Skid Plate
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Good Times
New member
I'm working on a mock up using the skid plate I have. Here's what I'll be using:
10ga steel (paint it yourself).
Not sure what the price point will be but I will be releasing the v8 model first followed by the v6 (4A/T and 5A/T) respectively.
with 10ga, I'm expecting it to weigh approximately 50#. It is a single piece item and will be very bulky and shipping will be a pain. No bolts will be exposed on the belly so no need for anything to get sheared off
The reason why I won't be going 3/16" is the sheer fact that it's sooo dang heavy. Another reason is that I want to be able to make any trail repairs as needed and if it's too heavy, I won't be able to fix it and hold it in place.
I've seen many aftermarket skids use 3/16" thick skids though.
My skid will not cover the transfer case because the TC on the v8 sits up very high. Also there's really no way to support the rear without additional bracing. I may change my design but for the time being I'm going to release the version I have right now as I haven't had any problems with my TC on all of my adventures.
Good luck!
10ga steel (paint it yourself).
Not sure what the price point will be but I will be releasing the v8 model first followed by the v6 (4A/T and 5A/T) respectively.
with 10ga, I'm expecting it to weigh approximately 50#. It is a single piece item and will be very bulky and shipping will be a pain. No bolts will be exposed on the belly so no need for anything to get sheared off
The reason why I won't be going 3/16" is the sheer fact that it's sooo dang heavy. Another reason is that I want to be able to make any trail repairs as needed and if it's too heavy, I won't be able to fix it and hold it in place.
I've seen many aftermarket skids use 3/16" thick skids though.
My skid will not cover the transfer case because the TC on the v8 sits up very high. Also there's really no way to support the rear without additional bracing. I may change my design but for the time being I'm going to release the version I have right now as I haven't had any problems with my TC on all of my adventures.
Good luck!
MAC4Runner
New member
Good Times said:I'm working on a mock up using the skid plate I have. Here's what I'll be using:
10ga steel (paint it yourself).
Not sure what the price point will be but I will be releasing the v8 model first followed by the v6 (4A/T and 5A/T) respectively.
with 10ga, I'm expecting it to weigh approximately 50#. It is a single piece item and will be very bulky and shipping will be a pain. No bolts will be exposed on the belly so no need for anything to get sheared off
The reason why I won't be going 3/16" is the sheer fact that it's sooo dang heavy. Another reason is that I want to be able to make any trail repairs as needed and if it's too heavy, I won't be able to fix it and hold it in place.
I've seen many aftermarket skids use 3/16" thick skids though.
My skid will not cover the transfer case because the TC on the v8 sits up very high. Also there's really no way to support the rear without additional bracing. I may change my design but for the time being I'm going to release the version I have right now as I haven't had any problems with my TC on all of my adventures.
Good luck!
Have you worked up a price yet? :arrow:
Good Times
New member
My current skid which is 10ga is approximately 40-50#. Maybe not that heavy but it feels pretty damn heavy since it's one big piece. I'm just approximating since I haven't actually weighed it myself.
Here's a good comparison of the Downey skid which is 3/16th vs the 10ga that I have. I believe the Downey skid is around 25# so that'll give you an idea of what a 3/16" steel plate will weight for that sized item.
This design will cover the transmission which to me is definitely important. I had the Downey skid and had a big boo boo in Anza Borrego a few years ago causing some really unfortunate tranny damage. took me about 4 wks to fix it in my garage and the drive back from SD to LA was not FUN. Max speed of 45 on the 5 freeway was suicide. (good thing it was in the wheee hours).
Anyway, the skid does not cover the transfer case though since I haven't figured out a way to cover it and still have support. The problem I have is that the transfer goes right up to the gas tank and there is nothing in between that I can secure it to so thus the concern. The good thing is that the transfer case sits pretty high up and I have not hit it so that's a good thing to know. I figure if I start banging on the tc, I'll figure out a way to extend it and modify it accordingly.
I will try to incorporate a few changes from the image above. What I'm trying to work out is which is cheaper: Bends on the end to strengthen the skid or use the welds that is shown in the image. Depending on which one is cheaper, I'll go with that route.
