Welding on rock sliders

I'm considering welding a set of rock sliders on to my 99 Tacoma. Is this the best way to attach them? Is wielding on the frame dangerous?

 

It's the strongest, cheapest, and easiest to design. No probs welding to the frames that I've heard of unless your squeamish about keeping your truck.

Mine are welded...

 

If you plan on actually using them as they were intended to be used (off roading), then welding is the best bet. Much stronger than bolt on.

Only downside to welding on your sliders is that it's harder to remove them if you ever needed to, but why would you need to?

If you had brand new truck then welding sliders to the frame might compromise the warranty, that's the only other downside I can think of.

 

Found a couple pics of the welds too, before I painted them...


Seems a whole lot simpler if you're not worried about being able to easily pull them off. Still could always cut them off if needed for some reason.

 

Super clean

What brand of sliders did you go with? Did you weld them yourself?

 

Thanks
They are 4xInnovations sliders. I was impatient and rather than wait to weld them myself when I could use the welder at school, (my personal welder is too weak) Badland Bumpers in Ravensdale welded them on for me so I could use have them on before I wheeled the Naches trail.

 

I welded my all pro sliders on. Just make sure you disconnect the neg from your battery.

 

Beautimus! I like the extra effort to rosette weld the bolt holes in the scab plates too

 

Thanks! Your sliders look great also! Always liked the 4xinnovation ones..

 

The All Pro ones look like great stuff too, I didn't know they used scab plates. My 4xInnovations ones came with scab plates but I chose not to install them. Funny how many ways we can make .120 wall 1.75in round tube into the same thing.

 

It comes down to just how good of a welder you are .

I do like the idea of using plates to make them even stronger unless they are just for show.

 

I bought bolt on TG sliders since they had the gussets already welded to them and had them welded onto the frame of my truck by @califabrication on IG. If I was to bolt them on I would've had to drill 16 holes per side & didn't want 32 holes drilled into the frame of my truck. If I was to buy the weld on sliders you had to purchase the gussets separately also.

 

Why wouldn't you use the scab plate? I've seen shock hoops rip off sections of chassis. It'd suck to have the sliders do the same thing. The damage would be worse wouldn't it

 

Have a couple friends that don't use them either, and Badland Bumpers doesn't use them on any of theirs. They're overkill for a light truck, I'm not worried about them in the slightest, they're all gusseted too. It's not an uncommon practice to weld the legs right to the frame

 

Welding (preferably with scab plates) is the way to go. I think the main reasons people like bolt-on sliders are a) they can install them without a welder, and b) they seem less permanent (aka it doesn't feel like you're ruining your truck if you don't know what you're doing). I honestly think a lot of people don't realize how much more likely it is to screw up your frame if you bolt them on (the bolts put more concentrated stress on the frame, not to mention all those holes weaken it, especially if you decide to remove the sliders someday). Welding the sliders on is not only stronger, but it reinforces the frame too.

People I meet around town who drive mall crawlers and go to Jiffy Lube for oil changes usually laugh when I say I welded mine on. People I meet offroad don't ask, they just look at my welds and say they can't believe how many guys they see in shiny new Wrangler Rubicons with bolted-on sliders and tow straps in their hands asking for a tug when they aren't even aired down or using their lockers.

As for safety, disconnect the battery for sure. I unplug my alternator, PCM, and ABS ECU whenever I weld too. Do stitch welds to reduce heat build-up. And watch out for fuel and brake lines--they love to run those along the frame rails. Afterwards, clean it and spray some good paint on both sides of the frame where you welded.

 

Some bolt on sliders are fairly nice.
And sandwich the frame rail(s) without drilling holes thru.

Nice for removal and maintenance - repair.
But if they became tweaked a little bit
they may not re-install as easily as was originally intended.

Still... nothing wrong with bolt on... if it's done right.
Generally... it will cost more money to do...
and consume more time to fabicate.

Google Dick Foster @ TTORA
He's a big fan of bolt on sliders...
and fabricated his from stainless steel.
albiet: a little too costly and time consuming for my needs.

I have the All-Pro bolt on sliders (look like what's already posted)
but they weren't really designed to be utilized as a bolt on...
and are instead intended to be welded on from the start.
So if one buys these... don't think for a minute that the included
bolts will hold these, nor offer the strength needed.

I don't recommend welding the slider's stand off tubes
directly to the frame.
This creates excessive heat/stress to those areas on the frame rails.
Excessive heat applied to those welds in a concentrated area
is just not a good idea.

And instead a large scab plate should first be welded to the frame.
Then the stand off tubes welded to those.
Using a scab plate enures that the load is spread wider on the frame rails
and a tube welded directly could be torn off the frame rail during severe impact.

Tearing a hole into your frame rail is a bad thing IMO.
And something that can/should be avoided.

I recommend using scab plate(s) and truss(s) to ensure strength.
I believe mine are 4" X 4" OD - 3/16" thick scab plates.

If the slider's need be removed one day...
Cut off the stand off tube(s) and remove them from the scab plates.
Leave the scab plates welded to the frame rails
and then weld the new stand off tubes directly onto the scab plates.
This will reduce the chance of applying repetitive heat to the frame rails.
And reduce the possibility of damaging the frame rail(s).

Realize that frame rails are made of a treated spring type steel
And when excessive heat or weld is applied...
It can alter the frame's metallurgy and possibly even weaken that.
So spreading the load and weld points is a good idea...
plus allowing for cooling inbetween welds... is a good idea.

In short... tho' it can be done...
welding stand off tubes directly to the frame rails...
is a bad idea for more reasons then not.

Weld heat is an enemy... and should be minimized whenever possible.
Repetitive heat and weld directly onto a frame rail will weaken that...
and could create stress fractures to the frame rails or worse.
Concentrated welds create too much heat to the frame's steel
and can weaken the frame rails... so go slow... and be careful.

If ya weld on scab plates... weld fully around the plates...
or at least ensure they are sealed from the external elements.
Or rust may propogate and create a future issue.

I've had my All-Pro sliders welded to my frame rails
since first installed in 2004.
Granted we have little rust worries here in the SW
But even then... I keep them rust free and clean them often
to ensure that never becomes an issue.

Maintained properly and not hammered on too hard...
should see long term results and reliability.

Remember folks...

they are not referred to as "slammers"
they are called "sliders"

so hammering down on them...
is not the best of ideas.

Set 'em down easy... and slide off that rock.

 

Should have used frame plates just in case. Nice welds though!

 

That certainly seems to be the popular thought haha. Mine are welded on the same as @Digiratus and a couple other members.

We took heat into account @TacoDell and mine were stitched in alternating order to avoid heat buildup. I'm not recommending one way or the other, truthfully I don't care how anyone else welds them to the frame, this was good enough for other folks who wheel their junk so it was good enough for me. I suppose I could always go back and reweld them, but they've held the truck great so far so I'm not tempted to bother.

 

I wouldn't bother. When I did mine I just said f it and did the plates. Stil have yet to use them though

 

I didn't fill in those plate holes with rosette welds...
primarily because it doesn't need those...
and will make it more difficult to remove those plates
if one ever wanted to.

Instead... after ensuring the plate's hole openings were cleaned well...
I filled those holes in using a seam sealer.

I don't plan on ever removing my scab plates...
But if I needed to... adding rosettes would make it more difficult IMO