Rear Currie 60 Skid Plate Questions

sab

sab

"Semper Discens"
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I'm toying with some ideas on fabbing an AR400 skid plate, similar to that on the Currie 60, for my D44s. I've worked a bit with the AR400/500 steels in the past. The AR400 is slightly formable if you use very large radius bends, and I'm not sure my 20T press has the juice to do it, so I may have to farm that out. In order to not re-invent the wheel, I'm looking for input from current owners of the rear Currie 60 axle:
  1. How thick is the plate?
  2. How wide is the plate?
  3. How has the plate held up, with regards to both abrasion and bending?
Thanks!
 
If I wouldn’t have to lay in the snow to get an actual measurement for you at the moment i would. But just off the top of my head from memory the skid is roughly 2.5”-3” wide and I’d say 3/16” thick. My has held up great and been drug across all kinds of rock. I have replaced the bolts that hold it on numerous times as they tend to get beat up easily.
 
Rescue6 said:
If I wouldn’t have to lay in the snow to get an actual measurement for you at the moment i would. But just off the top of my head from memory the skid is roughly 2.5”-3” wide and I’d say 3/16” thick.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Rescue6 - those are the approximate dimensions I was thinking and wanted to confirm. If anyone else has easier access to measure, I'd sure appreciate the confirmation!

Rescue6 said:
My has held up great and been drug across all kinds of rock.
Click to expand...
Great feedback - again, thanks!

Rescue6 said:
I have replaced the bolts that hold it on numerous times as they tend to get beat up easily.
Click to expand...
I figured that would be the case. The problem with the abrasion resistant steels is countersinking holes is pretty difficult due to the hardness, so button head cap screws are the best choice, I think. I wasn't planning to attempt countersinking...
 
sab said:
I'm toying with some ideas on fabbing an AR400 skid plate, similar to that on the Currie 60, for my D44s. I've worked a bit with the AR400/500 steels in the past. The AR400 is slightly formable if you use very large radius bends, and I'm not sure my 20T press has the juice to do it, so I may have to farm that out. In order to not re-invent the wheel, I'm looking for input from current owners of the rear Currie 60 axle:
  1. How thick is the plate?
  2. How wide is the plate?
  3. How has the plate held up, with regards to both abrasion and bending?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

They are 3/16" thick x 3"ish wide. I can get a more accurate dimension if needed. They hold up perfectly to both abrasion and bending but they follow the RJ castings very nicely. The bigger challenge with them is keeping the button head bolts tight so the skid doesn't fall off.

Your challenge will be the attachment method. I suspect you'll wind up with a u-bolt around the snout or similar to create a bolting surface for that end. The other end will pretty much suck no matter what you do.
 
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sab said:
Thanks, Rescue6 - those are the approximate dimensions I was thinking and wanted to confirm. If anyone else has easier access to measure, I'd sure appreciate the confirmation!


Great feedback - again, thanks!


I figured that would be the case. The problem with the abrasion resistant steels is countersinking holes is pretty difficult due to the hardness, so button head cap screws are the best choice, I think. I wasn't planning to attempt countersinking...
Click to expand...

Even if you did countersink, the flat head screws would suck. The driver size to shank diameter is compromised heavily on most of them and they don't make a hardened stainless in Phillips #4. That and flat heads would get the drive recess smeared shut in very short order. The alloy steel button heads that Currie uses barely hold up.
 
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mrblaine said:
They are 3/16" thick x 3"ish wide. I can get a more accurate dimension if needed. They hold up perfectly to both abrasion and bending but they follow the RJ castings very nicely. The bigger challenge with them is keeping the button head bolts tight so the skid doesn't fall off.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mr. Blaine! I just wanted width to determine what works (for me, the narrower the better, with my 20T press) and thickness, again to determine what works. I don't need anything more accurate for now. I just have a seed of an idea right now, so it may not work.

mrblaine said:
Your challenge will be the attachment method. I suspect you'll wind up with a u-bolt around the snout or similar to create a bolting surface for that end. The other end will pretty much suck no matter what you do.
Click to expand...

My thought was to weld threaded bosses onto the Barnett cover for the rear, and weld bosses onto the snout somehow (haven't even looked if that is possible, yet, though). You think that could work, or am I in left-field?
 
mrblaine said:
..the flat head screws would suck. The driver size to shank diameter is compromised heavily on most of them.
Click to expand...

Isn't that pretty much the same for the button heads? If I remember correctly from my design days, the allen socket is the same size for FHCS and BHCS of the same thread size. Or is there another factor I'm overlooking?
 
sab said:
Thanks, Mr. Blaine! I just wanted width to determine what works (for me, the narrower the better, with my 20T press) and thickness, again to determine what works. I don't need anything more accurate for now. I just have a seed of an idea right now, so it may not work.



My thought was to weld threaded bosses onto the Barnett cover for the rear, and weld bosses onto the snout somehow (haven't even looked if that is possible, yet, though). You think that could work, or am I in left-field?
Click to expand...

The iron in the Dana 44 is difficult to weld to. I wouldn't plan on anything being structural unless you created a weldment with an overly large amount of weld surface area.

The 3/16 should be very easy to bend in your press. You don't have to get it all at once.
 
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sab said:
Isn't that pretty much the same for the button heads? If I remember correctly from my design days, the allen socket is the same size for FHCS and BHCS of the same thread size. Or is there another factor I'm overlooking?
Click to expand...

My apologies, I confused myself somehow. My button head fasteners follow this scenario in that they are a bigger driver size in Torx than in Allen. Same size, 5/16-18 for both.
1710619473744.png
 
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