Well as some of you may remember, a while back i was looking into making a plastic frame guard, well i finally got around to tackling it.
The hardest part was finding something suitable for the application...I couldnt find anyone who sells any sort of HDPE or ULMWPE in flat sheets, i investigated the use of ULMWPE (butcher board) which is superior to any sort of HDPE plastic but the only source i could get ASAP was actualy chopping boards, which were too small.
So, i went to option 2: a Large 72L meat tray! I picked one of these up for R260 which is not bad, considering a DG alluminium guard goes for around R1250.
I got the tray for a shop called "Plastic warehouse" but the butchery supplier shops also stock them. luck would have it the base of the tray was perfectly sized for the application of a skid guard!
It is made of 5mm HDPE plastic and is 816mm x 465mm x 267mm. The size i needed was 800 x 320.
Soon after i got it home my Boxer made herself at home in it!
I then set about measuring up by finding the center and so on. I measured up the frame and factored in the use of 32mm fender washers i used to mount it. so i had to make it wide enough to cater for them.
I used 6mm x 30mm "U" bolts to anchor the sheet. i located 5 of them as seen in the pic. but to stop them eating my fresh paint, i slipped on some heat shrink and blow it with a heat gun to give them a rubberised finish! )red was the only coulour i had!)
I then set about with the jigsaw and cut off the base on the tray...
Once i had the base, i could start to plan my measurement on the board...
I then cut with the jigsaw along my lines...
I noticed the board took on a natural curve which worked well because the frame changed angle 300mm from the front as the tubes begin to angle out towards the footpeg mounts...
The ribbing of the tray helped to keep the board more stable and so it is pretty strong!
The hardest part was finding something suitable for the application...I couldnt find anyone who sells any sort of HDPE or ULMWPE in flat sheets, i investigated the use of ULMWPE (butcher board) which is superior to any sort of HDPE plastic but the only source i could get ASAP was actualy chopping boards, which were too small.
So, i went to option 2: a Large 72L meat tray! I picked one of these up for R260 which is not bad, considering a DG alluminium guard goes for around R1250.
I got the tray for a shop called "Plastic warehouse" but the butchery supplier shops also stock them. luck would have it the base of the tray was perfectly sized for the application of a skid guard!
It is made of 5mm HDPE plastic and is 816mm x 465mm x 267mm. The size i needed was 800 x 320.
Soon after i got it home my Boxer made herself at home in it!
I then set about measuring up by finding the center and so on. I measured up the frame and factored in the use of 32mm fender washers i used to mount it. so i had to make it wide enough to cater for them.
I used 6mm x 30mm "U" bolts to anchor the sheet. i located 5 of them as seen in the pic. but to stop them eating my fresh paint, i slipped on some heat shrink and blow it with a heat gun to give them a rubberised finish! )red was the only coulour i had!)
I then set about with the jigsaw and cut off the base on the tray...
Once i had the base, i could start to plan my measurement on the board...
I then cut with the jigsaw along my lines...
I noticed the board took on a natural curve which worked well because the frame changed angle 300mm from the front as the tubes begin to angle out towards the footpeg mounts...
The ribbing of the tray helped to keep the board more stable and so it is pretty strong!
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