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Rock Rails, What the hey?

21K views 49 replies 28 participants last post by  stubiePW 
#1 ·
So I hate to bring this up... :)

Why no Rock Rails for the PW? Or am I just not looking in the right places?

:help:
 
#4 ·
Cool! Thanks!
 
#3 ·
When the PW was first reintroduced in 2005 they were offered as a Mopar accessory, but because of low sales they were discontinued in 2007.
 
#5 ·
Kinda should been on the truck from day one, but Dodge still thinks of it as a 2500 with option package P29 or some such nonsense.

Oh well. Thanks!
 
#6 ·
I am interested too.
 
#7 ·
Everyone that really uses the truck wants them... ...but how much are we willing to pay?

If Mother Ram loved us they'd have them standard along with a real bumper, provision for driving lights, and a rear bumper with a swing-out tire mount.
And we'd have 35s stock and be able to fit 37s without mods.
Thats love...
 
#8 ·
You my friend should have been in the design room while the Power Wagon was being built. While you were there you could have got us lockers that actually lock without any kind of magic.
 
#10 ·
I'd be up for that if they had an integrated step so the Missus would stop bitchin...
 
#11 ·
An integrated step would kinda defeat the purpose of rock rail/sliders... They're meant to protect the bottom of the cab AND allow the vehicle to "slide" off the rock/obstruction. If there was a step, it would end up hanging up the truck and get stuck.
 
#13 ·
I'll take a little nub sticking out a little more to the side --- good for the wife to scamper up and also good for nudging trees away from my door handle.

And while we're at it, there's no real "Jesus handle" in the truck for my wife to hang on when I'm rocking the boat or on some stupid angle. The Jeep had a rollbar and I strapped an Jesus handle to it but the thing in the PW is useless for that...
 
#14 ·
Just e-mailed them and got this reply:


Hi,

Yes we just released the product today!! I have attached some pictures of the installed product for you to see.

As for your questions.

Price: 899.00

Rock Slider? Yes they are a true rock slider and can support weight. We are now working on integrating a step into them just like we have done on the 4Door JK, but right now they are just sliders.


Material: They are made out of 3/16" steel and weigh 120 a set.

Rhino Lined: Yes you can get them Rhino lined. I can sell them bare steel to you or they come powder coated black wrinkle finish.

Install? I can Install them for you. 3.5 hour install 262.50.

Thanks for your interest in our product!
--
Shaundi Eames
Sales/Marketing

www.rockslideengineering.com
Rock-Slide Engineering
2561 North 200 West
North Logan, Utah 84341
P: 435-752-4580
F: 435-752-4366


I am not sure how I feel about these. I like how they look and the amount of clearance they have. They don't look like they attach to the frame, so how much weight could they really hold??? Doesn't look like it would work for a step and I don't really want to get one with a motorized step like the one she referred to (costing double plus adding more things to go wrong). What do you guys think?
 

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#15 ·
I said it in the other thread but they don't look like they are long enough to me. Shouldn't they go all the way to the rear tire?
 
#17 ·
Those RSE "sliders" look like a complete joke! :huh:

IMO, you cannot have a true slider unless it's attached to the frame (preferably by welding).

These are 60 lb a side and just bolt to the body!?! One hit on these and they'll cave the body up since they're more stout than the sheet metal they're attached to. Not going to be pretty.

Not to mention how tight these fit up to the body...natural moisture/salt/grime trap. They should know better in Utah as we use hideous amounts of salt on the roads here.

I could go on...and, yes they should certainly go all the way to the back fender.

I just ordered a custom set of DOM tubular weld on sliders from Armorology in Colorado Springs. Materials ordered now, but produced & installed late August. (Yes, you need to get in line for craftsmanship like this.)

They'll be 48-50 lb. per side. Inner/main tube will be 2" .188 (3/16") wall, and outer will be 1.75" .120 wall. Welded to frame with 2" x 3" box steel mounts. Going to be amazing and worth the wait.

They're also about 50% more though than RSE's, all powdercoated & installed.
 
#18 ·
2012 PW ST-

Any pics of these rock rails you are getting made, or are they a custom first time job for this company? You said about 50% more than the RSE, so we are looking about $1500 right? Will they work as a step as well? I am in WY so I am definitely interested in this option as I could avoid shipping costs. Please post pics as you get them!
 
#19 ·
No pics yet...won't have any until they're in production late August. Just imagine a pretty traditional double tube slider that will function as a low profile/out of the way step as well. Inner main tube with an outer hoop connected to main tube at each end with little "stringers" in between.

Just Google Armorology to see their work. These are a typical design for them. Their welds & attention to detail are second to none IMO.

They'll be a little north of $1700 all done. You'd have to be willing to drive down to get them ordered and then back down for a few days when it comes time to produce & install.

They just made me a cool, but very simple fire extinguisher bracket for my drivers seat too. I'll post pics later. Came out great.

I'm actually passing through Laramie today heading back to SLC. I'll give you a wave. :gr_patrio
 
#23 ·
#24 ·
After having a small issue with the lack of sliders on my 08....



I just had the rock slide engineering sliders installed on my 11 CTD.






