home made skid plate idea

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.

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

Attached Images

gamealot skidplate.jpg (96.2 KB, 151 views)

How much weight did plastic skid add?

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

Love the ideal. Your install looks very good! I do alot of ridding where rocks are a problem and looks like a great option for my rzr.
I will have to do some hunting to find dealer in my area.

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

Thank's for the info.

That is a good option, I would rather add a few extra pounds than to worry about the damage a rock could cause. Is that stuff really as strong as alum

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...

Nice install. How did you bevel the edges?

after cutting the perimeter with a jigsaw i used a router with a 45 degree bevel bit. i went around all the drain plug holes too. then i used a dado bit to dado the front and rear diff. plates under the main skid plate. Bud

Very clean!

great job on the skid plate bud. your giving me good idea's.

Specifications for UHMW At Interstate Plastics - Product List

Great idea I saw this on a jeep but never found out what type of plastic it was.

Any polymer experts here? My local plastic supplier is saying high density polyethelyne is as tough and smooth as UHMW polyethelene. Anyone know? The high density stuff is A LOT cheaper!