Best skids / armor?

I just wanted to add that much like oil catch cans, cheap ass China tires and other bullshit things like that, the imagined need for full aftermarket skid plates is the product of REALLY GOOD FUCKIN MARKTING. And really, you're kidding yourself if you really think that guys didn't play hard on the rocks prior to them, back when 33" tires were considered to be massive and there was no such thing as "overlanding". Just sayin.
 
IceBerg said:
I understand the arguments against skids and would say your casual driver certainly does not need them.

Personally I run them. I've seen y-pipes & trans/oil pans get crushed/pierced on the trail. I've also seen the driver side exhaust loop on the JLs get smashed. In my case the JL392 exhaust is the lowest part of my jeep excluding the differentials and it absolutely needs a skid.

Pic for more info. This is from FB and not mine. Ignore the leak 😆 View attachment 422276
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Mother of god! The damage in the underside of that Jeep is horrible. I had to squint to find a single scratch.
 
The funny thing about full belly skid systems is that, 99% of people that get them do it because they think is cool and don’t actually have a “need” for them. Or the internet says they should. Again, factory skids already protect the important things and really is all you need.

If you are hitting an oil pan or exhaust loop…that’s actually impressive and need to pick better lines. Not that I pick good ones myself, just saying in general 😂

PS: Do they make roof top skids? Asking for a friend.
 
Disciple Off Road said:
Again, factory skids already protect the important things and really is all you need.
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Shot of Moby's original factory gas tank skid plate after 10 years of gentle use :)

DSC03777.jpg

And yes, I did end up replacing it with a Synergy a few years later BUT only because the factory one you see above had been modified to work with a Full Traction long arm kit and those brackets eventually broke causing other problems. I did try buying a factory replacement but by that time, they were no longer made :(

Oh, and yes again, that factory transfer case skid plate was new when this pic was taken. For a time, I didn't even bother running one there being that I have an Atlas bolted onto the LS but decided it couldn't hurt to have.
 
wayoflife said:
Shot of Moby's original factory gas tank skid plate after 10 years of gentle use :)

View attachment 422288

And yes, I did end up replacing it with a Synergy a few years later BUT only because the factory one you see above had been modified to work with a Full Traction long arm kit and those brackets eventually broke causing other problems. I did try buying a factory replacement but by that time, they were no longer made :(

Oh, and yes again, that factory transfer case skid plate was new when this pic was taken. For a time, I didn't even bother running one there being that I have an Atlas bolted onto the LS but decided it couldn't hurt to have.
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Your exhaust is left exposed! Not good!
 
wayoflife said:
Shot of Moby's original factory gas tank skid plate after 10 years of gentle use :)

View attachment 422288

And yes, I did end up replacing it with a Synergy a few years later BUT only because the factory one you see above had been modified to work with a Full Traction long arm kit and those brackets eventually broke causing other problems. I did try buying a factory replacement but by that time, they were no longer made :(

Oh, and yes again, that factory transfer case skid plate was new when this pic was taken. For a time, I didn't even bother running one there being that I have an Atlas bolted onto the LS but decided it couldn't hurt to have.
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What about the bolts on your body mount bushings? Those are exposed. Are you going to install skids there?
 
Captain Overkill said:
Hi all. First post here. We are on a couple other forums, but recently heard of this one. Been watching Eddie's great informative "how to" / instructional videos for a bit now, and they are the best teaching tools we have found out there regarding anything mechanical. More recently, we found out about this forum, so we signed up. I used to "off-road" with my '89 Bronco, as my former job as a Geologist in the field often called for it. Now, we'd like to off-road for fun, and recently got our first Jeep. Being almost 59 and 60 years old, and as ones who typically follow the buy once / cry once philosophy (but not always), we bought a 392.
..... So, we are currently doing some additions, etc., and we have a question about skids / armor. We noticed that the Artek skids are currently 20% off. Any opinions on these, ... or others? Also, we saw that Next Venture now uses the stronger 7075 aluminum with UHMW coating on their 7000 series skids. A bit pricey, bit seem to be bulletproof from tests. Anyone have any real world experience with the Artek or the the Next Ventures 7000 series, ... or any others that you love or wish you had saved your money? Looking to get full belly pans, plus likely LCA skids and maybe diff skids. Probably also a protector skid / box for the muffler that hangs way out there on the back of the 392 just looking to be crunched. Much thanks!
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I have motobilt steel on my JT. they have been great. I went with steel over alloy and i am glad I did. Aluminum is softer and can gouge and "grab" on a rock making it sticky as you go over. much like a bar of clay that if you were to drag over rough surfaces, it will dig in. not always but the alloy does have a higher probability of this over steel which will "glide" easier. The UHWM is a top notch option for this. I also like the heavier weight of the steel. helps to keep the center of gravity low especially if you running a lift and big tires. makes it feel very stable on off camber stuff. Lastly the Motobilt has the option for full boat sides with there rock sliders so you can get the maximum protection on the market.
 
