The 9 inch Rear Apex Short Truss reinforces fabricated Ford 9-inch rear housings with a centered differential — Spidertrax and similar aftermarket housings that live under big tires and hard landings. Long axle tubes bend when the abuse piles up, and this truss ties them into the center section so the housing stays straight. Cut from 3/16" mild steel and weighing only 11 lbs, its patented peaked Apex profile carries bending loads far better than a flat plate, and the short footprint tucks between the leaf springs on a spring-under build.
Features
- Patented Apex peaked-top profile — more rigidity than a flat-top truss at the same weight
- CNC laser cut and CNC bent in-house from 3/16" mild steel, only 11 lbs
- Drops onto the housing ready to weld, with no puzzle-piece panel assembly
- Contoured for centered-differential housings with 3.5" axle tubes; 3.0" tubes can be fill welded
- Short footprint clears leaf springs for tight rear packaging
- Roughly 70% less weld length than earlier Artec designs, so less heat and less warp in the housing
- Made in the USA
Before ordering, confirm your housing has a centered differential and measure your tube diameter — the truss is shaped for 3.5" tubes, and casting variances may call for minor trimming of the truss or non-essential casting areas. This is a weld-on part for a competent welder: preheat the housing to around 400 degrees, alternate weld passes side to side, and let it cool slowly overnight; chromoly housings need the correct rod with pre- and post-heat. Running a different one-ton rear? The 14 bolt Rear Apex Short Truss and Sterling Rear Apex Short Truss cover the other common swap axles, and you can browse every gusset, sleeve, and truss in our axle reinforcements collection or the full Artec Industries lineup.
Ford 9-Inch Rear Apex Short Truss FAQs
Will this truss fit my 9-inch housing?
It fits fabricated Ford 9-inch rear housings with a centered differential, such as Spidertrax, and is contoured for 3.5" axle tubes — 3.0" tubes can be made to work with fill welding. Because castings vary, minor trimming of the truss or non-essential casting areas may be needed. Confirm your diff is centered before ordering, since the truss is not shaped for offset housings.
How hard is the install, and how do I avoid warping the housing?
This is a weld-on truss meant for a competent welder. Preheat the housing to roughly 400 degrees, alternate weld passes from side to side, and wrap the axle so it cools slowly overnight. The peaked Apex design needs about 70% less welding than older trusses, which keeps heat input down; chromoly housings require the correct weld rod plus pre- and post-heating.
Why pick the short truss instead of a full-length design?
The short footprint is made to fit between leaf springs, so it works on spring-under builds where a full-length truss would interfere. At 11 lbs of 3/16" steel it still braces the tubes against bending, and the low peaked deck leaves room for mounting link joints if you later convert the rear to links.
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