What is the lenght of traction bars that u guys are running??? Getting some this winter and wanting to put 3in blocks in the rear with suspention stops also. Any suggestions on this setup and addvice would be great.

I made my own bars out of 60" sticks. With the heims and everything their probably 6ft or so Id say. Never had a problem, longer the better imo.

mine are 8ft long, eye to eye. A bit long for my taste (tends to bend a bit at the end of the track)

Mine a 1 1/4 DOM tubing, but has held up realy well!

2"x3" heavy wall tube don't bend :D.

The ones im looking at are 85 inches long. Not sure about the thickness, but it is some strong crap.

DOM with 1/4 wall is some pretty heavy duty stuff.

Schedule 80 wont bend. Its probably the best stuff to make them out of if you go with round tube

Mine are just under 70" long eye to eye. on an extended cab short bed.

If you dont mind me asking why are you putting 3" blocks in the rear??

For sled pulling so my rear end stay up and my front end stays lower. Almost all the guys that sled pull back home got em.

Hmm well I would think its gonna pull your front end up the same amount regardless but I guess Ive never seen it used like that before or noticed it. You hang weight?

I hope 2 hang weight next year. Havent hung yet. Pretty much though, i want my rearend up and firm.

a CC SB should be 7' 1" eye to eye.

Garrett

I would keep the truck leve from ened to end. This seemed to work best for me this season. If I went to high the truck kind of fell on its face for some reason.

Mine gets lowered all the way down in the front and goes up probably 2" in the rear. So far it has done the trick for me.

^^^ about what does it for me too. with 1200lbs out front.

Schedule 80 wont bend. Its probably the best stuff to make them out of if you go with round tube

Mine are just under 70" long eye to eye. on an extended cab short bed.

X2!! but i have been shown up by shorter bars at the pulls since the longer ones allow the front to lift more..i can't hang weight and i have to take my road armor bumper and warn winch off for the club pulls...i do pretty well outside of my club though with the long bars. used Sched 80 2" pipe and tony burkhard's traction bar kit for mine....or you can do it yourself with yor own mounts and some 1" third-links.

im guessing your pulling ISP? unless you plan on pulling altered i wouldnt worry about suspension stops or traction bars.. they wont let you run them in stock class. im making a set right now for an altered stock truck and im using 1.5 x2'' tubing with 1'' heim joints about 7' long.. ext. cab long bed

im guessing your pulling ISP? unless you plan on pulling altered i wouldnt worry about suspension stops or traction bars.. they wont let you run them in stock class. im making a set right now for an altered stock truck and im using 1.5 x2'' tubing with 1'' heim joints about 7' long.. ext. cab long bed

hey you get that guy's hitch done yet? :p:

Sorry for a dump question, but I am looking to buy traction bars for a completely different reason. I have a lifted truck and was looking to reduce some axle wrap. I never thought of making my own and was looking at the RIZE bars. They are boxed, triangular, and have a shackle system in the front. The darn things are like $950.

Any reason to spend this much, or is this crazy?

I can get you a kit for about half that price and they work awsome, give me a call 989-550-1288

Any pics, are they shackled, direct mount, over the axle, under, etc? I have had the Randco bars on a diff, truck but I am looking for a little flex for the suspension.

Any one care to share some pics of there traction bar setups for the rear. Thinking about a set for my 02 crewcab shortbox.

Ill try to get some pics up of my system.

wheres the pics tony?

X2!! but i have been shown up by shorter bars at the pulls since the longer ones allow the front to lift more..i can't hang weight and i have to take my road armor bumper and warn winch off for the club pulls...i do pretty well outside of my club though with the long bars. used Sched 80 2" pipe and tony burkhard's traction bar kit for mine....or you can do it yourself with yor own mounts and some 1" third-links.

i'm gonna have to agree the longer the bar the more it's pushing up on the front in my opinion. i plan to make mine this winter, i'm gonna make them around 3 ft i believe, where it pushes straight on the frame instead of raising up on it. but thats just an opinion.

wheres the pics tony?Look in my garage for some pics, that was the first set i made so the new ones look a little better, and also these bars in the pics have been through a few winters of salt. As soon as i get my truck in the shop i can take a few more pics.

i'm gonna have to agree the longer the bar the more it's pushing up on the front in my opinion. i plan to make mine this winter, i'm gonna make them around 3 ft i believe, where it pushes straight on the frame instead of raising up on it. but thats just an opinion.Geometry, longer the bar the better it is on your frame. Take a good look of these videos. I have long bars and you cant see the frame bend. The Dodge boys have short bars and look at the angles of the box to cab. I have seen Trucks total there frames from pulling with short bars.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2693679&postcount=17

Geometry, longer the bar the better it is on your frame. Take a good look of these videos. I have long bars and you cant see the frame bend. The Dodge boys have short bars and look at the angles of the box to cab. I have seen Trucks total there frames from pulling with short bars.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2693679&postcount=17

I have also noticed this issues with the cab and box seperating. Tony do you think cal-tracks could cause this to happen too?

