Crossmember

[simmons3067]

I currently have an old allpro x-member and I am looking to go back to a crossmember with traditional mounts.

 

[Clb]

What's traditional mounts?
My budbuilt aint failed yet...

 

[total newb]

Traditional is a central mount.

Idk shit about toyotas but im curious why you want to switch back. Busting trans bells/cases?

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Where have you seen that 4x innovations makes a crossmember?

 

[simmons3067]

What's traditional mounts?
My budbuilt aint failed yet...

Stock style mounts.

 

[simmons3067]

Where have you seen that 4x innovations makes a crossmember?

That was a mistake. I was thinking of Sky’s Off-road not 4x innovations.

 

[Grronk]

I've beat the shit out of my trailgear dual case skid/crossmember. It has bent a little bit upwards but that means I'm closer to a flat belly now

 

[simmons3067]

Traditional is a central mount.

Idk shit about toyotas but im curious why you want to switch back. Busting trans bells/cases?

I have been running my all pro crossmember for years and I have a hard time getting my transfer cases to not leak due to the bolts that hold the crossmember to the cases having to sandwich the crossmember and the case. Also the bolts that mount the crossmember get loose over time. It also vibrates a good bit and I would prefer a skid plate that isn’t bolted directly to the cases.

 

[rockota]

ran All Pro for years. Had no issues, personally.
switched to trail-gear when we did the 4WU 3-link. No issues with it either.

 

[Sluggy]

Blue loctite is your friend

 

[Clb]

Traditional crossmember?
So how bout " stock"?

The garbage suspending the t-case in the hilux left alot to be desired.
Zero issues with my budbuilt, been out once in 20 ish years and the hidden/ flush mounted hardware stays put ( locktite Blue FTW) I've turteled it a few times.

Skid plate/ up armored is a big difference from stamped oem( get it built) stuff.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Nothing wrong with the thick ass trail gear one. But I do like how budbuilt has the removable skid plate, makes it much easier to unholy the front driveshaft and has a little better coverage iirc.

The sky unit has the pices that bolt to the frame separately, so it makes it super easy to lift the tcases if you want to.

 

[Slander]

I have a trail gear and it's okay, but I bent it and I can feel it move under the truck when driving over stuff. If I did it again, and didn't do something custom, I would go budbuilt, the only reason being they are like 20mins from my house so support a local biz.

 

[ToyodaAddict1980]

I have a budbuilt in my 1980, it has treated me well.
I plan on going with sky for my 84. It looks well designed and strong.

 

[total newb]

Idk that sky offroad makes anything that DOES suck.

The ford a gm stuff ive bought from them all worked and fit great, well built and welded. Im looking at spending another chunk with them again in the near future.

 

[Squamch]

I've run FROR style with either spring bushing motor mounts, bolted stockers, or the trail gear ones. I don't know what the complaints about vibration are all about. Not like it's a 1992 2 stoke that liquefies the shit in your bowels with the buzzing. Maybe there is a little more noise, but it's a modified for off road use vehicle. So what?

 

[total newb]

I've run FROR style with either spring bushing motor mounts, bolted stockers, or the trail gear ones. I don't know what the complaints about vibration are all about. Not like it's a 1992 2 stoke that liquefies the shit in your bowels with the buzzing. Maybe there is a little more noise, but it's a modified for off road use vehicle. So what?

@ 4mph who cares.......

Not all are trailer queens so if you gota drive distance a vibe can be miserable if not just flat out distructive.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Even on a trailer queen, the vibes get annoying.

 

[simmons3067]

100hp trying to get 40’s down the road is painful enough. I’ll take any other comfort I can get for the slow ride.

 

[triple_fcked]

I have a buddy that had a local plasma shop make a small batch of these, out of 1/2” instead of the the trail gear 3/8” and two more legs to tie back to the frame to stop bending. Damn thing weighs like 100lbs though lol so I haven’t felt like putting it on the truck yet.

 

[simmons3067]

I have a buddy that had a local plasma shop make a small batch of these, out of 1/2” instead of the the trail gear 3/8” and two more legs to tie back to the frame to stop bending. Damn thing weighs like 100lbs though lol so I haven’t felt like putting it on the truck yet.

That is awesome

 

[Squamch]

@ 4mph who cares.......

Not all are trailer queens so if you gota drive distance a vibe can be miserable if not just flat out distructive.

Yeah I drove my last one quite a bit. Nothing to complain about.

 

[simmons3067]

Yeah I drove my last one quite a bit. Nothing to complain about.

I am mainly looking to get rid of leaks and get a crossmember that doesn’t use the cases to support the weight of the truck when making contact. Less vibration is just an added bonus.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

That's a sweet design, but 1/2" is retarded. Even the 3/8" are just being lazy and making big spans with no bracing.

You can make 3/16" or even 1/8" work if you just add some bracing in there.

 

[triple_fcked]

That's a sweet design, but 1/2" is retarded. Even the 3/8" are just being lazy and making big spans with no bracing.

You can make 3/16" or even 1/8" work if you just add some bracing in there.

Oh I agree, it’s retardadly overbuilt. He wanted to sell them for us to stock at the shop I work at, but we literally can’t ship them economically enough to be able to sell them.

I got a really good deal and the budbuilt skid the PO put on mine is bent beyond repair since they only bought and installed a rear t-case mount

 

[Oddball]

That's a sweet design, but 1/2" is retarded. Even the 3/8" are just being lazy and making big spans with no bracing.

You can make 3/16" or even 1/8" work if you just add some bracing in there.

1/2" isnt going to bend like 3/8s when you belly the thing out. The tg plate was kind of a rip off of Marlins xmember. He also made them thicker. 3/16ths is retarded, unless you use a shit ton of square tubing.
, and then you clad it. Then you have 3/8s where the tube meets the plate and 3/16ths in between, still going to bend.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Anything will bend if you hit it hard enough, enough times, why not 3/4" or 1"?

Learn how to build stuff and even 1/8" will be OK.

I get that for a production unit, it's not cost effective to build it out of 1/8" and add all the bracing to make it work. If you're bending 3/8" it's a poor design. Strength in shapes not material.

 

[Squamch]

I am mainly looking to get rid of leaks and get a crossmember that doesn’t use the cases to support the weight of the truck when making contact. Less vibration is just an added bonus.

Why would the cases support the weight of the truck?

That's one of the advantages of that design, it's independent from your belly skid.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Why would the cases support the weight of the truck?

That's one of the advantages of that design, it's independent from your belly skid.

The all pro xmember hard mounts right to the case, and has a tiny little skid. I've heard people say that if you walk that skid it can Crack the aluminum.

Personally, I think it's the best crossmember design as long as you build a separate belly pan like you mention.

 

[Clb]

Seal yer shit right first?
Glass match the gaskets, then hylomar .
Never had a problem with mine leaking, now the failgear seals weeping, yes.

1/8" sheet vs 4k# rig?
Yea ok by the time you get it stout enough, who weights more?