Zach's 2013 DCSB Build

Did you get your leer at Sam t's? They called me a few days after placing my order and said leer told them they couldn't do the vented windoors for the short bed.

 

Yes Sam T in Midvale. Which leer model?

 

I'd have to double check but I think the xr, has the 50/50 side w/ frameless rear. Looks like you got yours about a year before me so maybe something changed

 

Mine is the base 100R so it could be a model difference. I do know that the vented windoors don't fit the recessed area on the shell perfectly. Not noticeable unless you know what to look for but you can tell it isn't "standard". They warned me it would be that way but never said they couldn't do it.

 

Went on a drive this weekend with the family. Just cruising around, enjoying the weather and testing some products. No serious trails. We hung out by the creek for awhile since my son loves to play in the water regardless of how cold it is. I snapped some photos of the girls and the truck.

Hard to tell in this picture but underneath the truck are a full set of new skid plates I have been testing and working on. Something a little different than anyone else and an improvement from what I previously developed. They have been working well.



I picked up an Eezi Awn Bat awning to test my production awning mounts. It is one of the larger and heavier awnings on the market and puts a lot of stress on the mounts when deployed so I figured it was a good way to test the mounts and rack. So far they have held up great. Also stuck a 40" lightbar on the rack that a customer returned. After some trouble shooting I have it up a running and still love how clean of a look it gives with the rack.



Tried to catch him in the air but instead I got the take off position



The girls just chilled on the bank. Weather was perfect.

 

Skids aluminum?

 

These are steel but I have an aluminum set being cut now. Steel is cheaper to prototype with.

 

Understandable. You hope to have these available in the near future?

 

So what makes the different than other manufacturers?

 

There are a few things.

1) The Mid and T-Case Skid are 1 piece. There have been a few times I have been stuck on my existing skids because of the transition between mid and tcase skids. The little lip seems insignificant but for some reason that spot always gets hung up first. Plus, one solid piece is stronger than two hooked together.

2) The skids are flat. This just aids in sliding over things easier. Most manufacturers have the mid skid about 1-2" higher than the the IFS. This is good for clearance but again creates a place to get hung up on. For my uses I have found that 1" less clearance and a smooth bottom is better.

3) They will fit a variety of exhaust options. Stock y-pipe, URD y-pipe, stock exhaust, URD exhaust, Stock exhaust with reroute, etc. One option for everyone. No need to buy the skids and then have to modify things to fit.

4) They have more coverage. I have looked closely at a lot of skids. Each has its merits but none really combine all the best features. For example, Pelfrey has excellent coverage on the IFS skid up front and on the T-case skid. BAMF has some supports welded in to their skids that makes them much more robust than others, Relentless and BAMF both use nice heavy duty cross members for the tcase skid whereas pelfrey's tcase skid is just plate all the way up to the frame rails. Mine will integrate the good from all other manufacturers and maximize coverage in all areas.

5) Affordability. Some places have fair prices on skids and some places do not. Since my tcase and mid skid are one piece it will require less bending and less cutting overall. As long as I can work out a way to keep shipping down it should save people money. Right now I am looking at being able to have a full set of 3/16" skids uncoated IFS, MID, TCASE for ~$500+shipping which is a bargain vs the $700+ range that other sets will cost.

 

Yeah within the next month or so.

 

Prices look great. Will be interested to see how it turns out

 

Got the aluminum production skids #0001. Swapped them onto the truck in place of the steel ones I had on for the last month or so. The weight savings of aluminum is pretty impressive.

 

AWESOME! Nice work Zach!

 

Sweet! Did you weigh the full aluminum before putting them on?

 

How thick is the aluminum, and what was total weight?

 

The full steel set weighs about 162 lbs

The aluminum set weighs about 75 lbs

Aluminum is 1/4" thickness. Steel set was 3/16"

 

That is a lot of weight savings! I admire your weight conscious-ness. Between your aluminum skids, an aluminum bumper, and a synthetic winch line, a guy could save close to 200lbs over the typical steel stuff. Not dealing with rusty skids and bumpers sounds rather appealing too. *thinks seriously about the direction of his build*

 

Tell me about your rear suspension setup. Any issues with the Dakar pack with normal extended length shocks (I would assume they're not custom)? I'm on an Icon AAL and with just a shell on I'm sagging to if not more than front height. With my Toprac coming and tent going on the shell and cabinets being made for the back I'm going to need something that won't sag but with rather not have to do custom shocks at this point.

 

I could probably chime in on this one. I had the icon pack and after having a RTT on cross bars with the bed loaded it was not happy. So now I'm running the dakar pack with AAL, rear bumper/shell/toprac and still on the icon shocks that came with the "stage 2" kit and haven't had a single issue