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home made skid plate idea

11K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  nufther 
#1 ·
I will not pay $400 for a skid plate. $200 mybe. as soon as i can i will buy a sheet of diomond plate so i can cut it to match my plastic one.than i will tie strap it to frame and put plastic skid plate back in place over it. this will be stronger for most everthing. if i did alot of rock crawling i would spend more time on a way to mount it without plastic skid. any ideas.
 
#2 ·
md:
go to your nearest plastics dealer and purchase a 4' x 5' piece of uhmw plastic either 3/8ths or 1/2 inch thick. remove your cheap plastic skid plate and trace the pattern. cut out with jigsaw and make sure to cut out drain holes. allign mounting holes and countersink around bolt holes with a forstner bit. mount back in same holes. you'll have do do a little finessing to get the holes to allign. use a floor jack or motorcycle jack to hold in place til you get the first few bolts in.
uhmw is much, much stronger than aluminium and will slide over the rocks. i made mine out of 1/2" and it came out nice. pictures attatched. total cost:$125.00
bud
 

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#4 ·
we figured total added wieght to be around 20-23 lbs.
for me wieght comes in second place to protection. i added a small skid in the front and rear to cover my diffs. too though. within the first couple weeks of having my rzr i tore the stock skid right under the gas tank. i was going over a log and it caught and ripped back exposing the bottom frame. now i dont have a worry at all. i know of a few guys who went with alum. and have dents and rips in them already. uhmw is pound for pound much tougher. let me know if you need any help in the way of pointers. good luck, Bud
 
#6 ·
just look in your phone book under plastics. if your lucky you'll find one that has a half sheet laying around. sheets come in 4x10 foot pieces. mine had a half sheet in stock. alot of guys install 3/8" but the guy i talked to only had 1/2" in stock and i was not worried about a couple extra lbs. if your dealer only has full sheets, post or ask a buddy to go in halves with you on a sheet. prices vary but a full sheet of 3/8" should go for around 300.00
i had enough scraps left to make a set of heavier cv guards also.
Bud
 
#9 ·
it's stronger and will not dent or tear. if weight is an issue for some of you guys, go with the 3/8". i dont know the exact extra weight you will add to your machine, but it is not much. and as for the diamond plate alum., if the bolts are not recessed they ARE going to get caught on stuff and broken off of bent to hell. also the uhmw is self lubricating and will slide on the rocks. i dont think you are gonna do much sliding with the diamond plate...
 
#16 ·
i would check around. when i talked to the owner of the plastic plant 10 miles up the road he told me that the uhmw was the best product for the application. i would rather spend a few more bucks than skimp here. its a $10,000.00 toy we're talking about.
just remember, you get what you pay for. bud
 
#18 ·
hey all i am having a local fab shop make me a skid out of aluminum it will be just like the stock plastic except my new one will have wings on both sides to give protection to the side also just like the gas tank wing but a little longer and it will have one on the driver side just like the passenger side and it will fit with the polaris rock slider nerf bars i will post some pics when i get it and if anyone is interested if i can get an order for ten or more i can get them for 275.00 and if i can get over 25 they will be 250.00 the owner of the fab shop is cutting mine for me because he owed me a favor but he said if i had anyone else interested the minimum he will run is ten and that is the price he give me and over 25 is the other price send me a pm if you maybe interested i will post pics when i get it and get it installed he is making it out of aluminum i will get the thickness when i get mine and the weight of it just an alternative to the higher priced skids if anyone maybe interested i am not trying to make any money just help out the fellow rzr owners so that will be the price plus shipping if i can get a qualifying order thanks -bone-
 
#20 ·
Interstate Plastics has some info on HDPE. Sheet to Sheet the HDPE is cheaper than the UHMW but if you go down in thickness for example. UHMW 48in x 96 in x .250in is $168.92. HDPE 48in x 96 in x .375 is $173.76. Looks like a toss up. I'm not an expert just did some research. If it was me i like the UHMW it looks like it slides better.
 
#22 ·
That is weird I was told exactly the same thing today while trying to find some UHMW.

I was also told that UHMW does not like to bend very well and really hates to be shaped by heat. I was thinking of bending it up around a front bumper section.

Apparently HDPE has identical strength properties for a skid plate but tends to like being formed better.
 
#24 ·
I was pointed to this bit of info.
I was told that this basically says that for purposes of impact and slipperyness like we have in a skid plate they are identical BUT HDPE
would stretch more.

BUT in anything over 1/4" there is no difference in the way the material reacts to impact unless it was suspended.
Shear and Tensile strength are the prime indicators of how tough a plastic is on impact.

UHMW tends to be used more where constant abrasion (not occasional like we experience sliding across a rock) because the material has no grain. The molecular strands are very random which means it makes a great wear bar on things like conveyor belts.

HDPE wears only slightly faster 10-15%.
When I asked if UHMW would last longer than HDPE I was told I would never live long to know the difference. I think he was trying to tell me they both were going to last a very long time.

He said HDPE tends to be used to line dump truck beds more often than UHMW simply because it is cheaper.

Property Units HDPE UHMW

Tensile Strength (73 F) PSI 4,600 4,750
Shear Strength (73 F) PSI 3,380 3,500
Tensile Modulus of Elasticity (73 F) PSI 170,000 90,000
Continuous Service Temperature - in Air (max.) F 180 160
Deflection Temperature (264 PSI) F 151 116


Man I feel like I learned something today.
 
#30 ·
I think im way out of my league here. i was just looking to make my skid tougher. i found two 4x4 sheets of diamond plate for $60.couldent tell you anything scientific about them other than thay will do the job. i will cut the plating so it will lie on my plastic skid.if i do this it will take about one hour to make the cuts. than i can tie stap it to the frame with thick straps.than bolt the plastic skid in place. should take about two hours. i dont air my rzr out. i have lots of clearance.i just need it to be tougher incase i bang a rock or stump.
 
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