James Duff Traction Bar Question
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#11
Originally Posted by bucky919
did they stop making them?
I don't know why they would discontinue the small housing bars unless they decided that the Classic (also small housing) is close enough that it will work without them having to stock another kit. I guess it's possible - we used to just modify the Classics to fit the newer trucks before the bolt on 98+ bars came out.
#12
#13
Originally Posted by bucky919
I emailed them and they said the #5304 '98+ Ranger Small Housing are no longer available.
is there any other companys that sell traction bars that will fit, that dont cost to much?
is there any other companys that sell traction bars that will fit, that dont cost to much?
To make the Classics work, the holes in the L-brackets may need to be slotted slightly for the U-bolt spacing and/or the edges beveled to clear your Ranger's spring plates. Neither of these small modifications is a high precision operation and can be accomplished by filing. Most owners also straightened the slight kink formed into the front plates but some didn't even bother with it.
#14
hey bob is there a tech with pics on how to mod the classic traction bars ? do you think i should just go ahead with the classics ? do these ones have problems with the brackets hitting when the suspension is fully compressed i remember reading there was a problem with that. if i can see some pics to show just what i need to do then i'll modify them . duff must be loosing some money cuz seems quite a few people want the small housing ones .
I'm pretty disapointed that i've been waiting about a year to get my traction bars and now they don't make the small housing ! I was hopeing to get them for xmas and test it out when i go offroading on new years !
I'm pretty disapointed that i've been waiting about a year to get my traction bars and now they don't make the small housing ! I was hopeing to get them for xmas and test it out when i go offroading on new years !
#15
Issue 1: The 97-back had a small interference on the 98+ spring plates. You can just lay the Duff L-brackets on the plates and you can see what needs to be ground or filed off. Pretty easy.
Issue 2: The front bracket has a slight bend in it for the 97-back spring hanger. The bracket will fit the 98+ hanger better if that bend is removed. A little hammer work will flatten it out.
Hitting the bed: Under severe use, the 97- bars could hit the pinch weld on the bottom of the 98+ bed. It's not a real big deal but it can bend the edge about 1/2" when the suspension bottoms out. Most Ranger owners don't bottom the rear suspension unless the truck is heavily loaded and/or used hard off road.
The above info is for the 97- as we used to install them on 98+. I haven't seen the most recent version of the Classics yet and I don't know for sure if they are exactly the same as before or not. It's possible that Duff changed them a bit. At any rate, getting them to fit your truck shouldn't require too much effort at all.
Issue 2: The front bracket has a slight bend in it for the 97-back spring hanger. The bracket will fit the 98+ hanger better if that bend is removed. A little hammer work will flatten it out.
Hitting the bed: Under severe use, the 97- bars could hit the pinch weld on the bottom of the 98+ bed. It's not a real big deal but it can bend the edge about 1/2" when the suspension bottoms out. Most Ranger owners don't bottom the rear suspension unless the truck is heavily loaded and/or used hard off road.
The above info is for the 97- as we used to install them on 98+. I haven't seen the most recent version of the Classics yet and I don't know for sure if they are exactly the same as before or not. It's possible that Duff changed them a bit. At any rate, getting them to fit your truck shouldn't require too much effort at all.
#16
This might help:
http://www.generation-edge.info/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1642
As mentioned, you may have to grind a little off the rear brackets to get them to fit the spring perches. The bend in the front is to accomodate older Rrangers with angled from leaf spring mounts. I did not have to grind the rear brackets on mine, and straightened the front ones in a vise. The pics in the article should give you an idea what you're up against.
I don't remember which part number I used on my truck, which is an '03 Edge. Bob is a whole lot more up to date on this than I am, so he'll probably be able to add whatever corrections may need to be made to the how-to posted above.
http://www.generation-edge.info/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1642
As mentioned, you may have to grind a little off the rear brackets to get them to fit the spring perches. The bend in the front is to accomodate older Rrangers with angled from leaf spring mounts. I did not have to grind the rear brackets on mine, and straightened the front ones in a vise. The pics in the article should give you an idea what you're up against.
I don't remember which part number I used on my truck, which is an '03 Edge. Bob is a whole lot more up to date on this than I am, so he'll probably be able to add whatever corrections may need to be made to the how-to posted above.
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