Skid plate most needed...Front or belly pan?

[96KYRUNNER]

Hey guys looking at possibly putting some armor underneath and looking at Bud Built or Savage skids. What do you think would be the most important (front or belly pan) if you had to choose one now and one later? I may just save up and get the combo.

 

[TheeMikeB]

Hey guys looking at possibly putting some armor underneath and looking at Bud Built or Savage skids. What do you think would be the most important (front or belly pan) if you had to choose one now and one later? I may just save up and get the combo.

Depends where you are wheeling but I would say the front skid for sure. It covers the bottom of the radiator and oil pan... all the way to just behind the steering rack.

Belly is a nice addition because it protects the tranny and transfer. If you order from Budbuilt he will still let you do the 'combo' price even if you order separate. He uses the honor system for that.

Here are some pics of mine to give you an idea.


From the front:

Here is the front skid by itself:

And paired up with the belly:

Some more pics of my install and painting in my build link in my sig if you want.

 

[AZ_Trails]

I have both front and belly BudBuilts, and the front is definitely the one that gets the most abuse. The front definitely protects more "stuff", and I wheel with a few guys who only have front aftermarket skids and they haven't had any problems with not having a belly skid. I'd go with a front for now, and worry about the belly later.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I'd suggest starting out with only a front skid plate.

I've had the Bud Built and now the Savage Offroad.



The reason I say wait to get more than just the front is because you can go offroading on nearly any trail except the most dangerous with only a good front skid plate.

The belly pan is definitely optional for 98% of the wheeling that happens in these trucks, including all the blue square difficulty trails.

The factory gas skid has held up fine for me. Yes it has some dents but you never ever see any threads on T4R about peoples factory gas skid plate failing.

So ..... the reason is because all those extra skids add a hell of a lot of extra weight. Weight weight weight. A replacement gas tank skid and belly pans together will probably add 150+ lbs of steel. That is weight you are going to notice.

In summary ---- if you are an average offroader, not an extremist who is going for the body panel damage kind of offroading I don't think you need the extra skids, except for the front.

 

[96KYRUNNER]

So ..... the reason is because all those extra skids add a hell of a lot of extra weight. Weight weight weight. A replacement gas tank skid and belly pans together will probably add 150+ lbs of steel. That is weight you are going to notice.


Those skids do weigh quite a bit, but understandable with all that steel taken into count. I looked at Bud's website and the front skid weighs 50lbs. May not notice that amount of extra weight too much.

I am kind of thinking it would benefit me to go with the front first and go from there. I would be only doing the occasional weekend trip, mostly light to moderate trails. Great suggestions everyone...just what I was looking for. I think the best bang for the buck would be the front skid.

 

[slomatt]

I tend to hit the gas tank skid much more than the front skids, to the point where I've got a 2-3" dent in my gas tank. Several friends of mine have 4runners and they also have hit their gas tank skids many times. In my opinion this is the first skid you should replace.

Last summer I put some larger dents in my front skid, and more importantly bent the mounting point for the front of the belly skid and broke the weld on one of the captured bolts. It might be time for me to upgrade my front skid plate, but I'm hesitant to add another 50lbs, especially up front.

- Matt

 

[pluton]

Seems like the gas tank is the longest and lowest hanging object underneath my 4Runner. I'd be inclined to protect it first, but as has been mentioned, the added weight might be an issue. With the battery, driver, and gas tank all on the same side of the vehicle, it already sags low on the left.