THUREN FABRICATION 2003-2013 Front Trackbar Instructions
- June 13, 2024
- THUREN FABRICATION
Table of Contents
THUREN FABRICATION 2003-2013 Front Trackbar
These instructions are applicable to the following Trucks:
- 2003-2013 Ram 2500
- 2003-2012 Ram 3500 *Not for 2013 Ram 3500. See 2013+ years
- 2005-2013 Power Wagon
WARNING
This Trackbar model does not come pre-set to length. It must be set to length
and the jam nut must be torqued to the noted spec. It’s your responsibility to
complete this part of the process. If done incorrectly you will void your
Warranty, and risk your safety if the Trackbar fails.
Pre-Assembly Notes
The Trackbar must be set to length. You are measuring in a straight line, not
through the curves of the assembly. The length specs noted are referencing the
center of the mounting holes at each end of the bar.
If you have an aftermarket lift kit installed that utilizes a Trackbar drop
bracket, understand that most drop brackets use the OEM track bar measurement
of 38 ⅞”. This is a good place to start when presetting the length.
WARNING
Never adjust the Trackbar length so more than 1/2” of threads are showing past
the jam nut. Doing this is potentially very dangerous, as the Trackbar could
pull apart while driving!!
If the threads pull out of the bar, the Warranty is void.
Set Trackbar to length according to the below specs:
This length does not have to be perfect. Just shoot for as close as you can get. If you’re between lift heights, you can do the math to find the length that should be good for you.
- 0.0” lift to 1.0” lift = 38-7/8” center to center straight length
- 1.5” lift to 2.0” lift = 39” center to center straight length
- 2.5” lift to 3.5” lift = 39-1/8” center to center straight length
Your front axle final position will generally not end up perfectly center,
side to side in the chassis, for a couple reasons: Reason One – the axle needs
to land somewhat center on the bump-stops when you
bottom out. The axle swings in an arc around the trackbar, and when you lift
the truck, increasing suspension travel, we can bring the axle a bit closer to
center at ride height with our track bar, but it can’t be perfectly center as
the bottom out location will be altered too much.
Reason two – when the Track Bar is too long, the driver side coil seat on the axle can hit the frame, causing a bad metal to metal crash when you are close to bottom out. For these 2 reasons, with 3″ of lift or so, plan on the axle being shifted about 1/4″ more towards the driver side of the truck.
PRO TIP
If your truck has a 2.5” receiver hitch, you can put the bushing end of the
trackbar in the receiver and put your hitch pin through the sleeve to keep the
trackbar from rotating as you torque the jam nut. If your truck has a 2”
diameter receiver, you can typically use a long 5/8” bolt on the outside of
the receiver pin hole to hold the trackbar in place while torquing the jam
nut.
Torque Heim Jam Nut
After setting the length of your Trackbar you must torque the Heim Joint jam nut. Aquire a 1 5/16” or 33mm Crowsfoot and applicable torque wrench. Torque the Heim Joint jam nut to 200 foot-pounds. The Heim Joint and the bushing end do not need to end up perfectly parallel after Jam Nut is torqued down, just as close as you can manage. Make sure to position the Torque Wrench 90° – – –
If need be, you can purchase a 33mm Crowfoot directly from our website –
Installing Your Trackbar
The easiest way to install your trackbar is with the truck weighted at normal
ride height.
If you put the truck on a lift with the axle at full droop, you will generally
be fighting the axle to get the bolts lined up. Supporting under the axle with
jack-stands and removing the wheels for access helps a lot.
If you are upgrading your 2003-2008 14mm bolts to 16mm bolts, you will need to
drill through the mount holes with a 16mm or 5/8″ drill bit. The 5/8″ drill
bit will leave the holes a bit tight so walk the bit a little to oversize the
holes slightly.
To help gain access to to the axle side mounting bolt for drilling or getting
to the bolt head, starting the engine and turning the steering to the right to
full lock can help.
The Trackbar will be positioned with the grease zerk pointing down at frame
side mount.
Frequently the axle pocket has collapsed and will need to be opened up with a
pry bar or large adjustable wrench just a bit to allow the Heim end of the
trackbar to slide in easier.
Step One: Install the axle side Heim joint into the axle pocket then slide the
bolt through.
Step Two: Bring the frame side up and slide the bolt through.
Normally you will need to shove the chassis a bit side to side to line the
holes up. If this becomes difficult, using a helper to turn the steering wheel
a little each way to line the holes up. A ratchet strap can assist in lining
up the chassis as well.
WARNING Using only an impact gun will not be enough torque on the bolt. You need to get a manual torque wrench on the bolt heads and verify the torque properly. Using only an impact gun will most likely result in a shifting or popping feeling due to improper track bar install, which will still require proper torque with a torque wrench.
Apply Final Torque to mounting bolts according to Torque Chart below
Straightening the steering wheel
Most of the time after installing a new track bar, you will need to re-align
the steering wheel. This is very easy to do by altering the length of the Drag
Link (the steering link paralleling the track bar going from the gearbox to
the passenger side axle) to bring the steering wheel back straight. Often this
will take a few test drives and re-adjusts to get right. Make sure when you
tighten down the adjuster that both end joints of the drag link are very close
to parallel to each other. If they are not set close to parallel, the joints
can bind and cause issues as the steering is cycled.
Future Maintenance
- Re-torque mounting bolts after 500 miles. Grease zerks at every oil change. Put Torque Stripe or Paint Marker across jam nut and threads of heim to visually check that the nut has not backed off.
- The frame joint holds very little grease, so you won’t feel the grease gun substantially pump grease through the joint. If the grease gun handle feels firm on pressure, the joint is happy and full of grease so no need to force the pressure, or worry that there is an issue.
- The Acetal/Delrin we machine our bushings from is a very forgiving material. It is very slippery so it does not need much grease at all, and it can use almost any kind of grease. If using a Non-Synthetic grease try to use an NLGI#1 spec, as it is thinner so it can penetrate the tight wear surface. If using a Full Synthetic grease, either NLGI#1 or #2 is just fine, as the base grease is thinner, regarding Full-Synthetic.
Bolt Torque Chart
Documents / Resources
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THUREN FABRICATION 2003-2013 Front
Trackbar
[pdf] Instructions
2003-2013 Front Trackbar, 2003-2013, Front Trackbar, Trackbar
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