at the risk of being flamed alive, a possibly ridiculous slider question....

This isn't a bolt on/weld on question its far worse but hear me out before lighting me up... I have a DCLB that sees mostly road miles but that I will wheel a few times a year. I need something that provides a step surface for the wife and kids but would love some added protection for teh truck the few times I wheel it. I can't see wheeling this thing like I did my Jeeps so I'd generally avoid situations where there could easily be damage. That being the case, its hard to justify (on the wallet and to the wife) insane amounts of money on off road specific mods so I always try to find options that I can live with. Ideally, I'd drop $600-800 on some sweet powder coated sliders no-drill bolt ons and call it a day. Unfortunately, nothing is ever ideal.

All that said, I could just buy nerf steps and be ridiculously cautious when off road or (and here's the dangerous question...) I found some great deals on 78" double cab sliders that I could afford so if they have a kickout, why could you not use those even with a long bed? Seems like they'd still be way better than having nerf bars, right?

*ducks for cover*

 

I can't stress enough that I don't do any real rock crawling so I am not going to be abusing these the way many here do. Its more about having a "step" that adds some protection too....

 

*Token unhelpful just-passing-by post.

 

haha, you were just hoping for carnage, I see right through this!

 

The great thing about real sliders is they have kick out towards the end to help protect the rear fender. With that said, AllPro is running a great group buy right now. I believe it's 20% off. Another option is to buy a really cheap set and just put grip tape on the slider to act as a step up. Otherwise you can just use a nerf bar but I would recommend not to buy anything with protruding steps. These easily get caught on rocks and other debris and do more damage than good. I had a friend with predator steps and the steps got ripped off the first time she went off roading. So you do have options. But if you do buy nerf bars, expect them to get easily banged up over the steel sliders.

 

know they are far from sliders but ive whacked my nfabs hard a few times. they were cheap and keep the light body damage down(scratches mostly) and at 400 a pair they are almost disposable. when my daughter grows tall enough she doesnt need a step, then i can go with sliders.

 

On a more serious note I bought a CPO'ed Taco that the previous owner put 'tasteful' nerfs on. I intended to take them off immediately because they scream "Grandpa!" to replace with sliders but the cost/benefit isn't there for me as I too have a family and really never wheel. Nerfs provide me the mundane suburban protection I need I guess.

 

totally agreed, what I really just need to figure out is if can run DCSB sliders on my DBLB as long as there is a kickout. The reasoning is that I can find the DCSB for less than half what i'd spend on the DCLB sliders. Just wonder if it can be done and if anyone has tried it. Seems the kickout should move me away from a tree/stump so the rear fender would be as protected as if the slider were 1' longer.

 

Ya a SB slider should fit on a LB, don't see what the difference would be as far as mounting locations other than the it would be shorter. I don't know of anyone that has actually tried it though.

 

that's what I was thinking. the cab would be as protected on either and the kickout should do the rest provided it all mounts up correctly.

 

I always thought these type of NFab side steps would hold up pretty good. They seem well built compared to a lot of other steps I've seen. I could see those brackets that attach to the truck buckling in a real rock collision though and smashing the step up into the body of the truck...

 

I beleive all pro makes a offroad slider with sheet metal inserts for the sliders to act as steps.
They just weld them in between the cross bars.

If not allpro it must have been another brand.

 

My N-Fabs have saved me 3 times and counting and the females can still use the steps to get in my truck

I'd say go for it dude...

 

I ran a similar thought process before I bought Nfab tube steps. I use My Taco for hunting, fishing, towing a 3500lb camper and general offroad exploration. I wanted something that I could kick the mud off my boots before putting them in the foot well and give a little protection. The Nfab steps are definitely not designed for protection but they will dent/bend and absorb the energy that was going to destroy your rocker. With that said they bolt to the body and not the frame so I wouldn't load them up with a big hit. If you end up on them they will most likely be ruined but a much cheaper replacment than having body work done. I should also add that for me the destination is more importent than the trail getting there. There's always an easier way around or a better line.
The sliders do provide the benefit of using a farm jack for recovery but you can get around that with an ARB X-jack. (Im also not a fan of those antiquated devices lol)
Last, the biggest deciding factor for me was weight. The Nfabs are also much much lighter. Weight may not be that important to everybody but Max payload comes up quick with a hybrid bumper/winch, generator, coolers in the bed and a camper in tow.
If you still think sliders are necessary go up and look underneath the next brand new 3rd gen with full steel bumpers sliders and skids. 9:1 odd you won't find a scratch in the powder coat

 

youve said what youd spend ideally, and mentioned you found something you can afford, but didnt say a number. What are you actually willing to spend?

 

Just about all the manufacturers can do inserts.

 

Just remember they only bolt to the body in three places meaning anytime you set the truck down on them, you have a high probability of deforming something. Better than a straight hit to the body though.

Odds are your not going to need sliders. I'd just be careful till the funds are there, and then make the purchase if you still think you need them.

 

DCSB and DCLB frames are different. The holes won't line up. Plus you would have an unprotected section. Look at 4x innovations weld on sliders. A much cheaper option if you have access to welding services.

 

I'd like to spend 300-400 and can get the 4x sliders dcsb for about $285 shipped. Installed adds 100 or so which puts me where I'd want to be. I'd beine them after some POR15 and can have sliders for => nerfs. All that assuming the SB sliders would work

 

The 4X weld ones are what I'm looking at actually