weld in rock sliders vs bolt on

Looking at replacing toyota tube steps on my 21 CM with rock rails. looking for advise pro/con for weld on vs bolt on.

Thanks

 

The majority of these bolt on, which ones are you looking at?

 

Bolt on are easier. If you just want a solid step and something to stop door dings, it's a great option. They will stand up to a good amount of off road abuse, just not as much as a properly welded on slider.

Weld on are usually stronger. If you're planning on actually rock crawling and beating your truck off of things frequently, you're going to want the welded on sliders.

 

Looking at RCI bolt on the weld on is a highly regarded local shop that does custom builds. They will do the install as well.

 

Warranty might be an issue for weld on..

 

Thought about that too... Thanks

 

Thank you for the info.. I tend to oops maybe that was not the right route for me...

 

Many of the bolt ons actually require you to drill holes onto the frame. Bolt on sliders have a bit more flex/give to them than weld on - if that’s a concern to you. If you plan to go HAM then I’d go with the custom weld on and ensure that the ends are also braced and welded to the frame.

 

Thanks for the advice about the ends. Now on Flex, does that mean the weld on my cause frame twist if hit too hard on the outside of the step rail?

 

I just bought some WKOR sliders, I thought about weld on from a few local shops and considered DIY. My biggest thing was resale. I could recoup half the cost of the slider pretty easily id assume, if I ever decided to change things up.

 

Thanks, They do look good and quite Strong

 

In my experience, no. So far, my weld on sliders have bent, been dented, and i’ve cracked the welds but no visible damage or tweaks to the frame yet.

 

Weld on.

 

My previous experience with weld on sliders was back in the rock crawling days. Back then, just about everything was DIY. The advantage was being able to add plenty of support legs so the sliders did not deflect, or very minimal deflection. Additionally, we always added a section of 4"X angle to the frame at the tie-in points for additional reinforcing plus gussets. We were usually always running 0.120 wall, which would get dented / flattened a lot, but one could always overlay-it with more material, otherwise, jump up to 0.188 DOM for added strength. Back then, we didn't document or builds very well.

 

wow, cool info

 

Quality of sliders makes a bigger difference than whether it’s welded or bolted on. Mostly wall thickness and how it mounts. I’ve bashed on my bolt on sdhq sliders, hi lifted on them and regularly put the entire weight of the truck on them and they’re still good as new.


after repainting

 

Thanks for all the info. I went with the weld on...
Custom built at The Truck Shop in San Diego.

 

Yeeeah! That’s how you do it!