Traction bars....

[roachcoach]

Built some, it took me about two days to get these built. I used three top links off of a tractor and some 1 1/4 i/d pipe. When I put the final braces in they pulled about a half an inch so now they are a son of a gun to install but it's not impossible.



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I also built some limiters:



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All of this was done for sled pulling. I hooked once and broke both engine mounts, trashed a radiator, and broke the output shaft on the transfer case. My plan was to keep it from jumping clear off the ground next time I pulled. So I did all this.



I have one question. I want to limit the engine from twisting, has anyone made a limiter to keep it from twisting? Like a chain or strap hooked ti the block and a solid point on the truck?



Thanks,



Craig

 

[RWherley]

I've seen it done on gas engins before mainly on big power V8's, most of the good ones are steel turn buckels, but i don't see why you cant do it on your truck, just find a good strong mounting point on the engine and go from there.

 

[RSchwarzli]

Wow. Well done!

Now you have me thinking.....

 

[roachcoach]

I just want to warn everybody, if you want to run traction bars permanently, don't use this setup. With the three link style setup mounted solid at all points it's going to ride like there is no suspension. I don't need traction bars on the street or anywhere but the sled pulling track for that matter, that's why I did it this way, these will only be installed when a pull comes around. I just didn't want anybody putting this on their DD permanently and being extremely disappointed when it rides like a brick. If you want to run bars all the time use the single bar setup mounted on the bottom of the axle or make a slotted hole in the front of the setup I have.

 

[RSchwarzli]

Very valid point. You are 100% correct.

 

[HHhuntitall]

First off, that's some fine MIG welding on those pipe joints and where you attached the brackets to the axle. I like it!!



Now, about the ride (my $. 02 you didn't ask for... )... ... to a point. NOT to be argumentative, but for informational sake, if you match your traction bars curvature to the spring arch travel, it will ride much better... . One way, keeping your stock springs(and ride), requires making a "slider" front bar. Where the two stablilizer arms come to the front mount, there is a longer tube inside a tube. This gives the springs a little more travel, but pretty much eliminates axle wrap. Maybe not the best for sled pulling, but certainly good all around. You have to be able to match the spring arch and rearward travel during compression when the rear shackle allows the springs to move rearward ever so much... ... I've never done it on a diesel, but on a street car, it's a good sleeper trick. Otherwise, without the slider, you have to flatten out the front arch in the springs and add a half-leaf or two to prevent flex, maybe remove the axle lift block, to match the radial travel of bars. The half-leaves will do wonders without traction bars, itself.



As for the engine mounts, I'd be leery of a chain type mount. I'd think it'd snap and vibrate a lot and jerk on the engine block when jumping through gears. I've always use 3/8" aluminum or 1/4" steel plate bolted from the block to the frame/unibody on cars. Again, I've never done that on a diesel in a truck... . Once in a Jeep with a 4BT. It vibrated like a blender full of bolts!!!! ..... owner didn't like, neither did I, so we pulled it and made some custom mounts like a semi-truck, with the steel brackets sitting on top of the frame with Energy Suspension bushings between..... Conveniently, Cummins makes large, threaded holes near the front of the block, just for people like us.



FWIW, I had a PowerWagon with the PTO winch run off the transmission... ... I had a short 5/16" chain wrapped around the motor mount and welded after winching a cattle-trailer back up that got turned over in a tornado. Every time I changed gears or started uphill, it reminded me that I didn't have much of a motor mount on the driver side... . :-laf



Are those tractor links American made? I've used those quite a bit on front axles, making adjustable four-link bars..... The Chinese ones don't handle stress too well. You're keeping your leaf springs under there, so it's not a big deal, but I've broken several dozen of the chinky ones... ... The good American made ones don't wear as fast and I don't think I've broken one yet.....

Some of the good American made ones:

http://www.emfrodends.com/

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/hmxbrng.php (oober expensive!!)

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Suspension-Joints-Rod-Ends-p-1-c-726.html (these guys have chromoly tubing, too)



... ..... and so ends my spilling of a plethora of pointless knowledge... .

 

[HHhuntitall]

Whoa!! Wait??!?! You BROKE the output shaft on the 205??!?!?!?

