Yay! another slider thread - Q's for slider owners

No, I'm not talking White Castle here either.

Having suffered a lot of damage from, uh, "landing" amongst trees and on rocks unexpectedly about a year ago I know the value they can provide. I am looking to make the investment in some sliders in a month or so and am looking at any and all manufacturers. I'm specifically going for weld-on for my own wants/needs.

I've read just about every thread I can find that references sliders but there is no real good single thread that has info on the different manufacturers and more importantly the pros/cons for each. I see a lot of "brand X rocks!" posts but that's about it.

I'd like to get some info from those of you who actually own rock sliders.

What brand and model and what do you like/dislike about them, durability, strength, etc. Would you buy the same ones again? If so, why? If not, why not?

And because a thread is worthless without pics - some shots to recall my misadventure last year. Truck is all better now.

Wedged nicely against this tree.


Here the truck is sitting on the body on the rocks.


If you have pics of your ride with sliders, feel free to show one.

 

sliders should be the very first mod to a truck if you even thinking about off roading...

when my taco was 2 weeks old i took it out on the trail for the very first time and ended up fucking up my rocker panel on the driver side pretty bad. i couldnt open the rear passenger door without forcing it to open. i had to use a piece of 2x4 and a BFH to pound everything back in place so that my door can properly open..didnt take long for me to get a pair of sliders after that!!!

you can see the pre-slider damage all along my rocker panel..



i like sliders with a kick-out style such as those made by AllPro since they tend to protect the rear by pushing the taco out from obstacles..

here's the AllPro sliders with the kick-outs on my taco

 

Get some for sure.

I like bolt on's just cuz.
Dwreck is making some that look nice.
There are a lot out there, look at the welds and gussets for strength.
One of the best mods you will do.

 

Damn! Looks like you were really stuck there! Hope you didn't have to do what fellow member 45acp and I had to do...

 

Relentless, CBI, BAMF, Shrocksworks(sp)

Bolt on usually costs more, so installed weld on vs bolt on is about a push.

If you don't want them to chip, clean them really thoroughly before primer and paint.

Hybrid design (square tube and round tube) is stronger than all round tube.

Most of these guys are small or even one man shops, so find out what the backlog is before you plunk down coin.

Search for "kickout" for the lengthy pro/con discussions on those.

This will get you started.

 

I love mine. I havent used them for what they are built for yet though. I went with Elite Hybrid's with the kickouts. For the price, I couldn't find one better. They are truely built to withstand the shit.

 

I have the Demello sliders on my DCLB. One of the first mods I did. I just did the standard, no kickouts. Love em! Demello powder coated them at their shop. They arrived, were welded on quickly. The look good, and provide the functionality I needed.

I will take some pics tomorrow. None in photobucket with the sliders...

 

I have Shrockwork sliders and love them. They are very strong and work great offroading and using a jack on them. I'm pleased with them but would like to try a kick-out design next time.

 

I appreciate the comments on specific brands so far. Keep 'em coming!

For those that have the Hybrids (square and round tube) does the square tube get dented when you land on it? Seems to me a square tube would have less impact resistance than a round tube.

 

I've never landed on it that hard.

JLee sets his BAMF square tubes at an angle for that reason.

 

Don't have any on my taco but do on my Nissan from trail gear

 

I have a pair from 4x innovations. They have the cheapest prices out there. Period. Mine are the DOM round tube w/ lockout on my DCLB. You have to weld all the legs and mounts to the sliders(5/side) though. They only have one single square mount to the frame I'm sure its plenty strong (I've used the hi lift on them) but and L shaped bracket would make me more comfortable. Over all I'm very pleased with them

Part of the reason he makes you weld the legs on yourself is so you can angle them however you want to fit your needs/wants

 

I have a set of Rocky-Road's Supersliders. Haven't truly tested them out yet, but the steel they're made of is really tough. Hitch steel I believe. The mounting is unorthodox though. It bolts to the frame with a pair of self tapping bolts (or in my case grade 8 bolts washers and lock nuts cause I didnt like that method) but you can weld them. The strange part is there is another bar that bolts to the pinch weld. I guess that is how it is done on Jeeps but the mounting just doesnt look as tough as most that i have seen. All in all I like mine. But I guess I will find out how tough they really are the hard way. Hope they hold up like the company "guarantees".

http://www.rocky-road.com/tacoma-rock-sliders.html

 

Here they are! Pics inside.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacoma-marketplace/188597-dwreck-rock-sliders.html

 

Sliders were the first thing I ordered for my truck, I ordered them from Relentless with the kick outs. I hope they will be done soon

 

I've found a few more vendors to check out now. Thanks.

Not sure about all the marketing hype on "inner hitch steel" on the Rocky Roads and those mounting points on the body itself? A little weird.