Shrockworks or LOD Sliders

[MattAlpha]

Yeah that would be bad customer service.
Now I understand that they are try to make a quality product, but again, nothing takes 7.5 months. I can build a whole damn block of homes in 7.5 months. That's just them being lazy or not having priorities straight.

Just passing on my experience for everyone else's benefit. They may be better now...but I can't say.

 

[LarryG]

LOD Sliders- "My" experience

So, I had been looking for some sliders to replace the Rubi's mine came with. I did a whole lot of looking and reading, and came to the conclusion that the LOD slider was what I wanted. Great product reviews on this forum, and I loved the look.

I had a question about the zinc two stage process, so I sent an email to the link on the LOD website for "info". I got nothing, no response. So, I sent Chris a direct email, as another post suggested to do so if you wanted to get information, that Chris was a great guy. I got nothing back from Chris. I sent another email from the link on the LOD website, for "sales". I got still no response whatsoever! I sent another email to "sales", and this time voiced my experience and lack of responses. This time Chris did respond. His email stated that this was the first email he had seen, said give them a call and would be happy to answer any questions I had.

I did call. The guy who answered said the zinc process was basically for those who lived by salt water. I then asked about the allen bolts underneath, and how they would hold up, as I read on this forum that some had a heck of a time trying to remove them due to scraping. The guy said he had never heard of that. He said "I guess if you hit a rock or something, there might be problems"!...I really was amused by this response.

Anyway, I ordered a set online. I got confirmation of my payment and the order, but nothing regarding when they would ship. Most everyone you buy from these days give some sort of shipping expectation. I sent an email, and referenced my order number....again to the WEB site email link....NOTHING. I sent another email with the same request to learn of an expected ship date.....NOTHING AGAIN!

My next email was that I thought they had a great product, but their customer service was terrible, and that I would let everyone know that I could. I sent this email to the same email address that I had used previously.

The next morning, at 6am, my phone rang and it was Chris from LOD. He was on fire. He basically undressed me and yelled and screamed without allowing me to even speak. He ranted that people these days can't pick up the phone, he yelled that he gets thousands of emails, he said the only email he got from me was the one he previously responded to stating that I wanted some information and no one was responding. He cussed and carried on, stating that he thought it was ridiculous that I was going to "talk shit about him" for not answering a damn email. After his totally unprofessional and inappropriate triage, I finally barged into the diatribe to let him know I had ordered a set of sliders, and due to an upcoming trip, wanted to know what I might expect regarding shipping.

He never let up until I ended the conversation. He must have realized he was out of line, as I had an email in the inbox within minutes, again stating to call if I needed anything.

After learning the sliders were at the powder coating company, the ship date was to be the following Monday, according to Chris. To his credit, when I requested any effort to ship sooner, Chris went out of his way to get them out early.

The sliders are great, and although the only install instruction came from Wayalife I believe, the went on without a hitch. I will say I am worried about the finish, as there are two chips already from the floor jack handle barely contacting the slider on install. No bang, no hard contact....so I am worried about how they might wear.

Anyway, I try to complement when appropriate, and bite my tongue when service is sub-standard, but based on this thread...thought it might be appropriate to share a first hand experience.

Kinda reminded me of the Sienfield episode with the Soup Nazi....to die for soup....if you can handle the cook!

 

[Bacon]

I love my LOD sliders. I have a 1" BL, so I cut the bottom tabs off the mounts, welded backing plates to my frame and bolted them on about an inch up to tuck them up to the body. Very strong and easily removable for paint touch ups and any work under the Jeep. I've beat on them hard and they take ut like a champ. I have bent one of the side plates, but...a little paint and you never notice it. Besides, carnage is good for the soul and chix dig scars.

 

[sjd78]

I own LOD slider and gen4 linked stubby rear bumper. I ordered the sliders through a company that is no longer a vendor on this site. I was able to use the forum discount and received them in a timely manner. The only issue was the side plates that came with them were for a two door model and not a four door model like I ordered. I called LOD and had the correct set shipped out the same day. They didn't even want the other side plates back. They have been money well spent as they are rock solid and have saved my rockers several times. The stainless steel Allen bolts will become difficult to remove if ground against a rock. I found putting some anti seize on before installing them really helps when it's time to replace them.

