Not a fan of aluminum for a skid plate.
I would look at the Trail Armor UHMW skids and A arm guards.
Skid plate options
Hello everyone. I'm looking into a skid plate have been looking at ricochet kit. Looks like good protection and you can get plastic over the aluminum. Kind of pricey. Does anyone have one of these or any input on this or another good plate? Looking for total coverage. And this kit also has A arm guards.
Thank you all
Thank you all
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
I would look at the Trail Armor UHMW skids and A arm guards.
Yea. I'm not a fan of plastic. I guide and hunt. I'm out in the cold cold weather. A few things i know about plastic is it bends and cracks. When caught on something it rips. I'm thinking the aluminum with uhmw over it. Might be overkill and big money. But will give me good piece of mind
Yeah... you want overkill and big money, build something out of titanium...
Can't see any advantage to aluminum over UHMW for skid plates. First of all, the prime objective for a skid is abrasion resistance. UHMW is up to 15 times more abrasion resistant than carbon steel, and carbon steel is about a zillion times more resistant to abrasion than aluminum. Worried about how UHMW is effected by temperature? UHMW is used in cryogenics down to -452°F and does not start losing it's properties until it reaches 180°F. If you are in either one of those situations, you won't be worried about your skids! We were all brought up being taught that metal is stronger is plastic. UHMW changed all that. The military uses UHMW as armor for Humvees against IEDs over in Camel-ville, (I love being politically incorrect!) not aluminum.
UHMW is FAR superior to aluminum for underbody protection! Coating 3/16" aluminum with 1/4" UHMW is just a gimmick in my mind. 3/8" or 1/2" solid UHMW will be much stronger and efficient. And it is over 2X lighter than aluminum, inch for inch.
If you decide on the aluminum be mindful of electrolysis, it occurs whenever you mate two dissimilar metals. Might be a good idea to coat your mating frame pieces with a product like ECK before you attach your skids. ( Eck: Dissimilar Metal Corrosion Protection by Eck® ). This is the stuff they use when they mount aluminum ambulance, fire tuck, etc., bodies to steel vehicle frames. Acts kind of like a sacrificial zinc on an outboard motor.
Check out these PRC supporting vendors;
Welcome to Trail Armor
SSS OFF ROAD
UHMW is FAR superior to aluminum for underbody protection! Coating 3/16" aluminum with 1/4" UHMW is just a gimmick in my mind. 3/8" or 1/2" solid UHMW will be much stronger and efficient. And it is over 2X lighter than aluminum, inch for inch.
If you decide on the aluminum be mindful of electrolysis, it occurs whenever you mate two dissimilar metals. Might be a good idea to coat your mating frame pieces with a product like ECK before you attach your skids. ( Eck: Dissimilar Metal Corrosion Protection by Eck® ). This is the stuff they use when they mount aluminum ambulance, fire tuck, etc., bodies to steel vehicle frames. Acts kind of like a sacrificial zinc on an outboard motor.
Check out these PRC supporting vendors;
Welcome to Trail Armor
SSS OFF ROAD
Well stated Forde as usual.
Argyle1, very nice job on the skid, although I do prefer the 1/2 inch.
Argyle1, very nice job on the skid, although I do prefer the 1/2 inch.
you will never wear out 3/8 UHMW, or rip it, and it's slippery enuff that if one wheel gets traction it'll pull you off a stump or rock. I would not consider aluminum except for a roof. We use UH for conveyor beds in sawmills and mines, and gravel truck beds. Aluminum wouldn't last an hour on those appsWell stated Forde as usual.
Argyle1, very nice job on the skid, although I do prefer the 1/2 inch.
I have the UHMW A arm guards,,and sliders,,
I have a Question as well,,I am going to put UHMW full skid under my Ranger,soon I have watched several installation Videos,,,none so far show the Full skid Plates with the sliders,installed .
Do any of you run full skids with the sliders down the sides,
As far as The UHMW MATERIAL there is simply no comparison,,,Aluminum bends ,steel is heavy and bends,,Tread Plate bends and, will stick to A Rock ,,like Super Glue.All have to be taken off and beat back into place.
UHMW is slick ,Exceptionally strong and easy to work with.And Bounces back
I have a Question as well,,I am going to put UHMW full skid under my Ranger,soon I have watched several installation Videos,,,none so far show the Full skid Plates with the sliders,installed .
Do any of you run full skids with the sliders down the sides,
As far as The UHMW MATERIAL there is simply no comparison,,,Aluminum bends ,steel is heavy and bends,,Tread Plate bends and, will stick to A Rock ,,like Super Glue.All have to be taken off and beat back into place.
UHMW is slick ,Exceptionally strong and easy to work with.And Bounces back
Not sure what sliders you have but the TA full skids extend out about an inch beyond the sides so sliders aren't really needed. You can kinda see this in their installation video ( Polaris Ranger XP 900 Full Skids ) at about 10:26.I have the UHMW A arm guards,,and sliders,,
I have a Question as well,,I am going to put UHMW full skid under my Ranger,soon I have watched several installation Videos,,,none so far show the Full skid Plates with the sliders,installed .
Do any of you run full skids with the sliders down the sides,
As far as The UHMW MATERIAL there is simply no comparison,,,Aluminum bends ,steel is heavy and bends,,Tread Plate bends and, will stick to A Rock ,,like Super Glue.All have to be taken off and beat back into place.
UHMW is slick ,Exceptionally strong and easy to work with.And Bounces back
I seem to recall reading that the SSS skids do also - not sure...
Thank you guys for all the info. I never thought that deep into it. Now I'm thinking a sheet of 1/2" plywood for $29 from home depo
Where do you guys get that plastic?
I purchase mine from COPE Plastics (same place Trail Armor purchases from), I have a branch locally.Where do you guys get that plastic?
You can look online for UHMW. If you do not have a local dealer, the shipping charges could be expensive, for a full sheet.
Virgin UHMW is white in color, reclaimed/recycled UHMW is usually black in color, with a textured finish and in most cases cheaper.
I have the UTV UHMW sliders they protect a couple inches up the side and, I think the Angle on the slider would make the edge where the full plate ends stronger ,,since Angle is Harder to bend than Flat stock .
You asked......Forde gave ya some scientific factual info about far that cracking tearing plastic has come. Take it for what its worth. Carbon or aluminum arrows? Your choise.Thank you guys for all the info. I never thought that deep into it. Now I'm thinking a sheet of 1/2" plywood for $29 from home depo
A word of Caution,
When You hang WOOD on A Sharp Rock the more you wiggle the Deeper it cuts.
When You hang WOOD on A Sharp Rock the more you wiggle the Deeper it cuts.
With all this I have a headache. Gone go to home depot and get a sheet of 1/2" plywood for $28 and call it a day!!! Lol
Thank you all for the input. Guess I need to do some thinking
Thank you all for the input. Guess I need to do some thinking
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
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