Someone is selling the same set near me. I’m wondering how strong they are to. There better than factory I would say. You might have a good idea with welding a tube step.

 

Yeah. I’m thinking I’m just going to turn my rubicon sliders into an imitation rock hard slider, by adding the tube step and welding on mounts to connect to the body mounts.

 

I have the Patriots from Rockhard on my 4 door. 2nd set 2nd Jeep. They can take whatever beating you want to give them. I do rocks with them no issues whatsoever.

 

They seem amazing, I just am having a hard time justifying the price, its current price with tax is going to be only 600 dollars cheaper than my Metalcloak lift kit. If I’m able to DIY my rubicon sliders to basically be the same thing I’m gonna try that.

 

I run several Rockhard products, including the sliders, my jeep is not lifted so I use the sliders alot. All of their products are the real deal

 

these frog fabs look really nice and are a lot cheaper. They appear to mount just like the rock hards too. Anybody

Rocker beam rock sliders JK/JKU have experience with these?

edit: so I can confirm these mount exactly like the patriot ones, except I think these also mount to the top tub mounts as well. I think I’m getting these!

 

these frog fabs look really nice and are a lot cheaper. They appear to mount just like the rock hards too. Anybody

Rocker beam rock sliders JK/JKU have experience with these?
View attachment 4593167

They seem to be pretty solid but I haven't been able to find reviews on them. My big concern with rock rails is how badly they'll rust in the winter. What I like about the Frog Fab ones is that they fit tight up into the rocker, look OEM, and cut down on mud/water splashing up on the side of the Jeep like the stock steps do.

 

The pinch seems are not all that strong. Tying into the body mounts helps, but it still could be better. I have seen expensive body mounted "boat side" sliders wrinkle sheet metal and screw up door fit. Personally, I would not trust anything other than a frame-mounted slider. Even then, some frame-mounted designs are not great. For example, I have seen the EVO frame-mounted sliders flex into rocker panels. I have the LOD signature series frame mounts, which have held up well.

 

If you're really doing rock crawling, you're getting rocks from the side but I'm sure you're also coming off a rock where the tire slips and you come down....BANG....right on the slider. For that, I would only trust frame mounted sliders. I've got White Knuckle Offroad sliders. I bought them unpainted and upgraded to DOM higher grade steel. I've banged the hell out of them and even once dented a tube on the bottom, coming down hard on something. Something body mounted taking that kind of hit is going to rip out of the body. Mine are only bolted in place to the frame. Some people either weld them or bolt and weld them. There are other frame mounted sets and everyone has their preferences. Happy hunting.

 

Not all rock sliders are created equal. There are some really good sliders that bolt to the frame like there are some chitty ones, same with the banana ones, same with all of them, frame mounted or otherwise. Hard to do a live test on all of them because that will require a little bit of money... Lol. I had the Ace sliders initially in my first Jeep that lots of people said they were the chit back in the days (2016), and i managed to slightly bent my driver side with one big rock don't know if it'll be visible in the picture, This wasn't even falling down on the rock, it was just driving through it and "sliding" as you're supposed to the force went through the Rubi rail and the rubi rail pushed a little against the rocker panel. It didn't damage the rocker panel up though but geez it took 2 sliders and just one "slide" to prove that setup wasn't worth it plus too much real state lost down there.

20160828_143057 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

20160911_133506 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

20160911_185532 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

I went with the Rockhard because one my trail buddies was running them and he went through the same obstacles that day without a single issue. And yes the Rockhard is mounted to the body mounts and the tub or whatever is called.
Look at this dude here with his damn long Rockhard Patriots, angled down version, running the same trail where i facked my Rubi/Ace setup, (John Bull Trail) worst in their instance because they're running on snow so the vehicles go everywhere god says they should lol, . Do you think they're not falling on rocks ? Do you see his rocker panels getting messed up, do we see the rock sliders even bulgin a little bit ? none, and they're mounted on a very long wheelbase . Last time i checked he wanted to retire those based on clearance and get something angled up. The angled down version takes a lot of clearance away but you can see they're tough as phuck...They have more videos in their channel where they hit the Rockhard sliders left and right. i ran this trail not long ago, not a damn single issue with the rock sliders and the trail is as its worst with rocks everywhere after the last winter this year and i only have 35's, not 40's like that Rubi JT.
Skip to min 17:19 for example and watch a normal falling off a rock because there is nothing you can do about it.