I have also noticed this issues with the cab and box seperating. Tony do you think cal-tracks could cause this to happen too?Yes.

Yes.
Tony if you don't mind could you take some pics of your driveshaft loops front/rear and other safety equiptment if you have time. Thanks, Chad

I have also noticed this issues with the cab and box seperating. Tony do you think cal-tracks could cause this to happen too?


Just so people don't get misled. Caltracs DO NOT push on the frame at any point. It uses the stock rear front spring perch as a pivot and applies it's force to the spring.

Short traction bars that bolt to the bottom of the axle and then to the frame can cause the seperation of the cab and box as well as cause frame damage and/or failure by putting upward stress on an area that was not meant to handle it. This has been witnessed on a few trucks (one Dodge in particular that has been shown on Youtube).

The Cal-Tracs will not stop the cab and box seperation, but they do not add to it.......

Yes.

Tony, why do you believe this? Not doubting, just asking as I see nothing with them that would cause frame issues like a standard short traction bar attached to the incorrect spot on a frame.

A short bar tends to attach to the frame at an upward angle applying upward force to the frame as the axle tries to rotate and places that upward force at a point in the frame that is vulnerable.

By extending the bar, you decrease the angle and by default decrease the upward force placed on the frame. A shorter bar and a properly designed drop bracket will do the same (apply the force laterally instead of vertically). That being said, there are spots on the frame that better suited for handling that lateral force....

I have a few spare sets of 73-87/91 spring hangers and was going to design a set similar to yours, but have found the Cal-Tracs to be a more tunable solution. One of our pullers uses your setup and I am impressed with its construction, strength, function so I am not knocking your product.

Physics shows that a bar like the Cal-Tracs can actually help plant the rearend while a standard traction bar will only resist axle wrap.

I say run short bars plant those back tires

Physics shows that a bar like the Cal-Tracs can actually help plant the rearend while a standard traction bar will only resist axle wrap.You are 100% corect if you are useing them for drag racing or street driving but they have not proven to be the answer for truck pulling. The sled is giving us traction and the long traction bars are stoping wheel hop and taking load off our weak frames. When using suspention stops with short bars or caltracs you just defeted the traction gains of the short bars or caltracs on the pulling track. Its hard to exsplain. On ashphalt short bars and caltracs may be the answer but not on the pulling track. Just my two little cents.

A long bar will not lift the front any more than a short bar will, just the long bar uses leverage out front, becomes one with the frame when suspention stops are used. If you were here in person i could show you, unable to show you in print. Sorry.

i've always been told too that you want your trac bars at the same angle as your drive shaft... they would be pretty short if that is true.

i use Tony's kit and next year i will be troubleshooting my traction issues by changing the angle of the bars.....i think if i found a sturdy way to make the bars more level or downward-pointing then i would be better off....but because i'm lifted close to 6", the bars are at too much of an angle i think.

If you would like i have different front brackets that will drop the front more.

i use Tony's kit and next year i will be troubleshooting my traction issues by changing the angle of the bars.....i think if i found a sturdy way to make the bars more level or downward-pointing then i would be better off....but because i'm lifted close to 6", the bars are at too much of an angle i think.

Tim and Aaron both saw how changing from a "traditional" style traction bar to a Cal-Trac greatly improved traction on a truck that was lifted similar to theirs (Different kit, but similar Geometry). It was either from providing more traction in the rear (which as Tony stated, is really not needed as the sled does that for you), or by helping to increase traction in the front either by providing more front traction or by taking less away than other setups.

As far as putting traction bars at the same angle of the driveshaft, the only reason I have heard for doing this is to help keep the pinion angle from changing due to the traction bars as the suspension changes. It's tough to do as the front of the springs acts like a link and can force the suspension into bind with the traction bar.

Alot of setups will work and most will keep your axle from wrapping to save your driveline, but very few are ideal. That being said, I don't think my setup is ideal yet either.

