Anti Wrap bar design help please.

[EB101]

I have to go with a new bar setup on my Bronco. I tore up a set of old school traction bars so I went to a single bar setup commonly used on Broncos. It is simply a bar that's tied into the top of the 9" housing and runs up to a cross member. Heim on one end, rubber bushing at the other. Well, maybe 4 trips on it and a number of blown joints, the 1.75 inch DOM cross member is cracked in half.

What I'd like to do is maybe use the top anchor point on the housing and lean a ladder bar up to it about a 45 degree angle so it pretty much runs above the drive shaft. Then use a shackle at the other end.

My real questions are: Should I scrap the top mount and go to a traditional 2 point vertical mount along side of the rear pumpkin?
How long should the ladder bar be?
Are there other options I should be looking at instead?

I am not ready to link it, who knows if I ever will.

TIA,
-Steve

 

[I Lean]

Top mount on the pumpkin is just fine. If you have room, you can put both points above the top of the housing, too. That puts a lot of stress on the housing, so gusset appropriately.

If you mount the lower point offset from the upper, that works out also. In fact, that's what I have on my 4runner.
Longer = better for a ladder bar.

 

[abhaulr1]

I have found that using two mounting points on the axle and a single mount with a shackle on a crossmember works the best for me. The shackle mount allows the axle to move with the leaf spring through the arch but prevents the axle from wrapping. Just my 2cents. I've allways made the front mount at the same distance as the front spring mounts. That way the anti-wrap bar doesnt fight the spring. Hope this helps.

Dwayne

 

[EB101]

Thanks Carl! Dwayne, I'd say thanks to you too but I am still a little bitter from that crack you made at the snakes. JK of course.
That front shackle, It just needs to be long enough to clear the bushing and the heim? I'm picturing something like 3.5 inches center to center on it..

 

[I Lean]

Yeah, there won't be a whole lot of movement in that shackle unless you had really super-arched springs or something.

 

[abhaulr1]

Steve, you would have to refresh my memory. I'm getting a little old and have bouts with sometimers!
Dwayne

 

[iamsparticus]

here is a different style it allows the axle to twist around all it wants but keeps it from rotating

 

[abhaulr1]

Yep, you can do the same thing with a hiem joint or a creeper joint on the end. If you choose to do the sliding tupe design, remember to put a shock boot on the sliding tube. If you dont it will fill with dirt or sand and bind up.
Dwayne

 

[iamsparticus]

Yep, you can do the same thing with a hiem joint or a creeper joint on the end. If you choose to do the sliding tupe design, remember to put a shock boot on the sliding tube. If you dont it will fill with dirt or sand and bind up.
Dwayne

Roger that did this kind of antiwrap bar on a very built fj40 because the shackle type one that was on before made the suspension bind alot and to have a unnatural arch but it was not super long either
Longer= better with anti wrap bars of any kind:greg:

 

[cheepin]

Here's a pic of mine.Sorry don't have any of it installed.But it has 2" poly bushing from MORE at the axle and a 3/4" hiem(sleeved down to 5/8") at the other end with another bushing on a crossmember connected with a short shackle.The longer tube is the top.

 

[EB101]

Is there tube that you could get off the shelf to make the sleeved one out of? Or do you take a part in and have it machined? I kind of like the idea of not going with a shackle. I pretty much have to get this built this weekend for since crawlfest is coming up so quick now.

 

[mbryson]

I've had the shackle type design on mine for about 5 years now. Works pretty well for me

 

[abhaulr1]

If you make it out of 1 1/2 .120 then 1 1/4 .120 will slide into it. Or 1 3/4 .120 then 1 1/2 .120 will slide into it.
Hope this helps.
Dwayne

 

[zukijames]

idk if this was mentioned .. and i think your mounting at the center of the axle.. but either way make sure you gusset the axle.. if you have the anti wrap bar on one side and no gussests you can twist your axle tubes

 

[I Lean]

idk if this was mentioned .. and i think your mounting at the center of the axle.. but either way make sure you gusset the axle.. if you have the anti wrap bar on one side and no gussests you can twist your axle tubes

That's not terribly likely on a 9".

 

[88yj]

Bambar
http://www.jeepaholics.com/tech/bambar/
Best thing I have done

 

[EB101]

Thanks for all the input. Here's what I came up with. I tested it out at crawlfest. It seems to work great. I still broke a u-joint but it turns out my pinion yoke is stretched from breaking so many in the past I guess. I recycled some shackles from my son's YJ. I am hoping the old ford won't need anti rejection drugs.
-Steve

 

[ChestonScout]

Looks good!