 

[DVolk]

One of the magazines had a set of bolt on stops that mount in the bump stop area that simply screw down to the axel for that purpose

 

[Shadrach]

I run GDP ladder bars on my 03 4X4 http://www.glacierdieselpower.com/gdept.aspx?dept_id=11 They allow flex so it doesn't ride like a 70's Dodge 4X4 :-laf. With my travel trailer attached they allow for more control over dips at highway speed, but do give a bit harsher ride on wash boards. Shad

 

[roachcoach]

HH, everything you said is 110%correct. I have now done away with the chain, it was a horrible idea in the first place, there was no way it would have done any good the way I was going to do it. and yes, I broke the output on the 205. I got the truck back together yesterday, wanted to test my traction bars. So I revved her up pretty good and dropped the clutch on dry pavement, smoked the tires for a ways with just a bit of wheel chatter, no major bouncing at all. Then I was like, well that was fun, so I did it again, 3200 rpm, dropped the clutch. There went a dana80 yoke, the yoke that comes off of my transfer case and both u-joints, broke them all... ... at once... Dropped the driveshaft perfectly on the ground. I picked up my pieces off of the road, put it in 4wd and headed up my driveway. Called some people, had it fixed at about 3 today. Going to Ohio tomorrow to pick up some p-pump goodies then going to a pull Friday, we/ll see how everything works on the track.

 

[roachcoach]

Ohh, also, HH. I'm not sure on the make of the top links. They're probably the cheap ones, haha. They do have quite a bit of play in the threads so I would never use them for an adjustable control arm or something like that, they'd be way too sloppy. The pipe is hardened though so I hope they work out there. They should be plenty strong, if they aren't I'll always wish they would have been.

 

[roachcoach]

Ohh, also, HH. I'm not sure on the make of the top links. They're probably the cheap ones, haha. They do have quite a bit of play in the threads so I would never use them for an adjustable control arm or something like that, they'd be way too sloppy. The pipe is hardened though so I hope they work out there. They should be plenty strong, if they aren't I'll always wish they would have been. :-laf

 

[HHhuntitall]

Meh, sounds like the weak link ain't the traction bars!!! :-laf

 

[roachcoach]

We'll find out tomorrow...

 

[NIsaacs]

We'll find out tomorrow...

We want the rest of the story, need updates



Nick

 

[roachcoach]

Okay, I pulled, twice. It still bounces like none other but it has calmed down a bit from before. I found out my problem though. All the weight of my truck is on the back end, it needs to be on the front. If you watch it when it's pulling it pulls the front tires off the ground then the rear end unloads and it bounces. I just thought that if you were heavy no matter what you were ahead, that was a very bad assumption. If you look at a pulling truck that somebody knows what they're doing got a hold of the rear end is kinda light, regular bed, not a lot of extra weight in the back, then they either have hanging weights or a weight box up front. We talked to a guy that chased pulls for a living and he had 2800lbs up front and the rest of the truck was gutted. I;ve got a pretty good foundation when it comes to power I just need the truck to be set up better.

So now I'm retiring my truck from pulling because it is the exact opposite of what you want and throwing some junk first gen parts I have laying around together to build a pulling truck. haha

Ohh, I pulled 190 the first time, pretty embarrassing... . Then I got fourth in the open diesel class with a pull of 238. Won 75 bucks. I was super happy about that!!

 

[roachcoach]

My dad is the worst video guy ever, just a warning:

This was my second pull of 238:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=magk9qRTnWA&feature=youtu.be



This was my first pull of 190:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKG8Uga1i-M&feature=plcp

 

[NIsaacs]

Ouch!! That looks brutal:-laf I have done some sled pulling but am not that experienced, it is fun tho. My brother is serious about it and has been doing it for 30 years with a 78 F-250. The bounce can be caused from a number of things and it can still cause him grief. My pickup is a 75 F-250 and to this day has never bounced, we don't really know why. Maybe I don't have enough power to bounce

I don't think the front weight is the issue because my brother enters the 5200 lb class with no weight, then adds for the 6200 and 7200 classes. Tire pressure, hitch length from the rear axle, good front shocks, engine movement, carrier bearing cushion slop, spring wrap and frame give are all players in bounce.

Your dad did fine on the video's, thanks for the link.

Nick

 

[NIsaacs]

I don't know how to post a link but if you go to You Tube and type in Bridger Mt. gas truck pulls 2012, then click on the video by soaring92, his truck (my bro) is the blue Ford with the white top and sign on the bed. He also pulls with the stock diesels.

Nick

 

[cerberusiam]

3200 rpm, dropped the clutch. There went a dana80 yoke, the yoke that comes off of my transfer case and both u-joints, broke them all... ... at once... Dropped the driveshaft perfectly on the ground.

Yeah, do NOT do that even as a test.



As you can clearly see, even the D80 yokes are not heavy enough to handle what the ISB can dish out.



Once you fix the drive line, the next thing to break will be the welds on the axle tubes and the pinion ends up pointing at the bed. :-laf