Rock Solid Foundation: White Knuckle Offroad
White Knuckle Offroad (WKO) of Apple Valley, California, has been in business for 10 years as of 2018, making some of the best off-road vehicle sliders in the business. You might think to yourself that making a frame-mounted slider for a light-weight Jeep Wrangler would be pretty easy, but WKO did not stop there. The full-size truck market is a fledgling market, but it is starting to take flight with White Knuckle at the lead. White Knuckle offers their heavy-duty frame mounted sliders for a significant portion of the full-size truck market, even all the way up to the full-size RAM 3500 diesel.
On the RAM 2500 Power Wagon build we’re working on, we selected the White Knuckle sliders to keep the rockers safe and to provide a pivot point for the long wheel base when in heavy articulation. White Knuckle offers the choice between .120 DOM tubing and their HD option, the ridiculous .188 DOM tubing. After much deliberation, we decided that in the spirit of overdoing it, the HD .188’s were the way to go.
Aside from the heavy wall tubing on the outside, the slider’s foundation comes from ¼-inch thick 2×3-inch square tube for the main rail that the outer tube is welded to, and the legs that run to the frame are fabricated from ¼-inch wall 1 ½-inch square tube. Those legs are then welded to ½-inch thick plate bases with ¼-inch plate gussets and sandwich the frame with ½-inch OD Grade 8 hardware.
At 120 pounds each, these sliders are not light weights, but they are extremely tough and are capable of supporting the weight of the truck unassisted. Installation is easy with the assistance from a friend and a pair of jack stands to help support the weight. With air tools and an extra set of hands, full installation takes around 2 1/2 hours to complete. If you still turn wrenches by hand, set aside an extra hour to tackle the project.
All in all, these are extremely well-made, heavy-duty and downright impressive sliders. There is not a slider on the market that would be a better fit for the durability needed on a truck this size and weight. If you would like to know more about White Knuckle and the sliders they sell, visit their website or give them a call at 760-221-0479.
