Barnes Bolt On Skid vs 3" Drop Skid

OldBuzzard

OldBuzzard

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I'm thinking about replacing the factory shovel on my '05 LJ with a shallower skid. I've looked at all of the UCF options, but at the moment I'm checking out the Barnes skids.

Their TJ Bolt On Skid Plate looks good, but it only gives about 3/4" extra ground clearance. I would like a little more clearance, but I prefer not to do a body lift or a full tummy tuck. The LJ has a 2" spring lift, and a Savvy TC cable shifter.

The Barnes TJ 3" Drop Skid Plate looks interesting too, but I can't find much information on it. The 3" Drop Skid, along with their TJ Transmission Mount, looks like it could almost be a bolt-on kit.

Does anybody have experience with the 3" Drop Skid?
 
One of the Barnes Q&A goes:
Q: Will this require any changes to the drive line, exhaust or need a body lift?
A: The 3 inch has the same drop as a factory skid plate so no changes should be necessary.
What do they mean by same drop as a factory skid? The factory skid is about 4.5" deep. Hmmmm...
 
oldbuzzard said:
One of the Barnes Q&A goes:
Q: Will this require any changes to the drive line, exhaust or need a body lift?
A: The 3 inch has the same drop as a factory skid plate so no changes should be necessary.
What do they mean by same drop as a factory skid? The factory skid is about 4.5" deep. Hmmmm...
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Depends on the year. If it’s a 2003+ skid, then yes it will be 4” deep. If it’s a 97-02 then the skid is only 3.5” deep or so.

You will most likely need adjustable control arms to get your pinion right. 2” suspension lift with 1“ raised transmission is SYE territory

Edit: thought it was a TJ. LJ should be fine with driveline vibes but adjustable control arms are highly recommended.
 
oldbuzzard said:
I'm thinking about replacing the factory shovel on my '05 LJ with a shallower skid. I've looked at all of the UCF options, but at the moment I'm checking out the Barnes skids.

Their TJ Bolt On Skid Plate looks good, but it only gives about 3/4" extra ground clearance. I would like a little more clearance, but I prefer not to do a body lift or a full tummy tuck. The LJ has a 2" spring lift, and a Savvy TC cable shifter.

The Barnes TJ 3" Drop Skid Plate looks interesting too, but I can't find much information on it. The 3" Drop Skid, along with their TJ Transmission Mount, looks like it could almost be a bolt-on kit.

Does anybody have experience with the 3" Drop Skid?
Click to expand...
With your 05 you should have 3 options with UCF, I only had 2 with my 2002. Call them up and ask what's the flattest skid you could go without a body lift. The higher you go the more likely you might end up needing a SYE. I went with the no body lift but now I wish I had gone as flat as possible.

I wouldn't buy the second skid you have linked unless you want to drill the holes. I think that one is more for custom driveline jeeps.

Just so you know you might need a motor mount lift if the skid raises the driveline enough to hit the fan shroud.
 
I've been reading several threads on the UCF skids. Their No Body Lift and Extra Clearance skids are interesting. There is quite a bit of info out there on the various UCF skids, but not so much on Barnes, particularly on their 3" Drop skid. I'm just trying to find enough info to make a choice. Still debating steel vs aluminum, cost, etc.

rhanna said:
I wouldn't buy the second skid you have linked unless you want to drill the holes. I think that one is more for custom driveline jeeps.

Just so you know you might need a motor mount lift if the skid raises the driveline enough to hit the fan shroud.
Click to expand...

I don't mind drilling the holes, if I can get it measured and marked correctly. I have the equipment for that.

I hadn't thought of the fan shroud problem, thanks for that. I've been leaning toward the UCF No Body Lift or the Barnes Bolt On, and I wouldn't expect that problem on those. But I'm wondering if I can go a little shallower without a body lift, or running into other problems, before I make a choice.
 
