Well I finished up my metal shop project today here's some pics. Tell me what you think!

 

Is that just pipe, or tubing?

 

Could you not take your runner around to class, and weld on the sliders? They look really nice, I am just not real sure about bolting them to the scab plates like that. Looks good though.

 

Whats wrong with bolting them to the scab plates? I'm about to get some sliders, and want to know the best way to install them.

 

Well the problem is that you're relying on 4 bolts on to hold your sliders. In my opinion though, that might not be as much of a problem as the big rectangular scab plates possibly putting too much stress on the frame like that.

 

If the scab plates are welded good enough to the frame and or bolted on with grade 8 bolts to the frame I wouldnt worry. If you bolted scab plates to the slider I wouldnt worry to much either.

You really needed to at least connect top 3 places or more too, would have been a good idea. What you built are nerf bars..and may not hold up to abuse on the trail to well.

 

Nothing, really. Those big scab plates though, having them bolted above and below the frame like that just seems like it would give it more leverage to bend those scab plates above and below the frame rail.

and IMHO, FWIW, (probably not much) I would have welded them onto the frame rail. There are lots of threads and pictures of slider installs here, check some of them out.

 

So would it be best just to have the sliders welded to the scab plates, and then welded to the frame?

 

IMO, yes. I would just have them welded on.

 

Bingo.

 

That's what most people do, and it's generally considered the best way.

Make sure you mount the scab plates diagonally though. This helps in weight distribution throughout the frame. In short, less chance of failure.

 

Cool.......thanks guys!

 

This is a beautiful example of a welded slider install. These are Sonoran Steel Sliders, I left the ordering info at the bottom so as not to disscredit Steve.

 

Matt,

I took a college class on welding this past summer and made myself a set of sliders too. Great use for metal shop class, man!

If those sliders just see the occasional bump and are not used to gouge out pieces of rock your install job should be just fine.

 

There isn't much rock around where I live its manily kelly humps made of dirt. Im not to worried about them breaking off I bolted them incase I ever wanted to talk them off if they got dented up or anything. They were built out of 2" Schedule 40 tubing.

 

it seems like a lot of stress on only two points if the weight of the truck (or a lot of it) was on them, but its all good

aside from criticism they look good, and the welds look awesome, I guess thats what you get with a lot of experience or learning well !!!

 

Well, you already have the sliders, so just find a welder around who has a spare second and just have him do it. It's cool that you get to make these things in school, good work!

 

Nice welds. I am thinking of making a set of sliders for my truck-but for a similar reason, I don't want to weld them on. We'll see though. Looks good...how about a bumper?

 

Nice work, good use of metal shop!

Now on to the criticism. Those curved ends will bend up into the body pretty fast if you drop onto something, even just a mound of dirt, there is a lot of weight coming down on those ends. You should make them go all the way into the frame so that you have 4 legs bolted on. This is important, I have legs at the end of mine and they still flex some, especially if I hi lift the truck up by the slider, nevermind drop the weight of the truck onto something. Next, those connections point at the frame are rock anchors, you will get hung up on those pretty easily. You can bolt on sliders, a lot of people do it, but you should be bolting through the frame, I am not sure how those bolts will handle the stress of being twisted around the frame.

 

Excellent Welds. Awesome Pipe weld and amazing uphand. Great Job. Gusset the back of the plates welded to your frame and put some grade 8 hardware in there and those will never move. I've made bumpers for Skidders in the bush out of Schedule 40 tubing, those things aren't going anywhere. Excellent Job and smart way of setting it up.