Averagehuman said:
I have motobilt steel on my JT. they have been great. I went with steel over alloy and i am glad I did. Aluminum is softer and can gouge and "grab" on a rock making it sticky as you go over. much like a bar of clay that if you were to drag over rough surfaces, it will dig in. not always but the alloy does have a higher probability of this over steel which will "glide" easier. The UHWM is a top notch option for this. I also like the heavier weight of the steel. helps to keep the center of gravity low especially if you running a lift and big tires. makes it feel very stable on off camber stuff. Lastly the Motobilt has the option for full boat sides with there rock sliders so you can get the maximum protection on the market.
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Guess you didn't read the whole thread before posting :ROFLMAO:

That said, to each their own. Glad you're happy with what you chose to buy (y)
 
Averagehuman said:
I have motobilt steel on my JT. they have been great. I went with steel over alloy and i am glad I did. Aluminum is softer and can gouge and "grab" on a rock making it sticky as you go over. much like a bar of clay that if you were to drag over rough surfaces, it will dig in. not always but the alloy does have a higher probability of this over steel which will "glide" easier. The UHWM is a top notch option for this. I also like the heavier weight of the steel. helps to keep the center of gravity low especially if you running a lift and big tires. makes it feel very stable on off camber stuff. Lastly the Motobilt has the option for full boat sides with there rock sliders so you can get the maximum protection on the market.
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Dumb aftermarket skids aside, I don't know why but I can't help but not take that company seriously. I see so much praise about all their crap all over the internet and social media but have yet to meet someone who actually likes and runs their products.

Everyone knows Eddie is the biggest tool in the industry - MOTOBILT

Motobilt is pretty popular out here on the East Coast. They sell a lot of Crawler Concepts stuff, which I've never had any personal experience with (the Crawler Concepts JK is local to me also, and it's pretty beefy), so I'm not going to say one way or another on those products. HOWEVER, we did...
wayalife.com wayalife.com
 
Averagehuman said:
I have motobilt steel on my JT. they have been great. I went with steel over alloy and i am glad I did. Aluminum is softer and can gouge and "grab" on a rock making it sticky as you go over. much like a bar of clay that if you were to drag over rough surfaces, it will dig in. not always but the alloy does have a higher probability of this over steel which will "glide" easier. The UHWM is a top notch option for this. I also like the heavier weight of the steel. helps to keep the center of gravity low especially if you running a lift and big tires. makes it feel very stable on off camber stuff. Lastly the Motobilt has the option for full boat sides with there rock sliders so you can get the maximum protection on the market.
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Just so I have this straight. Aluminum skids are too soft, which causes them to "grab" or stick. To avoid this, you buy steel skids since they don’t "grab" as much. Then, you cover the steel skids with plastic.
 
I have a full skid on the JK and it’s great. I’m a big game hunter and more than half of what we use the Jeep for is in timbered ground. I had terrible luck with the stock skids getting hung up doing log crossings. When I went to the flat belly skid life got a lot easier. If only dumbasses and non spotted people need them, I guess I made varsity.
Heat seems to be a topic. This is something I’d like to get more information on. I pull a trailer with the Jeep and I haven’t had an issue yet. This vehicle is not a DD so I only get about 15k a year on it but I’m wondering if someone can share experiences about heating.
 

