track bar

[verdesardog]

Thuren or Carli?

[TwinStick]

Either or, I would say. Can't go wrong with either.

[RustyPW]

The new style Carli has no bushings to go bad. Thuren still uses a bushing on the frame mount. Bill85 had a bushing fail at Rausch Creek this year. He was using a Thuren. It's the first Thuren I seen or heard of failing.

[Reloaderguy]

These are videos posted by a CF member. It was claimed that since the owner had changed the factory steering to something stronger the track bar now flexes. The video shows the Carli bar flexing when turning the wheel when sitting stationary. The owner complained of wandering, slow return to center, and the feeling of axle movement. I believe a member here had a similar experience with an older generation. It is a lot of movement so I was naturally curious if my track bar was deflecting that much or if my steering was moving as claimed. It was also claimed that the flexing only takes place when stationary but I don't know how that could be proven or even how that can be concluded when side loads driving could easily exceed those imparted when turning the wheel while stationary. I have a Thuren bar and do not have any of those issues, steering or track bar. This could just be a one-off problem but it was dismissed a little too quickly for my taste.

http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/2013- ... -flex.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Y7Glo ... e=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4alw5pb ... e=youtu.be

[Will]

My Thuren track bar stood it's ground when I hit the washout bad enough to bend my front axle housing.... can't ask for anything better...

[azracer]

I'm using Thurens and it does not flex at all that I can see but the newest Carli bar should be as good IMHO.

[Pit Slave]

These are videos posted by a CF member. It was claimed that since the owner had changed the factory steering to something stronger the track bar now flexes. The video shows the Carli bar flexing when turning the wheel when sitting stationary. The owner complained of wandering, slow return to center, and the feeling of axle movement. I believe a member here had a similar experience with an older generation. It is a lot of movement so I was naturally curious if my track bar was deflecting that much or if my steering was moving as claimed. It was also claimed that the flexing only takes place when stationary but I don't know how that could be proven or even how that can be concluded when side loads driving could easily exceed those imparted when turning the wheel while stationary. I have a Thuren bar and do not have any of those issues, steering or track bar. This could just be a one-off problem but it was dismissed a little too quickly for my taste.

http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/2013- ... -flex.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Y7Glo ... e=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4alw5pb ... e=youtu.be

Mine did the same thing when the heim joint and rubber bushing wore out. That second video shows how badly worn that heim joint is causing the whole bar to rise and fall.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[Reloaderguy]

He said that was a new joint.

[RustyPW]

These are videos posted by a CF member. It was claimed that since the owner had changed the factory steering to something stronger the track bar now flexes. The video shows the Carli bar flexing when turning the wheel when sitting stationary. The owner complained of wandering, slow return to center, and the feeling of axle movement. I believe a member here had a similar experience with an older generation. It is a lot of movement so I was naturally curious if my track bar was deflecting that much or if my steering was moving as claimed. It was also claimed that the flexing only takes place when stationary but I don't know how that could be proven or even how that can be concluded when side loads driving could easily exceed those imparted when turning the wheel while stationary. I have a Thuren bar and do not have any of those issues, steering or track bar. This could just be a one-off problem but it was dismissed a little too quickly for my taste.

http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/2013- ... -flex.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Y7Glo ... e=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4alw5pb ... e=youtu.be

He has the old style Carli bar. It has a bushing with a grease fitting on the frame side. The new style has a bearing with a reinforcing web, plus a bigger heim joint on the axle.

[Pit Slave]

You can clearly see the joint move in relation to the axle mount. The joint is bad or the bolt is bad or it is egged. The threads to the track bar or the jam nut is not tight. On the frame side, the rubber bushing is deflecting. You also notice the limit strap is rising and falling, indicating that the truck is rising and falling, meaning that the track bar is rising and falling. With the heim joint rising and falling together with the truck moving, it will give an illusion that the bar is bending. One way to really gauge what kind of deflection is going on, if any large amount, is to place a straight edge on the track bar and measure the gap between the edge and track bar. Or set up a dial indicator on the track bar and do the test that way. I hope I'm not premature in my statement, but it looks like a chicken little argument.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[RustyPW]

You can clearly see the joint move in relation to the axle mount. The joint is bad or the bolt is bad or it is egged. The threads to the track bar or the jam nut is not tight. On the frame side, the rubber bushing is deflecting. You also notice the limit strap is rising and falling, indicating that the truck is rising and falling, meaning that the track bar is rising and falling. With the heim joint rising and falling together with the truck moving, it will give an illusion that the bar is bending. One way to really gauge what kind of deflection is going on, if any large amount, is to place a straight edge on the track bar and measure the gap between the edge and track bar. Or set up a dial indicator on the track bar and do the test that way. I hope I'm not premature in my statement, but it looks like a chicken little argument.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

I agree.

