Factory Front Skid?

I have a chance to pick up a factory front skid at the pick and pull, and was wondering if I should. Is it worth it, does it help any, anyone that would've sustained damage had they not had it.

They work till you get above about 4-6 inches of lift then they no longer serve any purpose. I have one on my stock height 98 and yes it has some dings in it from rocks.

My 97 came with it from the factory. I was planning to take it off last year around Halloween. The day before I planned to do it, a neighbor kid came around the corner too fast in his Triumph Spitfire and drove smack into/under my parked Jeep. Luckily my wife had last driven it and had parked it in neutral with the e-brake off, so when he hit it, it rolled backwards a bit into the curb. The bottom of my bumper got a small dent and the front skid had a yellow stripe added to it and took the brunt of the impact. His car was totaled, and so was his forehead. So, bottom line, even though it might do little on the trail, it may save you some damage in an accident!
B.

Will a pre 97 one fit a 97?

yeah, the one on my '99 came off a '91

i have dent/bent mine, so it protected the tierod, now i am 4" lifted and i have bent the tierod. going to space it down again.

One really good hit, just on a muddy trail, was enough to put a nice arch into the bottom edge of mine. So, yes, definitely worth it. Also, I'm not lifted in case that makes a difference for you.

on a lifted jeep it won't protect as much as it will on a stock one (or BB one). I call mine the early warning system in case I missed a big rock in front of me and I"m trying to ram it.
In any case I think it's worth it, especially if it only costs you a few bucks....

I have one on my ’91 and it works pretty well. When I lifted the front end 3” it raised it up too far, so I just welded spacers on it. Now it covers my axle and tie rod like it’s supposed to. It’s strong enough to handle a hit, but I use it more for early warning. When a rock hits that metal it makes a very distinctive sound. I immediately lock up my brakes, get out and see what I’m about to go over. Its saved my bacon a couple of times on rocks that I though I could have cleared. That metal twang sound sure will get your attention in a hurry.

After killing a few alternators with mud and debris, i am in the hunt to find one for myself to serve as a slash guard of sorts. depending on what type of trails you run, the skid could be of some worth in that respect even if it doesn’t protect your tie rod/drag link