Slider install

[KellyJ]

People are always shocked when I quote them $200 to weld them on. I get the same response most of the time which is "wow, the sliders themselves don't even cost that much".

My response is that considering that the slider is there to essentially hold the weight of the rig up and save the rocker panel, doors, etc. Isn't $200 to make sure its done correctly worth it?

Most of us paid several thousands of dollars for a clean rig. We want to keep it that way. The sliders save the rig. IMHO, paying a professional to do it right is money well spent when you consider the job they are doing.

And, $200 is actually cheap. Most slider installs are 4hrs. That is only $50/hr. We are actually taking a loss at that shop rate.

You should see some of the slider installs that come into my shop that we have to fix. Some of it is downright scary.

Damn, if $200 is reasonable for Colorado rates (where 4 wheeling and off roading is much more prevalent than where I live [Northern Virginia]) I can't imagine what I'll have to shell out for a good install at any shop. I'll probably have to take them to Iron Pig Off Road, which is over an hour away but probably the closest legitimate 4x4 shop within that distance of my apartment, and still pay upwards of $200 to geet them on. In this situation, I paid $300 for Savage sliders so I'm guessing I should be looking at roughly the same amount to put them on? Ugh. Bad timing: school's just started again for me, I just dropped all this cash on purchasing upgrades (ARB bumper, pending body-work repair, sliders/slider install, Lightforce 170's/install, etc) for all different areas of my truck and then not have the dough to put them all on. Time to take a money management elective or something haha.

 

[theizzardking]

Bolting them on is a much harder job than welding them on even if there were plates already attached to the sliders (which there isn't) All the bolt holes in the frame would need to be sleeved to be done correctly.

then buy sleeves or insert,

i got 2 of these things and they are amazing i got 1 proper size one and one that holds a dewalt for tight spaces, one of my favorite tools.

i think the dewalt one should fit in there alright, bolt on isn't that big of a pain if you can drill a straight hole, the problem is it's incredibly hard to do that if you're not accustomed to working with steel.

 

[Bamf_CT2004]

He is charging 200-250 to weld them on and I paid 210 for the DOM 4x innovations sliders.

You could always go out an buy a better welder and save yourself the $200 of having someone else do it........ im just saying

I get what you are saying and $200 may seem pretty steep for someone that could possibly well on the sliders in 2hours but you have to look at the bigger picture.

These guys either own or rent are there own shops, tools, material, etc. Most of the fabricators only income on here is to do frabrication which is a pretty small and slow market. Its not like you see SS, Addicted Offroad, Wabfab, etc cruising around to events with 40ft decked out winnebagos halling all the gear around in another 20ft portable garage/trailer behind it.

Some people are lucky to find others that like to fabricate as a hobby instead of a main source of income and can give better prices on labor. Just how the industry is.

 

[theizzardking]

Damn, if $200 is reasonable for Colorado rates (where 4 wheeling and off roading is much more prevalent than where I live [Northern Virginia]) I can't imagine what I'll have to shell out for a good install at any shop. I'll probably have to take them to Iron Pig Off Road, which is over an hour away but probably the closest legitimate 4x4 shop within that distance of my apartment, and still pay upwards of $200 to geet them on. In this situation, I paid $300 for Savage sliders so I'm guessing I should be looking at roughly the same amount to put them on? Ugh. Bad timing: school's just started again for me, I just dropped all this cash on purchasing upgrades (ARB bumper, pending body-work repair, sliders/slider install, Lightforce 170's/install, etc) for all different areas of my truck and then not have the dough to put them all on. Time to take a money management elective or something haha.

yeah, such is life, same as the old joke about cars, “Looks Good” “Is Fast” “Is Cheap” pick any two.
lol

maybe call around to the community colleges and see if a welding class would do it for you? that could be cheap and after some time would get done right, under teacher supervision.

but really like everyones saying, if you want the best go to someone who's done a bunch and knows what sort of welds need to go on in order to support the truck, you def. want more then a few tacs ans skip welds here and there.

 

[theizzardking]

You could always go out an buy a better welder and save yourself the $200 of having someone else do it........ im just saying

lol, would you trust yourself if you've never welded before to weld pipe onto the frame of your truck, and expect it to support the full weight of the truck along with the shock of impact? after all it is considered a load bearing weld it would be one thing if it was a light bracket or something, but this is sliders.

that's a good idea if he's welded before or has 5-6 months to dedicate to learning first.

then again if he did learn first the sky's the limit, i would just say maybe practice on something that's not going to get beat on so hard and that could ruin your truck if one of the welds breaks at a bad time.

 

[Bamf_CT2004]

lol, would you trust yourself if you've never welded before to weld pipe onto the frame of your truck, and expect it to support the full weight of the truck along with the shock of impact? after all it is considered a load bearing weld it would be one thing if it was a light bracket or something, but this is sliders.

that's a good idea if he's welded before or has 5-6 months to dedicate to learning first.

then again if he did learn first the sky's the limit, i would just say maybe practice on something that's not going to get beat on so hard and that could ruin your truck if one of the welds breaks at a bad time.

Damn 5-6 months is a long time. If one has a learning disably then yeah I could see that. But yeah I would trust myself. I have seen first hand of basically a self taught welder using only a 110V mig built a very reliable and capable SAS rig including an exo. For him its a hobby. Didnt take him 5-6months. So yes its possible. I can see different types of welding definately being a skill that either you have the skill or dont have the skill. But for mig.... just practice.

