Axle Wrap

I have some questions about how to eliminate axle wrap. I have searched on here and I haven't found anything yet. I was thinking of building a bracket over the rear chunk and running an arm to it. Does anyone have any pictures of there set up? Does one of our sponsors make a setup for this.? Please give me detail information on how to set this up.

I have a dana 60 hd rear axle. Wheeling last week a guy noticed I had a little axle wrap. He said it wasn't bad, but might want to make some changes.

I searched using the term 'traction bar' and came up with this.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=87177

On Pirate.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Anti_wrap_bar/antiwrapbar.htm

Found a link from here.

http://www.bluetorchfab.com/oscomm/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=132&products_id=407

Found a link from here.

http://mountainoffroad.com/catalog/traction%20bar/tractionbar.html

caglezxj said:

I have a dana 60 hd rear axle. Wheeling last week a guy noticed I had a little axle wrap. He said it wasn't bad, but might want to make some changes.

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Have you had the chance of taking a look at it yourself? Is it just some guy telling you this? Some people are full of BS.
http://mountainoffroad.com/catalog/traction bar/tractionbar.html

You are right, and from the video clip It looked like my chunk was hitting a rock near the pinion side and it was probably pushing my axle up. I am going to check it out more before I make changes. My driveline is right on, everything looks and works great. Just studying up before I make changes. Thanks for those links.

Just an opinion...

I met a guy who took some 3" wide flat stock steel, and cut two 10" long pieces.

He matched up his u-bolt holes, over each axle perch, and drilled the stock. He mounted them just on under the leafs, like a "mini-leaf". The Mini pushes against the big pack, and you can see the wear marks where the front of the stock touches the pack. The backside of the pack and stock don't seem to show the same wear- so I'm just guessing this was a "good idea".

Even though they were not a part of the leaf pack, attaching them to the u-bolts, instead of the leafs really seemed to do a pretty good job at keeping the axle from shifting under power. It appears that the leaf pack didn't have as much "roll" when he got on the skinny pedal.

I was thinking about trying the same thing this spring, when I'm going over stuff for the summer wheeling season. I've had my lift on for a year now, and the spring pack is "broken in". I've swapped drive shafts, and this fall, I noticed a "grunge" sound, when I jump on the gas- I think it's from spring wrap, but I haven't had a set of eyes looking when I engauge the gas.

It seems like a cheap, and plausible fix- but I won't be able to tell from experience until next spring- myself. If you try, let me know how it works.

caglezxj said:

I have some questions about how to eliminate axle wrap. I have searched on here and I haven't found anything yet. I was thinking of building a bracket over the rear chunk and running an arm to it. Does anyone have any pictures of there set up? Does one of our sponsors make a setup for this.? Please give me detail information on how to set this up.

I have a dana 60 hd rear axle. Wheeling last week a guy noticed I had a little axle wrap. He said it wasn't bad, but might want to make some changes.

Click to expand...

Hey Josh,
Glad to hear things are working well for you. You will get axle wrap on any spring over set up, as compared to a spring under arrangement. I'm not sure if it was on here, or in a magazine that I read some actual physics on it, lever arms etc. the main leaf is just plane further from the axle center line when the springs are on top of the axle. The more leaves the more you exaccerbate the problem ...The more leaves the more flexible the spring back will be...the more restricted the springs are, read "spring clamps" the less axle wrap issues you'll get...the more restricted the leaf pack the less flex you will get.....it's all a trade off. I left all my spring clamps on, and tight because I need this set of leaves to last awhile. So I'm giving up some flex/droop for less spring wrap. I believe the only way to "control" axle wrap is with a "traction bar." This was the solution I ended up on with my spring over'd Samurai after eating 2 sets of springs, and breaking a very expensive driveshaft that was never supposed to break! With the traction bar, the springs (6 leaf stock wrangler springs) held up well, and flexed well.:sunshine:

ChuckstrPT said:

I'm not sure if it was on here, or in a magazine that I read some actual physics on it, lever arms etc. the main leaf is just plane further from the axle center line when the springs are on top of the axle. The more leaves the more you exaccerbate the problem ...The more leaves the more flexible the spring back will be...

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interesting... i thought that a heavier-duty leaf pack would be stiffer and therefore less suspetible to axle wrap, but what you are saying makes sense. i'd love to read the article to which you refer.

i've been trying to figure out the reasons for my wrap problems. my first lift was a full spring pack (not aal). it soon started sagging because of the added weight of my gear and armor. i asked a local company - they are an industrial shop, doing dumptrucks and the like - to build me a spring pack to correct the sag as well as add some lift (since i was ready to go higher anyway, this was the time to do it). i didn't tell them how to do it, just to do it. this is what i got:

so i've been experiencing all kinds of rear driveline breakages: broken sye output shaft, numerous u-joints, broken pinion yoke, axle tube twisted in the diff housing. :bawl:

i wonder if swapping out the monster packs to something more appropriate would solve my problem.

Even before installing a Chevy, I was experiencing axle wrap. With the V8, it became intolerable, so after much searching (here and Pirate--tons of info), I designed mine as depicted in the following pics.

altierior said:

interesting... i thought that a heavier-duty leaf pack would be stiffer and therefore less suspetible to axle wrap, but what you are saying makes sense. i'd love to read the article to which you refer.

Click to expand...

In regards to the spring packs...I believe that is multiple thiner leaves will flex better than a spring pack that has fewer and thicker leaves. Heavy Duty doesn't always mean more thinner leaves.