Budbuilt traction bar

[jentzschman]

Budbilt Traction Bar


I have searched but could not find anything on this subject.

I have a 2000 Tacoma and have been looking into this. Is something like this really needed for DD and few and far between wheeling trips?

From what I have ben able to dig up, it does not interfere with articulation at all or ground clearance.

Thanks for any input.

 

[N-Smooth]

i'm into all the parts to build mine (weld on) about $160...

the bolt on part is neat but kinda sketchy at the same time IMO. the tube is a little on the thin side being .120, it might dent and maybe even bend

pros: it will blow your mind how much better the rear end hooks up and it can keep you from breaking driveline parts

cons: a t-bar on the driver-side will cause some torque lift on the street. some people hate it, others don't care (me). this is less noticeable with a long, flat bar so a lot of it will depend on lift height


alot of yota people are building slip n' twist style t-bars nowadays, check out threads about it on pirate

 

[cheepin]

Screw that.Save yourself the cash and build your own.It's not that hard.

 

[I Lean]

A traction bar will make a nice difference. The driver's side is probably the only place to put one on a Toyota, since there's a fuel tank on the other side.

Bud's bolt-on solution works great, if you don't want to (or can't) fabricate one.

 

[reddman]

I hated my traction bar on the drivers side, and would strongly recommend finding another solution.

The torque lift was annoying on the street, and could get downright scary off road in low range. There was more than one off camber obstacle that, when combined with the torque lift, made my butt pucker. The lower your gears, the worse the lean will get.

 

[Tacoma]

and would strongly recommend finding another solution.

.

since we're on the topic, what kind of other solution? I"m going to need to address this pretty soon I think... Noticed an Ftoy this weekend with kind of a y-link (2 ends on the crossmember, one on top of the diff) from the rear axle to the frame... looked like that definitely wouldn't allow any wrap, but I'm not sure about the geometry.

 

[I Lean]

One point on top of the diff won't do much. It just provides a nice point for the leaves to wrap around. Unless it's spring under axle, but I don't think we're talking about that...

 

[Tacoma]

I didn't look. Hmm. Also didn't watch that Ftoy's suspension while it was on-course.

 

[Crankylove]

hated my traction bar on the drivers side, and would strongly recommend finding another solution.

Would you recommend a passenger side install, two arms, or a different type of setup?

I am looking into some type of anti-wrap setup for my F-250, and have been looking at fabricating a single arm style (similar to the Bud's), since it would work better in the space I have, and I have never cared for the way traditional ladder bars hang down and scrape on anything bigger than speed bumps.

 

[Karnage Fab]

i run a shackle style axle wrap bar on my 90 4runner, it has worked great, im no longer rippin out the bottom studs in my rear 3rd. but ive also got a 200 to 1 crawl ratio with a built 3rz

 

[N-Smooth]

i just finished mine on monday and if there is any torque lift i can't notice it. but then again it is 46" long and only angled up .5 degrees... long and flat are definitely good things. i also ran the top tube the whole way and the bottom one is only as low as the driveline and at the same angle (no loss in clearance) so you can barely see it behind the tire

 

[leorn]

To the original question, if you are getting wheel hop or bouncing or whatever you want to call it on steep obstacles, then a trac bar will resolve that issue and relieve some stress on the leafs. If that isn't a problem for you, you don't need one for what you do.

As to the style, I run a different setup with two 'links' with tractor heims (for supercheapness). one heim attaches toward the bottom of the axle tube, and the other rests on a circular rubber bump stop on the frame and is attached to a shacke above that. I have been running it that way for over 5 years and I really like it.

I am not an expert on link suspensions, but a trac bar will have effects on anti-squat (raising under throttle) If I understand correctly, this might bug people, but it also breaks traction because a portion of the force is sent upward instead of forward, relieving some pressure on the tires and breaking traction. If I am missing the boat here I hope somebody corrects this. Because of this, the only thing I would change on mine is to make the angle flatter by lowering the truck altogether...

 

[I Lean]

Here's the crappy pics of the one on my current 4runner:

 

[Tacoma]

How are those shocks working out? Do you get wicked body roll, or is it pretty stable and just works awesome?

