Tuff Country Traction Bars
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Mountain Pass
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Tuff Country Traction Bars
looking at the new jc whitney catalog i found somthing interisting tuff country is making traction bars for 99-04 superduties that suppositly stop axle wrap.and that is suppositly what causes the ex to wander.
anyone try these yet at 119.00 it seems to be a much cheaper solution than the famous radius rods
pete
anyone try these yet at 119.00 it seems to be a much cheaper solution than the famous radius rods
pete
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Aug 2004
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the general consensus is that most x's have some rear steer caused by the leaf spring and block setup bending.ford tryed to address the problem by installing a extra bar with a rubber snubber on th 4x4's.
landyot sells somthing called a radius rod that people swear by.but the tuff country kit might do the same thing for 200 less .
it seams that the wandering gets more pronounced heavly loaded.most likly from the spring being settled.
my x dosent wander too bad but ford just replaced the steering box under warrenty.it still dosent drive like my (dare i say) chevy 2500 that tracs straight even pulling my 38ft trailer
thanks
pete
landyot sells somthing called a radius rod that people swear by.but the tuff country kit might do the same thing for 200 less .
it seams that the wandering gets more pronounced heavly loaded.most likly from the spring being settled.
my x dosent wander too bad but ford just replaced the steering box under warrenty.it still dosent drive like my (dare i say) chevy 2500 that tracs straight even pulling my 38ft trailer
thanks
pete
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From: Tulsa, OK
Hey, this is a really good question. Technically, a traction bar should work better than radius rods, if designed correctly. The radius rods depend upon a "clamp" near the front part of spring pack. This "clamp" may interfere with normal spring action and eventually may fail. A traction bar may provide even more control (due to increased leverage) and more durability while sacrificing some ground clearance. Any device (traction bar or radius rod) needs compliance in the fore/aft direction, but still must control the position of the rear axle as it tries to "wrap".
Anybody with experience with traction bars out there?
Anybody with experience with traction bars out there?
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Mountain Pass
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by the looks of the picture it mounts above the axle so ground clearance isent an issue.it's hard to explain but it looks to be a 4"L shaped bracket that gets clamped in by the springpac.the top of the bracked connects to a bar that connects to the frame keeping the spring from twisting front to back.seems simple and dosent have any parts that could break.
it's on page nh14 of the catalog
guess i might just have to try a set
pete
it's on page nh14 of the catalog
guess i might just have to try a set
pete
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They are now $77.00 and some change at the JCW website. I know they list them as for 4WD f-250's but would they fit the rear axle of a 2WD "X"? or are there clearance issues?
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Mountain Pass
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your right 77.99 and free shipping i had to order a set should be able to get them on next weekend if the free shipping isent by camel.
i'll post a pic when i get them
pete
i'll post a pic when i get them
pete
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From: SEVA
I had some those JCW/TC traction bars on a vehicle that weight less than half of the X. They worked for awhile, but didn't last long. Parts broke after the bushings failed. They're a good idea ... just poor execution.
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Mountain Pass
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i'm not afraid to stiffen them up before i install them where did yours brake??by the looks of them from the picture they might need a little reinforcement where they connect to the u bolts.
pete
pete
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Traction bars
I just finnished and installed my own over the axle bars. I have a lot of lift block in the rear so this was a huge improvment. I'm not scared to burn out or panic stop now. There was still a little wander so I measured the front tires and added a 32nd of toe in. Now I can take my hands off the wheel and not change lanes. I don't know what spec is for the toe but I do know that to much toe will ware the tires and to little will wander.
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Ramsmoker: did you install the jcwhitney bars? How long did it take you? Do you have a 4x4? I am interested in improving the wander on my o1 4x4 limited. I towed a trailer which only weighs 3500 and it seemed to improve the wander. I may have to check the specs on my toe. Let us know how you like the bars after a little testing!!! Thanks JOHN
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Traction bars
I made my own because my little brain said that it would be important to have the bars level to keep from binding. I have 6" of bock under mine. Axle wrap was a huge problem. Now she drives like new, with or without the 10,000# trailer.
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From: OUTER BANKS NC
Originally Posted by ramsmoker
I made my own because my little brain said that it would be important to have the bars level to keep from binding. I have 6" of bock under mine. Axle wrap was a huge problem. Now she drives like new, with or without the 10,000# trailer.
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I've got a pair to go on as soon as I get the chance. I had a pair on an F150 for years and they were still fine when I sold the truck.
IMO it will work as well as that $400 piece, minus the spring clamp. For drag racing the clamps are used to stiffen the spring-pack and also help eliminate wrap. The thing I didn't like is how the "other" bars effectively eliminate the front half of the pack. Not only is it clamped, but triangulated by fixxing the distancesfrom the axle, so only the back half can flex. I feel the largest differances users are feeling is a better spring.
I also got a pair of 3 1/2" exhaust clamps to put the bars in front of the axle if it'll work that way. The only part that could use a little beefing is the L bracket, but it is the same as my previous, and I had NO problems, and that truck worked for a living.
The Tuff Country ladder bar would be my bar of choice if I had the xtra cash.
I also stumbled accross a post where a guy took a square U-bolt, 2 flat plates that fit the bolt, a chunk of tire, and clamped the stock bar to the rest of the spring to make the bar work both ways. Seems like it would work to me.
IMO it will work as well as that $400 piece, minus the spring clamp. For drag racing the clamps are used to stiffen the spring-pack and also help eliminate wrap. The thing I didn't like is how the "other" bars effectively eliminate the front half of the pack. Not only is it clamped, but triangulated by fixxing the distancesfrom the axle, so only the back half can flex. I feel the largest differances users are feeling is a better spring.
I also got a pair of 3 1/2" exhaust clamps to put the bars in front of the axle if it'll work that way. The only part that could use a little beefing is the L bracket, but it is the same as my previous, and I had NO problems, and that truck worked for a living.
The Tuff Country ladder bar would be my bar of choice if I had the xtra cash.
I also stumbled accross a post where a guy took a square U-bolt, 2 flat plates that fit the bolt, a chunk of tire, and clamped the stock bar to the rest of the spring to make the bar work both ways. Seems like it would work to me.
Last edited by Fords4Me; Feb 21, 2006 at 08:03 AM.