Dethloff Mfg Intro - Armor, Bumpers & Utility Mods coming to Ford SuperDutys

[TMartinLVNV]

Do you have an update on when the skid plate and shock mount guards will be available? I would like to have a steel skid plate under my truck before Moab, Alpine Loop, and Rim Rocker trails in Sept.

 

[Optimus🤖]

We joined the Tremor club a couple weeks ago! Picked up a 26' with the 7.3. We've owned it 3 weeks and are about to hit 3,000 miles on it.

View attachment 263150

We took it up into the Uintas, Tetons and Yellowstone already. It could use tint and some real tires and suspension but I am very impressed with how nice this truck is. Really looking forward to putting some more miles on it and getting some time in the dirt!



We got the primary skids test fitted a couple weeks ago and it looks like there are some differences between CAD and the actual truck, so we are making some adjustments to accomodate that, but other than some small dimensional tweaks everything worked really well!!

The skids all work on the 6.7 Powerstroke; we've already accounted for the different exhaust systems, oil filter/drains, mounting, etc. It looks like we'll be able to launch our first phase of products in the next 6-8 weeks, and then be on to our second phase.

It looks like there is a ton of room for aftermarket deep oil pans, so long as they don't sit much lower than the trans heat exchanger or exhaust piping.



We'll get our shock guards on the new truck soon and put some pics of those up, and I'll share more info on the skids as they progress! We're really close now to a legit, complete HD armor system for these sweet trucks!

Welcome to the Tremor club! Congratulations on the best color and best engine .

 

[majorbison]

A superduty headache rack with provisions for a 40” spare would be titties.

One thing the Prospector XL pulls off flawlessly

 

[MDethloff]

the PPE deep pan seems to stick just a bit under the cross member.

PPE Transmission Pan Options for the 6.7

We got a little off the rails in another thread, and started talking about the PPE transmission pans. I figured I would make a specific thread with some answers and numbers. This should make future searches for info easier for the next Tremorite. Just got off the phone with PPE tech support...

www.fordtremor.com

Good info! It looks like that pic was at a bit of an angle and it may sit a little higher than it seems? Think you could throw a level under the crossmember and see if the pan is above/below that line? Even better would be if you happen to have a level that could reach between the bottoms of the frame rails and might be able to measure how far under that plane the bottom of the pan sits!

So I will be wanting a skid, wide enough, but short (front-to-rear) to protect my truck's tie rod. I've seen them offered elsewhere but cannot find the fabricator.

Which got me to ponder what may be not just aerodynamic effects, but any benefits from, skid plates at highway speeds

On a solid axle truck, the axle cycles vertically relative to the frame, and the tie rod is affixed to the axle, so a frame/bumper mounted guard is ineffective at protecting the tie rod. This is partly because you don't know where the tie rod is going to be when you impact it, but primarily because if you have a frame mounted guard it will simply slide over a rock/stump and then the object will still hit the tie rod.

I have a great picture of this This is a prototype guard I've been working on that protects the intercooler/winch and offers light mounting, but in no way is there any illusion that this is a means of protecting the tie rod. As you can see, the tie rod went straight into the boulder.

As to aerodynamics, cooling, etc., skid plates have almost zero effect. Unless you're smoothing over the entire undercarriage you won't get laminar airflow, and unless you're fully boxing in the base of the engine area you aren't affecting cooling. The best way to improve aerodynamics is to run the huge factory air dam on the front bumper, but who wants to do that

 

[MDethloff]

Welcome to the Tremor club! Congratulations on the best color and best engine .

Thanks man!! Loving this truck so far!

A superduty headache rack with provisions for a 40” spare would be titties.

One thing the Prospector XL pulls off flawlessly

I haven't tried it on the SuperDuty yet but I believe the AEV tire carrier is a direct fit. It's pretty adjustable. I have one here, if I get a chance I can throw it on the truck and see.

 

[Apples]

Thank you for the edification, Dethloff!


Guess I'll have to always try to pick my best line.

It's something I've always strived for, anyway; to get my tires up on top of things rather than having the tops of things bash my rig. Sure, this is not always doable, but we may try.

Cheers!

 

[MDethloff]

Do you have an update on when the skid plate and shock mount guards will be available? I would like to have a steel skid plate under my truck before Moab, Alpine Loop, and Rim Rocker trails in Sept.