[nts007]

I have the Carli bar with the greasable bushing on frame side. My bar bends. It will flex up almost an inch. I've had a lot of weird steering issues. Doing the hydro steer helped but I know the bar is bad and it constantly worries me. I'm debating reinstalling a factory powerwagon track bar. At least they don't bend

[Reloaderguy]

You can clearly see the joint move in relation to the axle mount. The joint is bad or the bolt is bad or it is egged. The threads to the track bar or the jam nut is not tight. On the frame side, the rubber bushing is deflecting. You also notice the limit strap is rising and falling, indicating that the truck is rising and falling, meaning that the track bar is rising and falling. With the heim joint rising and falling together with the truck moving, it will give an illusion that the bar is bending. One way to really gauge what kind of deflection is going on, if any large amount, is to place a straight edge on the track bar and measure the gap between the edge and track bar. Or set up a dial indicator on the track bar and do the test that way. I hope I'm not premature in my statement, but it looks like a chicken little argument.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Say what you want but the owner of the truck vehemently denies the joints or bolts are moving. I've watched the video a number of times and the metal shows no signs of wear from movement.

[adeluca73]

You can clearly see the joint move in relation to the axle mount. The joint is bad or the bolt is bad or it is egged. The threads to the track bar or the jam nut is not tight. On the frame side, the rubber bushing is deflecting. You also notice the limit strap is rising and falling, indicating that the truck is rising and falling, meaning that the track bar is rising and falling. With the heim joint rising and falling together with the truck moving, it will give an illusion that the bar is bending. One way to really gauge what kind of deflection is going on, if any large amount, is to place a straight edge on the track bar and measure the gap between the edge and track bar. Or set up a dial indicator on the track bar and do the test that way. I hope I'm not premature in my statement, but it looks like a chicken little argument.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Say what you want but the owner of the truck vehemently denies the joints or bolts are moving. I've watched the video a number of times and the metal shows no signs of wear from movement.

Those vids are tough to tell what's actually moving with how much the camera is moving around, but I'd be hard pressed to say there was definitive longitudinal deflection in that beam based on the video with him statically moving the linkages by hand. It seems more plausible there's excessive play at the attachment points than the centroid of the bar was deflecting sitting in the garage, but can't tell for certain.

[verdesardog]

You guys aren't making the decision any easier.....

[Will]

Thuren....decision made.... it survive a wrecked front axle. nuff said...

[olyelr]

Why is this in the "members builds" section

[verdesardog]

Why is this in the "members builds" section

Why not? I figured this would be the place to talk to guys that have put a track bar on their truck.

[nts007]

My vote it thuren. But we will see if Dan at Carli actually does something about mine. After the shit that went down with my shocks I don't have much respect for Carli. I kinda jumped on the cummins forum thread. Even reloaderguy jumped on lol. Btw I still have a brand new pw track bar I could install.

[2011RPW]

I have a Thuren with an EMF heim. Works perfectly

[RustyPW]

I had the 1st generation Carli track bar. Got tired of replacing the frame bushings every 9,000 miles or so. Starting looking at the Thuren track bar as a replacement. Was ready to hit the buy button until someone here posted a pic of the Carli 2nd generation track bar. Stated looking at both the Carli and Thuren bars again. What turned me off on the Thuren bar was it uses the same style bushing (different material?) as the 1st generation Carli bar. After my experience with that. I wanted some different. The 2nd generation Carli bar is bigger, has a bearing at the frame mount instead of a bushing, and a bigger heim joint on the axle with a grease fitting. So that's the way I went. I have no brand loyalty on parts. Just stuff that works without failing.

[verdesardog]

Good info, that's exactly what I was looking to hear, real world experience. I just emailed Thuren a couple of questions, I don't really like the heim join though. Have you installed the new Carli? If so how do you like it?

[nts007]

http://youtu.be/PSl8u045vXA

My 1st gen Carli bar
Truck not even running

[coder]

Carli gets my vote, the track-bars don't bend, all the video's I've seen only show moving front end parts not bending track-bars...

[nts007]

Sorry coder but if you were actually in person watching mine you would see it. It is flexing. It's very hard to find a reference for a camera to show it. But it's 1/2" movement with no power steering.