Outer Limits 4x4 Board

so, whats the best stuff to make a skid plate out of.....aluminium, steel?

what are the benefits of each apart from weight etc.?

Forget steel - use a balistic grade aluminium sheet. It is similar grade to street signs but use 6 - 10mm thick depending on the span and design that you are using. Capral keep it in stock usually and it would give you enough strength to hit things hard. Heaps cheaper than kevlar too!!

hazard wrote:Forget steel - use a balistic grade aluminium sheet. It is similar grade to street signs but use 6 - 10mm thick depending on the span and design that you are using. Capral keep it in stock usually and it would give you enough strength to hit things hard. Heaps cheaper than kevlar too!!

that stuff sounds pricey, do u know an approx cost???????

8mm Bis-alloy (the same stuff that they used on the Japenese Armoured boats during WW2, and yes it is bullet proof!

I have had mine on for about 1 and a half years and has coped more of a floggun than most, i have had the whole weight of the rig resting on it and it hasn't deformed at all, come to think of it, it doesn't even have a scratch on it!

Ok that sounds all very nice but how would you go cutting this stuff?

POS you gotta stop posting pics of ya rig, it's not good for my realtionship with the missus.

POS wrote:8mm Bis-alloy (the same stuff that they used on the Japenese Armoured boats during WW2, and yes it is bullet proof!

I have had mine on for about 1 and a half years and has coped more of a floggun than most, i have had the whole weight of the rig resting on it and it hasn't deformed at all, come to think of it, it doesn't even have a scratch on it!

what's it worth compared to normal mild steel/aluminium etc? and like lexx said, can you cut it with a normal grinder? does heating and bending it reduce its effectivness etc?

antt wrote:

POS wrote:8mm Bis-alloy (the same stuff that they used on the Japenese Armoured boats during WW2, and yes it is bullet proof!

I have had mine on for about 1 and a half years and has coped more of a floggun than most, i have had the whole weight of the rig resting on it and it hasn't deformed at all, come to think of it, it doesn't even have a scratch on it!

what's it worth compared to normal mild steel/aluminium etc? and like lexx said, can you cut it with a normal grinder? does heating and bending it reduce its effectivness etc?

Cutting it with an oxy is the best way! It takes a while!

I used 2 9 inch cutting wheels to cut about 3 inches!

NO heat doesn't hurt it!

Drilling you need carbide tip drills or flame cut a hole!

The properties of this steel is that the MORE you work it the harder it gets, (work hardens) this also applys to bashing it and scraping it over rocks!

It is what a lot of dozers, skidders etc have for wear plates on the front of the blade!

Its a bit dearer than mild but a lot harder to find!

LEXX wrote:Ok that sounds all very nice but how would you go cutting this stuff?

POS you gotta stop posting pics of ya rig, it's not good for my realtionship with the missus.

is this the stuff POS?-> http://www.bisalloy.com.au/

YES!!!

Thats the stuff!

POS What size rims do you have on your ride and how much were they to buy,Also are they Baja Claws on backwards on your car,How do you find them as a tyre and how much better do they work backwards than forwards facing.Mav

for the record, OneSteel at archerfield sell it, might give em a call tomorrow and find out about it. i bet it'll be $$$$$$$$ though

MAV-RIK wrote:POS What size rims do you have on your ride and how much were they to buy,Also are they Baja Claws on backwards on your car,How do you find them as a tyre and how much better do they work backwards than forwards facing.Mav

They are 15x10 with Bootie Fab beadlocks that make the rim a 15x11.

They also have a Bootie 4 inch offset!

Yes the Claws are on backwards, i only run them like that because RUFF did and i always wanted to be like him!

And i Saw Pics of the WMS Jeep with the same tyres and size and he had them on backwards, the comments are that the edges bite in on the edges of the rock and instead of pushing you off the rock the edges bite and pushes the rock to the centre of the tyre! (if that makes sense)

I have never tried them the right way but i have noticed that nearly everyone that uses them in the states (on rock) runs them backwards!

I like using them like this as i have seen them work!!

one steel is where my work buys its bisalloy, 350grade plate it is

strong stuff, we find it doesn't take to being press bent though - it shaters - kaboom

antt wrote:for the record, OneSteel at archerfield sell it, might give em a call tomorrow and find out about it. i bet it'll be $$$$$$$$ though

Oh i should also mention that it took a 4000 Tonne press to bend it!

Yes that was a Overkill but it was all we had, you will need to find someone or somewhere that can bend it first!

bubs wrote:one steel is where my work buys its bisalloy, 350grade plate it is

strong stuff, we find it doesn't take to being press bent though - it shaters - kaboom

Yes it was very scary when Greg and i were bending it!

We were hinding behind a steel post, some of the sounds it made was awesome!

The trick with it was to bend it VERY SLOW and a little at a time and the bends should not be of to much angle!

