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stainless steel for a belly skid?

codyj86

codyj86

NAXJA Forum User
Location
co springs
I've got access to a sheet of 1/4" thick of stainless steel big enough for a belly skid. I dont' know what alloy of SS it is. but i've searched the web like crazy and can't seem to find out whether it will be stronger or weaker than a 1/4" thick sheet of steel...
 
Not 100% but I think stainless steel is kinda a softer metal when talking thicker sheets vs rocks. Sure wont rust though.
 
StaleAle said:
Not 100% but I think stainless steel is kinda a softer metal when talking thicker sheets vs rocks. Sure wont rust though.
Click to expand...
good luck cutting it
 
If it's free, why not? Take some cardboard, mock up your design, use a plasma & cut it out.
At 1/4" it doesn't need to be the strongest material. Most skid plates are 3/16" mild steel and bomb proof if they are designed well. 1/4" of ANYTHING ought to do it, wood excluded.
 
if i remember right from when i worked at a machine shop the stainless shouldbe harder, i remember having to slow cutting speeds for the stainless
 
There are LOTS of different grades of stainless steel. Some are hard as hell, some are soft. The hard ones will be brittle though.

How were you going to attach it?
 
the only thing i don't have access to is a tig welder (i think thats what you have to use to weld it...i've never welded SS) i figure at 1/4 i could probably countersink some bolt holes or use carriage bolts. i'm not sure yet, this is kind of a figure it out as i go project....
 
Hammered said:
make a skid out of it then cover it with UHMW / aka sheet nylon... slidey slidey stuff.
Click to expand...
Why??UHMW wont hold up as well and will tend to gouge into the rocks and stick even worse.Theres nothing better than one continous smooth surface!
 
UHMW sure as hell isn't cheap, and I don't see it's application here being a good idea. Might not HURT, but I dont see it helping. At all. UHMW is good for many applications, but I just dont see the benefit here.
 
You answered alot of your own questions!Your not going to bend a well designed 1/4" skidplate enough to make it hang up!Yeah plastics cheap/light/low friction and easily replaced(but they have alot more re-inforcement under that than most of us)!
 
Hell, why use UHMW, go straight for teflon. If you're gonna go overboard and be a retard might as well do it right, eh?
 
stainless can be mig'd and i believe there are arc welding rods for stainless as well. hell you could probably gas weld it too if you had the right rods and flux.
i would save that piece for something else.
 
well, regaurdless, I probably wont be using UHMW because I really don't have the need. I'm sure it works great for rocks, but here in MN we usually just have forest trails, etc. where stumps smacking you oil pans can put a dent in your day (pun intended). But sliding over things shouldn't be much of a problem.

sonic reducer said:
stainless can be mig'd and i believe there are arc welding rods for stainless as well. hell you could probably gas weld it too if you had the right rods and flux.
i would save that piece for something else.
Click to expand...

Ok, not a problem then for welding it. What do you think I should use it for?
 
codyj86 said:
Ok, not a problem then for welding it. What do you think I should use it for?
Click to expand...

If it's big enough, I would make a welding table top out of it.
 
RCP Phx said:
Why??UHMW wont hold up as well and will tend to gouge into the rocks and stick even worse.Theres nothing better than one continous smooth surface!
Click to expand...

Stallacrew said:
UHMW sure as hell isn't cheap, and I don't see it's application here being a good idea. Might not HURT, but I dont see it helping. At all. UHMW is good for many applications, but I just dont see the benefit here.
Click to expand...

Stallacrew said:
Hell, why use UHMW, go straight for teflon. If you're gonna go overboard and be a retard might as well do it right, eh?
Click to expand...

My UHMW skid has been on since April 2007 and is still kickin'. Definitely the best skid material I've used so far.

How did you guys have your UHMW skids set up?
 
Dirk Pitt said:
If it's big enough, I would make a welding table top out of it.
Click to expand...

Now there is something to think about.

A nice scrap of 3/16" plate can be formed (bent) and is easily welded.
A good piece of 1/4" stainless could be a bigger pain to work with than you
know.
I have recently been working with some 14ga. stainless that is the hardest metal I have ever seen. The only cutting tool that I have that will work is plasma cutter.

Rick
 
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