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Trail Gear Sliders vrs Everyone else!

Discussion in 'Off-Roading & Trails' started by Mike330R, Jul 10, 2011.

  1. Jul 10, 2011 at 11:04 PM
    #1
    Mike330R

    Mike330R [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I am in the market for sliders for my 1st get Tacoma.
    My last truck was a built Chevy that I converted to 1 ton with all the goodies. I ordered a set of Trail Gear sliders mainly due to the low price. Pretty sure they were HREW tubing but may have been DOM. They could take a beating!

    Looking at all the companies that make sliders for Tacoma's I see prices in the $300-400 range except Trail Gears are $150 with mounts!

    What's the difference?

    For basic sliders with no kick out it's one long bent tube, one straight, some supports between and the mounts.

    I know 'making stuff' takes time but once you make a few I'd think you could whip these out in a couple hours each set.

    So the question is, why do some sliders seem to cost so much?
     
  2. Jul 11, 2011 at 1:28 AM
    #2
    nidayedea

    nidayedea New Member

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    So nice. as the used ones
     
  3. Jul 11, 2011 at 6:14 AM
    #3
    BigRedToy

    BigRedToy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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    Simplicity and mass production keeps costs low. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Trail Gears sliders. They are made of steel and they will protect your rocker panel.
     
    Sr5_Tacoma likes this.
  4. Jul 15, 2011 at 5:42 PM
    #4
    signguy

    signguy Well-Known Member

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    no way! ive been rockcrawling yotas for a few years and there is a reason TG stuff is so cheap... its crap! if you get a set of marlin sliders and tg sliders and to the same trail i gaurentee the tgs will be all dinged up. they use cheap chinese steel where marlin uses usa steel. im not saying all stuff from tg is bad, some of the stuff that doesnt really get used hard like high lift mounts and, well, ok yea its pretty much all junk. all of their bumpers and hardware and links and rod ends are all junk.

    READ THIS before you argue with me :

    http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=60158.0;highlight=hrew+test

    :cool:
     
  5. Jul 15, 2011 at 10:10 PM
    #5
    Mike330R

    Mike330R [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the info. 10% stronger isn't much but it's some. Is 10% worth $100-200?

    Good info!
     
  6. Jul 15, 2011 at 10:12 PM
    #6
    Mike330R

    Mike330R [OP] Well-Known Member

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  7. Jul 15, 2011 at 10:15 PM
    #7
    97yota4wd

    97yota4wd Well-Known Member

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    i vote avid offroad:)

    the reason those are cheaper is because there is more welding to do on those
     
  8. Jul 15, 2011 at 10:26 PM
    #8
    kmok

    kmok Plastidipped ma Hootus!

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    Have you seen their bumpers or sliders in actual use? I have TG's front and rear bumper and I have no problems with them. I've backed into trees with my rear bumper and I there are no dents or signs of failure. If you look at BFA's truck that he rolled, he landed on the outer part of his TG front bumper and only tweaked it a little bit.

    Link to BFA's thread

    I have 4xinnovations DOM sliders with kickouts and would have probably gone with the TG sliders if they had kickouts. I think the TG sliders would be a decent set of sliders especially for their price.
     
  9. Jul 15, 2011 at 11:21 PM
    #9
    Mike330R

    Mike330R [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Avid's are $330 for ext cab models. They have one pic which looks very much like TG's with an added support tube and no mention of metal used. Maybe they are better or made different but there's limited info on their site.

    4xinnovations seems decently priced at $210 for DOM with a kick-out.
     
  10. Jul 15, 2011 at 11:27 PM
    #10
    5thToy

    5thToy Well-Known Member

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    My opinion really doesnt mean squat on a forum, but there is a reason DOM tubing is required to be used while building roll cages to SCORE International standards and thats to be strong enough to save your ass in a roll over. So as far as sliders go either HREW or DOM tubing with a wall thickness of .090 or better will be some pretty strong shit.
     
