Aluminum sliders? (1 Viewer)

[cruiser97eric]

The UHMW PE is supposed to have high abrasion resistance and high impact resistance. It is used to line the inside of heavy dump trucks. I would think in that application it is exposed to thousands of pounds of pressure as well as sharp edges from rocks and other debris.

Of course, plastics are softer than metal and a sharp enough rock can cut into the UHMW. However, a rock capable of cutting into thick UHMW would most likely also cut deep into my tires (rubber is softer than UHMW), so I think I would want to avoid driving over that type of rock whenever possible.

 

[locrwln1]

I say give it a try. I would probably go with the UHMW along the bottoms. If you have the aluminum and the TIG, all you need is time, so if you've got that, why not? Take pictures and see how they work. Good luck.

Jack

 

[chibo]

Sounds interesting...I know a lot of buggy's have used "plastic" for full-body skid plates in Baja style events, etc. but, I am not sure how it would work when in contact with large rocks...interesting question though...I don't think it is just a matter of being "slick" I think you have to consider the friction factor with rock's sometimes having less than perfectly smooth surfaces and the fact that the LC weighs a few pounds more than a racing buggy...I am sure some of the more "physics" oriented members of the board can comment on the friction factor and applicability of plastic on sliders...

Quite a few crawlers are now using the UHWM stuff as skid plates too - it seems fairly common over at Pirate.
Here is a tech thread on it:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=610452&highlight=uhmw

There is even a post from someone using it on their sliders in that thread (AZDude's post).

 

[cruiser97eric]

Aluminum, stainless, and steel.... For some reason that doesn't sound right. With all the effort to use Aluminum for sliders how light would the end product be and how long will it last? Someone here had a pic of some MetalTech sliders which has a good sized bend in the top tube, even Slee's slider tubes can take a bend so strength is paramount in a slider design... (Depengine on aluminum grade and heat treating if you are inclined is that some will bend while others will SNAP.)

Would think the teflon strips would be meaningless unless you want to climb VERY slick and smooth obstacles otherwise they would just gouge and s****e off.. Would be better to use a stainless skin over the slider but then why all the effort to use aluminum. I would stick with Steel and FWIW would look to save weight by fabbing aluminum body panels, brackets, housings, Ti exhaust/intake.

I think a stainless skin on the bottom is an interesting idea, if the skin can be thin enough to preserve most of the weight savings of the aluminum above. I do have some 1/16" and 1/8" thick stainless steel sheets that I could use, but stainless is such a pain to work with compared to aluminum and plastics.

Also, with a thick plate of aluminum or plastic on the bottom I can easily hide the screw heads inside the plate. With a thin stainless skin the screw heads will be sticking out and possibly interfering with the sliding action, or maybe the rocks will shear them off.

I do know that 6061-T6 bends gracefully as long as the bending radius is large enough. I don't know if the aluminum sliders I have in mind will be as strong as the commercial steel ones, but they should be much better than having no armor at all.

 

[cruiser97eric]

Quite a few crawlers are now using the UHWM stuff as skid plates too - it seems fairly common over at Pirate.
Here is a tech thread on it:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=610452&highlight=uhmw

There is even a post from someone using it on their sliders in that thread (AZDude's post).

Thanks for that link. It is very encouraging.

 

[Painless Fab]

Just do it and post up the results, if for no other reason than to entertain our curiosity and to possibly prove our thoughts wrong.

 

[Dusty]

there is a big diff between using plastic for a skid and using plastic for a slider. not apples to apples

I was thinking titanium

 

[450 DUDE]

As stated before, aluminum is strong but it will gouge very easy with a 3 ton vechicle sliding it accross a rock. Maybee if you just wheeled in sandstone maybee? Granite , no way.

That being said I am planning a aluminum front bumper , because it will not see the same action as the sliders.

Good luck

ken

 

[cruiser97eric]

there is a big diff between using plastic for a skid and using plastic for a slider. not apples to apples

I was thinking titanium

I just checked pricing for 1/4" thick titanium plate at onlinemetals.com and it was $5774 for a 36" x 48" piece. I could buy an FJ40 with sliders already installed for that kind of money.