When I ordered the bumper everything went perfect. It's a solid unit however does need adjustment once in a while to keep from rattling. Also if you pump an excessive amount of grease into the pivot pin assembly it will leak out for months...don't ask how I know lol.

Recently I wanted to pick up a trail rack for a camping trip I had planned for a couple weeks away. I called various vendors and none had them in stock so I called LOD direct. I spoke to a young guy who said they had them sitting on the shelf. I asked if he could please go physically put his hands on one to confirm it was in fact in stock and call me back. He promptly called me back and said they had 11 on the shelf ready to ship. I explained I wanted it for a upcoming camping trip and asked when it would ship. He said no later then the next day. After waiting a little over a week nothing showed up so I called and inquired. I was told it would ship the following Monday (which is when I would be out of town camping already). So I was like WTF I thought it was in stock and shipped over a week ago? Nope, it wasn't in stock ready to ship even though I asked for confirmation and the guy called back and said not only 1 but 11 were in stock. That's been the only negative experience I've had with LOD and hopefully it was some kind of fluke mistake.

 

[CJW]

I have bought a few LOD products, 2 front bumpers, 2 rear bumpers, and sliders. Their products are rock solid. I would recommend them to anyone. I had a problem once when my front bumper showed up damaged. I called LOD and they mailed out a new one ASAP. They even threw in a trail rack for the inconvenience. I now have a new jeep and when my build starts I will definitely go with them again.

Well that's a positive note. Thanks!!

 

[CJW]

I've had the ShrockWorks sliders, mid width bumper and rear bumper/tire carrier for three years. No issues with them in anyway and they are incredibly tough. Two of the three years in New England and no rust at all with their powder coating.

The only draw back was the 4-7 month wait period from ordering to delivery... You do pay for the quality too. They are a bit more expensive, but you only pay for them once.

Thanks for sharing that experience! The wait time would suck though.....I do like getting the stuff I want in exchange for my money lol so waiting may be tough

 

[CJW]

I have VKS products for my jeep great quality.. fast shipping treated me well and gave me a nice military discount..


http://www.vksfab.com/product/prerunner-rock-sliders/

Thanks for the suggestion but I'm not a big fan of theirs.

 

[CJW]

Nothing is wrong with the sliders. Sorry if my post wasn't clear. The issue related solely to the bumper and how it was handled. His sliders have been great.

I'm tracking now. Thanks! I'd still like to know how things turn out with the bumper issue though.

 

[CJW]

Jesus, 4-7 month waiting period? Fuck that

I'm feeling the same I think.....lol

 

[CJW]

You can leave the sheet metal out if you prefer it that way.

Good point

 

[CJW]

Haven't gotten the chance to beat on mine yet but I love them so far and the install was way easier then I thought I was gonna be

Very cool!! Thanks for the pic!!

 

[CJW]

Sure.

In a nutshell, on the pre-2014 bumpers the plate that keeps the carrier from swinging all the way open was made out of thin metal (LoD apparently changed the design sometime after late 2013). Over time, the thin metal loses its strength and breaks. The result of the break is that the carrier swings all the way around the body and your spare tire crushes in the side of your Jeep. Apparently, this was a known issue because (1) the design has changed and (2) I found out after the fact that it was so common, the quiet recommendation was to drill a hole in the bumper so the swing arm pin would engage the actual bumper instead of just the POS plate.

Fast forward. My buddy's plate broke in his driveway, the carrier swung around and crushed in the rear, passenger side of his Jeep. I was able to do some body work and get about 80% of the damage out. Obviously though, without some fix to the carrier, it was going to just keep happening since there was no longer a way to lock the gate open. That's when we realized LoD had changed the plate design. My buddy called LoD...not to try to get the body damage fixed or to raise any hell, but just to see if he could get the new, updated plate so his gate would work properly and safely.

