All pro skids

I was wondering when you were going to chime in!

I was really considering these All Pros, then I looked at your side by side picture again. The Buds are wider, especially in the middle. Plus, I think the piece of mind is worth the $150 extra it'll probably cost for the Buds...

 

yea so whats the deal with that anyways?? gimmie the dirty details!

 

yea you!

 

So what, am I supposed to slow down or are you speeding up??

 

I kinda curious about this statement. It seems from the pics of budbuilts and Allpros alike that they are both as close to the frame and components as possible. I wonder if this statement is just to sell their product.

 

Not sure, but Terry said you could bolt the Bud Builts OVER the All Pros. Something about Bud liking the flat oil pan or something...

 

7ga is 3/16" - The All Pro skids are the same thickness as the Bud Builts - but here is the difference: Ours is more of a minimalist design, meaning it covers the vital components but not empty space. The Buds cover frame to frame, and while that may sound like a great idea and is a wonderful design if you are building a sled, access and inspection is severely hindered when you cant get to anything from the bottom without dropping the skid. This also means you will have less weight added to your vehicle. There is really no sense in our opinion making the skid larger & heavier than necessary to cover areas that have nothing to get damaged above the skid.

 

For comparison, compare the BB skids that follow the frame or lower throughout the length of the skid:



With the All Pro that follows the contour of the drivetrain - it does not hang lower than it has to and is the same 3/16" thickness as the Buds

 

go BB

 

Here are some great pics taken this weekend of FJ's at Calico during a TTORA run, all show the BB skids hanging low enough to high center the vehicles on this rock, and its clear that they do NOT hug the frame as close as possible by all the daylight visible above the skids, they actually have LESS clearance than stock.

 

Hummm How could you possibly bolt something under a truck and give it MORE clearance than stock? Teehee!

Let's think this thru logically:
The lowest points on a Tacoma ( or FJ ) are the a arm mounts, and the stock exhaust crossover. Bolting a skidplate under either of those areas REDUCES your ground clearance. But it increases your protection. Both the AP and BB skids do that!

As Terry pointed out, our 2 companies have different approaches to protection. A smooth bottom does work well for sleds and other things that must drag over uneven surfaces. The AP transmission skid IS 2.5" higher than ours at that point. So if you got a rock up in there, it would not hit your skid. But, unless you slide out sideways, how will you get over the 2.5" lip at the front of the stock transmission crossmember?

And, since the exhaust crossover is the lowest point behind that, and we both have clearance under it, then steel under that, the ground clearance is the same there. But having a smooth surface, or a long ramped surface will allow you to drag it over the rocks, instead of catching on the dropped area, that is perpendicular to the direction of travel.

And, just a comment on those pictures of high centered trucks.
Do you think the 2 lips that we just discussed would have allowed those trucks to proceed, or would they have high centered too? Perhaps hung up more? Which would you like to winch or strap out? Flat or lipped?

And another thing, those are FJs. We are discussing 05+ Tacomas here, and they have much better rear clearance than an FJ does. See here:


Our skids are also made so that when you get your exhaust re routed to behind the tcase for more clearance, you can remove the spacer and gain another inch of clearance.

Does that help clear some things up?
Bud