transfer case skids

any one running a custom transfer case skid that does not rob any ground clearence? i would like to have one built. any pics??

i have a tomken transfer case skid plate...didnt loose any ground clearance...very beefy/cheap skid plate

Rusty's has one that bolts to the frame and stock crossmember.

Here is what I posted over on Jeepin.com of what i'm fabbin up. Read the whole thing so you wont have questions about the bolts and the color


Here is the mostly finished bracket I still have to test fit it but didn't see the point in going anyfarther since I still have to wait to pickup the bumper's main body which I won't be able to do till payday on Thur.



After I got done with the brackets I decided to start work on a T-case skid plate also. So far I think it is coming along pretty well:

Here is the size of the main plate pretty much runnning the entire width of the T-case:



this is the main plate bolted into place w/out the side brace. Ignore the unusuall bolts I didn't have time to run down to Lowes and get some matching hardware and this isn't permantly mounted yet I still ahve to take it off weld up some more spots and throw some paint on it:



This is with the side brace welded on and bolted into place I used self tappers into the Unibody:



Tommorrow it will comeoff and get welded the rest of the way up and painted then reinstalled with good hardware. The whole thing is 1/4 inch the same stuff that I made the Bumper brackets out of.

The only thing I wish I had access to is a press brake to make everything cleaner instead of having to cut and weld any angles that need to be done. Anyway if you could read the first post and give me any advice or redicule on these projects.

I still haven't gotten to finish it yet as I had a 25mph motorcycle accident andbroke my thumb so my forearm and hand are in a cast so fabbing isn't really on the to-do list for the next few weeks.

After pretzeling a stock crossmember, I decided to make an integrated HD crossmember and t-case skid.

Here's the crossmember, the trans mounting surface is 1" lower than stock, so I could have the needed advantage (at the time) of a t-case drop, but without loosing the clearance at the frame rail.



Then, after 20 minutes on a press brake, I had the skid done:



And the package deal.



I think I still have the AutoCad file for that skid, if you want it. The two worked awesome for a long time...then I took off the skid for some t-case work the night before a big trip to Tellico and didn't feel like re-installing it that night, so I threw it on the trailer for the trip down. Somewhere in central Pennsylvania it fell off the trailer and skidded into the woods and I never saw it again.

xjj33p3r said:

Rusty's has one that bolts to the frame and stock crossmember.

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junk, but works if its all ya got...for a while

I'm running a Rockkrawler one
www.rockkrawler.com
I gained an inch of clearance and it's been abused and held up
but really isn't any protection better than nothing

Ramsey said:

junk, but works if its all ya got...for a while

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Exactly. It'll work for a while. Also, DPG has a whole skid that covers the stock cross member, and goes further back as well. 3/16", so it's pretty good I guess.

Mine...

xjj33p3r said:

Exactly. It'll work for a while. Also, DPG has a whole skid that covers the stock cross member, and goes further back as well. 3/16", so it's pretty good I guess.

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I've always been a fan of the DPG Rock Attack.

Jes said:

Mine...

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Hey Jes, got any write ups on the type of frame reinforcement you did on your jeep?

xjj33p3r said:

Rusty's has one that bolts to the frame and stock crossmember.

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dosent work too well for the ax-15 guys...

i need to "modify" mine, or put it on my sister's jeep...

devildog0 said:

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so now instead of rocks hitting the t-case, they will hit the skid, and the skid will fold into the t-case?

not to bash on your design too hard - but what prevents the 1/4" plate from bending? 15" of unsuported 1/4" plate with a 2 ton weight on top - ...

add some plate along the side to keep it from folding and add another support on the other side maybe?

Yeah, I gotta question the reliability of that one after a good hit, honestly.

Anchoring something to the stock crossmember is like...I don't know...trying to use a tent peg to hold up the leaning tower of pisa? Put a gusset in there over top of the weld, sorta like what I did in mine (previous posts) with the little triangles on the side. That'll help. The problem is, there's no good way that you've provided for support for a good, solid, support-the-whole-XJ-on-a-rock kind of hit.

Of course...with my big-ass crossmember, it took a HUGE amount of hits and crushes, without any damage. Then one day I had a shitty spotter, and a rock poked up and completely ripped the crossmember off the frame rails. Sheared the bolts on the drivers side right off and bent the fawk out of the passenger side ones. If it had been a stock crossmember it might have just bent up and absorbed it, but with mine, well...



That's me welding the crossmember back up to the frame, with some 6011 rod, two car batteries, and some jumper cables.

Just goes to show that your skid/crossmember/etc is only as good as the thing it's mounted to. The crossmember, upon fixing the bolt situation, bolted right back up good as new.

Check out www.tntcustoms.com . They make quite a few different options for crossmembers and tcase skids. They have one that is similar to their long arm crossmember without the long arm mounts. No ground clearance loss.....and I've set the entire weight of my jeep on the belly pan....still holding up great:

xjj33p3r said:

Hey Jes, got any write ups on the type of frame reinforcement you did on your jeep?

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Write ups? No.
It's Just 3"X3"X.188" angle stock with a couple notches in it to follow the stock "frame" rails. A bunch of grinding, some welding, and voila you have a "farme" that will no longer crush in.

fatwreck ... What did that run ya? Then do you have to modify the axle for it to hook up, or did the arms bolt on to the stock location?

XJ_ranger said:

dosent work too well for the ax-15 guys...

i need to "modify" mine, or put it on my sister's jeep...

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That's two of you who don't like the Rust'y plate. What is going on with thiers? On that note, it looks very similar to SkidRow's. This is information I need to know.

ajpulley said:

That's two of you who don't like the Rust'y plate. What is going on with thiers? On that note, it looks very similar to SkidRow's. This is information I need to know.

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dont have too much of a problem with it - protects well enough, just wish that i had saved $$$ and bought a better product...

I havent distroyed it yet, and i havent had it fly off my trailer, just not the style that i would go if i bought another one...

here is a pic of it mounted on my heep:


hangs down farther than i would like, and doesnt protect the t0case as much as id like...


http://www.opiebennett.com/skids.htm

just my opinion...