Weld the mounting plates on and make the tubes removable.

 

1

 

the ones i got i think were 78" long or something like that.

and id just weld em on if i were you....but mine did not come with mounting plates, just the notched legs, i still have to go back and plate my frame lol

 

Ranger frames are alot more ductile than a big rig, or a motorhome. There will be no worry of the frame cracking or warping. I welded on a members here (Cooke15) and there was nothing at all to worry about. I'm a welder/fabricator by trade, and the frames on Rangers are no where near hard enough to worry about it.

If you are really concerned, then you can do a pre-heat and post-heat treatment to the welds, OR pean them with a ball pean hammer to relieve the residual stress.

Personally I would weld them on. I could see if your hitting the sliders continuosly over time, that eventually it is going to put stress on those holes and spider crack around them.

It would take you 20 minutes to cut them off and grind the rest of the tube off the plate. No one wil notice unless they really look for it.

 

From what I understand from the website is the sliders are shipped with mounting tubes but they are not welded to the actual sliders? So I can weld them on in any position I want?

 

that is correct

 

is this frame gona crack?

 

LOL

 

Absolutely not! That's a Pete

 

typically, this is what i learned when i was doing frame repair for semi trucks, it is unused holes that will cause the frame to crack. we took a volvo single axle van, 25' box on it, refrigerated unit, customer's complaint was he was over his weight limit on the front axle before it was even half filled, so we put a FL dual rear axle setup on it, moving it forward just slightly, and had to drill all new mounting holes, as the volvo and FL ends are completely different... as we were done that, my boss comes out and explains that all of the holes from the old axle had to be fille with bolts... so 75x 3/4"x2 1/2" bolts, 75x 3/4 nuts, and 150 3/4 washers went onto the truck, to fill the holes... weither or not this is the truth, i don't know, but apparently DOT looks for empty holes on semi's...

when i do my sliders, i'm not going to be welding to my frame, i'm going to be using 4x 1/2" grade 8 bolts on each foot

 

I am a welder by hobby and am always up for lessons from the pro's. How do you do pre-heat and post-heat treatments?

 

Yes that is exactly what I have always done with unused holes. At the same time I was only concerned with creating weak spots... But I did a little talking to a bunch of mechanic buddies and they got me convinced I will be fine if I bolt them on.

 

almost forgot! I also need ideas for skidplates under my truck. I really dontkkow how much abuse the plastic fuel tank can handle. Looking under my truck I don't really see any skids at all?! Please post pics of stock or custom plates. You guys have been helping a lot. Thanks to all
of ya

 

If you can wait till tomorrow, I'll post pics of all 3, fx4 lii plates

they are for the front axle, the t-case and fuel tank, Although the tcase one looks like it should be there on all rangers...

The sliders, of course drilling holes weakens the frame, but welding does also, the weld will be strong, but right next to it will have a weak spot

 

Simple and easy. Grab a torch, heat till its unconfortable to the touch (might be a little different for you and me cause I cant feel a whole lot of heat anymore lol but you get the idea). Weld away. Post heat is just not letting it cool too quickly. You can either slowly put a torch to it less and less frequently, or wrap it up in a welding blanket/non-flammable insulation. I like doing it with a blanked, just cause then I can got crack a beer

 

Please do get some pics for me! I reallyneed to see what I can do for protection

 

the front skid plate, which goes from the lower rad support, just behind the bumper, and under the diff support cradle, a lot of companies make them, and they bolt right up... the FX4 one would probably be cheap at a wrecker... and should bolt right up, they are strong, mine help a bmw off of my radiator... they are like 10gauge or so steel

the other 2 look like the same material, but of course different configurations, i'll put my new caliper to use, and even give you the material thickness when i take the pics...

 

Isn’t it the sharp edges of the hole where the cracks start.
Like de-burring an engine block you do it because it reduces stress at the edges and it looks good too.

Just asking ?

 

I have been visiting local junkyards a lot trying to find some. I would really appreciate the pics. I might make some if I can't find them

 

sorry, i've been out of town, so since i got back, i've literally either been working, or sleeping, i should have some time to take pics this afternoon, i got 12 hours last night because i only got 3 tyhe night before