I am working on a totally new idea/design for the strip and street trucks. Its a design i have not seen yet. The concept is totally new and thats all i can say about that. I am looking for a strip truck in the south that would like to try them out.

what i like with the cal-tracs is that they are level, as was also seen with shawn's truck the cal-tracs put at an angle hurts parts.....i am not going to ditch these 700 dollar bars i spent a lot of time on, that's why i am going to see if just lowering the front of the bars like 6 inches will help keep the front planted

I am working on a totally new idea/design for the strip and street trucks. Its a design i have not seen yet. The concept is totally new and thats all i can say about that.

:cool:

Innovation is what keeps us ahead of the competition. I'm looking forward to seeing this setup.

what i like with the cal-tracs is that they are level, as was also seen with shawn's truck the cal-tracs put at an angle hurts parts.....i am not going to ditch these 700 dollar bars i spent a lot of time on, that's why i am going to see if just lowering the front of the bars like 6 inches will help keep the front planted
$700 bars Tim holy shiznit!!! I think you need to sponsor me next year like your Grandfather does lol.

yup ...450 for Tony's kit then new Ubolts and the cost of the pipe which has to be bought at a plumbing supplier by the stick(20-22 ft) and its actually cost me about a grand for these bars cuz my father picked up the wrong size pipe the first time and they had already cut it for me so they wouldn't take it back....then the five or so hours to put it all together and paint them...if i wasn't doing it myself..could've been more..

yup ...450 for Tony's kit then new Ubolts and the cost of the pipe which has to be bought at a plumbing supplier by the stick(20-22 ft) and its actually cost me about a grand for these bars cuz my father picked up the wrong size pipe the first time and they had already cut it for me so they wouldn't take it back....then the five or so hours to put it all together and paint them...if i wasn't doing it myself..could've been more..
gotta love pullin:)

yup ...450 for Tony's kit then new Ubolts and the cost of the pipe which has to be bought at a plumbing supplier by the stick(20-22 ft) and its actually cost me about a grand for these bars cuz my father picked up the wrong size pipe the first time and they had already cut it for me so they wouldn't take it back....then the five or so hours to put it all together and paint them...if i wasn't doing it myself..could've been more..
holy piss that's a set of sts's right there:shootself:gr_grin:. i bought a set of fabritech bars back years ago for my 8.1. this past year we cut the center section out and kept the joints and ubolts. then i got some 5 or 6 ft (cant remember) scheduled 80 and welded them up. seem to work great. the fabritech's cost me around $350 i think. the 80 was $20 apiece. not too bad of a deal

A set of sts's for $450? Where do u get yours?:eek:

A set of sts's for $450? Where do u get yours?:eek:
no bud he said he's got around a grand in his and thats what i meant a set of sts's could come from, but yes on the otherhand i did get mine with minimal useage for $500 off another dp member :D

ya i know it was expensive.....too expenisve.....STS are coming though too just gotta charge for advertising to raise funds!!! IIRC each stick of sched 80 was $8 per ft. from F.W.WEBB which is a huge plumbing supplier down here.

$700 bars Tim holy shiznit!!! I think you need to sponsor me next year like your Grandfather does lol.


I probabaly had close to that in mine. But I had custom lazer cut rear axle mounts made that replaced my original lower axle cradle. My the bar ends were pretty pricy too. They work great though.

I have to say GO WITH THE LONG BARS for pulling. I'm not sure about most other states but most of the heavy hitters here in Ohio are running the long bars that are almost parallel to the ground. BTW I have new pictures in my garage of my bars and safety stuff don't mind the mud its nasty around here this time of year.

here's my setup i'm gonna try next year. they're about 8ft long made out of 1/4'' wall DOM tubing. quadracer37 was a huge help w/ his awesome welding skills.

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/57/l_b7b4e7c35a164dca95926743106bc82a.jpg
mine are made of .316 wall m/s and 76" long

here's my setup i'm gonna try next year. they're about 8ft long made out of 1/4'' wall DOM tubing. quadracer37 was a huge help w/ his awesome welding skills.WOW! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU HAULING, THAT YOU NEED 8 LEAFS IN THE REAR PACK?

WOW! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU HAULING, THAT YOU NEED 8 LEAFS IN THE REAR PACK?

we can't run blocked suspension in ISP. and what's worse my truck has gotta weigh 6500 lbs. there is no diesel class.......

here's my setup i'm gonna try next year. they're about 8ft long made out of 1/4'' wall DOM tubing. quadracer37 was a huge help w/ his awesome welding skills.

I like your front mounts, that is pretty close to what i had in mind for mine. Would you be able to post some pics of how you mounted the bars to the axle- did you just weld up a bracket to the bottom of the stock plate or did you have a completely new one made- i was thinking of just adding to the stock piece, but was looking for some input! THANKS Steven

quadracer37 made a mount out of some 1/2'' plate that bolted under the axle w/ the u-bolts.