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oldbuzzard said:
I've been reading several threads on the UCF skids. Their No Body Lift and Extra Clearance skids are interesting. There is quite a bit of info out there on the various UCF skids, but not so much on Barnes, particularly on their 3" Drop skid. I'm just trying to find enough info to make a choice. Still debating steel vs aluminum, cost, etc.



I don't mind drilling the holes, if I can get it measured and marked correctly. I have the equipment for that.

I hadn't thought of the fan shroud problem, thanks for that. I've been leaning toward the UCF No Body Lift or the Barnes Bolt On, and I wouldn't expect that problem on those. But I'm wondering if I can go a little shallower without a body lift, or running into other problems, before I make a choice.
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I installed a no body lift skid on my LJ Fromm Nth Degree. I already had a SYE. I got everything worked out then used the Jeep a few times and installed the Body lift. The in cab heat due to the cat being up near the floor and lack of air flow increased the temp inside especially after stopping for a bit. The body lift solve the problem.
 
I have the Barnes bolt on skid on my LJ. You are correct that it gives an additional .75" clearance. I had it installed with a MML and a 2.5" suspension lift and had no vibrations with the stock driveshaft.
20200315_164050.jpg
 
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If you come down on the skid hard I'd go with the Barnes skid. If you just slide or rarely hit hard the aluminum UCF skids are a great option to save a few pounds. They are probably somewhat weaker than the stock shovel but if you haven't damaged that I wouldn't worry. I can't imagine all the extra work involved in making the 3" Barnes skid work is worth it for the small difference in depth when compared to the bolt-on they offer.
 
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My fan was touching the shroud with UCFs Extra Clearance, which is 2", even with a MML. It may not be needed, but it's worth planning to make a fan shroud adjustment so it's not a complete surprise.
 
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The fan problem is good to know about. And the extra heat from the raised exhaust system.

I'm more of a crawler over the rocks, not a full throttle guy. Aluminum vs steel, higher vs lower, decisions, decisions. But I'm not in a hurry to choose, the Rockies are covered in snow this time of year.
 
Gollywomper said:
So the bolt in skid will only raise my transmission .5” on a 98’?
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Good question. I have the same question for my '05.

On my '05 the exhaust hanger is part of the tranny mount, so the exhaust goes up by the same amount. I don't know about the exhaust hanger on the early TJs.

The Barnes TJ Transmission Mount, a small steel wedge, looks pretty low profile, so I imagine that's why the skid can be shallower without raising the tranny much.

The Bolt On Skid is evidently a 4" drop, to use Barnes way of describing their others. So why do they describe their 3" Drop Skid as "the same drop as the factory skid"? Same question as above goes for this one.
 
oldbuzzard said:
On my '05 the exhaust hanger is part of the tranny mount, so the exhaust goes up by the same amount.
Click to expand...
If you don't cut and lower the hanger your cat will probably be firmly planted in the bottom of your tub, mine was before I moved the hanger down about an inch. Just a guess, I think the automatic and manual mount are different.
 
Barnes said in an email today that the bolt on skid would raise my transmission mount 3/4” to 1”.
 
My factory skid is just over 4.5" below the frame at the front. If the Bolt On Skid is 3-3/8" deep, it should give over an inch of extra clearance. So why do they say it only gives an extra 3/4" on the late TJs?

I sure wish manufacturers would provide a simple drawing with dimensions. It would save a lot of head scratching.
 
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oldbuzzard said:
Good question. I have the same question for my '05.

On my '05 the exhaust hanger is part of the tranny mount, so the exhaust goes up by the same amount. I don't know about the exhaust hanger on the early TJs.

The Barnes TJ Transmission Mount, a small steel wedge, looks pretty low profile, so I imagine that's why the skid can be shallower without raising the tranny much.

The Bolt On Skid is evidently a 4" drop, to use Barnes way of describing their others. So why do they describe their 3" Drop Skid as "the same drop as the factory skid"? Same question as above goes for this one.
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The exhaust hanger will need to be modified, if I recall cut a couple inches out and reeled. You also might be able to cut, overlap and bolt it together.
 
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