Hot Metal Fab Rock Sliders on Raptor Ranger

[J.Dub]

It took a while but I finally got my Rock Sliders from Hot Metal Fab recently. They are taking orders also. It's DOM tube steel and I went with the Satin Black powder coat which came out a little to glossy for me but it does match with the recovery hooks on the Ranger Raptor.

I had him do a custom top plate that tries to match the OEM side step so my Rock slider looks like a OEM+ look. That's my style when I modify any vehicle. I just do a OEM+ look.

It is 10 degrees slant and it Vs out the to rear. What I really like about these is he welded on gussets on the inner ends to give the square tubing railing part extra strength.

Hot Metal Fab Ranger Rock Sliders

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[John E Davies]

Those fit nicely! IMHO some of the welds look a little poor, can you comment? I am no welder, but this is embarrassing for a custom welding shop….

What is their weight?

Thanks for posting the pics.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[J.Dub]

Those fit nicely! IMHO some of the welds look a little poor, can you comment? I am no welder, but this is embarrassing for a custom welding shop….

What is their weight?

Thanks for posting the pics.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

I noticed that as well. It’s sure isn’t pretty like other welders can do dimes like Jerry from BAMF. As long he penetrates the metal it’s good.
I don’t know the weight. You would probably have to ask either by calling them or messaging them on IG.

 

[John E Davies]

As long he penetrates the metal it’s good.

That’s the big problem with welds that look like that. You will never really know if the strength is acceptable until your truck slams down onto a ledge... That uncertainty would worry the heck out of me. Maybe this is a reason for a buyer to get the unassembled parts kit and have a local trusted fabrication shop complete the work.

Does anybody know how many hours that would take? The price difference from Hot Metal is $520…. I can’t see how any of the 4x4 shops near me could come remotely close to that….

Thanks.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[JustNick]

I've been a hobbyist welder off and on for about 5 years now, and it's been a while since I've laid down a bead that iffy. I definitely would have been embarrassed to send that out of my garage, even if it was for a buddy's rig. At least the ones visible to on lookers are pretty. Actually with the exception of those couple of welds, the rails look really good

I'd rock them and not worry about it. If they break at those welds, just get a local guy to weld it up better.

 

[SubaruRaptor]

That’s the big problem with welds that look like that. You will never really know if the strength is acceptable until your truck slams down onto a ledge... That uncertainty would worry the heck out of me. Maybe this is a reason for a buyer to get the unassembled parts kit and have a local trusted fabrication shop complete the work.

Does anybody know how many hours that would take? The price difference from Hot Metal is $520…. I can’t see how any of the 4x4 shops near me could come remotely close to that….

Thanks.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

Prolly no less than 3 hours labor (depends on what the kit comes or doesnt come with, how parts line up etc etc). Each shop will charge differently though for consumables, amount of welds. Prolly 300 for a local shop to do it give or take.

 

[Deepsea619]

I looked at the wedsite. It is a kit, either you take it home and weld it yourself or they will do it for you. I guess that is there way of telling you that they aren't the best welders.

 

[DesertBumAZ]

Those fit nicely! IMHO some of the welds look a little poor, can you comment? I am no welder, but this is embarrassing for a custom welding shop….

What is their weight?

Thanks for posting the pics.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

I was thinking the same thing, looks like I built it lol!

 

[J.Dub]

Next weekend I will test these on my off road trip. I will let you guys know how it does.

 

[Ag3ntC00p3r]

I was looking at these from a different thread and found some additional information. The driver's side is completely bolt on. The passenger side requires two holes be drilled into the frame to insert rivnuts. The product page calls them out as optional but I contacted the seller and they stated they really should be installed.

Quote from email:

After speaking with the sales guy, It has come to my attention that some customers are skipping the step of drilling the frame on the passenger side during installation. We strongly advise against this as it will leave you with only one bolt securing the front leg on the passenger side, which could compromise the strength and safety of the installation.

To ensure a secure fit, we provide a rivet nuts for the passenger side's front leg. While the driver side already has factory-drilled holes, the passenger side requires drilling to install the rivet nut properly. Skipping this step can result in improper installation and reduced performance.

Please follow the installation instructions on our YouTube video carefully for optimal safety and durability.

Here is a link to the installation video:

 

[SoCalMike]

This is the most promising set I’ve seen so far. I was looking at the set from Rocky Road which is tucked up higher but mounted to the body. They have a paragraph on the product page that explains how the strength is much higher than you would think and their metal is far thicker/stronger.

These do look great, maybe just more of a matte or matte textured finish would look better but you could always have them blasted and re-powder coated once you get some wear on these. Let us know how they perform. Is there a reason they didn’t weld in those plates that say Raptor? Cheers!

​

 

[millertime496]

Ive been dealing with rocky road for months, save yourself the headache. Im going to my fab shop tomorrow to get a quote for assymbly and install of these, might have them install and have a weld shop assemble, just gotta see what/who has the best shop rate.

I asked hot metal for weights and they said about 100 lbs.

 

[J.Dub]

This is the most promising set I’ve seen so far. I was looking at the set from Rocky Road which is tucked up higher but mounted to the body. They have a paragraph on the product page that explains how the strength is much higher than you would think and their metal is far thicker/stronger.

These do look great, maybe just more of a matte or matte textured finish would look better but you could always have them blasted and re-powder coated once you get some wear on these. Let us know how they perform. Is there a reason they didn’t weld in those plates that say Raptor? Cheers!

​

The top plate with the logo is welded but he made it optional if you want the bottom plate. The bottom plate makes it where some parts of the letters won't bend.

 

[Hyperbolic_1]

Alright, finally painted (with Raptor Liner) and installed my Hot Metal Fab (HMF) rock sliders, and I couldn't be happier. I wasn't a huge fan of the round tubing steps—I wanted a more stock look—so I called and asked Brad at HMF if it would be possible to instead use square tubing. He didn't hesitate, and said no problem at all (he did warn me there would be some slight caving in the bends). I also asked if he could take out the 10º upward cant and push the step out a few inches so they would be a better step for the fam (wife and two little daughters). Another "no problem" followed.

Again I couldn't be happier, both with the finished product (aesthetics, quality and craftsmanship) and the interactions with Brad. He sent me CAD drawings throughout the design process just to make sure I was good with everything, and more generally, just fun and cool to work with.

Also, beyond being able to now fully protect the body from any rock impacts, I picked up 2.75" of clearance compared to the stock steps (from 14.5" to 17.25" clearance).

Video link after installation and a few pics below.

Lastly, I do have a set of the prototypes sliders available (very very close, but not identical to these, still raw metal) if someone wants to buy them, ideally in or around SoCal so we don't have to ship them. DM me if interested and I'll send details.

 

[stovall977]

Did you have the option to get them is DOM tube? Or did they only come is square tubing on the outer hoop? I saw their post about them and I thought they were only offered with square tubing inner and tube outer.

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