Armadillo Billet Door Stop Review (Not Good)

DuncLJ

DuncLJ

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I've never had good luck with the door limiting straps. I've been through several different brands of the nylon straps and all have broken after a few months. I finally broke down and bought some Armadillo Billet stops.

https://www.quadratec.com/products/13029_300X_PG.htm

They're not exactly cheap for what they are, but I figured they had to be better than what I was using. I installed them about a year ago and at first they were great. They were solid, strong and held the door open at two different detents. If I would have wrote a review then, I would have heartily recommended them.
Sooo... They went on last January and stayed on the full doors till June. I ran tube doors all summer so the Armadillos weren't used for 4 months. They went back on in October with the full doors and have been on for the last 3 months. So 8 months total use in the last year.
Yesterday, I felt the door bind up and when I closed the door, it ripped the mount right off the inside of the tub.

The soft aluminum got wallowed out and caused the shaft to bind. This , in turn caused the stop to rip off the mount bracket on the tub.
20190106_095048_resized_1.jpg


20190106_100904_resized.jpg


Looks like I can repair it with some JB weld, a doubler and some small countersunk hardware.
So in the end. I put these through 8 months of gentle use, and not only did they break, they broke a part off the Jeep as well.
Bottom line..... ZERO STAR rating! I wouldn't recommend these in any way, shape, or form. I think I'm gonna try some Paracord straps and see how they work out.
 
Sorry that happened. Hopefully you get it fixed back up. I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to the manufacturer and see if at a minimum you can get your money back.

I’ve used these straps for a year with no issues and no signs of wear. $17

DUAL Heavy Duty Strong Adjustable Door Limiting Check Strap Perfect for JEEP Wrangler Black Pack of 2 (2PCS-Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078H722MQ/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
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Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never had any issue at all with the stock straps.

Great review though. It’s important for people to post stuff like this so that others can know what to avoid!
 
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Do these billet things have any cushion before reaching hard stop? One inherent feature of the factory nylon straps is that they stretch and slow the flung open door before it stops.
 
jjvw said:
Do these billet things have any cushion before reaching hard stop? One inherent feature of the factory nylon straps is that they stretch and slow the flung open door before it stops.
Click to expand...

There is a rubber cushion (red arrow) at the end of the stop. The door doesn't hit that stop until the door is opened 90 degrees out. Usually the door stops at the second detent for getting in and out. I don't believe the stop is the problem . The problem seems to be how the billet runs on the detents on the shaft. You can see the wear on the detents (blue arrow). The bind was caused by the side to side movement of the soft billet stop which wallowed it out (green arrow) and caused it to bind on the detent.
Like I said earlier, these functioned great for awhile...a short while. Just a poor design.
I posted this mainly to show anyone who might be thinking they would "upgrade" to these....DON'T.

20190106_120920_resized.jpg
 
I hope my luck is better. The PO of my Jeep installed armadillo stops. I don't know how long ago, but they've worked great for me since last August. If they fail, I don't have the OEM hardware to go back to straps.
 
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I can do you one better, I just use a piece of 1" tubular webbing (you can get it at any REI store or any place that sells climbing gear). Measure it, cut it, melt the ends with a lighter so it does not unravel, tie it in a water knot and you are done. The webbing comes in a boat load of different colors, it has a breaking strength of 4500 lbs., and the the lengths that you need will run you about $5.00. Typically this stuff sells for around .70 cents per foot.
 
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Wait I might have to take that back I like @jchadscud straps. I like the fact it has 4 dieffernt adjustable limits. Instead of just one like stock straps. I needed adjustable limits before. I had to hold the door with my foot a couple of times.
 
FireJeep said:
I can do you one better, I just use a piece of 1" tubular webbing (you can get it at any REI store or any place that sells climbing gear). Measure it, cut it, melt the ends with a lighter so it does not unravel, tie it in a water knot and you are done. The webbing comes in a boat load of different colors, it has a breaking strength of 4500 lbs., and the the lengths that you need will run you about $5.00. Typically this stuff sells for around .70 cents per foot.
Click to expand...

This was my plan if my stock ones wear out (and maybe sooner to keep passengers from forgetting there isn’t a traditional catch). For anyone interested, here’s one carried at REI and Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004AGOHT0/
 
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Back in business, thanks for the suggestions everyone. I repaired the damaged mount today with some Steelstick putty and some sheet metal screws. I took my Paracord straps from my tube doors and put them on. Now time to move on to bigger and better things.

20190107_114703.jpg
 
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DuncLJ said:
Back in business, thanks for the suggestions everyone. I repaired the damaged mount today with some Steelstick putty and some sheet metal screws. I took my Paracord straps from my tube doors and put them on. Now time to move on to bigger and better things.

View attachment 71167
Click to expand...
So where'd you get the super duty door brackets?

Edit: Never mind. I see they came with the billet setup.
 
I'm having too much fun making my own paracord stuff to pay somebody for it. $2.50 for 50 ft. at home depot. Really easy once you figure it out. Those amish leather ones are really nice though.
 
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jchadscud said:
Sorry that happened. Hopefully you get it fixed back up. I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to the manufacturer and see if at a minimum you can get your money back.

I’ve used these straps for a year with no issues and no signs of wear. $17

DUAL Heavy Duty Strong Adjustable Door Limiting Check Strap Perfect for JEEP Wrangler Black Pack of 2 (2PCS-Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078H722MQ/?tag=wranglerorg-20
Click to expand...
Why they gotta yell at us?

  • INTTRODUCE A HEAVY DUTY ADJUSTABLE DOOR LIMITING STRAPS TO YOU JEEP WRANGLER !!!
  • Straps Incorporate Several “Pockets” that allow for a WIDE range of Adjustability
  • Perfect Replacement for the STOCK/WORN OUT /TEAR/BREAK/OLD straps & Made of TOUGH Nylon Webbing
  • CUSTOM DESIGNED to FIT for ANY 2000-2018 JEEP WRANGLER TJ JK JL Model
  • This is a GREAT replacement item to UPGRADE the look of your Jeep if you DON'T like how the STOCK straps look and WANT something DIFFERENT
And when am I a JEEP WRANGLER?
 
Was fixin' to buy those too. Perhaps they were dry? Would some lube or grease have avoided the wear, or is it just that aluminum part should/could be made of steel?
 
Hmmmm? I was considering these billet mechanisms too, were the two different types of metal "galling (dragging)" before, indicating they needed to be lubed or did they just all of a sudden "snap" all at once and gave up the ghost?
 
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