Competition Traction/Ladder Bar Length?

[EdK]

I have been helping a friend with his pulling truck and we are now producing enough power to be causing rear wheel hop. We've added four extra leaves per side and have them clamped, but it's now time to add traction bars.



Back in my "youthful" years, we built various styles of simple bars and then ladder bars with mounting points above and below the axle, then triangulated to a single point on the frame. They were all in the 36" to 48" range.



I know that a street driven vehicle will have a better ride with longer bars; rule was follow the length and angle of the drive shaft.



Now to the question: since most of the "serious" trucks at the pulls seem to all run LONG traction and ladder bars, what is the advantage of them over shorter (36") bars? My friend's pulling truck is NOT street driven any longer, so ride quality isn't an issue. Most tracks we pull at do not allow blocks in the "street legal" classes.



Anyone have the answer to LONG traction devices???



Thanks in advance!



Ed

 

[GOT-Torque]

not necessary, just build them stout.

 

[DCreed]

the length will dictate traction by how much of the vehicles weight will be lifted by torque of the rear axles desire to twist. there is a science to it. I'll look for the exact formula in my chassis builders book somewhere.

 

[jwilliams3]

5-7' long and you are good to go. Just make sure they are tough enough in diameter in wall size.

With a 5 foot bar I wouldnt go smaller than 1. 5" od, with 6' no smaller than 1. 75" you get my drift?

 

[Red Stroke]

Good rule of thumb is no shorter than 6 ft, use at least schedule 80 or DOM

 

[BigBadDodge]

5-7' long and you are good to go. Just make sure they are tough enough in diameter in wall size.

With a 5 foot bar I wouldnt go smaller than 1. 5" od, with 6' no smaller than 1. 75" you get my drift?

What Justin said, but make sure you have good wall thickness the system I fabbed up for the ole BigBadDodge was just over 6' constructed of 2" DOM with 1" wall thickness for pics follow the link below.



Suspension



BBD

 

[GOT-Torque]

Back when I did my research for traction bars, lots of pullers had been using lsfarm's bars and were very satisfied with them. Thats what I ended up going with and was very surprised at how short they were. They are DOM tubing and very heavy. I don't recall what the specs were, I'll have to see if I can find them.

 

[WUnderwood]

here's mine:

#ad

 

[SLangegger]

2" DOM with 1" wall thickness. .





BBD

Scott,



I think you mean 1/2 wall thickness.



Steve

 

[csutton7]

yea he did---mine are 1. 75 x . 25 wall DOM and are 8' long... ... ... ...







don't do pipe no matter what schedule... ..... chris

 

[BigBadDodge]

Scott,



I think you mean 1/2 wall thickness.



Steve

DEE DEE DEE !!!!!



Yeah it wasn't solid round stock :-laf



BBD

 

[Bobcat698]

I did 2" DOM with . 25 walls. They are around 96" long, they work great and my truck doesn't seem to have the body flex that a lot of the trucks display when they go down the track.

 

[EdK]

That's one thing I didn't consider... body flex! I love the TDR!



Ed

 

[DCreed]

Wunderwood- nice bars ,whered you get them?

thats an awfully WHITE truck sure its not gas? LOL!

 

[RyanB]

I did 2" DOM with . 25 walls. They are around 96" long, they work great and my truck doesn't seem to have the body flex that a lot of the trucks display when they go down the track.

This is a post from a little while ago but just wondering if you can go over board on length/wall thickness?



I just got done putting mine on the truck today and from end to end they are 114" long (9 1/2'). I made them out of 2 5/8" Dom with 1/2" wall thick ness. My truck has a wheel base of 172" (14" longer than a quad-cab long box Dodge) so I think I am right inline with the length but just want some opionons. I wanted them long because this truck has enough flex to do crazy things (Doing a burnout you can see where both tires spun, then the drivers rear set of duals actually lifts off the road for 50' and then touches back down and the patch contionues) I thought my Posi was out of the rear end the first time I saw the patch!



Ryan