AgTitan06's Custom Double-Heimed Traction bars

[AgTitan06]

First off, thanks to Colton, aka shinermiller, for spending about 7 hours with me working on these traction bars for my truck. Colton was the fabricator, welder, and brains behind everything. I was able to get my hands dirty a little bit and help with some of the cutting, grinding, and drilling, but no doubt this project belongs to Colton! Thanks again buddy.

Let me give some details on the traction bars. I bought teflon-lined 3/4" heims (25,000 pound rating) for the front and rear. I also bought misalignment spacers, jam nuts, weld-in threaded bungs and 4 stainless steel 1/2" bolts, washers, and nylon-insert lock nuts. The rear parts use left-hand threads heims, bungs, and jam nuts, and the front uses right-hand threaded heims, bungs, and jam nuts. I also bought replacement u-bolt plates so my truck didn't have any down time during the fabrication. We then bought the plate steel and steel bars for the fabrication. Unlike the PRG bars for sale, I used heim joints on the front and rear so the preload can be adjusted, and to allow for greater adjustment and suspension movement. Everything is custom-built from scratch, except the u-bolt plate, which we modified and welded on the reinforced tabs for the heim joints.

I've painted my rear u-bolt plates, but I haven't yet painted the front brackets or the traction bars themselves..however, that will come this week once I get time to sand them down and paint them.

I'll display picture of the completed front bracket, rear bracket, and traction bars, however please visit the link below to my photo album to view the fabrication pictures.

Click here to view the entire photo album of the project

Front bracket:


Front bracket installed:


Rear bracket:



Rear bracket installed:


Traction bars from rear:


Traction bars from side:

[jasonmotox]

notice a differance in handling? looks good, wish I wasn't working away from home so I could have a place and time to mod my truck some more.

[AgTitan06]

Originally Posted by jasonmotox

notice a differance in handling? looks good, wish I wasn't working away from home so I could have a place and time to mod my truck some more.

It's a night and day difference. It feels like a whole new truck. No more wheel hop. No more axle wrap. Faster acceleration. It's amazing.

[Aquaholic]

How much did it cost you to fab them up?

[AF-Medic]

Why all the work on a lifted 2wd truck?

[gyrate]

^^^ I guess you've never hit the gas on pavement?

[Just-in]

Originally Posted by AF-Medic

Why all the work on a lifted 2wd truck?

same as a 4wd?

[Just-in]

Nice work, I'm jealous... especially of the millermatic welder

[jager2704]

Looks great, and thanks for sharing!

[AgTitan06]

Thanks everyone. It was a little over $200-$250 on all the parts and materials...and about 7-8 hours of labor. All traction bars that are currently for sale on use one heim joint per bar, and bushings for the rear. These bars use 2 heim joints instead of bushings.

[Rhino404]

Looks good...feel like making a set for my LWB?

[AgTitan06]

Originally Posted by Rhino404

Looks good...feel like making a set for my LWB?

Right now, we're just making one additional set for the Titan and one more for the Frontier. Titan one is already sold though. It's a lot of work for not a lot of margin.

[AgTitan06]

Alright, here are some more pix:

Left bar cleaned and prepped for paint:


Both bars cleaned and prepped for paint:


Passenger side bar painted (first coat):


Driver side bar painted (first coat):


Front bracket painted:


Heim joints awaiting re-installation:

[AgTitan06]

Here they are completed, painted, and reinstalled on my truck.

[P's Titan]

Originally Posted by AgTitan06

First off, thanks to Colton, aka shinermiller, for spending about 7 hours with me working on these traction bars for my truck. Colton was the fabricator, welder, and brains behind everything.

shouldn't they be called Shinermiller's Custom Double Heimed Traction Bars?