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Deleted member 48574
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This is most definitely less-strong then it was before. That doesn't mean it isn't strong enough, but for the cost of a very small bit of fabrication, I'd prefer the "good as it can be" than the "it'll do" approach. Obviously it's your call, but here's my thoughts -- I shall go over it in the simplest terms possible but i really don't want to be patronizing so please do not read it that way. I recognize these forum posts will exist for who knows how long so I want to be as clear as possible to all, even if it does become simplistic. The explanation is better over a few ounces of irish Whiskey on the back of a napkin with animated hand motions, but I'll do my best here on the ol' interwebs!
If you grab a cardboard box, and cut one of the flaps off, you will have a 1/8th inch thick piece of cardboard that measures 6 inches wide by 10 inches long, lets say. Now, if you bend it on the "flat" part, as if you were trying to fold it in half, it bends very easy. If you try to bend it on the "edge", as if you were trying to tear it in half length-wise, it's very hard to do. Steel works the same way.
In the case of your body mount, it's a matter of what the forces are. The lip that they have cut off is like a cardboard box flap on "edge" -- it's not going to bend very easily. The way they've cut it, your body mount is now basically resting on a "flat" (likely there is an edge on the other side, where the photo can't see, but it's still not as strong as before).
I modified your picture a bit to demonstrate where the forces are going:
[/IMG]
So, gravity means that every bump you go over is trying to get the body of your truck to go closer to the ground -- that's the red arrow. The primary force is pushing down. Every single time you get in, get out, or drive your vehicle, there will be extra force or a push that makes the body want to go in the direction of the red arrow.
Normally, the metal is boxed in -- that piece they cut is like a piece of carboard on edge. It's hard to bend and gives the mount a lot of rigidity. The way they've cut it, there's not a lot of that rigidity left on this side. That means your body mount is weaker and can bend like the cardboard box flap, when laid flat.
When the force is in the direction of the red arrow, in your case, the yellow arrow shows where the force is going and you can kind of see how little steel is supporting the body mount. It's being forced to be supported at an angle, instead of in line with the force of pressure.
If it was boxed in, you'd have the red arrow on the picture essentially trying to bend the steel on an "edge" -- and just like the cardboard flap on edge, the edge bend on steel is a lot stronger than the flat bend.
Your body mount would be a lot stronger -- like a LOT stronger -- if it was boxed in.
Again, I'm not going to say it's not "strong enough" the way it is because it may well be! But it would most certainly be stronger if it was boxed in. For the few bucks in welding, it'd be worth it if it were my rig.
But Bat (the user posting above me) has a lot more miles then I do and it worked for him, so it's ultimately your call! I'm speaking from a place of very limited fabrication and off road time so the advice in the post above is worth less than you paid for it
If you grab a cardboard box, and cut one of the flaps off, you will have a 1/8th inch thick piece of cardboard that measures 6 inches wide by 10 inches long, lets say. Now, if you bend it on the "flat" part, as if you were trying to fold it in half, it bends very easy. If you try to bend it on the "edge", as if you were trying to tear it in half length-wise, it's very hard to do. Steel works the same way.
In the case of your body mount, it's a matter of what the forces are. The lip that they have cut off is like a cardboard box flap on "edge" -- it's not going to bend very easily. The way they've cut it, your body mount is now basically resting on a "flat" (likely there is an edge on the other side, where the photo can't see, but it's still not as strong as before).
I modified your picture a bit to demonstrate where the forces are going:
So, gravity means that every bump you go over is trying to get the body of your truck to go closer to the ground -- that's the red arrow. The primary force is pushing down. Every single time you get in, get out, or drive your vehicle, there will be extra force or a push that makes the body want to go in the direction of the red arrow.
Normally, the metal is boxed in -- that piece they cut is like a piece of carboard on edge. It's hard to bend and gives the mount a lot of rigidity. The way they've cut it, there's not a lot of that rigidity left on this side. That means your body mount is weaker and can bend like the cardboard box flap, when laid flat.
When the force is in the direction of the red arrow, in your case, the yellow arrow shows where the force is going and you can kind of see how little steel is supporting the body mount. It's being forced to be supported at an angle, instead of in line with the force of pressure.
If it was boxed in, you'd have the red arrow on the picture essentially trying to bend the steel on an "edge" -- and just like the cardboard flap on edge, the edge bend on steel is a lot stronger than the flat bend.
Your body mount would be a lot stronger -- like a LOT stronger -- if it was boxed in.
Again, I'm not going to say it's not "strong enough" the way it is because it may well be! But it would most certainly be stronger if it was boxed in. For the few bucks in welding, it'd be worth it if it were my rig.
But Bat (the user posting above me) has a lot more miles then I do and it worked for him, so it's ultimately your call! I'm speaking from a place of very limited fabrication and off road time so the advice in the post above is worth less than you paid for it
