I've searched this a bit but didn't really find an answer. I want to build ladder bars for my tudor sedan. Will use the urethane bushed ends for the front center pivot, but I'm wondering about the ends mounted to the rear axle. Use a clevis end to a single plate mount or a rod end with double plate mounts each side? What are the advantages or disadvantages to either one method. Is it a strength issue? Ease of build - simple one plate or over doing it with two plates? I don't want to over do it if I don't have to. Thanks.
Rod ends will have some give/complaince ,clevis has none. The 2 plates for rod ends are usually 1/2 as thick as the single plate.
WRONG!!!! If you don't put some sort of swivel connection on the four link (rod ends, tie rod end, urethane bushed ends etc) you have just defeated the purpose of using a four link and allowing the housing to rotate on the longitudinal axis of the chassis. With ladder bars and hairpins you have a truss anyway and the connection at the housing has no axial rotation so there is no need to have a swivelling connection in that case. Roo
Do not use clevis' as there is some sort of movement/swivel whatever you want to call it when one tire drops into a pothole. There may not be much movement but there has to be something to keep the whole mess from binding up. Ladder bars on a drag car work because there isn't any potholes and both sides of the suspension work together (like when it launches) but a street car pulling out of a parking lot onto the highway goes thru a lot of suspension movement.
pete & jake's use clevis's on their rear ladder bars . i have put many of miles on them with no problems
You can get away with clevis ends but the one most obvious advantage to the heim joint or spherical rod end is the bearing. With the clevis you have nothing between the end and the bolt. Either the hole through the clevis will wear or the bolt will wear. With the rod end the ball acts as a bearing and in theory you should have less opportunity for mechanical failure. I would probably use the heim joint if it were me but either is doable.
Thanks for the replys. I was planning on doing a Pete & Jakes type ladder bar but I have some heim joint ends to use instead of clevis ends. That got me to wondering if the clevis was some way preferred over the others. Maybe easier to mount the plates, I don't know??
if you have the heims now, i would just go ahead and use them. i will say again that there should be no problems with clevis's if setup properly. i built a `29 tudor back in 1987 with copies of Pete & Jake ladder bars with clevis's and they are still doing fine after 20 years and 40,000+ miles
I have built 6 cars with clevis' on the ladder bars. Combined we have over well 50,000 miles on these cars (one, mine, has 30,000) and have no issues at all. No binding with a triangulated ladder bar on the street that I have ever experienced.
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