My objective is to be able to get guys armor before Moab. That's about 6 weeks or less to get parts shipped, might be a lofty goal but that's what I'm shooting for.

 

[Ragin Cajun]

Welcome to the Tremor club! Congratulations on the best color and 2nd best engine .

FIFY

 

[OmahaBravo]

My objective is to be able to get guys armor before Moab.

 

[gsea]

My objective is to be able to get guys armor before Moab.

Based on the trails on the itinerary, it's highly unlikely anyone is going to really be needing armor

But, I hope they get it as that will increase the collectively willingness for extra curricular activities, perhaps!

 

[gsea]

If anyone lives near Salt Lake area and has a 2017-26 truck & is interested in some prototyping, we'd love to chat! I try to make it worth everyone's time if we work together to develop a part.

Don't know how I missed this, but I'm not far from you and would be happy to bring my '22 7.3L by if it helps you with measuring or fitting.

 

[OmahaBravo]

Based on the trails on the itinerary, it's highly unlikely anyone is going to really be needing armor

If you are going to wheel with @Godzilla/Tremornator its highly unlikely you will regret having armor.

 

[gsea]

If you are going to wheel with @Godzilla/Tremornator its highly unlikely you will regret having armor.

Like I said... it's the extra curriculars that happen when he gets bored of the trail

 

[TMartinLVNV]

Based on the trails on the itinerary, it's highly unlikely anyone is going to really be needing armor

But, I hope they get it as that will increase the collectively willingness for extra curricular activities, perhaps!

I sure would like to have it when I'm doing 160 miles on the Rim Rocker trail from Colorado to Moab.

 

[MDethloff]

Based on the trails on the itinerary, it's highly unlikely anyone is going to really be needing armor

But, I hope they get it as that will increase the collectively willingness for extra curricular activities, perhaps!

Thanks for the offer! I may take you up on that, you’re probably the closest 22’ 7.3 to us and it would be great to meet up

Definitely there’s no substitute for careful driving. With the long wheelbase and heavy weight, the tendency of solid axle trucks to drop hard onto things, and the fragile plastic/aluminum oil pans, it’s a good idea to have real structural protection offroad. Any contact between an oil pan and a hard object has a definite outcome. I’ve had quite a few guys reach out after just rolling over a log and a branch punched into their transmission.

Anyways once you spend a little time in Moab you want to do MORE

 

[gsea]

I’m just teasing about armor. I think everyone who wants it should get it, and I’m not trying to talk anyone out of a purchase.

Last time in Moab I ripped the entire exhaust system off my lifted F150 on poison spider. And last weekend I broke a control arm going a little too fast over rocks out on BLM land. Under body damage certainly happens…. just not on the trails we’re planning as a group.

The group routes for the meetup were specifically chosen chosen to be be very mild for everyone to feel comfortable and present essentially zero risk of underbody damage to their high-dollar trucks.

Now, for people who are going to go do other trails before or after, choose to try obstacles head on instead of bypass them, or just horse around the staging area and get high centered on a scrub oak like Dave… armor on up! Or even if you just like the idea of it, or think it looks cool, full encouragement from me! I’ll be getting some myself eventually!

 

[Optimus🤖]

No need for road armor when lifted!

 

[Talon2006]

Thank you for the edification, Dethloff!


Guess I'll have to always try to pick my best line.

It's something I've always strived for, anyway; to get my tires up on top of things rather than having the tops of things bash my rig. Sure, this is not always doable, but we may try.

Cheers!

When we put portals on our bronco, it greatly improved our ability to pick a line that didn't have us hitting every single rock on the undercarriage...

Just saying, a Tremor on portals would be pure awesomeness

 

[gsea]

When we put portals on our bronco, it greatly improved our ability to pick a line that didn't have us hitting every single rock on the undercarriage...

Just saying, a Tremor on portals would be pure awesomeness

Pics!? I wake up most nights dreaming of a Bronco on 74Weld portals. I've been close to purchase many times, like a moth to a flame... but then I'm reminded of all the other less-fun things I have to pay for.

A Tremor on gears would be awesome, especially for those guys who seem to like 'poke'.

Joking aside, I'm not even away of a commercially-available set on the market for anything other than highly custom D60s.

 

[Talon2006]

What I have, but i don't want to clog this thread up with non skid plate stuff!

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