Frame tab Crack

[FORMA MOTO]

I knew this would happen someday

I had trouble getting the skid plate mounting bolt to start, so I looked closer to see both tabs bent in, one of them a lot, and cracked.

Pretty lame issue, as any welder would tell you that this tab should have been boxed from behind, not a flat tab....... 

[Borgschulze]

Er.. the alternative is bent frame rails...

Gotta pick your battles.

[Marco the Pool Boy]

Sorry Krannie

Hmm, IMHO, the weld did not fail, the bracket did, yet applying weld backing to the welded bracket would add strength, decreasing the unsupported distance to the bolt hole. Again IMHO, somewhere there is a design & manufacturing engineer should be concerned, and I'll stop there. I can easily see multiple reasons for this, but without knowing many aspects of its manufacture it would all be conjecture.

And it could just be a freak, perfect-storm situation, though pain in the ass....

 

[FORMA MOTO]

The skid plate was hit by a large rock at it's center between the down tubes.  Like it does on almost vitrually every ride.

A supported tab would not affect frame rails   ( ? ) .

If it's supposed to bend, then it shouldn't break.

I never said the weld failed...

Bottom line is, this is a cheap-ass mounting design.... even a clamped on bracket would be a better choice....

[ccullins]

Stock skid plate?

We haven't even done that on the EX bikes. Smashed up the rest of the frame, but not that?

[FORMA MOTO]

1 hour ago, ccullins said:

Stock skid plate?

We haven't even done that on the EX bikes. Smashed up the rest of the frame, but not that?

AXP skidplate.

[weantright]

11 hours ago, Krannie McKranface said:

The skid plate was hit by a large rock at it's center between the down tubes.  Like it does on almost vitrually every ride.

A supported tab would not affect frame rails   (  ) .

If it's supposed to bend, then it shouldn't break.

I never said the weld failed...

Bottom line is, this is a cheap-ass mounting design.... even a clamped on bracket would be a better choice....

My skid plate is held on by a bracket and almost impossible to hold in place for bolting.  2 minute job is a 15 minute fuss,,,, I'll take these tabs any day!

[FORMA MOTO]

44 minutes ago, weantright said:

My skid plate is held on by a bracket and almost impossible to hold in place for bolting.  2 minute job is a 15 minute fuss,,,, I'll take these tabs any day!

Zip tie the bracket in place so it does not require three hands to put everything back together....

[gr4vitas]

What bike is this? I honestly don't know how that could happen, how is the skid plate mounted such that the weight of impacts to the skid plate is bearing on this particular tab? My enduro engineering skid plate is only held in place by its mounts. It rests against the frame so this kind of thing can't happen. The only way I could damage any of my under frame is if I slam something hard enough to actually bend the whole frame around the engine pretty much.

[FORMA MOTO]

It probably broke when I had the stock skid plate and did not notice till now. 

[basalt]

You should have changed it before 50 hours.

[MartyMOOSE]

Wrap some 5"8 heater hose around the frame rails re fit the std plate problem solved. without the hose you wreck the frame and tabs. 

[FORMA MOTO]

1 hour ago, MartyMOOSE said:

Wrap some 5"8 heater hose around the frame rails re fit the std plate problem solved. without the hose you wreck the frame and tabs. 

Uh, if you add heater hose, you will need spacers under the skid plate, or the tabs will bend when you tighten down the mounting bolts.

The most structurally sound method is to have the skidplate butted up directly against the tabs, to give them support.

The tabs are just plain flimsy. I can bend them with my hands, no problem. 

[Borgschulze]

23 hours ago, Krannie McKranface said:

A supported tab would not affect frame rails   ( ? ) .

Weld it up and put it to the test. Prove me wrong.

[ballisticexchris]

I've broken a few tabs over the years no big deal. I just weld them up. That looks like a really clean break. I would suggest using some small 1/16-3/32" 6013 rod. It works really well for welding dissimilar metals together such as chrome moly and mild steel as in your pic. It's my go to rod for welding of most everything. 60-70 amps for the 1/16 rod and 80-90 amps for 3/32 size.

6010 and 6011 rod will also work good if you want to do quick and dirty with no need to remove paint. Ugly but strong.

 

 

 

[MartyMOOSE]

9 hours ago, Krannie McKranface said:

Uh, if you add heater hose, you will need spacers under the skid plate, or the tabs will bend when you tighten down the mounting bolts.

The most structurally sound method is to have the skidplate butted up directly against the tabs, to give them support.

The tabs are just plain flimsy. I can bend them with my hands, no problem. 

180hrs still the std plate it looked like it would be dead mounted the std way after very few hours. The frame rails have some dings but the bash plate and tabs while look like they have had a life are still functional. Proof in the pudding so to speak, try it and see how you go. 

Edited June 10, 2017 by MartyMOOSE

[GP]

I cut up and run the OEM plastic plate under the Force combo for a frame buffer.  I've also used PEX tubing sections cut and split, snapped over the frame.  Where rock beatings are an everyday thing, you have to do something.  My combo is hammered but the frame is not dinged.