I was going to say BUBS should be able to source some!

bubs wrote:one steel is where my work buys its bisalloy, 350grade plate it is

strong stuff, we find it doesn't take to being press bent though - it shaters - kaboom

would you have 'any' ballpark idea of what it costs bubs?

i think i should be able to get away without having to bend it, if not, i'll have to get an engineering joint to do it

We dont keep it in stock, sorry can't help you there

try places which make buckets for earthmoving eqiupment they use it on that and dump trucks, tip trucks it is also commonly used

i had that same stuff on mine it is a WICKED bash plate, BUT mine was drilled and cut with a normal drill, and grinder, and i have bent mine a little, but i think my rig is a lot heavier than POSs and yeah

I would try anything from 3mm sheet to 6mm alloy. just back it up with some bracing and you be good. Its all the mogrover uses and its been BEATEN on!! let me tell ya!

bj on roids wrote:I would try anything from 3mm sheet to 6mm alloy. just back it up with some bracing and you be good. Its all the mogrover uses and its been BEATEN on!! let me tell ya!

I agree, although alloy does tend to gall on abrasive surfaces. 6mm + would be better, but then you got to weigh up the weight factor compared to steel. Is it for your rig Antt? Alloy would prob be better for your lightweight, and you can work it easy with common handtools. Make up a bracing frame out of some 25mm tube, fasten the plate with some countersunk fasteners.

any high grade aluminium sheet is good enough, aircraft aluminium or ballistic aluminium, soft enough to have a little bit if give and flex back, where alot of steels would stretch or crease, but hard enough not to gall up and get grippy when dragged across stuff.
High grade alumnium sheets are also used lots in architectural applications nowadays, so you should be able to get some damaged decorative sheet for pretty cheap, maybe even purple anodized or something

okay, i have a street sign, but its only 2mm, where can i find a 6m sheet? Big signs like on the freeway are still the same thickness!

I so wanna massive keep left, or give way to traffic on roundabout

bj on roids wrote:okay, i have a street sign, but its only 2mm, where can i find a 6m sheet? Big signs like on the freeway are still the same thickness!

I so wanna massive keep left, or give way to traffic on roundabout

laminate them together!

damn, that is a good idea!

very interesting thread sofar !!! so I thought I'd throw in a couple of ideas/querries

1. alluminum is a soft material even in the higher grade materials, wouldnt it be more inclined to gouge/tear on sharp rock edges and therefore be more inclined to hookup especially under the weight of a 4x4?

2.the higher grade steels IE "bisalloy" may well be so much more durable and far less prone to gouging/tearing but the weight factor would be astounding to say the least, how much would a skid plate weigh and does this justify the protection ?

3.The laminating idea may well be an alternative but howmanny layers does one laminate and remember once one layer is damaged then the whole laminate is damaged, perhaps a lamination of allumimum and bisalloy may be the alternative

4. cheap bisalloy........... try railway yards...the foot plates that they use under the railway sleepers are bulletproof (300WIN Magnum bulletproof)and are around 8mm thick and are about 12"x7" in size, as for bending it.... I had breakage probs too but eventually settled for a wider bottom die in the press and a bit of heat helps.

Area54 wrote:

bj on roids wrote:I would try anything from 3mm sheet to 6mm alloy. just back it up with some bracing and you be good. Its all the mogrover uses and its been BEATEN on!! let me tell ya!

I agree, although alloy does tend to gall on abrasive surfaces. 6mm + would be better, but then you got to weigh up the weight factor compared to steel. Is it for your rig Antt? Alloy would prob be better for your lightweight, and you can work it easy with common handtools. Make up a bracing frame out of some 25mm tube, fasten the plate with some countersunk fasteners.

yes, it is for my vitara. i want to protect the vunerable ifs (read: crappy aluminium diff) so i was just weighing up the options.

i think plain old aluminium might be the go, both for its weight, and that fact that i still take my vitara on the beach, so i dont want it rusting. and i don't drive it near as hard as you guys do, so i don't think i need a ballistic grade bashplate.

plenty of good tech in this topic, keep it coming

antt wrote:yes, it is for my vitara. i want to protect the vunerable ifs (read: crappy aluminium diff) so i was just weighing up the options.

So you can see it from the front, hey? In that case you HAVE to make it from a GIVE WAY sign

Use some ally 5 bar plate (chequerplate). You can get it from bunnings in more manageable sheet sizes, in a range of thicknesses. Or Capral on Parramatta road can supply and cut to your specs - first cut is free, subsequent cuts are $2 a drop. Get a decent metal holesaw set (HSS steel teeth - tungsten not needed) to add speed holes for bling. Just use a bit of kerosene in a squirter bottle as a lube/coolant on the holesaw to help prevent galling/picking up while cutting. The sheet will easily cut with a cheap jigsaw (or my favourite - THE HACKSAW)

thanks for the info guys.....

checkplate alloy with speed holes would be very bling'n

I have a 6mm aluminium plate under my lil rig. Has taken a few direct hits and is still in fine shape

I'd say go with the checkerplate. I have used some checkerplate as my sill gaurds and it is strong enough to hi lift on and has held the weight of the car on rocks and logs before plus taken a couple of hard hits with only one major dent to show for 7 years.

Besides the weight saving it is cheaper and if you do really give it a whack it will take the initial force then bend, then break rather than the components it is protecting. The ability to flex will save your frame or whatever you have mounted it to. If you use a heavier less flexible substrate you run the risk that if you give it a really good whack you may find that the bash plate survives but what it is attached to becomes the next weak link and bang one cracked frame etc