Ford Expedition Rock Slider Fabrication

I need to protect my elephant from crushing itself to death on a pebble.

Sounds silly but its reasonably true.  Trying to drag 5000+ pounds of on the road 4×4 – off-road can be problematic, especially with few choices for adding clearance, and very little aftermarket support.

So when Robert came to me asking if I could weld a couple rocker guards onto his expedition, so he could do some exploring, of course I said yes.  Then went about trying to figure out how to keep it in one piece, while keeping it in one piece.

I decided to take some 6″x6″ – 1/4″ 1018 plate and box the frame at all three mounting points on each side – so we could spread out the load, and not just rip the rock sliders off, or crumple the frame rails with all the weight being focused on such a small area.  Ever had a cat step on your stomach?  Same concept.

Let the fabrication begin. A few stitch welds with the Millermatic 210 and some dime stacks later and we were all taken care of.  Why stitches?  Ever see what a cookie cutter does?  You want to avoid that if at all possible.  One afternoon well spent granting someone more confidence, safety and protection on the trail.

Very knowledgable, the only person that has fabricated anything for my vehicle, and that is for a reason. – Robert

May they serve you well for years to come.