Skid pan Questions

[Ezlife45]

So I ventured out this weekend and went after an oil change. Upon taking the skid pan down, I noticed it appears to be built as a jacking point as well.
My questions:
1. How many people have used the engine skid pan as a lifting point underneath the cross member?
2. Does the TRD Pro aluminum skid pan also have a lift point built into it?
3. Do aftermarket skid pans also utilize a lift point?

I would love to have a removable panel to access the oil filter but am unsure at the moment.

Thanks in advance,

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

1. All the time.
2. Don't know but I would figure it would.
3. Yes, well I use the center of the front Shrockworks skid as a lifting point all the time.

 

[Jetboy]

To work in the real world as a skid plate - it must be able to support the entire weight of the vehicle. So it should be strong enough to lift almost anywhere on the skid. But it's smooth and may be dangerous - especially with the OEM bottle jack. For that reason I would not lift from the engine skid with the bottle jack. I do lift on it with my floor jack frequently. No problem.

 

[BobsTrail]

To work in the real world as a skid plate - it must be able to support the entire weight of the vehicle. So it should be strong enough to lift almost anywhere on the skid. But it's smooth and may be dangerous - especially with the OEM bottle jack. For that reason I would not lift from the engine skid with the bottle jack. I do lift on it with my floor jack frequently. No problem.

:iagree:

 

[Ezlife45]

Thanks for the responses. I use a 3 ton floor jack to get my vehicles on jackstands...
Not knowing it was a jack point, I went up ramps, took the pan off, down ramps, then up with the floor jack to the jackstands.

Now I know better.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Skid pan as lifting point

Wow, I'm surprised to hear anyone would use the OEM engine skid plate to lift the truck. The bolts are recessed and there is a raised 10 or 12 gauge steel bracket that separates the plate surface from the frame. It's not a solid support.

My OEM skid plate had major dings and indentations from trying to "lift" the truck over rocky obstacles. When I cut mine off last week because 3 of the 4 bolts had seized and I'd already rounded the bolt heads with an impact wrench, I realized it was just a thin, flimsy piece of 12 gauge steel. There may be points where the skid plate rests fully against the frame, but from underneath it's hard to see where.

I had to get those bolts out because the new RCI skid plates use the same holes. After cutting the skid plate down to nearly flat square plates around the bolts I was able to chisel the bolt heads in the CCW direction just enough to twist them off with my fingers. Oh lucky day!

Jacking under the frame behind the wheel with a floor jack is so much easier than jacking anywhere under the skid plate. Jack it, place some jack stands and go to work. Oh, and block the wheels.

 

[STX4Runner]

Wow, I'm surprised to hear anyone would use the OEM engine skid plate to lift the truck. The bolts are recessed and there is a raised 10 or 12 gauge steel bracket that separates the plate surface from the frame. It's not a solid support.

My OEM skid plate had major dings and indentations from trying to "lift" the truck over rocky obstacles. When I cut mine off last week because 3 of the 4 bolts had seized and I'd already rounded the bolt heads with an impact wrench, I realized it was just a thin, flimsy piece of 12 gauge steel. There may be points where the skid plate rests fully against the frame, but from underneath it's hard to see where.

I had to get those bolts out because the new RCI skid plates use the same holes. After cutting the skid plate down to nearly flat square plates around the bolts I was able to chisel the bolt heads in the CCW direction just enough to twist them off with my fingers. Oh lucky day!

Jacking under the frame behind the wheel with a floor jack is so much easier than jacking anywhere under the skid plate. Jack it, place some jack stands and go to work. Oh, and block the wheels.

The OEM engine skid has a strong support that bridges the gap from the plate to the crossmember. It's in the manual and on the plate you can see the stamped circle where you're supposed to lift from.

 

[e60ral]

The center of the crossmember is intended to be a jacking point, use that

 

[Ezlife45]

E60,

That's perfect! I may have seen that in my owner's manual but totally forgot about it.