Skid plate: steel vs aluminum

Anybody have a Pelfreybilt front skidplate? Do yall just leave the plate in place for the oil change and clean the oil off of the plate when you take the filter out?

 

noob question here as well. I have DCSB TRD OR trim. Is the stock skid plate worth anything, or is it just more or less there for show?

 

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I mean it's better than rolling bareback...but it won't hold up to any significant impacts.

 

It is listed in the toyota parts catalogue as a "splash shield" ....part # 5140504010

 

Mine were probably worth worth a few bucks brand new but after the first time I took it out to play, it became custom fit to the truck, with all the high points nicely pounded where it could.

I now have RCI steel front/trans

 

I have the Relentless aluminum skids. For what I do the extra weight isn't worth it. Don't underestimate 1/4" aluminum, it is very beefy and will take some hits. Unless you're really hitting the rocky stuff then you want steel.

 

Have you hit a rock with an aluminum skid before?

 

I have. Took a minor cut, nothing major. I hit it up with some John Deer 'Muffler Black' and it looks good as new.

 

What does "minor cut" mean? Sounds major. Is it? I dont want to spray paint something so it doesn't look damaged. Can you show pics of the spots you have hit?

 

I have been looking into skids myself. Why are there no stainless skids available? It seems like the best option. No rust, steel strength, no need to touch up.

Since stainless isn't available, I've been considering getting some powder coated steel plates and fabricating some thin stainless steel sheet metal to sit flush against the bottom of the skids. Is this a good or bad idea? Is there something I'm not considering?

 

Why not stainless?

1. Price
2. Harder to fabricate/work with causing increased costs....soooo back to #1.
3. Different properties of stainless alloys, possibly the alloys that would be good in one area are bad in another. I'm sure there are certain alloys that are a good combination of desirable properties but probably not economical....sooo back to #1.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/authentic-battle-damage.504535/

This is why I'll always run steel, it was not a difficult trail or terribly rocky but shit sometimes happens.

 

This was my experience as well. Factory "skids" came back from my first light wheeling adventure form-fit to my undercarriage.

I was really disappointed that Toyota went so flimsy with the factory skids, as I don't plan on rock-crawling this truck, but would appreciate it if the factory skid plate wasn't jammed into my A-arms after hitting a clump of dirt on a rutted trail.

 

Skids are literally meant to take damage, touching them up is normal

 

Ya but aluminum tears and steel bends.

 

In other words, better than going in raw dog?

 

Yup that's a good hit. Aluminum would have fared worse but unless you do that ina semi regular basis I think you would be ok. I know for me that I am very unlikely to hit anything that hard, if I do and the aluminum doesn't survive then I will replace it.

 

I don't wheel places where I'm going to be dropping my truck onto rocks but they do get a workout with the places I do go. They do fine sliding over rocks and pushing smaller stuff out of the way. I also jack the front of my truck up by it all the time.

The stock skids got crushed up like a tin can within weeks of me buying the truck.

 

Depends how you wheel and the trails you do I guess. I've had the opposite experience. My IFS skid only gets scratches from branches and stuff. Never crashed into a rock. But my 3/16" steel mid skid had a few big dents from dropping on to big rocks after the front tire goes over it. Probably depends on how high you are too.