yeah, I know I am crazy, BUT.....

[rustler]

has anyone ever used an extra tub, cut down, for a skid pan on a Hustler. My thought on the subject is to trim it down to just below the holes for the axles and bolt it up. What about that?

[mudbug3]

You might try what Richard Clark did for a skid plate for this Hustler Bigfoot.

http://www.route6x6.com/classifieds/images/fs829.jpg

[jerseybigfoot]

You will probably have to split it through the center to fit as there is little if any taper on the sides. Without splitting you may want cut the sides down to a very minimum and rivet it like the richard clark job. The problem with double skinning the bottom is you loose ground clearance if it does not fit tight you will also gain weight from mud as it fills in the gap between the body and plate/

[liflod]

Ditto
Same experience as Jersey

[jerseybigfoot]

Ditto
Same experience as Jersey

Lance I am tempted to redo the max 4 he seems to have gained a few pounds.

[jpswift1]

Hustler used one of he thickest poly lower bodies of all of the AATV manufacturers out there. When I rebuilt my 980 BIGFOOT, the tub itself was quite heavy. You would probably be fine without a skid plate, but that's just my opinion. If you want to talk skid plates and fabrication, you should speak with the king of them, 6x6World member Hydromike. He builds them the best!

[hydromike]

Thanks JP,

It's a TON of work heating/bending/molding/trimming/drilling/riveting the HDPEskidplates to the machines, but it's an effort that pays off in the end. I certainly don't look forward to doing others, but I know I will. With the plate wrapped up around the sides of Big 5 and incorporating the axle flanges, I don't think twice about pointing the beast in any direction and just hammering down. If you have a resource to procure some Ultra High Molecular Weight HDPE, it's really a great product. It's a bit pricey, and bends about as difficult as plate steel, but it's bulletproof. I'm really only half joking; some bullet-proof vests are manufactured from long chain UHMW.

~m

[6X6]

Hey Mike. Do you have a source on that UHMW? I'm thinking I could do a thinner 1/8" plate for the wolf so I never have to worry about the crack opening up again, but not loose much ground clearance. I have access to a shrink wrap heat gun so I think I can push it into submission. Even if it's not AS durable as 1/4" HDPE, the lower weight and thinner profile should be a plus overall. LMK or PM me, Thanks.