Trailing arm mount damage...Is this bad?

willb0125

willb0125

New member
Took my '15 TEP on its first trip to Rausch Creek this weekend for the 101 course. The entire experience was great and I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested. It was a little more "extreme" then I expected, the skids took some hits and I don't think the factory running boards will be staying on much longer. The real victim seem to be the passenger side lower trailing arm mount. Doing an inspection to check for damage today and it looks pretty bent to me. I don't remember exactly how it looked before so I don't have nay comparison.

So I guess I have 2 real questions. First is this something I really need to be worried about? Drove it home 225 miles and I didn't notice anything was wrong. And second, does anyone have a picture of the undamaged mount for comparison.
 

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That looks pretty bent out of shape. Can't you compare it to the other side for reference?

Also, I would guess it being bent out of shape would mess with your rear alignment. Not a 100% sure though. So I guess skid plates for this spot can be useful.
 
I doubt it has effected alignment. Might make that bushing wear a tiny bit faster. I wouldn't worry about it....

In the future use low gear/low range and crawl over rocks rather than bashing your way over them.
 
Ron4RNevada said:
I doubt it has effected alignment. Might make that bushing wear a tiny bit faster. I wouldn't worry about it....

In the future use low gear/low range and crawl over rocks rather than bashing your way over them.
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Thats the thing. This was a guided training class. Spent the entire day in 1st/2nd gear in 4L. Doubt we even broke 5 MPH on the trail.
 
pauldavis said:
That looks pretty bent out of shape. Can't you compare it to the other side for reference?

Also, I would guess it being bent out of shape would mess with your rear alignment. Not a 100% sure though. So I guess skid plates for this spot can be useful.
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The drivers side mount is not exactly the same shape as the passenger side. Even more so now....
 
It is a very vulnerable spot. Probably the most important skid to have on a 5th gen if you wheel in technical terrain...I always tell people to get these protected ASAP. Not sure why it is often overlooked.

RCI make a nice skid for them.

I doubt you have any major issues now. If a skid will fit I would just leave it alone. If not, get it straight again. A fab shop should be able to align it straight again.

Really hard to tell from pictures... BTW, most people call this the rear Lower Control Arm.
 
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easily repairable with a 5lb sledge hammer, maybe two. You have to hammer and dollie the metal flat again, after removing the trailing arm.
 
wfo9 said:
It is a very vulnerable spot. Probably the most important skid to have on a 5th gen if you wheel in technical terrain...I always tell people to get these protected ASAP. Not sure why it is often overlooked.

RCI make a nice skid for them.

I doubt you have any major issues now. If a skid will fit I would just leave it alone. If not, get it straight again. A fab shop should be able to align it straight again.

Really hard to tell from pictures... BTW, most people call this the rear Lower Control Arm.
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Yeah I totally see the value of having the LCA skid now. I was looking at the RCI skids. They look good. I guess i know what my first mod is now.
 
marshal said:
I don't see any concerning damage
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Tell my wife that...haha.

She kept saying "this truck is not made for this" every time something hit the bottom.

Had to keep going to prove to all these Jeep people I was not crazy. I'm second from the left. Outnumbered 12 to 1.
 

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You could always tell here if you had a lift it would be less likely to scrape. :thumb3:


willb0125 said:
Tell my wife that...haha.

She kept saying "this truck is not made for this" every time something hit the bottom.

Had to keep going to prove to all these Jeep people I was not crazy. I'm second from the left. Outnumbered 12 to 1.
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Just out of curiosity what level trails did they have you running? I was out there a few weeks ago for the first time and I thought that the ratings weren't consistent. For instance we entered a green trail that had a sign posted " No Beginners". The majority of people needed to be spotted in through the entrance. Other Blues were a cake walk. One blue we were behind a guy on 49s and I was hitting the skids quite a bit. Everyone scooted up a black without incident.
 
mace. said:
Just out of curiosity what level trails did they have you running? I was out there a few weeks ago for the first time and I thought that the ratings weren't consistent. For instance we entered a green trail that had a sign posted " No Beginners". The majority of people needed to be spotted in through the entrance. Other Blues were a cake walk. One blue we were behind a guy on 49s and I was hitting the skids quite a bit. Everyone scooted up a black without incident.
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I think all of the trails used for the 101 class are green. Some were way greener then others. My only other off road experience is driving on the beach here on Long Island so some of the more rocky stuff seemed really hardcore to me.
 
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