You asked specifically for Rockhard rock sliders, i'm telling you from experience from somebody who may not run JV trails but close yes you can beat the chit out of them and i trust them enough to recommend them with my eyes closed. I've had different versions of rock sliders all frame mounted except ACE and Rockhard, ACE is a POS, Rockhards are the real deal given they way they mount... I would not say Rubi rails are tough, can they take some abuse? sure, but they give up rather too easy depending how you use them so in my opinion they're just a very basic setup good enough for some rough trails but not something i'll run on the trails i do now days.

Rockhard are easy to install as well , compared to most rock sliders they're a breeze and for me another good thing though my first set on that Black Jeep above was a mess and i blogged about it on that Jeep build. 2nd set i put on my 2nd JK (in 2021) were a lot better, everything fitted without issues and the needed hardware is now provided as well, something apparently they didn't have back in 2016 or so. Rockhard makes good chit. Enough said.

This would be the install on the 2 door version. Expensive?, sure, but well worth it if you ask me. Of course there are also other terrific options out there like you know there are chitty ones. All sliders will bend btw if you hit them hard enough, how hard depends on what you're doing, It doesn't take much for the ACE ones, or the Rubi rails to give that's all im saying based on the way i drive my Jeep.

 

Not all rock sliders are created equal. There are some really good sliders that bolt to the frame like there are some chitty ones, same with the banana ones, same with all of them, frame mounted or otherwise. Hard to do a live test on all of them because that will require a little bit of money... Lol. I had the Ace sliders initially in my first Jeep that lots of people said they were the chit back in the days (2016), and i managed to slightly bent my driver side with one big rock don't know if it'll be visible in the picture, This wasn't even falling down on the rock, it was just driving through it and "sliding" as you're supposed to the force went through the Rubi rail and the rubi rail pushed a little against the rocker panel. It didn't messed up the rocker panel though but geez it took 2 sliders and just one "slide to prove that setup wasn't worth it plus too much real state lost down there.

20160828_143057 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

20160911_133506 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

20160911_185532 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

I went with the Rockhard because one my trail buddies was running them and he went through the same obstacles that day without a single issue. And yes the Rockhard is mounted to the body mounts and the tub or whatever is called.
Look at this dude here with his damn long Rockhard Patriots, angled down version, running the same trail where i facked my Rubi/Ace setup, (John Bull Trail) worst in their instance because they're running on snow so the vehicles go everywhere god says they should lol, . Do you think they're not falling on rocks ? Do you see his rocker panels getting messed up, do we see the rock sliders even bulgin a little bit ? none, and they're mounted on a very long wheelbase . Last time i checked he wanted to retire those based on clearance and get something angled up. The angled down version takes a lot of clearance away but you can see they're tough as phuck...They have more videos in their channel where they hit the Rockhard sliders left and right. i ran this trail not long ago, not a damn single issue with the rock sliders and the trail is as its worst with rocks everywhere after the last winter this year.
Skip to min 17:19 for example and watch a normal falling off a rock because there is nothing you can do about it.

You asked specifically for Rockhard rock sliders, i'm telling you from experience from somebody who may not run JV trails but close yes you can beat the chit out of them and i trust them enough to recommend them with my eyes closed. I've had different versions of rock sliders all frame mounted except ACE and Rockhard, ACE is a POS, Rockhards are the real deal... I would not say Rubi rails are tough, can they take some abuse? sure, but they give up rather too easy depending how you use them so in my opinion they're just a very basic setup good enough for some rough trails but not something i'll run on the trails i do now days.

Rockhard are easy to install as well , compared to most rock sliders they're a breeze and for me another good thing though my first set on that Black Jeep above was a mess and i blogged about it on that Jeep build. 2nd set i put on my 2nd JK (in 2021) were a lot better, everything fitted without issues and the needed hardware is now provided as well, something apparently they didn't have back in 2016 or so. Rockhard makes good chit. Enough said.

