FarmDiesel wrote:
While I'm certain you did a nice job on the skidplate, from the looks of things, the plate you crafted is only 1/8" steel (if that) with 2 pieces of 1/8"x1x1" angle iron welded to the sides. This should deflect mud, and 'road gators' as Oldnavy calls them, but I would not expect it to do anything else. If you hit a rock or put any real stress on it, expect it to just buckle. Single thickness, flat 1/8" sheetmetal is just not strong enough to do the job. The factory skid plate is not much thicker, but is double layer, and is bent into a complex shape that offers significant reinforcement.
For most of the buyers of these CRD's the factory would be plenty protection for the ocassional hunting trip to the woods or running up and down back country dirt roads. However if you are going into serious off roading and be climbing over bolders, tree stumps and that sort of thing that most of us never do because we don't have the where with all to treat our daily driver that way or are just not into doing the serious off roading, then yes these OEM plates are too light for that type of thing. Our Jeep is not a ever going to be a rock crawler, it may see a gravel road once or twice in it's lifetime so OEM is more then needed to protect the truck from those road gators.
OK guys I here by admit that this Jeep was bought just so the wife could sit high, feel safe and have 4wd for winter.
She is a curb banger and already has messed up a wheel on my Magnum with a curb, needless to say she seldom ever drives my Magnum.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