 

[Chevycrew]

Mine are the same way, and they work great.

 

[Shawn]

How are those shocks working out? Do you get wicked body roll, or is it pretty stable and just works awesome?

X2, I ran mine once that way and hated it, never again.

 

[I Lean]

I've changed the shocks since those pictures. It rode fine on the road, did allow more body roll than more-vertical shocks do. I now have Bilsteins, mounted only slightly angled.

 

[Stealth 4x4]

A traction bar will make a nice difference. The driver's side is probably the only place to put one on a Toyota, since there's a fuel tank on the other side.

Bud's bolt-on solution works great, if you don't want to (or can't) fabricate one.

Actually, that depends on which Toyota you have. My Taco is tank on the driver's side, trac bar on the passenger side. I am a huge fan of traction bars on leaf sprung trucks. Check my build thread (link in sig line)for pics of my modified BudBuilt. Sleeved the tubes to quarter wall, beefed up a welded mount to the housing, and installed a new throatier sounding muffler to make room for it.

Most of the mods I do to my truck are to make it perform better offroad, but the trac bar totally eliminated the annoying wheel hop issues I was getting on the pavement due to these super flexy AllPro spring packs. I love the trac bar both on the pavement and on the trail, where it helps immensely. Trac Bar on a leaf sprung rig... If the leaves are soft and flexy, I say a trac bar is highly recommended. But with the BudBuilt, be aware that the bolt-on version has resulted in people breaking their studs, so I suggest a weld-on one.

Good luck, and post up pics of what you end up with.

 

[jentzschman]

Actually, that depends on which Toyota you have. My Taco is tank on the driver's side, trac bar on the passenger side. I am a huge fan of traction bars on leaf sprung trucks. Check my build thread (link in sig line)for pics of my modified BudBuilt. Sleeved the tubes to quarter wall, beefed up a welded mount to the housing, and installed a new throatier sounding muffler to make room for it.

Most of the mods I do to my truck are to make it perform better offroad, but the trac bar totally eliminated the annoying wheel hop issues I was getting on the pavement due to these super flexy AllPro spring packs. I love the trac bar both on the pavement and on the trail, where it helps immensely. Trac Bar on a leaf sprung rig... If the leaves are soft and flexy, I say a trac bar is highly recommended. But with the BudBuilt, be aware that the bolt-on version has resulted in people breaking their studs, so I suggest a weld-on one.

Good luck, and post up pics of what you end up with.

I have OME Dakars in the rear. Wheel hop is not really an issue that I have cared about too much.

I was interested in the BB trac bar for offroad in lo gear.

 

[Stealth 4x4]

Yeah, I guess I wasn't really clear where I was going with that. The point was that not only does it help on the trails, but it is actually a mod that helps both on the trails and on the pavement. Whereas a lot of mods represent a compromise -- it'll help on the trails, but there will be a trade-off on the road whether it be in fuel economy, ride quality, loss of power, or whatever. Not so with a trac bar, which is a win-win IMO. It makes sense for a combo daily driver/crawler, not just for a dedicated trail rig.

Like I said it helps on the trails too, esp. in low when you're putting the torque down on uneven ground. Obstacles where I watch other Tacos get all kinds of wrapped up (to where the leaf springs are clanging like crazy when the leaves part then slap together as the axle wraps and then unloads when the tire leaves the ground, and wraps back up and bounces the ass-end all over the place when it grabs...) with the trac bar mine just goes up it comparatively smooth without any of that nonsense. On trails, I notice the benefit most on big rocks or grippy steep climbs like a lot of the Moab trails, or when climbing up onto ledges and rock piles. In low traction situations I don't notice it much, because axle wrap isn't much of an issue if the tires aren't gripping. Any situation where axle wrap used to drive me nuts in this truck, now there is none of that any more.

All other things being equal, the softer and flexier the springs, the worse the axle wrap. So if your leaf packs are pretty stiff, then you probably are not getting the kind of axle wrap and wheel hop I was before I put the trac bar on it. Once these AllPro packs break in and sag a few inches, they get super flexy, which is great in the rocks. It just comes with worse axle wrap... Another trade-off resulting in the trac bar install. Again, good luck with your decision.