DIY HDPE Frame Skid Guard!

Blaner

Your Friendly South African Ambassador
Mar 26, 2008
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East London, South Africa
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.

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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!

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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.

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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!)

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I then set about with the jigsaw and cut off the base on the tray...

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Once i had the base, i could start to plan my measurement on the board...

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I then cut with the jigsaw along my lines...

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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...

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The ribbing of the tray helped to keep the board more stable and so it is pretty strong!
 
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I decided to put the ribbing facing up as its then not in the way to get hooked on rocks etc, so i cut channels in the ribs of the sheet where the frame tubes needed to fit in, this let the board lie up flush with the frame.

Then i needed to dril mounting holes this took some care as i needed to get them in the right spots! cxareful measuring needed here!, you can see holes and cut outs in pic above.

I cut the front end so it tucks in nicely under the bumper so it wont get caught and get pulled down. and the bumper is skew, not the board in this pic! :)

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I used stainless steel Nylock nuts here with 32mm fender washers.

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Once i was happy with the fitment and filed the holes a not so they lined up better, i stuck on some weather strip sponge stuff that is self adhering...

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Then i bolted it up!

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Location of U bolts:

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Final product:

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I also put a grinder to the excess thread sticking out of the nuts as im afraid the protruding nuts are the downfall of this project...il have to see how it holds out. Otherwise, it seems pretty solid and am happy with the result. A little fabrication skills are necessary to do it right.

Hope this is useful to someone!
 
Nice DIY man, I'll have to give this a try. Actually seems like a good idea!

Nice boxer too, I had a boxer that we adopted. Name was Guinness, coolest dog ever. He was a rescue... He died 2 years ago though, had a heart attack. We were watching TV one day and all of a sudden he just dropped.

Nice DIY though, I'd like to see how it holds up
 
Nice DIY man, I'll have to give this a try. Actually seems like a good idea!

Nice boxer too, I had a boxer that we adopted. Name was Guinness, coolest dog ever. He was a rescue... He died 2 years ago though, had a heart attack. We were watching TV one day and all of a sudden he just dropped.

Nice DIY though, I'd like to see how it holds up

we have two, an older male, Chase, this is actually his daughter Amber that is hogging the camera time! Boxers are legend dogs.

I have done this as a "semi permanent" setup, im not expecting it to last for years but untill i can afford a proper one and get hold of some thicker ULMWPE, it will do. I can make 4 of these for the price of a metal one! :)
 
Looks good! I believe u are right about the nuts/bolts being the week spot. But i bet youll slide over most obsticles so may last longer than expected! Rep for the write up!
 
There was this large 3mm thick, aluminuim road sign that was flattened by a careless driver on the road to my place.

It lay in the table drain for at least 3 weeks until it accidently found its way onto the back of my truck.

Can any one tell me how to remove the words "No overtaking on double lines", so I can use it as a skid plate donor?
 
There was this large 3mm thick, aluminuim road sign that was flattened by a careless driver on the road to my place.

It lay in the table drain for at least 3 weeks until it accidently found its way onto the back of my truck.

Can any one tell me how to remove the words "No overtaking on double lines", so I can use it as a skid plate donor?

Put that part down and then scrape if off on a few hundred rocks! I:I
 
There was this large 3mm thick, aluminuim road sign that was flattened by a careless driver on the road to my place.

It lay in the table drain for at least 3 weeks until it accidently found its way onto the back of my truck.

Can any one tell me how to remove the words "No overtaking on double lines", so I can use it as a skid plate donor?

i have an old road sign i occasionally use for small brackets,
i leave the wording on while cutting to save scratching the aluminum, then hit it with a torch and peel the lettering decal off when finished, clean off the glue with gas or brake cleaner

i also have a "plastic" skid on my sons bike, got it from slickerthanyou, prolly 3/8th thick, held up good all season
but opted for conduit straps over the frame, with the bolts up thru so they don't get caught, or smashed by rocks
 
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It looks like I will have to resort to a coarse rotary steel wire brush as the surface is not one which uses decals, it is of the reflective surface type.

It is large enough to cut in between the writing, and I could use the reflective surface as an attraction.