Dragging the bottom along the snow

Hey guys, so I went to go explore some trails today and came across some snow. The stuff was pretty hard packed and icy and eventually came to sections where a bunch of other vehicles drove through, so where their tires drove created a ditch and the middle between the tires was untouched and higher up. I drove through that as well and eventually the middle part started scraping against the underside of my truck. I got out and noticed that it was scraping the big silver pipe sticking out at the front, and also the black thing sticking out in the middle in the back (sorry I'm not familiar with car parts ).

I saw other trucks of a similar height just plowing through, but I was kind of wary of the scraping sound I kept hearing while I was trying to go, so I took it slower and didn't continue as far as I wanted. Just wanted to see if it's okay to be scraping these parts or I shouldn't and should invest in some upgrades if I want to continue. To note, I got a stock 2021 TRD Offroad.

 

Doesn't look like you damaged anything. The silver pipe is part of your exhaust - Toyota decided to route it under the transfer case for some reason, so it is one of the lowest hanging parts on the vehicle. Light scraping shouldn't really cause any issues, but it's possible to damage it, so a lot of people have that portion the exhaust rerouted behind the transfer case so it is out of the way, which adds clearance and allows fitment of certain skid plates. You can also buy skid plates specifically designed to accomodate that low spot.

The black thing at the back is your differential. You can buy a differential skid plate as well, but particularly for dragging over snow that is unneccessary - it is thick metal and difficult to damage.

 

Ah okay I got it, thank you so much! I guess I'll use this as an excuse to start doing upgrades to the truck lol. Didn't realize how different the same trail could be in the summer vs in the winter with snow.

 

Invest in some skids if you are going to get more aggressive with your offroading.

 

@justSomeGirl

Very smart of you to stop doing what was causing a noise you were unsure of. Lots of guys just pin it and turn the radio up with 'I will look at it later' mentality.

Skid plates look bad ass as well as protect your rig for that more advanced off roading that you want to do

 

Skid plates, or you can make your own like me. I went to a steel yard and got a thick diamond gauge aluminum and had them cut it to my size that I needed. I would fluid film it aswell, i see rust on a new vehicle. Get a front bumper, winch, recovery gear ay

 

Thank you everyone! I'll start taking a look at having that exhaust pipe rerouted and getting some skid plates under there. Skid plates do look badass

And sigh yes the rust haha, it's been giving me anxiety. We don't get too much snow where I live, but I've been religiously power washing the undercarriage every 2 weeks regardless and thought that'd be good enough, but evidently not. I did see people here on tw recommending fluid film as you suggested, so that's another thing I'll need to do, thanks for the reminder!

 

you should be fine tbh unless you are sliding on ice/rocks you wont really damage that stuff if you want to prevent that in the future you have a few options
-skids
-larger tires
-lift kit

or all 3 then no worries!

 

also if youre gonna be doing water crossings extend the rear diff breather, pretty easy diy.

 

Update: I took a look under the truck to get ready for some fluid film application and saw these scuffs and noticeable dents maybe 1cm deep on the black metal bar that's beside the door area. I think this is the frame? I always read that the frame is really important, is it okay that I damaged it like this?

 

First mod i got was full skid plates that go past the transfer case, if you wanna play hard get some steel under there man then you wont have to worry

 

Just saw this post… cant really tell, its kind of blurry. Id reccomend cosmoline
over fluid film, bonds much stronger to the metal

 

Get some rattle can all in one paint/primer (Rustoleum etc). Wipe it (the frame) down with mineral spirits let it dry a few minutes and spray 2 coats. If there are some sharp edges you may want to sand or grind it down a bit before painting.

There is also something know as “POR15”. Not necessary but its an option. Should be top coated to protect it from UV light.

 

That looks like rock damage, it sounds like you would benefit greatly from more ground clearance. Larger tires mainly. Which usually coincides with a lift and suspension upgrade, possibly some trimming/cutting depending on how big of a tire you're trying to fit.

Skid plates and sliders help protect valuable parts of the truck, but the frame is always going to be vulnerable if you're not picking careful lines or trying to cross over terrain that requires higher clearance than what you have

 

Got it, makes sense! I didn't think it'd be a big deal, but I guess I was tackling something outside my range. Sucks, but learning experience.

@rnish Good thing I picked up some rust paint the other day. I'll give that a go, thank you!

 

No, good on ya for actually wheelin that thing! Most people are too scared to scratch their pretty truck.