I'm going to stick w/ 10ga due to the sheer size (remember it's atleast a good 4'6-5' long!). Anything longer and I think you'll have problems just trying to get it on there. Remember I don't incorporate an oil filter/drain opening so you'll want to make sure it's easily removeable. Another reason why I'm using 10ga is I'd much rather have the impact from the rocks bend the skid than the frame it's attached too. Although our frames are strong, I don't want to risk damaging it regardless of what anyone says. To me, it's cheaper for me to replace a skid that is a few hundred bucks vs a bent frame.
Just keep in mind that I'm doing this because nobody will take care of us. I've had enough with all of the vendors that promises us something and won't help us out. I've seen other vehicles get stuff before we do so I'm taking action. I wheel with many of you and I hate to see a 4th gen with no armor. To me skids and sliders are top priority over anything else. So with that in mind, I'm going full force and getting these things out asap. I have a v8 so the v8 one will go into production first. the v6 (4speed and 5speed) will follow. I've already been asking around the local guys so I can do some measurements so hopefully I'll be able to get those out right after too!
No prices yet unfortunately. I will try my best to keep it very marketable but since this is all going to be out of pocket for me, I'll have to figure out my finances and go accordingly. I know the more raw materials I buy in bulk the cheaper but I also don't want to go broke helping my fellow friends. I'll post up once I get some firm numbers setup.
Thanks for the interest!
Here's a good comparison of the Downey skid which is 3/16th vs the 10ga that I have. I believe the Downey skid is around 25# so that'll give you an idea of what a 3/16" steel plate will weight for that sized item.
This design will cover the transmission which to me is definitely important. I had the Downey skid and had a big boo boo in Anza Borrego a few years ago causing some really unfortunate tranny damage. took me about 4 wks to fix it in my garage and the drive back from SD to LA was not FUN. Max speed of 45 on the 5 freeway was suicide. (good thing it was in the wheee hours).
Anyway, the skid does not cover the transfer case though since I haven't figured out a way to cover it and still have support. The problem I have is that the transfer goes right up to the gas tank and there is nothing in between that I can secure it to so thus the concern. The good thing is that the transfer case sits pretty high up and I have not hit it so that's a good thing to know. I figure if I start banging on the tc, I'll figure out a way to extend it and modify it accordingly.
I will try to incorporate a few changes from the image above. What I'm trying to work out is which is cheaper: Bends on the end to strengthen the skid or use the welds that is shown in the image. Depending on which one is cheaper, I'll go with that route.
I'm going to stick w/ 10ga due to the sheer size (remember it's atleast a good 4'6-5' long!). Anything longer and I think you'll have problems just trying to get it on there. Remember I don't incorporate an oil filter/drain opening so you'll want to make sure it's easily removeable. Another reason why I'm using 10ga is I'd much rather have the impact from the rocks bend the skid than the frame it's attached too. Although our frames are strong, I don't want to risk damaging it regardless of what anyone says. To me, it's cheaper for me to replace a skid that is a few hundred bucks vs a bent frame.
Just keep in mind that I'm doing this because nobody will take care of us. I've had enough with all of the vendors that promises us something and won't help us out. I've seen other vehicles get stuff before we do so I'm taking action. I wheel with many of you and I hate to see a 4th gen with no armor. To me skids and sliders are top priority over anything else. So with that in mind, I'm going full force and getting these things out asap. I have a v8 so the v8 one will go into production first. the v6 (4speed and 5speed) will follow. I've already been asking around the local guys so I can do some measurements so hopefully I'll be able to get those out right after too!
No prices yet unfortunately. I will try my best to keep it very marketable but since this is all going to be out of pocket for me, I'll have to figure out my finances and go accordingly. I know the more raw materials I buy in bulk the cheaper but I also don't want to go broke helping my fellow friends. I'll post up once I get some firm numbers setup.
Thanks for the interest!
AlexJet
New member
I was thinking of protecting TC and came up with an idea of making some sort of a cross-member to hold the rear end of the skid plate. This cross-member can be done from 1/4" steel. You're right that it's always better to bend skid plate then frame. So this idea theoretically should work fine. Will see how it's going t be practical.
AlexJet
New member
Finally project is done and ready for show: Skid plates
