DIY Bolt-On Frame Plates for Sliders

There is a serious lack of photos from those of you that have built or are building sliders! Now that I'm not in charge of sending out files, I have no idea how many people are working on these. Let's keep the thread alive!

 

I'll try to take some pictures of my plates this afternoon when I get home. You did a damn good job on those sir!!

 

Many thanks for your time in developing these bolt-on plates. I sent your files to a friend who works at a fab shop. I should receive my plates next week. At that point, I'll need to figure out a resource for bending .25 wall tubing. Are people using DOM?

 

I use DOM tubing...though I've read folks using welded seam with fine results. I would reconsider .25" wall tubing. That's REALLY heavy! .120" wall tubing is plenty...or .1875" if you're going overboard.

 

Ok good to know. I haven't spent any time planning the rest of the build yet.

 

That's what we're all here for! Helping others learn from our mistakes. Haha

 

I'm glad for the help! I received my frame plates end of last week.

 

Planned Mat'l List:

2" x 2" .120 wall Square Tube (inner long tube + legs) ____ ft. needed?

1.75" .120 wall DOM Tubing (outer tubes & frame) ____ ft. needed?

3/16 plate (gussets) ____ remnant piece? sq. ft. needed?

Grade 8 Hardware: Bolts/Washers/Locks/Nuts ____ qty. needed? [obtain from bolt bin @ work OK'd]

 

So depending on length required and how many brace points you should be at
20' to 24'-0" 2x2
22'-0" of DOM (It comes in 12ft or 24ft usually) This also depends on your kick out. If you have one add more material. Also if you are not good at cutting and will have lots of scrap left over get more to start. Running out part way in can cause you to buy a big piece and not really needing it.
Gussets can be built with leftovers. Choose your poisn for size. Just remember the use of a gusset is to increase strength and 1" of good weld is stronger than your truck will likely ever encounter. Most people do not even realize that the gussets will help with the load but not as much as good welding. Placement of guests is also more important than size.
As for bolts. Count your holes. I think I ended up with 16-24 but I went way over as I used some smaller ones also just to fill it up. I also used double nuts and no lock washers, but again that is up to you.
Extra washers are also good as having a left over for when you drop one is ok.
I would suggest 18 fender washers or a few nuts with backing plates for securement. Please use yellow galvanized as a minimum. SS is equivalent to grade 5 and you want grade 8 (420 structural bolts) Again you could go with less but I find the cost savings is not worth it for the total cost of the project.

 

Thanks for the notes! This will help me fill in my active build list on this thread. I plan on using Gr. 8 hardware. Question...Why did you go with doubled nuts instead of nuts/washer/locks combination?

Thanks!

 

Double nuts are a stronger lock. 'if you do it properly' It also uses the nut itself instead of digging into the frame for the lock, so less chance of rust. One side benefit of double nut is that for prototyping they are easier to deal with.

Having said that though for any that I sell I use lock washers unless they want double nuts. Lock washers are also cheaper as you do not need as long of a bolt and washers are also less costly then nuts.

 

Also using a proper drill press and not a hand held. Frankly, the drilling on these would really not be a big deal, even with a small/cheap benchtop press.

 

Proper work holding (clamps, etc) and a drill press makes drilling so much nicer and much safer. It's not always a possibility, though. But if you're interested in getting into building anything at all, there are three major things you need as a basis for a great shop:

1. Really sturdy, level and flat workbench
2. The best bench vise you can afford
3. The best drill press you can afford

 

4. A good welder.

 

I'm having trouble deciding what to do about a pipe bender & notcher. Our shop has a plasma cutter, welder, chop saw, good heavy-duty steel table & vise, and other tools to help me build the rest of these sliders. I'm considering building all but the DOM tubing portion, then having another shop build the DOM tubing portion of the sliders.

 

I bought a JD2 bender. It's awesome but it certainly cost a few bucks. If all you plan to do is one pair of sliders and that's it, get the tubing bent by a fab shop. You'll be way ahead in the money game. If you're going to make sliders, front and rear bumpers and a bed rack and some handrails for your stairs at home (or whatever), you'll start to spend enough to just get the tools and do it yourself.

 

Well, yeah, of course! But you can make a ton of cool things without a welder. I've done a lot with a hacksaw, vise, drill press and some files. It just takes forever. A welder certainly opens up some interesting opportunities. It also opens up a whole other Pandora's box of spending!

 

Keep in mind that there are a lot of different options when it comes to some of these tools. For instance, you can get a budget "made in china" pipe bender that would be fine for making sliders for not much over $100.
$150 Canadian ($116 US): http://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/12-ton-hydraulic-pipe-bender/A-p8068017e

Now obviously if you're going to be bending 200 pieces of 2" or 3" pipe every day for 25 years, you might want something that can (a) handle that kind of duty, (b) a bit of automation can be nice, (c) won't break your back. Meeting those criteria can cost a lot. But for occasional use or a hobbyist, the cheap model will definitely be fine.

Another thing I might suggest for building sliders one-off (i.e., for hobbyists), is that rather than getting a piece of plate bent, just start off with a piece of angle. Only downside here is that it may force you into slightly heavier materials. I just looked at our local metal supplier's website, and 5 (x3) or 6 (x3.5) inch angle iron starts at 1/4" thick.

Once you get the brake and the bender out of the picture, this job can be done with the basic tools that are in every backyard mechanic's tool shed. Its amazing what you can do with a good sawzall, for instance. While its a back breaking pain in the a**, it can do the job of a plasma cutter or acetylene torch.

And if you get your materials from a metal recycler, then you get into a new level of affordability -- probably $50 + bolts.

 

None of that is incorrect. But downloading a file to have a local shop cut and bend the frame plates is way easier and doesn't cost all that much. Takes all the fuss out of the most intimidating part of sliders (in my estimation).

It is amazing what someone can accomplish with really minimal tools and a lot of determination and creativity! Im also finding that, no matter what and no matter how many tools you have, there is ALWAYS another tool that would make your current project easier. Haha, it's a vicious cycle!

 

Those are all good points. I appreciate your input. I'll probably build up to the round tubing, then somehow try to have another fab shop finish the rest. I'd like to do it all in-house, but we can't really justify a bender/notcher at this point. I could probably keep somewhat busy building sliders for friends, but my life doesn't have the spare time for that at this point.