Axle truss
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Axle truss
I've heard this discussion many times, Should the truss be on the bottom or the top of the axle? I was going to build one on the rear of a vehicle and thought about going on the top side for ground clearance.
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From: Benton County, MN
Depending on how it was built, I wouldn't think it would matter. Most of them I see go across the bottom of the axle and utilze a skidplate under the diff. I have see some that go across the very back on 9" axles cause there is no diff cover to interfere.
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From: CT
I'd rather it go over the top. With it on the bottom, i feel you loose ground clearance, even tho you may not loose much right under the diff, you loose it across the whole axle tube. Personally i wouldn't trust myself welding a long bead on my axle tube for fear of warping it, build it and tack it on and have it fully welded by a pro.
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Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Spokane, WA
Many of the top rock crawlers and top truck guys run axles which are only trussed on top. No offense rclarke, but there's a HUGE difference between steel and rope and I don't think he's using rope to truss the axle. 
Using a truss design where it is welded to the tube the whole length will provide plenty of support from the top of the axle. This is not to say that you can't truss from the bottom (or both top and bottom) but it does cost a lot of ground clearance and will cause you to get hung up on junk. The exception to this would be if you're doing more pre-runner stuff where you just need support for jumps and you're not really concerned about clearance. For mud, rocks, and trails you want to stick to a top truss.
EDIT Btw, in terms of welding, if you do it yourself be sure to stitch weld the truss to the tube. Do about 3" at a time, skip 3" and move on. Once it's cooled you can come back and fill in the 3" portions that you skipped over. You don't want too much heat in one place. Also, if you get a chance go to www.pirate4x4.com and do some searching in their general forum regarding welding to a diff. They'll give you some good info on treating the diff housing and special rods to use to ensure it will weld up properly.
Using a truss design where it is welded to the tube the whole length will provide plenty of support from the top of the axle. This is not to say that you can't truss from the bottom (or both top and bottom) but it does cost a lot of ground clearance and will cause you to get hung up on junk. The exception to this would be if you're doing more pre-runner stuff where you just need support for jumps and you're not really concerned about clearance. For mud, rocks, and trails you want to stick to a top truss.EDIT Btw, in terms of welding, if you do it yourself be sure to stitch weld the truss to the tube. Do about 3" at a time, skip 3" and move on. Once it's cooled you can come back and fill in the 3" portions that you skipped over. You don't want too much heat in one place. Also, if you get a chance go to www.pirate4x4.com and do some searching in their general forum regarding welding to a diff. They'll give you some good info on treating the diff housing and special rods to use to ensure it will weld up properly.
Last edited by ivanribic; Jan 10, 2005 at 10:39 AM.
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