toyNG

Does anyone have any experience with Sky Manufacturing crossmember? http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new...uct.php?id=141 I did a search but didn't find much information.

This review seems to like it a lot http://www.pirate4x4.com/articles/pr...ky_crossmember
but I was wondering if any of you had any input.

I wonder how it compares to the BudBuilt products. The price is significantly less...very enticing. Also, I like that it's height can be adjusted at any time.

tc

6 more bolts to worry about keeping tight than the budbuilt. I have the "old" style budbuilt with a separate skid, so to the rocks, it looks 9/16" thick.

Hypoid

I'm making my own crossmember/skidpate, in the style of Budbuilt/Sky.

I asked a buddy of mine about angles of the crossmember, because he got a masters in mechanical engineering from MIT, and likes to build stuff (he's the guy that taught me to weld and machine). His response was to model, at rest, the crossmember as a piece of rope held in tension, and describe how you'd like the frame and xfer case mounts as short as reasonable possible to keep the angles as flat as possible. Of course you have to be flat under the front driveshaft part of the xfer case to clear. Without seeing pictures, or hearing descriptions of Budbuilt or Sky, he basically described why you want to make one like Budbuilt and not Sky.

Now, this isn't to say that Sky's isn't strong enough, I've never used one, and certainly you could make it darn near any shape you wanted if you made it heavy enough.


I'm making my own, though, and I can do it any darn way I please. I'm making mine Budbuilt style, including the way it mounts to the frame. If you don't make things, having something that is bolt on/bolt adjustable might be your flavour.

iamsuperbleeder

that looks WAY too complicated... but I'm a simple minded person

why the 2 brackets out to the side with all the bolts? if you ask me, that's just over-designed

LTrunner

im running the TG daul case skid, with a single case right now, the only part that touches is the drain plug.but anyways i've hit it a few times and no bends yet very beefy

toyNG

Did you have any complications running the dual case skid with a single case? I've heard mixed things. Some people say it will fit fine, while others say you will need to trim the skid plate.

toyNG

Quick update to this thread...

I can't really comment on the quality of either the BudBuilt or the Sky crossmembers, since I own neither. I can, however, give my opinion of their customer service.

I emailed Sky asking some basic questions. It took over a week to get a response, and that response was extremely brief and did not address all the questions I asked. I still followed up with another email. That second email took over 2 weeks to get a response, which was still short and inadequate.

The customer service from Bud, on the other hand, was completely different. I emailed Bud, and got a response about 6 hours later. The response was extremely thorough and helpful. Bud also made it very clear that I was welcome to call him if I did not understand what he had described in writing.

My conclusion: Bud >> Sky

stock as possible

Bringing this one back. I'm looking at a used Sky, mainly because it can be used for single or double cases, I've got single, plan to go double in the next year hopefully. I see you ended up going with the Bud, was that decision made simply by the customer service experience? Did you stay single cased?

toyNG

I was planning on buying one from Bud, but then found a great deal on a used Budbuilt about a week before I was planning to order mine! I got super lucky I guess. It was the exact same model I wanted, even with the 1" drivetrain lift.

I would definitely, hands down, 100% go with Bud if i were you! His products are top notch and his customer service is phenomenal. When I bought mine, some of the hardware got lost in the shipping. I couldn't find the right stuff locally, so I called Bud to ask if I could buy it from him. H sent it to me the next day completely free of charge! Wouldn't even let me pay for shipping. Talk about customer service! Plus, he seemed genuinely excited that I found a good deal on a used crossmember, when in reality that cost him another sale.

Plus, I notice you're from NC. Even more reason to support Bud...he's your neighbor. In addition, you'd save a lot on shipping, which can be pretty pricey since this thing is BEEF.

You bring up a valid point regarding the possibility of going to duals in the near future. If you know you are going to duals soon, then I'd just wait until then to get a crossmember. Having the extra clearance is amazing, but you can make due with the OEM crossmember as long as you're careful. On the other hand, you can always just buy a single case then sell it later when you upgrade to duals. You should have no problem at all selling it for at least half of what you paid.