I thought you couldnt run bars in ISP. ????

I thought you couldnt run bars in ISP. ????

altered stock and the new hot-diesel class you can. regular stock class u can't.

When ya gonna run HOT-DIESEL class?!:D

When ya gonna run HOT-DIESEL class?!:D

the isp board had a meeting today. it's a new class this year and at the meeting they were talking about only have it at a few pulls to start with, so nobody really knows yet.

quadracer37 made a mount out of some 1/2'' plate that bolted under the axle w/ the u-bolts.

So, did you get new longer u-bolts or are those still your stock bolts? Thats what is was gtrying to decide between, getting longer bolts or if i could make the stock ones work! THANKS Steven

So, did you get new longer u-bolts or are those still your stock bolts? Thats what is was gtrying to decide between, getting longer bolts or if i could make the stock ones work! THANKS Steven

i was told never to reuse u-bolts....so i have change the springs 3 times and the traction bars so i think i have gone through around 4-5 sets of bolts...3 sets were made for me (3/4" stock)

So, did you get new longer u-bolts or are those still your stock bolts? Thats what is was gtrying to decide between, getting longer bolts or if i could make the stock ones work! THANKS Steven

i got longer u-bolts when i put the extra springs in. just had the guy make 'em a lil long so i had room for the traction bar mount.

The brackets I sell use stock length U-bolts.

The brackets I sell use stock length U-bolts.

Okay, so is it alright to use the stock bolts again? Do you have any pictures or a link to your brackets? THANKS Steven

yes ive changed my suspension countless times, same u bolts. always torque evenly just like anything else

Okay, so is it alright to use the stock bolts again? Do you have any pictures or a link to your brackets? THANKS StevenAs long as the treads are clean and dont bind when torqueing them. Here is an old pic http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/garage.php?do=view&g=5865#

Whats stronger welding it to the axle tubing or to your stock plate?

I prefer not welding on the axle tubes.

thats what i though my buddy here has them welded to the tube and i didn't like it. by the way tony i will be calling you tomorrow to get that egr plate and a pvc rerout

Here is a picture of my traction bar kit

Very Nice Tony!

I have had Tonys bars on my truck for over two years now with no complaints. They work flawlessly for towing, everyday driving, pulling, and i have even drag raced a few times to. Would definably recommend them.

Not wanting to steal thread but Tony, are the front brackets using existing holes or is drilling required??

Thx

Not wanting to steal thread but Tony, are the front brackets using existing holes or is drilling required??

ThxYou will have to drill a few holes in the frame, NO welding. All bolt on.

You will have to drill a few holes in the frame, NO welding. All bolt on.

i scraped and welded mine on right next to the drop bracket for the torsion bars

Where can I get parts to make my own kit? What do I look for?

I can sell you the parts.

here's my setup i'm gonna try next year. they're about 8ft long made out of 1/4'' wall DOM tubing. quadracer37 was a huge help w/ his awesome welding skills.

The pictures that Duramaxsandwich has posted are very similar to how I have my traction bars made.

I have found that the bars need to extend from the rear axle to a point about 1.5'~2' ahead of the cab/bed juncture.

It is very improtant that the bars be ahead of the cab/bed juncture so as to prevent the frame from bending at this point. When the frame bends at this point, the very least that happens is it drops the hitch height. Not much, possibly an inch or two, but it is enough to cause an otherwise good pulling truck to lose distance on the track.

Also very important, and the classes I pull in allow this, the rear axle needs to be blocked as much as allowed. I have removeable axle blocks that allow my rear suspension to be soild when I am pulling. I'll also air the tires up as much as I can. Usually 10psi over what the sidewall calls for.

Tony, how much do you sell your traction bar kits for? I want a bar that works well for both pulling and drag racing. ALso do you run spring clamps with your setup?
Thanks.

Tony, how much do you sell your traction bar kits for? I want a bar that works well for both pulling and drag racing. ALso do you run spring clamps with your setup?
Thanks.

read his sig.....no need for spring clamps with traction bars all they do is help reduce axle wrap which the traction bar does if designed correctly

some do both and i think it's just overkill and makes your truck ride like crap if left on all the time lol

read his sig.....no need for spring clamps with traction bars all they do is help reduce axle wrap which the traction bar does if designed correctly

Thanks, I was so busy looking at the pics i didn't even see the price in his sig.

give me a call and we can talk about it

989-550-1288

I was looking to build a set for my truck- one question i have is, with the spring cup being about 6'' off of the frame rail- does it make sense to have the front mount built out off of the frame rail as well? I have seen alot of setups where guys just have it go right on the bottom of the rail, and i have seen some that had mounts extended off of the rail a few inches. Am i over thinking this, or should i continue fabbing the mount to have it off of the rail? THANKS STEVEN

give me a call and we can talk about it

989-550-1288

Tony, thanks look forward to installing those bars. I must stop this axle wrap before I break my truck!

just made these yesterday. going on the truck today. 7' 1".

