Missing rear skid plate bolts?

Um... I don't know what the hell happened here. I know I have not touched the bolts myself since I installed them and have checked their tightness some time ago, but both of the rear bolts are suddenly missing, and now to make matters worse the rear of the plate bolts won't line up to the frame anymore, rendering this skid not even close to useful (not that it did much anyways). Did I bend the frame because of this, or is the plate itself just bent no longer allowing line up? The skid in the front is dented in right where the writing is. I made a post about how it took almost nothing to dent it in a while back in the MT with BS thread. SOS Concepts 3/16 skid btw.







Here is the dent, may it be related to the fact it no longer aligns?

 

The bolts probably vibrated out unless you used locktite or lock washers... The dent knocked the holes out of alignment.

Take it off and straighten the dent and you could probably get it back on. Use lock washers or locktite.

 

Interesting. The problem is I can't see any other dent except the one that is in the front. It may be difficult to realign it since we are talking about exact placement and thick metal here.

The next time I am using lock washers for sure!!!

 

Take it to a metal fabricator with a hydraulic press. They should be able to press it back into shape.

 

"not that it did much anyways"
not to be an ahole.... if there is a big dent in it the skid did protect something ...Right???

 

nothing a BFH cant fix.

 

Good call. I may have to do that!

Lol dude, the skid dented with one hit IN THE SAND!

 

I was thinking the same. I was also thinking about maybe welding like an X brace on that part of the plate instead of the solid plate welded over it. I don't find it a coincidence that that part of the plate bent either because of the fact that all that material was removed when I specifically asked and spoke to the guy about making me a logo free plate. Really pissed me off when I received it. Do you think the reason for the two bolts no longer lining up to the frame in the rear is directly caused from the fat dent in the front of it?

 

The way the plate secures is through 6 bolts down the frame, not nuts. It probably is the dent as for the reason why the rear bolts won't line up.

I think SOS Concept's days on the board are numbered these days, as it seems like a lot of people have been having issues with him lately.

 

Really!
You're lucky you had the skidplate on when you impacted your truck on the "soft sand", a skidplate is meant to stop damage while 4 wheeling, not doing baja jumps!
If you had damaged any other part of your truck do to extreme driving, you'd be SOL, I'm sure that skidplate saved you from a lot worse damage!
SOS will be in business long after you total your truck!

 

Okay.

 

I bent an allpro ifs and ripped a bolt out of the frame. I put the skid on some 2x4s in the garage and hit it with a sludge hammer till it was flat then retapped the frame and then made the hole in the skid twice as big so it would line up.

 

Point of this, is the metal is so thin that someone with small penis syndrome could take a harder hit then this thing could before caving in like that. If it was hard packed dirt that it happened on, okay. I get it and could see why it would bend, but sand as soft and as floatable as sand out at Pismo is not as forgivable, and should had held up had that gaudy logo which I asked not to be on the skid NOT been there im the first place to weaken the overall front of the plates structure. Plus welds should not be so easy to crack like they did on this thing.

 

I have 1/4 skids now so I don't have to worry about it

 

Might not hurt to have this for future reference:

 

I may just dump the crap ass skid and go with one that @JLee can make. He makes good stuff and is a seasoned welder, so if I can trust anyones stuff. It's his.

 

@JLee made my transfer case skid and Ive had the wieght of my truck on it no problems.

 

The thing is with Jerry's stuff, I KNOW it won't fail because he designs stuff to work as intended not to look pretty. Hahaha.

 

Here's Eddy's response to you on the other thread! V

So you posted over on that thread:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-ifs-skids.326492/page-10


Eddy explained things to you, so you start this thread trying to shit on his business!
Soft sand my ass, you hit sand or water hard enough, it's going to feel like concrete!