The interaction from there was unbelievable. In an expletive-filled tirade, Chris conceded that the break was pretty common and that the design was changed but he actually had the gall to say that the breaks occur from people putting too much weight on the carrier and then slamming the carrier open when parked on hills. Keep in mind, my buddy runs 35" tires, no trail rack, no gas cans, and no hi-lift jack. The ONLY thing that has ever been on his carrier is the 35" tire, and the break happened in his driveway which has only a slight incline. Seriously, Chris went after my buddy like he had intentionally done something stupid or otherwise tried to break the carrier. It was ridiculous to the point that my buddy called me up to say that he couldn't believe I recommended he buy LoD products (by the way, he is running front and rear LoD bumpers and LoD sliders...all on my recommendation and I did the install on everything so I know it was done correctly). My buddy finally just said he would call the vendor and address the issue with them. Apparently, Chris called back later and offered to send out the new plate, but his demeanor had not changed at all. This all transpired months ago. The plate finally showed up this week.

Maybe I have a skewed view of the world, but when someone spends thousands of dollars buying your products you probably should not blast the hell out of them when they call for a little reasonable help related to a known product deficiency. That is how TeraFlex does business and I expect more out of LoD.

That's horrible! I've heard of this reaction from them a couple of times now. Not what I want to hear.....
Thanks for sharing that!

 

[CJW]

I took a quick pic of my LoD sliders. They have definitely been beat on pretty hard. View attachment 214739 View attachment 214740

Wow! I like to see that haha! I like the paint match too

 

[CJW]

I have personally installed and run both sliders. Both are well made and both have worked well for my needs. Of the two, I personally like the LoD more as I like the way they look better, have a more functional step and you can actually get them in a reasonable amount of time. Either way, when it comes to quality and functionality, you can't really go wrong with either.

Regarding Sharkey's story, all I can say is that it's hard for me to hear especially being that I've known Chris for a long time. I can only hope it was a fluke or that he was having a bad day because this doesn't sound like the guy I know. I have forwarded a link to this thread and I hope he'll chime in.

Thanks for that info! I'm leaning more towards LOD now since the wait for shrockworks seems crazy to me. I am glad to hear you say that both are quality though! Actually makes it a little harder to narrow it down then lol.
Sharkey's story is crazy but I've heard it a few times from others now too.

 

[CJW]

I am not sure what you are talking about here, but I do know that things online can get very out of hand and misleading especially when its passed down through multiple people, we do our best to take care of any issues, so if anyone ever needs anything please give us a call and we can help you out right away! We have quite a few sales people now and we appreceiate any feedback so we can address any issues, I will look into this right away. So I will do my best to explain how the our old Gen 3 Bumper and tire carrier's locking mechanism worked. It used a bolt on plate that mounted to the top of the bumper to hold it open, it was what we called a fused system, meaning if too much pressure was put on it it would break in order to prevent the stanless steel locking pin and its housing that is welded on the tire carrier from getting broke and bending . It was originally designed this way because people were opening the tire carrier and it was locking in place and they didn't realize it and would start yanking back and forth on the tire carrier trying to get it to close because they tought it was stuck, in turn this would bend the locking mechinsm due to the leverage that the tire carrier can put on it, and since the locking mechanism with the stainless steel tube is welded on to the tire carrier, it could not be fixed. The Fusable part that was bolted to the bumper was easily replaceable so thats why it was designed that way. We had changed the fusable part over time to make it harder to break and never had a problem with them and anybody that needs a stonger fusable piece can get one form us 100% free to your door. We have honestly not seen any break from just opening the tire carrier and it sitting on a slight incline, but if something ever does fail we will replace it 100% for free so make sure to contact us. Now fast forward to now, our new Gen 4 was changed again and uses a larger stainless steel locking pin and monting tube so would be much harder for someone to bend it if they were yanking on the tire carrier because they did not realize that it locked open. So since we made the locking pin larger the Gen 4 does not use a fusable link. its basically completely different. So again if anyone needs anything please give us a call and we can help you out and if you think you might have an old Gen 3 with the older fused bolt on locking plate, give us a call and we can get you the newer setup.

