azrain

Well folks, the initial mount is on… I’m not unhappy with it, but I’m not happy either. Definitely, I will have to push and pull a couple of dimensions. Plenty of room for the diff drop, in fact too much, about 3/8 to a1/2 of an inch too much. I’m 99% sure when I gave a couple of dimensions from the Rockstomper some play that I missed a measurement somewhere. After measuring all the stuff out, I know where now. Anyhow here’s the pics.









No problem, it’s not like starting from scratch, but I am not happy with it on my truck so I definitely wouldn’t offer it in these dimensions to you all for your trucks. I can get it much tighter I’m sure.

I need a couple of measurements from some folks. Steve, please go out and measure your lowest point on the main body of the Rockstomper and post, PM or email it to me. Someone with a stock skid still on, please make the same measurement and communicate it. I sure would appreciate it.

This is in it’s most raw state folks, remember, this is the prototype. If I expected it to be perfect, I wouldn’t have worried about it so much. All in all, it’s close, and that’s exactly what I expected for the first two. Be assured that the production pieces will be perfect.

Some things that I learned while mounting it up.
1. Those five holes in the front crossmember. The two that aren’t used are on a different centerline than the three that mount the OEM skid.
2. Nailed the rear mount holes perfectly. Unfortunately when I revise the bends, it will change again, but at least I have a good dimension in one axis. Nonetheless, I will still slot the front and rear mount holes on the production parts.
3. Midpoint mounts will be fairly easy, it will bolt up at a bracket on the skid and a bracket at the original mounts.
4. I’m fairly stupid. Probably the dumbest smart guy I know. Why the hell did I take on this project…

Please post your ideas, thoughts or comments.

Mike

azrain

Test wheeled the skid today. Took it down lower Raw Deal here in AZ, a 3.5 rated trail as I understand. Took one scrape, I can’t even find it on the skid now. The person spotting watched the skid run the trail and said it did exactly as it should. Skated the rock and slid across.

Now, on the other hand, I slid off a rock trying to stay out of a hole on the trail to Annihilator (I think that was the trail, Annihilator, C ‘ya later, spaminator, something like that, not Terminator) and had a little mishap. I actually found the hole between two rocks and BAM! Certainly, I do not have the rig to do this trail, but we went up to take a look at it, the way in is a mofo. This is where the skid took a straight, hard shot.

The dent is in the yellow box. This is the only damage to the skid. Trust me when I tell you it took a hell of a shot. Nothing else moved. The mounting hardware is straight, all the crossmembers and related mounts are straight, no other damage.



Now, here’s the bumper after being pounded out. Obviously, the bumper was the loser and the bumper and the skid took the shot hard.



It’s not major trail carnage, but a real bumper would have had a little powdercoat scraped off.

I admit, it’s messed up because I was NOT paying full attention to the trail, and these rocks formed a pretty decent hole. No damage at all from Raw Deal though… Well, OK, I did scratch a 3” long section of one of the sliders…

Mike

smr4runner

Now thats the kind of skid plate we need. Hell if that was the OEM skid plate, it would have ripped a nice hole in it.

Question for you Mike. The OEM skid has a round hole towards the rear of the plate. I believe its there so you could place the jack plate there when lifting the rig.
Will the new skid plates have that or will it withstand the weight of the vehicle while raising it?

Mike

azrain

Hmmmm, I'll have to look at that... I do know that you can access the frame rails freely with my new skid.

Good news for the Taco's as well, this is a bolt on for them too. It's coming folks and it's real.

Now, how do I tell the wife that I'm ordering that TJM?

Mike

Corey

iTrader: (1)

A question for you Mike.
I don't change my oil anymore after selling my home a few years back and moving to an apt. complex.
We are not allowed to do that here, so I go to my Toyota dealers Express Lube.

They are one of the few dealers that take off my skid plate all the way when they drain the oil.

When you start in on the 2nd gen ones, will they extend back further also, or be just a beefier version of the stock 2nd gen one?
If it does extend back further, is it going to be a PITA for Toyota to remove it each time?
If so, I could do that before I head down there.

Thanks, Corey

azrain

Well, I haven't even gotten a look at a 2nd Gen. yet (no takers in AZ so far!!!), but I would imagine that it would be no more difficult than the stock one, just heavier! Actually, probably easier. I took the proto off tonight to check all the mounts, etc. and it came off, seven bolts (production 3rd Gen will have nine), on the ground in a few minutes (less than five) and bolted back up in about five minutes with no jacking around, pushing sheet metal to fit here / there, etc. The OEM skid was more like remove five bolts, then slide this, move that, remove two more bolts. Ten (or more) minute job to remove the OEM, ten (or more) minutes to put back on.

Mike

91Runner

Sure it wasn't the Masturbator Mike? hehehe sorry couldn't help myself, I just watched Major League 2 tonight (Refering to the trail name )

Anyway it looks like the skidplate turned out really good!!! If I had a 3rd Gen i'd definitely be in the market for one of those

-Braden

azrain

It was the trailhead to Armageddon... I guess all the trails in that area are named after Ahhhhhnold movies. There was no possible way I could even attempt the first obstacle on that trail, nor would I. We just took the trailhead up to walk part of the trail to see what a 5+ trail looks like. The way in was at least 3.0+.

I will be designing a 2nd Gen at Corey's request.

Mike

Corey

iTrader: (1)

:bounce2: :bounce2:

rixham

count me in for a 3rd Gen.

azrain

The skids are in production now. The material rolled in Friday (six sheets of 4130 11 gauge sheet stock, all purty and on, of all things, a skid). They will go to the CNC punch Tuesday for punching the mounting holes and to the CNC brake Thursday or Friday. Welding a couple of days after. All told, it will be roughly three weeks before the first 20 are ready for delivery.

I have talked this over with my sales partner (Xtreme Off Road Mike) and we agree that the price was too high as originally stated on this thread. SO, the final price is $225.00 per skid (less shipping). I agonized over the price from the beginning and after analyzing all the costs, this is a fair price.

The skid will come complete, bolt on.

Mike

ALee27

are they going to come powdercoated black? or plain? will there be a choice or are they going to all come one way? either way i am interested in one, the new price sound very reasonable. thanks

andy

UKMyers

What's the status of the 2nd Gen plates? Anyone let you experiment yet with their truck? I hate my skidplate need a new one!!!!

rixham

thanks mike keep us posted. i for one want to get my hands on one.

azrain

I have a 2nd Gen., finally. Firmed it up Saturday night over beers. I'll keep the status updated as I make progress.

Powdercoating, well, that's back to a maybe. Not sure how it would hold up to road rash, etc.

The first go around will be semi-gloss black epoxy painted.

Mike

azrain

Just a quick update…

Everything is going well with the production run of the skid plates. They should be at weld by Friday and deburr / descale on Monday. Paint, packaging and UPS remain after that.

They will be ready to bolt on before AZ4RJ / AZRocks, and if there are any left, I’ll bring them with me. I honestly don’t know how many are left from the 20 that are being made, I believe that 12 of them are “money” spoken for. No worries though, we can make as many as folks want.

2nd Gen to be measured out and prototyped within the next two weeks...

Mike

Gadget

You still have not told me where to send my money yet...

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

azrain

Your's is earmarked, no probs. I sent you an email a while back, price went down, quality went up.

I was almost in tears of joy when I was at the shop Friday. It's almost a religious experience to watch a Trumpf CNC punch run the holes, for a manufacturing guy anyhow. Man, that 4130 punches nice.

Anyhow, I'll send you another mail regarding the details.

Mike

Gadget

10-4, thanks.

Gadget

Corey

iTrader: (1)