 

[womacje]

97,
I say go for it! From what I know about metals, nobody has spoken with enough specific knowledge on materials to talk you out of it. Sacrificial skins, great idea. If you go for the SS try breaking it into a u channel, bolts on the side of the slider, just a thought.

 

[TN_LandCruiser]

What do you all recommend for the thickness of the tubing that supports the 2x4 steel pipe? Is 2" 11 guage tube sufficient?

I have access to free steel, but it looks thin...

Would thicker walled 1" box tube be more stable?

 

[Atoyot1031]

S&W has a new line of aluminum (some form of alloy) handguns. They are extremely light and durable, but like everybody else has said, it would be a pretty penny.

If you're looking to save weight, sell your 80 and buy a minitruck.

 

[MaddBaggins]

For lack of a better word, I would call aluminum a bit sticky for a slider. It would not slide over granite as easily as steel and would likely take a lot of damage from the encounter. I have 3/16" steel tube sliders and have dented and gouged them pretty well. I think I would have destroyed alum ones by now.
But knock yourself out and see what happens, but on a 6000 lb pig, alum sliders aren't going to save you much.

 

[bjowett]

I say do the aluminum, if for nothing else just to be different. Line any surface that will be sliding with some UHMPE. I run a complete belly skid of the stuff on my ATV and UHMWPE is amazing in impact strength and sliding ability... when I get around to my sliders they will have some on there...

 

[badmuthatrucka]

As long as you're not worried about cost, go ahead and do the aluminum with UHMW thing. I think it would look pretty sweet!
I'm not gonna do it anytime soon, but give it a try if you want.

 

[cruiser97eric]

There are a couple of companies selling aluminum rock sliders out there. It appears they do not use a skin to protect the aluminum. Interesting...

http://www.rockcrawler.com/features/newsshorts/04may/bigdaddy_bars_alum.asp
http://www.quadratec.com/manufacture/Big+Daddy+Offroad/
http://www.ok4wd.com/index.php/cata...rockguard_rock_sliders_for_jeep_wrangler_jk1/

 

[cruiser97eric]

What do you all recommend for the thickness of the tubing that supports the 2x4 steel pipe? Is 2" 11 guage tube sufficient?

I have access to free steel, but it looks thin...

Would thicker walled 1" box tube be more stable?

Regarding the second question, larger outside dimensions is preferable to a thicker wall. So a 2 x 2 is much superior to a 1 x 1 even if the 1 x 1 has a wall twice as thick as the 2 x 2. There is an online beam deflection calculator here that you might find useful in deciding what is best for your project:

http://www.botlanta.org/converters/dale-calc/bending.html

The bending stress result lets you know if the tube will be permanently deformed by the load. You need to know the yield strength of the steel you are going to use. For ordinary low carbon mild steel the yield strength is 36,000 psi.

 

[womacje]

cool Link! I'm a nerd.

 

[Mo Rocks]

As they say...."Build it and they will come"

You have the stuff to make it. All you need is the time.
The UHMW is sweet stuff. It will slide like snot, but I'm not sure how you are going to make it stay put for long on a 6000 lb. pig.
The aluminum will be a nice experiment....go for it.

You can post the fabrication and then the post the test pics.

A lot of the success will be in the design and what you drag your 80 across.

There are so many different types of terrain and driving styles, testing it might be a bit subjective.

Here in East Central Georgia, all we have is clay mud, it is like grease. We don't need UHMW. We slide with mother nature.

Wish we had more rocks around here....hence my user name.

Good luck with your plans.

 

[ktmracer01]

it never hurts to try something different. Sometimes its actually better to be that way. but if you dont want to spend the money, stick with what you've got and build off of the mistakes that others have made. i've made sliders out of material that was too thin, and the mounts were stout. I've made material that was too think with mounts that were too weak. its whatever floats your boat dude.

i personally dont think that aluminum would be your best option. but I think it would be great to see it if you did. good luck