 

[Big John]

then buy sleeves or insert,

i got 2 of these things and they are amazing i got 1 proper size one and one that holds a dewalt for tight spaces, one of my favorite tools.

i think the dewalt one should fit in there alright, bolt on isn't that big of a pain if you can drill a straight hole, the problem is it's incredibly hard to do that if you're not accustomed to working with steel.

Ok... I'll play.

So.... Now that we have a mag base drill which is cool BTW, how does that change the fact that bolting them on is still a much more difficult and time consuming job? Sliders still have to be welded to legs, legs have to be welded to plates which now have to be drilled, now holes have to be drilled in the frame, sleeve's cut and welded in. But before we can do any of this we need to remove the body mounts and lift each side of the body so we can get the mag base drill in.

I think I'll stick to welding them on for now since the only welding you've eliminated is the scab plates to the frame, but you've now added anywhere from 12 to 20+ (depending on slider length) holes I have to drill and sleeve.:vader:

 

[theizzardking]

Damn 5-6 months is a long time. If one has a learning disably then yeah I could see that. But yeah I would trust myself. I have seen first hand of basically a self taught welder using only a 110V mig built a very reliable and capable SAS rig including an exo. For him its a hobby. Didnt take him 5-6months. So yes its possible. I can see different types of welding definately being a skill that either you have the skill or dont have the skill. But for mig.... just practice.

i was just going from the length of a typical basic welding calss, how quickly you learn and how much time a day you have to practice is all subjective.


the point is though you don't just go out and buy a wire feed and start going to town on load baring/structural parts, and honestly i'd go certified over shade tree any day of the week for that sort of thing, it's very important to understand the effects heat have on steel and how to get good penetration.
your kidding yourself if you think that's something you can pick up and do proficiently in a matter of a week or 2, everything esp. practice takes time.

i never said he can't do it, as like you said it's not rocket science but at the same time it is a skill, and skills take time to acquire.

 

[theizzardking]

Ok... I'll play.

So.... Now that we have a mag base drill which is cool BTW, how does that change the fact that bolting them on is still a much more difficult and time consuming job? Sliders still have to be welded to legs, legs have to be welded to plates which now have to be drilled, now holes have to be drilled in the frame, sleeve's cut and welded in. But before we can do any of this we need to remove the body mounts and lift each side of the body so we can get the mag base drill in.

I think I'll stick to welding them on for now since the only welding you've eliminated is the scab plates to the frame, but you've now added anywhere from 12 to 20+ (depending on slider length) holes I have to drill and sleeve.:vader:

oh i know, point of my post was just to say that if someone is reading this and considering bolt on sliders it's not that hard. and most of the stuff your mentioning would be eliminated in a bolt on app.

beyond that your right on every account, and to be honest i'd go with a welded slider over a bolt on one any day of the week as well.
and what re**** would bolt on a weld on sliders? i can understand how this
confused, you man, lol

i guess i just wanted to brag about my mag drill, lol eace:

 

[Big John]

oh i know, point of my post was just to say that if someone is reading this and considering bolt on sliders it's not that hard. and most of the stuff your mentioning would be eliminated in a bolt on app.

beyond that your right on every account, and to be honest i'd go with a welded slider over a bolt on one any day of the week as well.
and what re**** would bolt on a weld on sliders? i can understand how this
confused, you man, lol

i guess i just wanted to brag about my mag drill, lol eace:

I really do like the drill.

 

[Tennfly]

Difficult install on mine

I bought some bolt on 4X4 Victory Strike rock sliders for my 2020 TRD Pro.
They were expensive; $850 with shipping. Should have been a 30 minute install, but turned into a nightmare. The left/driver's side just won't line up with the existing frame holes. I've tried front first, back first, loose bolts, and tight bolts, but nothing works. It's just a poor template on Victory's part. The right passenger side fit OK, with a little pushing and pulling.
The slider plate holes are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch off with the frame holes.
I've tried to wallow the plate holes out with a drill bit, but the steel is too hard and thick.
Next up is an installer in the Memphis area. No clue who to call.
Pissed off.

 

[fourfive]

I bought some bolt on 4X4 Victory Strike rock sliders for my 2020 TRD Pro.
They were expensive; $850 with shipping. Should have been a 30 minute install, but turned into a nightmare. The left/driver's side just won't line up with the existing frame holes. I've tried front first, back first, loose bolts, and tight bolts, but nothing works. It's just a poor template on Victory's part. The right passenger side fit OK, with a little pushing and pulling.
The slider plate holes are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch off with the frame holes.
I've tried to wallow the plate holes out with a drill bit, but the steel is too hard and thick.
Next up is an installer in the Memphis area. No clue who to call.
Pissed off.

Have you contacted the company? Would also be a good idea to post this in the 5th gen section to see if anyone else has experience with this company or run into similar issues. Carbide rotary burrs work well for wallowing out holes. I usually use it in my electric die grinder but have also used it in my drill. I've used carbide burrs to expand holes in 1/4" steel. Just make sure the washer you use is thick & has a large enough diameter to secure the bolt. I linked the ones I have but there are cheaper options. These are great to have on hand.

Edit:
Amazon.com: Astro Pneumatic Tool 2181 8-Piece Double Cut Carbide Rotary Burr Set 1/4" Shank in Blow Molded Case: Home Improvement