After doing a lot of research of what was available out there for either power wagons or CTD like mine, I found that there were not a lot of options.
I looked into fabbing something that mounted to the frame rail, but because the rocker panel of the truck is only 1" or so above the level of the bottom of the frame rail, anything that I mounted there would have to dip down and either hang a few inches below the rocker, using up precious ground clearance. or dip down and then come back up. Either way, it would look stupid or would waste a lot of space. Not to mention that the outside of the body is 15" away from the outside of the frame, creating A LOT of leverage that would push a frame mounted slider up into the body.
So, for me, mounting to the frame was not a viable option. And also from a purely cosmetic standpoint, round tube, doesn't at all match the lines of the truck.
There are quite a few "nerf bars" or Tube steps out there for these trucks. After looking a a dozen or so different kinds, including the ones available from Mopar, they all mount to the body, on the back side of the rocker. Using the factory threaded holes there. These are for the most part sturdy enough to stand on and do the job of being just a step just fine. But none of them would come close to supporting the truck. Either the material of the step it's self wouldn't hold up, or the single plane mounting would deform too much.

That led me to the rock slide sliders. I liked the fact that they didn't take up any of my ground clearance. I also liked that being 3/16 plate steel and being supported by 2 different mounting planes they seemed very sturdy.
There was some worries about being mounted only to the body, but then I realized that Jeeps have been doing this for years, and even brand new Jeep JKs use body mounted sliders. I of course realize that my truck weighs a lot more than your average Jeep, but the proof of concept was there.
I was able to watch the entire install process, and I was very pleased with the outcome. The sliders tuck up tight against the body, and along the bottom of the rocker, so, I'm only losing ground clearance of the 3/16 thickness of the slider. Then since I do live in Utah, and the winter salt on the roads is a concern here. I had the installer add a bead of silicone along the entire slider mounting, front and rear. This will keep any water/salt/mud either from running down the side of the truck and behind the slider, or any of the same being flipped up by the tires. I will of course keep an eye on this and re-apply as needed, if ever.
Now... Do they work? Short of finding a large rock to scratch up my new sliders on.....
I had the installer lift the entire truck my just the sliders. The front arms of the lift would not shorten enough to get the pads on the sliders, so he used some rubber mats to set the sliders directly on the lift arms, and the pads were just chilling in the void between the slider and the frame.

Picture of the front lift arm on the slider and the lift arm pad in the void




There was no distortion at all of either the slider, or the body.
However, even being a heavy truck, everything was spread out over 4 lift points. So I had him remove all the lift arms but one and under the front passenger side of the slider lift the truck until both passenger tires of the truck were off the ground.
Again, no distortion of either the body or the slider.



Now, the issue of the bed.
I have thought a lot of what to do here....
You can't mount anything really to the frame because of the leaf spring mount, and the frame rises right behind the cab.
And you can't connect the cab slider to the bed slider because they have to move independently of each other. I'm not sure how much, but even Dodge saw fit to leave at least an inch and a quarter gap at any given point between the bed and cab.
I spoke with rock slide about this. They offered to extend the slider to the rear wheel well. But didn't want to attach it for obvious reasons. The slider would still be ridged there but it would essentially be floating out in space. And with out either leaving a rather large gap or having the chance of crushing the bed side when the cab and the bed flex independently.
I saw the pictures posted of the ADD steps/sliders, and while theirs do go all the way to the wheel, they are still just floating there and offer minimal to no actual protection.
If anyone has a practical solution for this, I'd love to hear it. But other than purely cosmetic, or a flatbed.... I don't see a decent solution.
So, my solution for this is..... Be a good driver, be careful, and use a spotter if/when you are in that type of situation.
 
#25 ·
notajeep- thanks for the pictures. From the looks of it I'm going to be eating my words a little. I still prefer sliders with a step built into them (which is why I had mine made the way they are), but these look like they will do just fine.
 
#27 ·
I called to see if they would fit on a 3G and they said they would be testing them out next week. I don't think that they will do to the way the bottom opening on the 4G door is about 2 inches higher. But they could make some good $$$ if they modified them slightly to allow for 3G use.
 
#28 ·
I have a NIB set of these for sale $500 face to face. Shipping is a fortune, so willing to drive 100 miles from Northern VA.
 
#29 ·
I have a NIB set of these for sale $500 face to face.

Shipping is a fortune, so willing to drive 150 miles from Northern VA.
Still for sale-
 
#31 ·
I have seen Power Wagons flexed to the max & beyond with absolutely NO movement between the bed & cab. Power Wagon frames have a different part # Than reg 2500 or 3500's. Another reason PW's ROCK !!!
 
#32 ·
#33 ·
That's pretty slick! ... :) :tup:
 
#35 ·
Those Rock Slide Engineering sliders look like the way to go. I visited their site, but didn't see sliders for PWs. Are they custom built or special order? Can you tell us what they cost? Shipping could be a factor, but Montana isn't too fal from Logan. Thanks!
 
#36 ·
Went to the ADD shop a couple days ago and had a look around... this truck was actually there.


The steps on the rails are removable and they just bolt on from the bottom. But I did not notice if they bolt to the frame or if to the body.
 
#38 ·
Question for notajeep or anyone else with the RSE sliders:
It looks like they attach the outsides of the rockers at 7 points, requiring 7 holes drilled into the rockers? Or are my eyes deceiving me?

On a separate note, there's one company I haven't seen mentioned- Anybody got Aluminess sliders? Thoughts on them?
 
#39 ·
I got their front bumper. Top notch stuff. :tup:
 
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