ok, I'm looking to get rid of my dumb running boards and get some sliders in their place. My first inclination is that I want square tubing and bolted to the frame (not welded).

My questions are:
what "features" do you people prefer in your sliders and why?
What material specifics are you peopl using? (steel thickness, shape, diameter...)
what mystakes have you found in previous designs?
Do you people prefer welding vs. bolting? I remember reading something about having appropriate suports on top and/or bottom of the frame where they attach or the frame might bend, is this true?

any other input you can send!

 

.25" square, .120" round, welded to frame with L brackets...

 

I have a prelim CAD drawing on my website for the sliders that I am going to fab, when I get my OME lift all installed...

 

I welded sleeves onto the frame and the sliders slide into them. I also welded angle iron to the top of the sleeve for extra upward support.



I also made mine air tanks while I was at it. It isn't the best pick though.

 

I prefer round tube because it slides better on the rocks. I like a wall thickness of .120" or .250" and a tube diameter of 1.5"-2".

I like welding to the frame because it is stronger than bolting. Also, it is better to weld a plate or "L" bracket to the end of the tubes and then weld the bracket to the frame. Personally, I prefer a plate because an "L" bracket will leave metal on the bottom of the frame that will get caught up on rocks.

I also prefer sliders that stick out a little bit because they offer better protection and can keep the side of the truck from getting eaten up if you flop.

The thing I like most about having sliders is that they allow you to pivot on rocks. By pivoting you can turn super sharp.

Here's a pic from before the pivot:

 

And a pic after the pivot. The truck has turned significantly without much forward movement.

 

Here's a pic of a rock keeping the two driver's side tires off the ground:

 

Another

 

In your ebay auction it says they are XREAS compatible. How did you make the mounting compatible?

 

If you need some sliders, please see my friends site

www.bentup.com - his prices are very fair....

He has weld on and bolt on..

 

PM'd you.

 

Are the Bolt on as strong or stronger then the weld on? Does anyone know?

 

-, just two different way of mounting them. I would say, that weld on would last longer , as they dont get loose etc..

 

If they're designed right it doesn't matter...especially for the type of trails most people on this board will try.

I'd suggest 4crawler's sliders if you're looking for bolt on.

 

1. No matter what kind of designing bolt on is not as strong because it places stress on very few points on the frame.

2. Yes, bolt-on will handle most of the trails poeple do on this board.

3. Roger's (4crawler) sliders are the BEST if tou are looking for a bolt-on slider.

 

I think my sliders look the best / Weld on

 

Another picture

 

Why are 4crawlers bolt on sliders so much less than say Stubbs bolt ons?

I know Stubbs bent that tube rather than just welding square tubing at an angle, but the price is more than double.

Something like the maniac metal (now Daystar) obviously have more metal and that accounts for some of the increased price. The Daystar ones are damn near $700. They do look nice though.

That said, no doubt welded are stronger, but I just can't bring myself to have something welded to my frame.

Bill

 

I think thats the problem with the (tube) ones, its alot cheaper and doesnt hold up to the abuse...


Lest what i think...

 

Even if it bolts to a big ol' plate on the other side of the frame, with sleeves through the frame? The plate distributes the stress quite nicely I'd imagine. A properly designed bolt-on will distribute the forces to as much of the frame as possible.

Also, look at Rogers sliders...there is very little stress exerted on the frame since the majority of the force is transfered to the pinch weld.

My sliders clamp around the frame using 1/4" plate and so have much more surface area contacting the frame. I think this mounting system is probably stronger that welding, although that is not why is used this method (I haven't done the stress calculations for this though, so that's just a guess). I think most people on pirate probably just weld on since it's the easiest method.

Anyway, I think discussing the strength of weld on Vs bolt-on is an excercise in futility because if designed properly, neither will fail, something else is going to fail long before the sliders will. We all know the standard arguments for both: weld on's have the potential to create stress risers in the frame, and bolt ons create stress risers from the holes. I think these are moot points.

Here's a good discussion on mounting methods.

Here's a discussion with OOPs and 5spd testifying to the strength of they're clamp ons. They modeled their's after Brandon Millers sliders.

There are bolt on designs out there that are just as strong as weld ons.