Ladder Bar Disaster

Wade Mahaffey · 05-02-2015, 08:48 AM

Sounds to me like the possibility of an enlongated bolt hole in the ladder bar mount on the rear housing. This condition occurs when one or more bolts has loosened up. It gradually wears from perfectly round bolt hole, to oval bolt hole. This will allow a big change in the preload on a hard launch. Take the bolts out of the rear on one side, then measure the bolt hole from the 6 o'clock position, to the 12 o'clock position...and then the 3-9 o'clock position using a vernier caliper. Make sure you measure just the bracket and use care not to reach the caliper into the rod end, because it would show perfectly round. Just the bracket holes on both sides of the rod end. You will be checking 8 holes in four brackets. If you find a bad hole, make up two sleeves of tubing with an inside dimension of the bolt 5/8 or 3/4 whatever you have. The tubing needs to be at least .125 wall and about 1/4 to 3/8 long. use a slightly longer bolt with the sleeves in position on both sides of the bracket (like where washers would be) then pull the bolt up tight. Tack weld the sleeves in perfect position, then remove the bolt and rod end and complete the weld all the way around the sleeve to the ladder bar bracket. These sleeves make bolt hole deterioration a thing of the past, if you find wear in a set of holes, you would be smart to take the rear out and sleeve all of the holes. Good luck

Wade Mahaffey

05-02-2015, 08:48 AM	#4
Wade Mahaffey Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 581 Likes: 0 Liked 17 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Ladder Bar Disaster Sounds to me like the possibility of an enlongated bolt hole in the ladder bar mount on the rear housing. This condition occurs when one or more bolts has loosened up. It gradually wears from perfectly round bolt hole, to oval bolt hole. This will allow a big change in the preload on a hard launch. Take the bolts out of the rear on one side, then measure the bolt hole from the 6 o'clock position, to the 12 o'clock position...and then the 3-9 o'clock position using a vernier caliper. Make sure you measure just the bracket and use care not to reach the caliper into the rod end, because it would show perfectly round. Just the bracket holes on both sides of the rod end. You will be checking 8 holes in four brackets. If you find a bad hole, make up two sleeves of tubing with an inside dimension of the bolt 5/8 or 3/4 whatever you have. The tubing needs to be at least .125 wall and about 1/4 to 3/8 long. use a slightly longer bolt with the sleeves in position on both sides of the bracket (like where washers would be) then pull the bolt up tight. Tack weld the sleeves in perfect position, then remove the bolt and rod end and complete the weld all the way around the sleeve to the ladder bar bracket. These sleeves make bolt hole deterioration a thing of the past, if you find wear in a set of holes, you would be smart to take the rear out and sleeve all of the holes. Good luck Wade Mahaffey