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Bizcuit said:
I have a full skid on the JK and it’s great. I’m a big game hunter and more than half of what we use the Jeep for is in timbered ground. I had terrible luck with the stock skids getting hung up doing log crossings. When I went to the flat belly skid life got a lot easier. If only dumbasses and non spotted people need them, I guess I made varsity.
Heat seems to be a topic. This is something I’d like to get more information on. I pull a trailer with the Jeep and I haven’t had an issue yet. This vehicle is not a DD so I only get about 15k a year on it but I’m wondering if someone can share experiences about heating.
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I'd also like to hear more about the heat issue. Has anyone had any overheats cause by skids? I am still weighing the pros and cons. Eddie and others brough up some great points about skids making it difficult to work on the Jeeps trailside. Others (on another forum) say you are less likely to need to work on it trailside or have catastrophic damage if you have skids. Both "sides" have points to consider. As for weight, some skids, such as Artek aluminum have a gas tank skid that replaces (not covers) the existing skid. So, some areas add weight and others take off. If using aluminum skids, weight does not seem to be a make it or break it issue. The input that has me leaning away from full belly skids at this point is Eddie's account of being trailside until something like 2 a.m. trying tp get skids off for a 2 dollar repair. No bueno. Currently leaning toward no ful belly skids, but possibly a skid for the really low hanging out there rear muffler on the 392. I can't picture needing to "work"on that at all trailside. And it seems to get the most reports of getting mangled up on the departure angle.
 
Captain Overkill said:
I'd also like to hear more about the heat issue. Has anyone had any overheats cause by skids? I am still weighing the pros and cons. Eddie and others brough up some great points about skids making it difficult to work on the Jeeps trailside. Others (on another forum) say you are less likely to need to work on it trailside or have catastrophic damage if you have skids. Both "sides" have points to consider. As for weight, some skids, such as Artek aluminum have a gas tank skid that replaces (not covers) the existing skid. So, some areas add weight and others take off. If using aluminum skids, weight does not seem to be a make it or break it issue. The input that has me leaning away from full belly skids at this point is Eddie's account of being trailside until something like 2 a.m. trying tp get skids off for a 2 dollar repair. No bueno. Currently leaning toward no ful belly skids, but possibly a skid for the really low hanging out there rear muffler on the 392. I can't picture needing to "work"on that at all trailside. And it seems to get the most reports of getting mangled up on the departure angle.
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Unless you're running a skid for your radiator, it's not gonna overheat. However, if you look at your oil temp or transmission fluid temp, it will be high enough to be an issue, especially when climbing long steep grades. Also, that stupid $2 plastic part that broke, that was on a brand new Jeep. I wonder what would cause a plastic part to fail so quickly? Of course, I would never pretend to know as much as what can be read on "another forum" but clearly, none of those experts have ever needed to replace a drive shaft on the trail. Maybe it's just me but that's a pretty catastrophic break and one that full belly skids can't protect but will sure as hell make it harder to pull and or replace. But hey, what would I know.
 
Captain Overkill said:
Eddie and others brough up some great points about skids making it difficult to work on the Jeeps trailside. Others (on another forum) say you are less likely to need to work on it trailside or have catastrophic damage if you have skids. Both "sides" have points to consider.
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Lol those who aim to less likely need to work on it trailside had a shop build up their Jeep and need to pick better lines.
 
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but I’m not having the problems that I’m hearing about. When I pull the trailer hunting, it has enough stuff for 6 people, 7 days which includes the wall tent and stove. I climb Cabbage Hill to get to our destination and it’s about 6%, 6 miles long. I’d call that a long steep grade. That little 3.6 is pulling her ass off. Looking forward to the diesel in the JT to take over this task. But anyway, this is the fourth year I’ve had the skids on and it sounds like the plastic under there is toast if skids killed a new Jeep. The way I read this thread, I’m in deep shit.
 
To say the temps under the Jeep elevate is something I’m sure everybody would agree upon. To say skids are killers to the components under the Jeep, which is what a lot of people are contending, sounds like a good topic for a thread where we can see proof. Then we can look at it from a monetary stand point and make an educated choice. To warn people that they won’t like working on their equipment with them, after the initial warning, I say is up to the beholder.
 
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