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1271337.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1271338.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1271339.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1271340.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1271341.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1271342.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1271344.jpg


Garrett

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1291348.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1291349.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1291350.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/SSpeeDEMONSS/top%20links%20and%20trac%20bars/P1291351.jpg


Garrett

Those bars look nice (and beefy) and the rear mount is nice, but I'm wondering about your front mount.

It looks like it's strong enough for a vertical load, but these bars are a push/pull on the front mount. Maybe it's strong enough, but just had me wondering by looking at the pictures.

Those bars look nice (and beefy) and the rear mount is nice, but I'm wondering about your front mount.

It looks like it's strong enough for a vertical load, but these bars are a push/pull on the front mount. Maybe it's strong enough, but just had me wondering by looking at the pictures.

yeah, ive thought about it and i think it will be fine. i might actually add another tube over this one because i dont think im happy with the .120 wall i used. we'll see. kinda sucks tho, the airdog mount is in the way, i might have to make a new one for it.

Garrett

Ya, you are going to bend the frame with those mounts. Trust me. You need to put some frontal bracing on there, or at the very least it will tear the welds from the frame. There is alot of force being transmited through bars designed like this, and the mounts need to be as strong as possible.

Ya, you are going to bend the frame with those mounts. Trust me. You need to put some frontal bracing on there, or at the very least it will tear the welds from the frame. There is alot of force being transmited through bars designed like this, and the mounts need to be as strong as possible.

ok, thanks. ill start planning some more reinforcements.

i should have plated the whole frame where i put that mount. oh well, ill make it work.

Garrett

.120 wall is sure to fail if used for truck pulling.

.120 wall is sure to fail if used for truck pulling.

it probably wont see any pulling any time soon, but im for sure going to beef it up now.

Garrett

IS anyone running a third link attached to the top of the rear center section and going forward and attaching to the truck frame to keep axle from rotating up?

Danville has the three link

Anyone have a picture of what three link setup looks like on there truck?

heres my traction bars 7ft 2in long eye to eye 2 3/16in round 1/4in wall dom tubing. best picture i got
91242

MAke all of my sets out of 2''x.250 DOM with 1 1/4'' heims at each end. A little pricy but they are sweeeeet :D

PM if any one is interested in a set, I can build to any length):h

Oh ya, I am located around the St. Louis area

min are 2" 3/4 wall DOM pics in Garage

Here is a pic, these were powdercoated. Normally we just paint them, but anything can be done with a little more $$$ involved.

^^^^^^i have been looking for a good design for the front mount on some bars i plan to build real soon. will something simple like welding to the frame like pictured above work for sled pulling? is it strong enough?

not knocking your design 71chevy4x4. those bars look sweet. i just want to make sure i don't break anything or damage my frame while pulling

...also, is welding to the axle tube ok? im sure it is but im just looking for more opinions on it

you can weld to the tube thats fine. when i made ones for my buddy i just used a plate with 4 holes and bolted it to the u bolts hanging down so that way its all removable. do you plan on pulling ISP? not sure where brimfeild is.. are you pulling stock or altered diesel?

heres my front mount, dont have a pic of the rear mount but it is of similar design and welded to the axle tube. And while you are welding back there, weld the tubes to the housing if you havent already done so.

http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr264/Dieselholicpullteam/18572_270081713191_268386478191_329.jpg

You could weld to the axle but i wouldnt weld to the frame. My brackets are all bolt on.
http://allseasondieselperformance.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=160

you can weld to the tube thats fine. when i made ones for my buddy i just used a plate with 4 holes and bolted it to the u bolts hanging down so that way its all removable. do you plan on pulling ISP? not sure where brimfeild is.. are you pulling stock or altered diesel?


x2 thats what i did

i think i got the rear bracket figured out but its just the front mount im trying to decide how to do.

im not sure what class i am in or if its isp? new to all this. pulled at a small town truck pull for the first time last year in laura, IL. this truck is my daily driver so im not trying to get too carried away.

i have also seen some front brackets mounted to the side of the frame and some directly beneath the frame. which is best? probably a lot of different opinions here....

Mine bolts to the bottom and side, it is an L shape, and the actual mount for the bar is under the frame rail.