Skid Plates
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 7
A bargain when bought with the truck.
A hassle to add later.
I have high centered my past SD's on dirt berms and needed to be tugged off. No damage to the tcase but they are not meant for rock crawling.
But then neither is the truck.
A hassle to add later.
I have high centered my past SD's on dirt berms and needed to be tugged off. No damage to the tcase but they are not meant for rock crawling.
But then neither is the truck.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,118
Likes: 650
From: NH
Hi RGPolo,
They are very cheap if optioned from the factory...not so much if added afterwards. I live in western central NH. My side job requires my trucks to drive on fire roads, some Class VI, etc..often while towing a heavy tractor, etc. My latest truck is a 2017 F-250 with the skid plates, but my other 2017 dually has no skids and suffered zero damage crawling up roads in 4x4. None of my previous four other Super Duty trucks had skids and ever were damaged either. I don't think they are "necessary" but like I said, very cheap to option a truck with as a stand-alone option.
They are very cheap if optioned from the factory...not so much if added afterwards. I live in western central NH. My side job requires my trucks to drive on fire roads, some Class VI, etc..often while towing a heavy tractor, etc. My latest truck is a 2017 F-250 with the skid plates, but my other 2017 dually has no skids and suffered zero damage crawling up roads in 4x4. None of my previous four other Super Duty trucks had skids and ever were damaged either. I don't think they are "necessary" but like I said, very cheap to option a truck with as a stand-alone option.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,441
Likes: 8
I don't rock crawl with my '17.
But my 11,000# '15 F350, chassis cab see all kinds of that nonsense you see on Ford contractor commercials. It has the scars to prove it. Dinged up diff covers, toasted shocks, gouged up fuel tank. So yeah, get the skid plates. They ain't the USS Massachusetts or anything, but fair for normal off road use.
If you do want to do Powerwagon stuff, you'll already have the general idea, mounting location, and a little hardware to fab them up stronger. I doubt I'll need to. Plenty of off road shops offering full sliders and skids custom for the right $$$$.
But my 11,000# '15 F350, chassis cab see all kinds of that nonsense you see on Ford contractor commercials. It has the scars to prove it. Dinged up diff covers, toasted shocks, gouged up fuel tank. So yeah, get the skid plates. They ain't the USS Massachusetts or anything, but fair for normal off road use.
If you do want to do Powerwagon stuff, you'll already have the general idea, mounting location, and a little hardware to fab them up stronger. I doubt I'll need to. Plenty of off road shops offering full sliders and skids custom for the right $$$$.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,118
Likes: 650
From: NH
I don't rock crawl with my '17.
But my 11,000# '15 F350, chassis cab see all kinds of that nonsense you see on Ford contractor commercials. It has the scars to prove it. Dinged up diff covers, toasted shocks, gouged up fuel tank. So yeah, get the skid plates. They ain't the USS Massachusetts or anything, but fair for normal off road use.
If you do want to do Powerwagon stuff, you'll already have the general idea, mounting location, and a little hardware to fab them up stronger. I doubt I'll need to.
But my 11,000# '15 F350, chassis cab see all kinds of that nonsense you see on Ford contractor commercials. It has the scars to prove it. Dinged up diff covers, toasted shocks, gouged up fuel tank. So yeah, get the skid plates. They ain't the USS Massachusetts or anything, but fair for normal off road use.
If you do want to do Powerwagon stuff, you'll already have the general idea, mounting location, and a little hardware to fab them up stronger. I doubt I'll need to.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,441
Likes: 8
I'm going to add Motofab fabricated covers to the axles when it's time to change the gear oil. That should take care of all the damage I inflict there. I'd like to fab up some rear shock sliders. Those shock ends tend to find a rock from time to time. But I don't recall ever hurting the 10.5 there, or my shocks.
I haven't spent enough time under the 17 to see if I can fab up a belly slider easy enough. If it's a pain, then I'm not going to bother. The worst I do there is get high centered, which is usually just laying the truck down, not dragging it, or bouncing it like the crawlers.
I haven't spent enough time under the 17 to see if I can fab up a belly slider easy enough. If it's a pain, then I'm not going to bother. The worst I do there is get high centered, which is usually just laying the truck down, not dragging it, or bouncing it like the crawlers.
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