Visitor # 110576 since 13.AUG.2001
Note: Due to the large order backlog currently in place, new orders will only be accepted for Rock SliderZ kits until further notice.
A popular add-on for 4x4s are nerf bars, that extend out from below the rocker panels. Sometimes called step bars, they are more for looks and convenience and I've seen on more that one occasion where the nerf bar bending under load can cause more body damage than the vehicle would of without the bar. For heavy duty use off-road, you really need something that will both protect your vehicle's body from damage and also keep you from getting hung up on an obstacle. Many people build their own bars and some companies are now offering heavy duty nerf bars or rock sliders. Most of these designs make use of welding the bar to the frame and rely solely on the strength of that weld and the support brackets to hold up the weight of the vehicle.
I used to run a rock slider from a now defunct company. These bars worked great and featured a bolt-on design that was more than strong enough for even hard core rock crawling. When I made some changes to my vehicle, I found it was necessary to either modify or replace the rock sliders. I chose to design my own version, correcting a few deficiencies in the original design and make it fit my modified vehicle better. So. I designed and built the 4Crawler Offroad Rock SliderZ for functionality:
Here's what 4Crawler Offroad came up with. If you run run wider than stock tires and wheels, you can add 1" or 2" kicked out sections to the front and/or rear of the slider to helpslide off and away from rocks so the tires can grab them. This allows the center section of the bar to be just a bit wider than the body for protection, but no wider than absolutely needed. These are not some wimpy nerf bar, the 4Runner bars weigh in at about 35-50 lbs. each, other models more or less depending on length.
Here's a shot underneath, showing the outrigger braces from the outer to inner bar. The inner bar runs the full length from wheel well to wheel well providing full protection for the underside of the body. As a side benefit, it also hides the frame on body-lifted trucks. From the inner bar to the frame, you can see the two main supports. They bolt to the frame and provide more than enough strength to support the weight of the truck. The inner bar has another function, too. Under extreme loading, the bars will flex upwards until the inner bar contacts the body pinch weld, at which point the load is transferred to this very strong parts of the body. By spreading the load over the entire length of the pinch weld, there is little chance of damage occurring.
The underside of the bar is smooth from front to back, nothing sticks down any lower than the frame, the outer bar is cantilevered up at an angle for an additional 2" of ground clearance. The ends are tapered to slide on and off of rocks easier. All the ends are capped with heavy steel and all joints are fully welded to prevent internal corrosion. The bars themselves are available unpainted or in a paint finish that is easily touched up in the field.
Besides providing protection for the sheet metal on your truck, the bars also are functional as steps for ease of entering and exiting the vehicle, as well as for accessing items stored in on on top of the vehicle. The flat top of the square tubing provides secure footing and on painted bars, a 3M grip tape is installed for extra traction especially in wet conditions. I prefer the rubber tape to the more common grit tape since the rubber tape is much less abrasive, which you'll appreciate if you ever rub a bare leg across it!
I've been asked whether the ladder like outrigger bars get hung up on rocks on the trail. To date, I've never had any trouble with this. I've run my bars over some of the toughest trails in California, Oregon and Utah including the Rubicon, Fordyce Creek (Sierra Trek), the McGrew Trail, several trips through the Hammers in Johnson Valley, Dusy-Ershim, Moab Utah - including Pritchett Canyon, Rusty Nail and other trails, and have only once even seen a scratch on the ladder bars from a rock. My old American Metal bars had a similar ladder design and I ran those 3+ years without a problem.
Why did 4Crawler Offroad use a bolt-on design? There are a number of benefits:
Why does 4Crawler Offroad use a self-tapping bolt vs. a clamp-on mount?
So, is a bolted-on slider able to stand up to use and abuse on the trail? Have a look at the pictures below and see for yourself:
Fully bolt-on installation, dual tube 4Crawler Offroad Rock SliderZ are built of 2" x 2" and 1.5" x 1.5" steel tubing.
Optional kick-outs are available front and rear. With standard width wheels and tires, no kick-out if really needed (see image above), but if you are running wider than stock tires and wheels, then a 1" or 2" kick-out will help fill the transition from bar to tire. The inner tube of the bar serves an important function. These bars are designed to have a bit of flex. Under load, the bars will bend upward a bit, until the inner tube makes contact along the full length of the lower body-floor seam. By spreading the vehicle weight over the length of the bar, the load is transferred to one of the strongest parts of the body. Other nerf bar designs rely on absolutely rigid mounts such that the bar alone is supposed to be able to support the full vehicle weight. This often requires the bars be welded to the frame with heavy bracing and if not done properly, the nerf bars themselves can flex upwards and damage the body.
The acid test for these bars was to lift the side of the vehicle off the ground off the very end of the bar. Here, you can see the back tire lifted clear off the ground using a jack on the rear end of the bar. Similar results were obtained in the front end lift. You can see how the inner tube has made contact with the body seam in the right hand picture. This is by design and under extreme loads, they are designed to flex and transfer the load to the strong body seam. Also, note the big advantage of a square tube slider over a round tube design, no special adapter is needed for the jack.
So lifting the truck off the ground with the bar is interesting, but how do these things work on the trail?
Here's a closeup shot of the bars after their first trip off-road. A run to the local OHV park wasn't a valid test, rather, I took them over the infamous Fordyce Creek trail in the Sierra Nevada of northern California. Fordyce Creek is the trail used by the Sierra Trek for their short wheel base run. With my 106" wheel base, I figured I was near the 110" limit they impose on that run, so what better test. You can see in the above shot that the bars definitely saw some action. I had a couple of occasions to use the rear kick-outs, one time they probably kept me from rolling over. On another rock, I surfed the full length of the rock on the inner bar, wonderful sound of steel on granite the whole way over. Due to the smooth design, I slid over with ease and was even able to back up, turn and take a slightly different line, all the while with the driver's side of the truck fully supported on the bar. You can see the paint scratches all along the inner bar and the underside of the outrigger supports. Needless to say, I was totally pleased with the way these bars worked and would not change any part of the design for my rig.