This would be the install on the 2 door version. Expensive?, sure, but well worth it if you ask me. Of course there are also other terrific options out there like you know there are chitty ones. All sliders will bend btw if you hit them hard enough, how hard depends on what you're doing, It doesn't take much for the ACE ones, or the Rubi rails to give that's all im saying based on the way i drive my Jeep.

Well said. I don’t think a slider necessarily needs to be welded to the frame to be strong. Now do I think the patriots or the frog fabs are stronger than a quality frame mounted slider? Probably not. But I think they are a hell of a lot stronger than rock sliders that only mount to the pinch seam, or only mount to the body mounts. Both the patriots and the frog fabs are advertised to be able to be used as a farm Jack point. So they aren’t flimsy that’s for sure. I’m not a hardcore wheeler, I’m probably a level below that. Maybe I’ll regret it, but I’m gonna go with the Frog Fabs and trust them

 

I am 100% convinced that Poison Spyder Rocker Brawlers are the toughest out there. A lot of abuse on the set I ran, even manage to put a dimple in one but the body never sustained any damage. Not cheap or easy to install. IMO rocker armer is a must in addition to sliders. I am now running Rock Slide Engineering's set up because of the wife and old age. They will not be as strong as what I had but they are still beefy.

PS: You come down on something hard enough things will bend.

 

Terry I'd agree with you but I am not so sure about Poison Spyder of today- now owned by 4WP conglomerate Transamerica. I don't think the quality is the same nowadays. I've seen a lot of complaints that surprised me.
(I am trying to find something for my JL and looking at RSEs. Also was looking at Poison, LOD and Metal Cloak. I am having a hard time stomaching the price on the RSEs knowing full-well they aren't the high level of protection I have on my JK. But also can't find a decent quality step I like either. And reality check- my JL isn't hitting the trails in SoCal I used to hit with my JK.)

 

Not for nothing but I have beat the piss out of my frame mounted sliders by Motobilt

look into them as well. My only experience with Rock Hard was a bolt in cage for my old TJ. It was ok fit and finish was awesome

 

I noticed that even in their ads there appears to be rust. And a bit of a quality/design issue at the front fender. Could you post pics? Looking for my JL but in either case fit/finish is the same concern. I am also looking at their half doors but there is SO very little out there in terms of reviews for them.

 

used my rockhard sliders hard again today.

 

Well said. I don’t think a slider necessarily needs to be welded to the frame to be strong. Now do I think the patriots or the frog fabs are stronger than a quality frame mounted slider? Probably not. But I think they are a hell of a lot stronger than rock sliders that only mount to the pinch seam, or only mount to the body mounts. Both the patriots and the frog fabs are advertised to be able to be used as a farm Jack point. So they aren’t flimsy that’s for sure. I’m not a hardcore wheeler, I’m probably a level below that. Maybe I’ll regret it, but I’m gonna go with the Frog Fabs and trust them

I'll be interested to hear what you think about the Frog Fabs. I emailed them a couple of questions a few days ago but haven't heard back from them yet.

 

What questions did you ask? Let me know what they say!

 

I asked for a PDF or link to installation instructions. I know that I'm capable of installing them and have the tools, but I always like to see how somebody's parts go together and if there's anything out of the ordinary with a product.

I like the way that they look, it's just that the pictures on the website don't show a lot of detail or different views of the JKU.

 

I asked for a PDF or link to installation instructions. I know that I'm capable of installing them and have the tools, but I always like to see how somebody's parts go together and if there's anything out of the ordinary with a product.

I like the way that they look, it's just that the pictures on the website don't show a lot of detail or different views of the JKU.

yeah the pictures are a bit lacking. I’m going off of pictures a user took of his. It looks like it mounts to all the same stock rubicon slider mounts, but also mounts into the body mounts. I posted a pic earlier in the post of what the mounting points look like.

 

I noticed that even in their ads there appears to be rust. And a bit of a quality/design issue at the front fender. Could you post pics? Looking for my JL but in either case fit/finish is the same concern. I am also looking at their half doors but there is SO very little out there in terms of reviews for them.

There is absolutely no rust I fully recommend them and all their products. I am very pleased

I will try to get you some pics….