  11. Jul 15, 2011 at 11:42 PM
    #11
    NewMexiTaco

    NewMexiTaco Abron Cabron

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    Brute Force fab.... FTW..... He makes top quality custom stuff. and he is a small operation with customer service in mind. not that everyone elses stuff aint good too..or whatever, but I got my custom DCLB sliders in 3 weeks for $355 shipped. billy is the man.

    bruteforcefab.com

    other then that I was looking at 4xinnovations, relentless and CBI. all very good products.
     
  12. Jul 16, 2011 at 3:53 AM
    #12
    signguy

    signguy Well-Known Member

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    Yes I have seen the tg bumpers and sliders and lots of stuff in use. Here's an example. My buddy got a tg bumper and the FIRST time we went out he drug his a$$ on a rock and it bent the entire bumper out of whack, all the mounting brackets bent. I made the mistake of buying the sliders, he made his own. We both went on a trail where you had to use them in one spot, I had a single cab crawler with no bed (very light) and he had a 4runner (very heavy). Mine, the tg crap "Dom" got all dented up and bent upward toward the cab, his which were the same thickness but USA hrew didnt have a mark on them. After that, no more tg for me. I made a new set that was cheaper and stronger in a few hrs. Make sure you plate the frame where you weld them on too. I went thru 2 sets of tie rod ends in a year from tg, I then bought marlins. The marlins are over a year old and still in great shape. The tg chromoly rear shafts were made too short and they don't work with e-lockers but they don't tell you that, they just sell you them and let you bust your sidegears. The 6-shooter knuckles have the wrong taper for the knuckle studs and they snap studs all the time. I have seen all of this firsthand. :puke:
     
  13. Jul 16, 2011 at 5:14 AM
    #13
    hard2kill

    hard2kill Well-Known Member

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    ...315's,2in bora wheel spacers,safari snorkel,wheel spacers,bruteforcefab rear bumper and sliders,afe filter,hi-lift jack,5100 with OME 886 & 1/2in spacer,allpro expo's,icon 10in rear shox,flip kit,ss brake lines,cobra cb,fog light mod,yellow fogs,weathertech mats,fullsize spare tire and extra sport rim,tinted windows,aeroturbine 2525 muffler dumped over axle...rear diff breather mod...removed factory spare...removed 2nd air filter...THULE roof rack and fairing....bud builts front to back,allpoo front bumper,BAMF lca skids,overland Offroad roof and bed racks,
    Exactly i have bruteforce fab sliders an rear bumper and ive tottaly put them to the test look greAt work awsome amazing customer service
     
  14. Jul 18, 2011 at 10:45 AM
    #14
    Box Rocket

    Box Rocket Well-Known Member

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    I'm gonna disagree with the TG naysayers. Maybe I've just been lucky but I have TG sliders on my HEAVY land cruiser. They have been on the truck for probably 7 years now. They have been abused. Not a single dent, never deformed, never bent. Here's a few pics of my cruiser with the entire driverside supported only by the slider. I pivoted the truck around this rock on the slider. Sanded down the slider and repainted it and you'd never know, still looks brand new.

    _MG_2614_e804a91d386fe34e7f8cc1403e979dc3bf31ce5d.jpg

    _MG_2612_2854dc44afb5a1c1865ec1c1dd44354d83003eff.jpg

    _MG_2620_774b41092a3da263af0dc21ee15cb48147a8dc5d.jpg

    There are always going to be brand "fan-boys" and posting up an arguement from a Marlin message board is a little slanted. I have nothing against Marlin products and actually I prefer them and have purchased tons of stuff from Marlin Crawler in the past for several different trucks. There are other vendors out there too that offer good products. But I'm sorry, the idea that all TG sliders are junk is simply not true. Can they get damaged? Yep, in the right situation. Can other brands get damaged in the same way? You bet.

    But from my own experience, NOT from some dude I know that happens to have TG sliders, they have been outstanding and a helluva value. Enough so that I bought another set for my Tacoma. They've been just as good on my Tacoma which is no where near as heavy as my Cruiser and doesn't get abused as much.

