.


I think that the 6' length is so that when the suspension cycles that the tracton bars don't resitrict suspension movement.