Thanks
LoD

It's nice to see a response from a vendor like this. Although people claim to have issues, at least the company is chiming in and working to fix whatever complaints are being made. I like that! Thanks for responding LOD!! It's nice to see vendors publicly address these issues!

 

[CJW]

I'm also debating on getting the LoD sliders because of the functional step, and the fact that they work with the Evo Mfg high clearance long arm brackets. I like the Evo sliders, but I take my daughter with me in the Jeep anytime I can, and the nice, flat step of the LoD is a nice looking feature. I know Eddie has beat them to hell and back, along with many other people. Does anyone have any pics of the LoD sliders with those outer bolt on plates not installed? Would it look absolutely stupid with them removed and left like that?

That would be nice to see

 

[CJW]

Which ones are those? The ones with the design they stole from EVO or Poison Spider?

Anyway, thank you for the informative post in the thread asking for opinions on either LoD or Shrockwork sliders. :thumb: :crazyeyes:

LOL this^^

 

[jesse3638]

I am not sure what you are talking about here, but I do know that things online can get very out of hand and misleading especially when its passed down through multiple people, we do our best to take care of any issues, so if anyone ever needs anything please give us a call and we can help you out right away! We have quite a few sales people now and we appreceiate any feedback so we can address any issues, I will look into this right away. So I will do my best to explain how the our old Gen 3 Bumper and tire carrier's locking mechanism worked. It used a bolt on plate that mounted to the top of the bumper to hold it open, it was what we called a fused system, meaning if too much pressure was put on it it would break in order to prevent the stanless steel locking pin and its housing that is welded on the tire carrier from getting broke and bending . It was originally designed this way because people were opening the tire carrier and it was locking in place and they didn't realize it and would start yanking back and forth on the tire carrier trying to get it to close because they tought it was stuck, in turn this would bend the locking mechinsm due to the leverage that the tire carrier can put on it, and since the locking mechanism with the stainless steel tube is welded on to the tire carrier, it could not be fixed. The Fusable part that was bolted to the bumper was easily replaceable so thats why it was designed that way. We had changed the fusable part over time to make it harder to break and never had a problem with them and anybody that needs a stonger fusable piece can get one form us 100% free to your door. We have honestly not seen any break from just opening the tire carrier and it sitting on a slight incline, but if something ever does fail we will replace it 100% for free so make sure to contact us. Now fast forward to now, our new Gen 4 was changed again and uses a larger stainless steel locking pin and monting tube so would be much harder for someone to bend it if they were yanking on the tire carrier because they did not realize that it locked open. So since we made the locking pin larger the Gen 4 does not use a fusable link. its basically completely different. So again if anyone needs anything please give us a call and we can help you out and if you think you might have an old Gen 3 with the older fused bolt on locking plate, give us a call and we can get you the newer setup.

Thanks
LoD

I'm actually on my second fusable plate on my Get 3 bumper. The first one the dealer broke and now this one is broken as the carrier was closed but my fiance didn't know how to latch it. She forgot to ask me to latch it and I drove off. Went around a left hand corner and it swung open. Didn't go into the side of the jeep but broke the plate again. I'm interested in the new design. I'll definitely be calling. I've spoken with the company several times and was always met with great customer service. I'm sure we all have our days and I'm glad to see that no matter the exchange it was made right. I'll be in contact when I get home from my assignment.

 

[CJW]

Well again, thanks everyone for your input! I appreciate it!

 

[JWT]

Shoot, I ordered the Shrockworks sliders for my JKUR maybe 2 weeks ago, they were in stock, and they got here (NorCal) from Houston on Monday. I had no issue with the lead time, not to mention good and prompt email follow-up from Mark Wottlin--mark@shrockworks.com. Give 'em a shout.