However, for the less hardcore user, I have a less radical bar design. It uses 1/8" wall tubing throughout, reducing the weight and cost, while still offering adequate body protection.
For vehicles with stock width axles and running narrower tires, I also can make the bars without the kickouts (pictured above), which could potentially extend beyond the narrow tires and actually cause you to get hung up on the bar itself. In the above-left image, are a pair of standard duty Rock SliderZ and in the above-right image is a closeup of the mounting bracket for the 0"-1" body lift version. In this case, the outrigger legs are placed at the bottom of the frame and the bracket extends upward. In the 2"-3" version, the outrigger sits near the top of the frame and the bracket extends downward.
Note: Due to the large order backlog currently in place, new orders will only be accepted for Rock SliderZ kits until further notice.
4Crawler Offroad has come up with a basic rock slider design that can be modified to suit the exact needs of the owner and vehicle. As such, the bars can't be mass produced, rather they are built to order.
Note on the "Shopping Cart" buttons below:
These buttons will take you the PayPal secure web server. If you already have a PayPal account, you may directly access it via these buttons. If you do not have an account set up, you can still use the shopping cart buttons and pay by credit or debit card, with or without setting up a Paypal account. If you choose to set up a Paypal account, it should cost you nothing to do so.
Note: Due to the large order backlog currently in place, new orders will only be accepted for Rock SliderZ kits until further notice.
|
 |
 |
Your Picture Here |
| 1st Generation | 2nd Generation | 3rd Generation Front+rear 1" kickouts pictured |
4th Generation |
(Pricing below is per pair)
| Model | Weight/Shipping Cost (US mainland) |
Standard... $300.00/pr. |
86 lbs. Local..$30 UPS....$85 .. PrePaid.$20 |
| Ultimate... $325.00/pr. |
101 lbs. Local..$30 UPS....$95 ... PrePaid.$20 |
+$10
+$10
+$10
+$10
($25)
($15)
($10)
($10)
($20)
($40)
+$50
+$80
Note: Due to the large order backlog currently in place, new orders will only be accepted for Rock SliderZ kits until further notice.
(Pricing below is per pair)
| Model | Weight/Shipping Cost (US mainland) |
| Standard... $300.00 |
86 lbs. Local..$30 UPS....$85 .. PrePaid.$20 |
| Ultimate... $325.00 |
101 lbs. Local..$30 UPS....$95 .. PrePaid.$20 |
+$10
+$10
+$10
+$10
($25)
($15)
($10)
($10)
($20)
($40)
+$50
+$80
Note: Due to the large order backlog currently in place, new orders will only be accepted for Rock SliderZ kits until further notice.
(Pricing below is per pair)
| Model / Cost | Weight/Shipping Cost (US mainland) |
| Standard: $365 |
95 lbs. Local..$30 UPS....$95 PrePaid.$20 |
| Ultimate: $335.00 |
110 lbs. Local...$30 UPS....$105 PrePaid..$20 |
+$10
+$10
+$10
+$10
+$25
+$20
+$15
+$15
+$25
+$60
+$50
+$80
Note: Due to the large order backlog currently in place, new orders will only be accepted for Rock SliderZ kits until further notice.
 |
| '89-'95 Xtra Cab (33x12.50 tires) bars 1" rear kickout, Ultimate bars pictured |
(Pricing below is per pair)
| Weight/Shipping Cost (US mainland) | |
| Standard: $340.00 |
110 lbs. Local..$30 UPS...$105 PrePaid.$20 |
| Ultimate: $365.00 |
125 lbs. Local...$30 UPS....$115 PrePaid..$20 |
+$10
+$10
+$25
+$20
+$15
+$15
+$25
+$60
+$50
+$80
Note: Due to the large order backlog currently in place, new orders will only be accepted for Rock SliderZ kits until further notice.
(Pricing below is per pair)
| Straight | Weight/Shipping Cost (US mainland) | |
| Standard | $320.00 |
90lbs. Local..$30 UPS....$90 |
| Ultimate | $345.00 |
105 lbs. Local...$30 UPS....$100 |
+$10
+$10
+$10
+$10
($25)
($15)
($10)
($10)
($20)
($40)
+$50
+$80
Note: Due to the large order backlog currently in place, new orders will only be accepted for Rock SliderZ kits until further notice.
(Pricing below is per pair)
| Straight | Weight/Shipping Cost (US mainland) | |
| Standard | $340.00 |
110 lbs. Local..$30 UPS...$105 |
| Ultimate | $365.00 |
125 lbs. Local...$30 UPS....$115 |
($10)
($10)
($25)
($20)
($15)
($15)
($25)
($60)
($50)
($80)
Note: Due to the large order backlog currently in place, new orders will only be accepted for Rock SliderZ kits until further notice.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Typical 2000-2004 Sliders Gen1, Std. width pictured |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Typical 2005-2006 Sliders, Gen2, Extra wide pictured |
(Pricing below is per pair)
| Model | Cost ($US) / pair | Weight/Shipping Cost (US mainland) |
| Standard | Std. Width...$340: Extra Wide...$350: |
91 lbs. Local..$30 UPS....$90
|
| Ultimate | Std. Width...$365: Extra Wide...$320: |
106 lbs. Local..$30 UPS...$100
|
($15)
($15)
($25)
($15)
($10)
($10)
($ 5)
($15)
