Skid modification?
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Captain Spalding
Member
Not a bad idea. How about screwing on aluminum plate to save weight?
Stock plate has to be removed for every oil change, which is a PITA. If you’re tinkering with it, might as well as cut out holes that can be used to drain the oil and take out the filter. Stock plates are also very weak, just fyi, so you’ll be basically reinforcing the whole thing. Also, the stock plates don’t cover the T case.
Didn’t think about bolts that could work with some countersink ones.
I was planning on reinforcing the whole skid and trying to trim it to match the oem one as much as possible. I have access to a plasma cutter so maybe I’ll trace the outline as close as possible.
Making an oil filter access point would be a good idea but also more of a PITA. I’d rather stud the plates and make removal easy.
I was planning on reinforcing the whole skid and trying to trim it to match the oem one as much as possible. I have access to a plasma cutter so maybe I’ll trace the outline as close as possible.
Making an oil filter access point would be a good idea but also more of a PITA. I’d rather stud the plates and make removal easy.
Twilghtzone
Member
Plate hinges up from the front.
Studs can't be very long or maybe have a slotted cutout in the skid plate.
Studs can't be very long or maybe have a slotted cutout in the skid plate.
rageandlove
Member
For a bit more money than you would spend buying the aluminum / steel you can get actual aluminum / steel skids designed to fit the vehicle perfectly. Why not go that route?
I figured it’d be about 130-40. Should fit perfect since I’m just welding a plate over the existing ones and making cutouts. I have a mig welder already so it wouldn’t be much if anything in materials *
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Was just an idea and I was wondering if anyone else had done so since it could be pretty easy.
. Was just an idea and I was wondering if anyone else had done so since it could be pretty easy.
Jetboy
New member
The stock plate is actually pretty well engineered. It's fairly lightweight and will take a ton of abuse before you would actually damage anything above it. I have never heard of any reports of anyone actually damaging that engine or anything above the engine skid. My experience is that the stock steel one is stronger than the TRD pro. Although it turns into a raisin quite quickly, it holds up to a ton of abuse before you would actually collapse it. The TRD pro did not hold up very well for me. It only lasted one off-road trip before it collapsed in the center. It also did not damage engine components. But I think a second difficult trail on the TRD pro skid would have.
I did use a plate welded on to the OEM fuel tank skid and that worked pretty well. Not perfect, and I ended up replacing it with a full fuel tank skid later. But it's not a terrible idea. And it doesn't cost much if you welded up yourself.
You could also build my skid plate that is a steel version of the TRD pro skid plate but a whole lot stronger. I'm guessing that would cost you about $100 to have a cut shop cut all the pattern parts. I don't have my computer with me and I'm traveling right now. But I could send you the cut files. And then you could fabricate it yourself. I know at least a few people have used my cut files to make them.
I did use a plate welded on to the OEM fuel tank skid and that worked pretty well. Not perfect, and I ended up replacing it with a full fuel tank skid later. But it's not a terrible idea. And it doesn't cost much if you welded up yourself.
You could also build my skid plate that is a steel version of the TRD pro skid plate but a whole lot stronger. I'm guessing that would cost you about $100 to have a cut shop cut all the pattern parts. I don't have my computer with me and I'm traveling right now. But I could send you the cut files. And then you could fabricate it yourself. I know at least a few people have used my cut files to make them.
That would be awesome! Thanks for the advice. Thats what I was thinking of doing by just adding a plate to the bottom of the OEM existing skids.
I appreciate advice and would love the cut file. Thanks
HanginInUtah
New member
I love how there is a bunch of 'it's such a pain to remove the plate' comments whenever there are threads about skid plates and oil changes. New vehicles are all coming with covers under the engine that more often than not have to be removed for oil changes. It's the way the industry is going. At least if they're metal, they can help protect something. My wife's 2020 Edge has a fiber/cardboard'y type cover that wouldn't do much to anything it got caught on.