    _MG_4111_27486c222e2469645d847f3d3be9978400afeae5.jpg

    I'd recommend TG sliders any day. But everyone has an opinion so do what you want with your own truck.
     
    eforayter likes this.
  15. Jul 18, 2011 at 11:00 AM
    #15
    Box Rocket

    Box Rocket Well-Known Member

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    How were your TG sliders mounted? Welded to the frame? Did you use scab plates? Gussets? Maybe post up some pics (I'm sure you have some) and we can point you to some reasons why they bent.

    Sorry but you're issue with busted sidegears because of the axle shafts is plain laziness and not reading or doing your homework. It says right on their website that those shafts DO NOT work with ABS axles which is what e-locker axles have. :rolleyes: Besides, ASK QUESTIONS WHEN YOU'RE BUYING PARTS, so you know you're getting stuff that will work. Sorry your crap broke, but I would bet that the whole reason the upgrade to chromoly shafts even happened was because you had a problem with the stock shafts which probably damaged the side gears in the first place.
     
  16. Jul 19, 2011 at 2:59 AM
    #16
    signguy

    signguy Well-Known Member

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    Ok I'm sorry, the reason I upgraded was my 38"s got stuck in an undercut and bent my stock shafts, and since when does putting an e-locker third in a diamond housing make it an abs axle? It's obvious you know more than everyone else so I'll just keep my experience to myself. Measure the length of those shafts vs stock ones or do some reading on the subject, when I ordered them they first came out and the website didn't say that. Good luck with your stuff
     
  17. Jul 19, 2011 at 9:50 AM
    #17
    Box Rocket

    Box Rocket Well-Known Member

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    You never said anything about a diamond housing. Don't expect everyone to know your set up that is clearly not your typical Tacoma set up. But as I suspected you bent your stock shafts which probably damaged your side gears at the same time. What you are saying might be true that the chromoly shafts were not the correct length for your application. But the point remains that you may have had damaged side gears already that contributed to them breaking.

    Not trying to say I know more than anyone else, I'm just stating my experience and also pointing out holes I saw in your argument. There's nothing wrong with a good discussion. Feel free to call me out if I'm saying anything that isn't correct.

    I just don't think anyone can should be making blanket statements about any particular brand of product. It's going to be different for each individual. And besides, the OP was asking about sliders not axle shafts. It sucks you had a bad experience with their axle shafts and hopefully they were able to take care of you. It's good that you post up your experience related to the axles, but it doesn't mean that their entire product line is junk just because someone had an issue with one product in particular. Too many variables involved.
     
  18. Jul 19, 2011 at 9:55 AM
    #18
    97yota4wd

    97yota4wd Well-Known Member

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    you got to remember with the TG you have to weld all the supports then weld to the truck and what not. it takes alot more work to allign the "legs???" up, then weld the gussets then weld to the truck ya know what i mean? thats why they are so cheap.

    TW members also get 20% off through avid

    Avids and most others come ready to weld onto the truck
     
  19. Jul 19, 2011 at 9:57 AM
    #19
    Box Rocket

    Box Rocket Well-Known Member

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    This is absolutely true. It's also reflected in the shipping costs because the shipping size increases substantially with fully welded sliders. By leaving the legs unattached, the shipping size of the TG sliders is much smaller and generally cost quite a bit less to ship.
     
  20. Jul 19, 2011 at 10:07 AM
    #20
    JLee

    JLee The Man! Vendor

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    I lost track thousands of dollars ago.
    I have Elite off-road sliders there .120 wall HREW USA steel and they are strong I beat the shit out of these things and I only have one dent but that was a 2ft drop on a sharp rock but it a small dent. I did some sliding last weekend beat the hell out on them and this is all I got. I was beating this slider on rock for about 10min to slide my ass end around it and not one dent.

    [​IMG]
     

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