JLUSSOBRTP
Active Member
- First Name
- Aimee
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2018
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 25
- Reaction score
- 31
- Location
- North Carolina
- Vehicle(s)
- JLUSS
- Thread starter
- #1
I’m really confused. Potential rookie questions.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on rock rails/sliders, and it seems the consensus is that frame mounted rails are better than body mounted for off-road use. I don’t plan quite to go rock crawling, but do want to do moderate trails. I also wanted a bit of a step. I ran across the Westin Triple Tube rails and they seemed like the best of all worlds. They also look great. The Westin website says that they are “frame mounted.” Their promo video says they’re frame mounted. I get them, and unless I’m a struggling newbie who doesn’t understand, the only frame mount they use is in the front. The back two attach to the side body bolts. To make things even more confusing, the instructions explicitly state to remove the back and middle m12 body mount bolts and m10 nuts. Upon removing all 6 of them from the passenger side and lining up the rail, it became obvious that the mounting bracket could just slip around the M12 body mount bolt. They do not attach to the pinch seam. I realize I made a couple rookie mistakes in getting them - (not reading instructions before ordering/installing & then blindly following the instructions instead of making my own observations first). Never again. All that said, my questions are:
1. When people refer to body versus frame mounting, is this the area they’re taking about being weaker? Or is there another area y’all are referring to?
2. If yes, how do y’all feel about a frame + body mount combo for rails in terms of strength?
I went ahead and installed them and like the way they look, but am planning to send Westin an email after even more issues with the crummy hardware they included. Is the mounting advertising something I should include? Or is this typical if rails only have one frame bolt?
I’ve been doing a lot of research on rock rails/sliders, and it seems the consensus is that frame mounted rails are better than body mounted for off-road use. I don’t plan quite to go rock crawling, but do want to do moderate trails. I also wanted a bit of a step. I ran across the Westin Triple Tube rails and they seemed like the best of all worlds. They also look great. The Westin website says that they are “frame mounted.” Their promo video says they’re frame mounted. I get them, and unless I’m a struggling newbie who doesn’t understand, the only frame mount they use is in the front. The back two attach to the side body bolts. To make things even more confusing, the instructions explicitly state to remove the back and middle m12 body mount bolts and m10 nuts. Upon removing all 6 of them from the passenger side and lining up the rail, it became obvious that the mounting bracket could just slip around the M12 body mount bolt. They do not attach to the pinch seam. I realize I made a couple rookie mistakes in getting them - (not reading instructions before ordering/installing & then blindly following the instructions instead of making my own observations first). Never again. All that said, my questions are:
1. When people refer to body versus frame mounting, is this the area they’re taking about being weaker? Or is there another area y’all are referring to?
2. If yes, how do y’all feel about a frame + body mount combo for rails in terms of strength?
I went ahead and installed them and like the way they look, but am planning to send Westin an email after even more issues with the crummy hardware they included. Is the mounting advertising something I should include? Or is this typical if rails only have one frame bolt?
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