How to: Make traction bars
 

I made these for my S10 but the same can be done for a fullsize. I have two buddies that have this same set-up on their Cummins with tons of luck.

Here is what I started with.
3 Point hitch Top link for a tractor (2)
Rectangle tubing
Square tubing (I used this so I could turn/load the bar)
Flat steel
3/4" bolts (4)
Longer U-bolts for the rear axle (I was swapping my axle so I had them made longer)

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Then I cut the top link in half.
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I cut part of some square tubing so I could use them to adjust the traction bars.
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Then welded them in the middle (just spot welded)
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I took the top link and screwed it all the way in and then drilled holes to fill weld to make the ends stronger on the rod. Right now I am just spot welding everything and I will weld all around the ends.
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The rear mount without a hole for the bolt
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Front mount without the hole
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The square tube welded on so I can pre-load and adjust the springs
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Some mock up pics
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Lowest point of the bar in front of the rear wheel
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The height of the front mount
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Continued....

So this setup is bolted to the frame and not the front leaf bolt? I guess as long as it prevents axle wrap its good correct?

nice setup. does any company make long bars for 99-06 1500 anyways? i know they make them for fords.

s10 looks badass. always wanted to do a s10 like that but it becomes pita with a turbo and whatnot in that engine bay.

This setup bolts to the bottom of the axel with the U-bolt and then attaches to the frame in the front. I have zero axel wrap, zero wheel hop and these make this thing plant the rear.

I don't know for sure. They do make the caltrac bars for them but i wanted something that did the same but pulled up on the front while pushing down on the rear. I do know that a company make these for the 1500 but they do for the duramax trucks.

yea the fords use this setup and it works very very well. idk why someone doesnt make a set for GM trucks. they would make a killing.

im ify with caltrac. iv seen them bend and or break or not help as much as they should. i rather have a long bar setup like pictured above.

I know people have success with them but I have also read about how they bend the mono-leaf springs on S10's. On top of that they still don't transfer weight like I want them to. So far I couldn't be happier with them. I will post up some videos with them shortly. If I get a GoPro I will try to get a video of them up close holding the rear from turning.

Is there a certain length and or angle to shoot for on the bar?

Good write up!

tagged

exact reason I never ran caltrac's was the weight transfer and never lifting of the front end. Im in for results as well.

I wonder how you could connect them to the axle if you had a flip kit on a nnbs, cause dont the u-bolt ends face upwards?
great write up though! my dime(s) are terrible for wheel hop, all 3 I've had did it something terrible so now that I've seen this i'll keep it in mind!

Very impressive.

How do you decide how long you want a traction bar to be? I'm in need of a set and wonder when you would go longer vs shorter or vise versa.

Great write up - definitely bookmarking this

I just tried a length and found one that worked. I wanted them as long as I could so it would "push up on the front" and "Set" the rear without binding. I found a length that wouldn't bind and went with it. There is math you can do and figure it out but I was never a wiz in Geometry.

I hope this video will prove that she just hooks and goes...
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps23492ccf.jpg

I realize it's a few months later, but I'm curious as to where you bought the top links and the main pipe on the bar, also what size is the pipe?

you can get those links on ebay or any tractor store. Tons of diesel guys make them the same way

Im in process of building my own bars right now same way just slightly different parts

You essentially wanna stay with the angle of your driveshaft.

Awesome, I was hoping to hear that plenty of people actually do it this way, it looks like a solid design after all. Where did you and/or LSGUNSS find the pipe/bar that makes up the base of the traction bar, and what are its dimensions? I realize I can search on google for "steel bar" and such but I wasn't sure if it is actually a specific type of bar, or if a certain type of metal is better than another for this. I figured it would be better to get the specs from someone who has made, or is making them.




That is actually what I figured the proper angle would be, thank you for confirming that!

Very nice write up!!

It sounds like the people having problems with cal-tracs not lifting the front or not planting the tires don't have the bars set up correctly. There's cars with 1000+ horsepower with just cal tracs and shocks that flat out dead hook. I'm not saying these don't work or won't help anybody, but I would think there's more geometry than what's been used in this for a successful suspension. This sounds like something more for people on a very small budget and not making much more than 400 horsepower or so.......just my thoughts.

Thanks for you input. I agree this isn't a fix all for traction on every car or truck and you are right caltrac's work on most cars/trucks. I still don't like the idea of how it loads just the spring and not the frame. I also think if 1000HP pulling trucks use the same setup that I am running it should do ok for my little HP truck.

Big difference in suspension setup between a drag druck and pulling truck. But im sure those will work well in your low hp truck. +1 for thinking out of the box tho..

subbn so I wont forget where this is..

Looks legit. How much it run ya to build them?

I'm really interested in making a set of these for my truck but have some questions?

1.) since its a hard mount setup is there any road noise or vibrations from them being installed?

2.) how did you find out what length was good for your truck?

3.) if I installed mounts on lower plates from my flip kit and the frame on the other side the bars would be angled in a little would that be ok?

4.) are you having any issues with ground clearance since the bars hang low?

Interesting

I made my own as well, very similar I used 7/8" rod ends and and 1" tubing. They worked great until my forward mounts got ripped off, trying to stop my rear end from twisting. I built them stronger and no more issues.

post some pics if you dont mind.