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front end skid plate- pros/cons ?

auswee

auswee

NAXJA Forum User
Location
manchester, new hampshire
Call me a Nervous Nelly, but I'm kind of curious about getting a skid plate for the front end, that would help protect engine / tranny and other front end stuff.

I don't want to get one just to be the guy that has a skid plate for everything, but I also can't afford to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars fixing stuff that got bashed up on the trail when I could have just spent a hundred dollars on a good skid.

Just curious if some folks can give me some insight to help move my thought process along.

Thanks in advance!
 
if you have very much lift at all usually the front end parts are exposed anyways, so really the only thing it protects is the steering box. that being said i still have mine just in case i get in just the right spot its there
 
Their principle benefit is to help protect the steering parts, but after a couple of inches lift it no longer protects the parts that are down at the axle.

It serves other purposes too though. For one thing it helps keep scrub and brush from getting into the serpentine belt, which is good enough for me. Also interesting that the steering parts below it are rusty while the parts above/behind it are clean, although that's not worth the effort.

It's a pain to remove it everytime you work under there.
 
like said it has a few uses. I.E. protecting a couple things from brush and water. but to me it wasnt worth keeping because of how much of a PITA it was to remove to work on anything
 
I've got 2.5" of lift from an Old Man Emu suspension kit, if that helps give anybody some advanced perspective.

Thanks for all of the tips guys, I am still learning!
 
Zoomy97ACR keeps one on the front of the 7118 Comanche(race truck). It seems to help prevent the nose from digging in in deep sand/silt. Also keeps rocks & sticks from bouncing in under the front bumper at speed. Not sure about the steering protection. We're carrying about 3.5"-4" up front. While we've slammed into some pretty heavy stuff, 'never bent/broken steering components(all stock). It's true the tie rod and lower end of the drag link are exposed at ride height, but when the axle moves up, it all hides behind the plate.
'Depends on the type wheeling you do. It probably wouldn't help as much when slow rock crawling. 'Probably work better/be worth more for high speed desert/trail running.
(On a side note, I managed to bend both sides of both the tie rod and drag link on my wagon bashing rocks, and I think a front skid would have prevented most of it. I'd like to get one.)
 
Well I'm here in KY until December and then I go back to NH. My rig is going to be for general trail riding, some mud running, busting around in the snow up north, etc.

It's a daily driver too, so I don't want to get into anything TOO extreme like near-vertical rock climbing or crawling adventures where I might tip over (I know, I'm such a wuss haha).

But with 2.5" of lift it seems that it might be worthwhile from what some people are saying. Especially if I can find one at a pick-n-pull...

Moving forward, does anyone have a suggestion as to which skid to get for a 2001 XJ with 2.5" of suspension lift from an OME kit?
 
maybe look into rustys engine/tranny skid? i have rustys tcase skid and there are a bunch of gouges in it now just from one trip. granted i got alot more ballsy once i armored it up hahaha.
 
Since you mention you will be doing mud running and snow, i'll save you the trouble and tell you not to bother putting one on...that is unless you'll always be going forward. lol The front skid is great until you need to back up out of deep mud or snow, then it turns into the "Jeep Scoop Edition". -B
 
With low amounts of lift 2"-3" its somewhat beneficial, I think it only protects the drag link really. I took mine off because it got in the way of the mounting for my steering brace and made it a pain to work on the front end. It does have some benefit for keeping water out from under the hood, but I just cut some aluminum sheeting up and put it under the alternator, because the stock rubber mat crap is long gone.
 
I run one with 5.5" lift, it keeps mud out of the alternator and works well at keeping sticks out of the belt. Its only 6 bolts to remove to take it off for repairs, not a big deal.
 
Antiseize the bolts and you'll like it.

I have one on the MJ (stock height) and one on the 96 (3.5", doesn't protect steering very well as noted.) I'd throw on a V8 ZJ tie rod and a stock front skid and call it a day, honestly.

You can pick them up for 20-40 dollars at junkyards and on the classifieds here. Unless they crushed it, there is one (and a gas tank skid, and transfer case skid...) on a blue 96 at my local you-pull-it, been meaning to pull that one for a while but every time I show up it's hot as hell and humid and I don't feel like crawling under there.
 
One of the things the front skid does is protect that alternator that sits low on the engine. People who mud or go through a lot of water loose them regularly and the front skid helps deflect that crud and keep it out of the engine bay.
 
I had to remove mine after I installed my 5.5" lift due to the sway bar relocation brackets.

Ran one with a 3.5" lift and I liked the extra protection, plus I used the sides for mounting my sway bar relocation pins. My kid still runs one with his 4.5" lift and he wants to paint sharks teeth on it.

With a lift, you dont need it. More weight and another thing to remove when doing regular maintenance.
 
yea, its a pain for maintnance. but i like the idea off putting my disconect pins on it. mine are getting destroyed by my tires. i just bed lined mine to match my bumper, rockers, and rear quarters... thinking of getting white vynil letters or stenciling and painting something like "XJ" or "OVERLANDER" on it before it goes back on...

idk... it will go in the trash eventually im sure though.
 
Do you think the stock front skidplate reinforces the front unibody? Kinda like a hitch does for the back. I don't think the stock sheetmetal bumper braces the frontend much.
 
It's good for Halloween!
Sharks005.jpg


But seriously, I hit it once, and took it off.
 
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