Caught a shelf when off road

Those cross members don’t hold the skid. The skid mounts to the larger frame cross member at the same locations as those smaller ones. I would guess that aftermarket skids mount the same way, but I’ve never looked into it.

 

I was saying to leave it as is because if OP chooses to upgrade to an aftermarket skid, those get discarded so it doesn't matter if they're bent.

 

Why would one discard the smaller cross members? Is it so that the skid tucks up higher than the trd pro skid does?

 

Aftermarket skids do remove those. Those support the stock skids by adding rigidity. I don't have the Pro, so can't comment there. It looks like in this case, the aluminium skid flexed and it pushed those up.

 

Yes. And it's a stronger design. As you can see in OP's pics, one side is higher than the other after a hit. This is because those smaller cross members push the skid off the frame a little, which allowed the skid to move on a hard hit. Afterkarket skids push right up against the frame so zero room for movement. I've put my mobtown IFS skid through hell and back, and while it's dented up, it doesn't have nearly as much deflection as OP's does.

 

This.

They are flimsy junk metal which end up being removed when it's time to get an aftermarket bumper anyways so it's really redundant to continue attempting to investigate the reason as to why they get discarded.

 

Ignore the lines I drew on it, but this sorta shows what I'm talking about. Pushed up against the frame for the entire width of the skid, and has additional reinforcements.

 

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By “push it off the frame” are you referring to the tubes/spacers that extend from the plate to the frame? Those smaller cross members do not carry any of the skid plate load. They just happen to bolt to the frame at the same locations.

 

Ok, ya I think you are referring to the spacers that are used on the trd pro skid to allow it to clear those frame reenforcement members. I’d agree that the skid is likely stronger without them, but you might be sacrificing some frame strength if you remove them. Toyota chose to leave them for some reason.

 

I’m not sure what you are referring to by “flimsy junk metal”. Are you referring to the OR skid plate / splash guard or the 2 frame reinforcement members that run from the from front cross members to the engine cross member? I am referring to the later.

 

I disagree on this point. I think Toyota put them there as general guards to protect the oil pan, from say road debris, and also as mounting points for the flimsy splash guard to protect it from little stuff being kicked up.

Then they adapted the TRD Pro skid plate to continue to work with it. If you're bolting up a reinforced aftermarket skid plate, you'd be adding way more rigidity to the frame up front vs the mini cross members, since it's one large piece that ties into more mounting points than those mini members.

 

I just want to clarify I think the TRD Pro skid is a fine piece for protection, seeing as it's 1/4" aluminum. It appears OP took a decent hit and the only part that deflected was the unsupported lip in the front. It served it's purpose and still will. It's not quite as strong as aftermarket offerings, but still a totally viable option.

 

Possibly true, but I think we need to keep mind the shape of the members. They are effectively stronger that a flat piece of steel the same thickness when flexed in the vertical plane.

 

Very much so, which is why good aftermarket skids offer vertical reinforcement ribs.

I'm not even really sure what point we're discussing at this point as we've gotten quite off track.

 

Guilty as charged. I have a personal interest because I upgraded to the trd pro skid recently and I wish I had known these differences between it and the aftermarket skids. I might have still have gone with the trd pro, but it would have been nice to have a bigger picture. The lead time of the trd pro was probably the ultimate deal maker.

EDIT: also I thought we were trying to understand the extent of the OP’s damage. It’s unclear to me what connecting metal pieces he is referring to, because the skid is not really connected to those frame reenforcement members.

 

if you remove the bolt then you can take out the end. It looks better. It is only there for crashes

 

Like I clarified earlier, it's still a very viable piece and will offer adequate protection for 99% of people. Plus, it looks cool. You'll be happy with your purchase for sure,

 

The braces are to support the front lower crossmember, which contains all the OE recovery points yet is quite flimsy on its own. If the braces were absent, a hard pull will cause the crossmember to bend or tear. An aftermarket skid of sufficient thickness (3/16" and above for steel) can perform a similar role.

FYI the BudBuilt front skid use the OE braces. It even has holes on the front flange to hang the skid on the little hooks to ease installation. I modified mine to mount without the OE braces, for extra clearance.

 

Lol. Same with seatbelts. If you remove the bolt you can take out the end. It looks better. It’s only there for crashes. ;-)

 

I learned my lesson trying to straighten an aluminum wheel on my motorcycle when I hit a curb and bent the rim. Hit it with a hammer a few times to get it straight so my dad wouldn't see. About the 3 and last whack there was a loud pop and my rim was now split in half. Aluminum isn't quite a malleable as steel. I would just be thankful that it is just bent.