4x4 Ladder Bar Pattern

[mhuppertz]

Anyone have good plans for 4x4 ladder bars that don't hurt ground clearence too much?

[Raymo]

Something like this?

http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/tractionbar.htm

[huntinguy]

How's this?

[Tacoclaw]

Something like this?

http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/tractionbar.htm

What's the point of the lower bar?

I've debated making one for my truck, but I see all these setups with 2 bars in a V from the mount and I don't get it. As far as I can see, all you need is the top bar from that setup. I guess if you're worried about mounting strength, the bottom bar might just be there as an excuse for more mounting area, but from a leverage standpoint the single top bar seems to look ok to me.

[IowaCummins]

Most trac bars just run the bottom bar so when the axle torques it pushes on the bottom bar and keeps the pinion from rotating upwards. if you only had on ebar on top you woul dbe pulling on the bars rather than pushing. when the axle is already pushing on the leaf springs forward propelling the truck forward i would think that woould be alot of stress going back and forth between leaf spring and top only trac bar. bottom only bars you can pre load for specific suspension heights and loads. running a top and bottom "ladder bar" i would think would be very stong and take the best of both but then could bind with the arc of leaf springs if they were not the same length and angle of leafs. picure a $ link suspension with 20" top bars " leaf springs" and 30" bottom bars "ladder bars" that makes stuff bind make it into a triangle effect instead of palalelle. sorry for the rant but when i build my set of trac bars next weekend they are going to be bottom mount only and go to around the back of the cab.

[IowaCummins]

mine are going to be baically the sled bars theese guys sell.

http://lazarsmith.com/tractionbars.html

[huntinguy]

If you put a shackle on the end of the ladder bar it won't bind. This guy explains it the differant tration bar/ladder bar setups pretty well.http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/susp/axlewrap/