ac racing swingarm skid plate

[vortex]

i got one ride out of my brand new ac racing swing arm skid plate , it is now toast , all the bolt holes are oblonged real bad the whole thing slides around ,and it is bent and cracked beyond repair, i did realy abuse it pretty bad but i think it should of held up better than it did , riding in mass here we do run into alot of rocks , i did try to avoid as many as i could , but the skid plate is realy soft , just a warning to buyers this one is not good for rocks at all , i'm gonna try one thats made out of stainless steel next , although the ac racing frame skid plate seems to hold up pretty good , and i like the way it extends out in front of the bumper ,i do realize that the terain here is **** on skid plates, anyone know of a realy strong plate for the swing arm?, i would prefer something made out of steel .

[Dave400ex]

My AC Swingarm plate is holding up great even after Riding in Rocks. I have only taken the Hammer to it once. lol

If I had to do it now I would get the Pro Armor Skids. They weren`t out when I got mine although right now mine are great I have no problems, but if I had to choose it would be Pro Armor.

[vortex]

i have pro armor a arm guards and i did smash the **** out of them , those held up great they go up pretty far above the front a arm to ,i like that extra protection they give and good looks , i looked at their swing arm plate , its got holes in it under where the sprocket and disc are , kinda makes me think those are weak spots right where you need the strength to be , i dont know of anyone who has one from them yet to see it in action

Get yourself sum PRM's. I ride a good bit of rocky terrain and my swingarm skid is a little *****ed up, but it is still rock solid.:D

[Dave400ex]

Well if you don`t get a Pro Armor check out a Pro-Tect or PRM.

I like most AC products, but I must say that I think their swingarm skid is complete junk. Between me, one of my buddies, and another guy that my buddy rides with a lot, we have trashed 3 AC swingarm skids. Skid #1 was ruined by my buddy's other riding buddy, it was cracked beyond repair. Skid #2 was mine, first I cracked it in two places but not very bad so I kept using it, then I hit something on a trail (not very hard either, because I don't even know for sure when I did it) and wrapped it around the chain, when I pulled it off I found a third crack that I couldn't see while it was installed. Skid #3 was my buddy's, first he found a crack in his skid (one of the same places mine cracked) and a couple rides later he bent it into the brake rotor.

If you were going with an aluminum skid, I'd highly recommend PRM, which is what now resides on the bottom of my 400EX's swingarm. I have hit quite a rocks, stumps, etc with it hard enough to send the rear-end of the quad about 6-12" up into the air from the impact, and except for a few small gouges, it is otherwise like new. I have also run PRM skids on other quads in the past with excellent results. As far as looks and quality construction, the PRM is so hefty looking that it makes the AC look like it was made from a tin can.

For skids made out of steel, I haven't tried any of them so I can't comment on durability, but I'd check out the Pro-Tect stainless steel skids.

[NJ300ex]

PRM and Pro tect is the only way to go. I have both and I have found both are great. I did pretty much destroy my pro tect the first ride on it, but that was in extremely rocky terrain.

I remember a member here named Scott use to talk about a guy in Ohio who made stainless skids that were heftier than the pro tects. You might want to search back by his username(Scott) and get a phone number for that guy.

[Dave400ex]

Dang I must be lucky my AC is holding up good. It has only bent a little. Next time I take it off I will have to look for Cracks. If I ever need a new one which it sounds like I will, would you Guys get a PRM or Pro-Tect? I know Ballance runs a Pro-Tect. Thanks

Oh if you want the Skid that Scott was talking about Call Pro Fab ATV.

WarriorMan,

When you look at your AC skid for cracks, look on the brake rotor side where it bends downward to clear the linkage. Every one of the AC skids that I've seen cracked have had a crack where the brake rotor protection piece (that's the best way I know to describe it) meets the skid body and bends downward to clear the linkage. It seems that they tend to crack around the bends and welds where they bend downward to clear the linkage. I cracked mine on both sides at the rear of the linkage and where the brake rotor piece meets the main part of the skid at the back.

As for Pro-Tect versus PRM, if I need another swingarm skid I would like to try a Pro-Tect, but I'd probably just get another PRM because I've had good luck with them so far.

[Dave400ex]

Thanks for the help. I had it off not that long ago and didn`t notice any Cracks. Are they hard to see? I hope it holds up for a while.

I think when I get a new one I will try the Pro-Tect or the one Scott was talking about.

The cracks won't stick out like a sore thumb, but they should be easy to see if you are looking close. They are kinda disguised by being in or right next to a weld or a bend, but if you are consciously looking for them in those areas, they will be fairly easy to spot. They start out as a faint crack (not split open, just a fine line through the metal) about 1/2" long, then after the skid gets hit a few more times they will start getting longer, and depending on where it is, may start splitting open.

They will last a while after they first crack though, so if yours does crack in the future, you should have time to get the money together and order a new one before it goes completely. I rode mine for about a month and a half after I found two of the cracks in mine, but then I bent it and just went ahead and bought a PRM. It kept cracking farther and farther every ride, so I would have had to get a new one eventually anyhow. My buddy discovered the crack in his about a month ago, then he bent it a week or so later, but he just took vise grips and a hammer and bent it back into shape and is still running it without problems; but he is already planning on ordering a PRM soon.