Skid plate opinions

Mr. Pink said:
i am getting OME 2" springs so at the high end i'll be at 2.5" of lift. i do plan on getting a SYE eventually but it wont be an immediate thing just like the skid, it will be an as i go mod. i am going to wheel it with the stock plate for a few and upgrade as i need to.
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Nice that’s a good plan. Just making sure you wouldn’t be taken off guard with another unexpected expense after installing the skid! The mml will suffice with just the lift until you’re ready for the skid.
My advice on the skid is if you want a cost effective easy tuck then go Barnes. It requires very little extra modifications other than the SYE. If you do anything other than Barnes you might as well go straight to the aluminum UCF ultra high or Savvy imo since the work will end up being about the same as the medium ucf anyways.

I have the UCF ultra high and love it. I would have done savvy if they made it for early TJs because I like the independent crossmember.
 
starkey480 said:
Nice that’s a good plan. Just making sure you wouldn’t be taken off guard with another unexpected expense after installing the skid! The mml will suffice with just the lift until you’re ready for the skid.
My advice on the skid is if you want a cost effective easy tuck then go Barnes. It requires very little extra modifications other than the SYE. If you do anything other than Barnes you might as well go straight to the aluminum UCF ultra high or Savvy imo since the work will end up being about the same as the medium ucf anyways.

I have the UCF ultra high and love it. I would have done savvy if they made it for early TJs because I like the independent crossmember.
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yeah i understand that completely.
 
I run the UCF aluminum skids (engine and belly) on both my YJ and my TJ...neither one has a body lift, and I have no plans to add one to either vehicle especially now that I've moved to the AZ desert, and don't have to worry about salt or mud build up
 
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crackedcornish said:
I run the UCF aluminum skids (engine and belly) on both my YJ and my TJ...neither one has a body lift, and I have no plans to add one to either vehicle especially now that I've moved to the AZ desert, and don't have to worry about salt or mud build up
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i wont have to worry about salt as i wont drive the TJ in the winter much unless going to the trails. Both my Wife and I are working from home due to Covid. and i'll be spraying the under body off if I do drive it.
 
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Mr. Pink said:
i wont have to worry about salt as i wont drive the TJ in the winter much unless going to the trails. Both my Wife and I are working from home due to Covid. and i'll be spraying the under body off if I do drive it.
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I used to live in Lake Hopatcong NJ, and the rust caused from the massive amounts of salt used on winter roads killed more Jeeps than anything else

fortunately for me my 2000 TJ was used as a yard vehicle at the local marina, so it has a lot of towing miles from summer use, but just sat around most winters, though it still had to have some typical frame repairs done to it by the PO to fix the rust caused from putting boats in and out of the water for 3 seasons out of the year
 
crackedcornish said:
I used to live in Lake Hopatcong NJ, and the rust caused from the massive amounts of salt used on winter roads killed more Jeeps than anything else

fortunately for me my 2000 TJ was used as a yard vehicle at the local marina, so it has a lot of towing miles from summer use, but just sat around most winters, though it still had to have some typical frame repairs done to it by the PO to fix the rust caused from putting boats in and out of the water for 3 seasons out of the year
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Yeah I understand that. Michigan is know for using salt by the ton
 
I got the UCF aluminum one in the thicker 3/8” thickness. Weighs about the same as stock but much, much stronger.

I had swapped in the bigger Rubicon transfer case so I went with the No Body Lift version.
 
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btn said:
I got the UCF aluminum one in the thicker 3/8” thickness. Weighs about the same as stock but much, much stronger.

I had swapped in the bigger Rubicon transfer case so I went with the No Body Lift version.
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was the rubi case a direct bolt on and go type swap?
 
Mr. Pink said:
was the rubi case a direct bolt on and go type swap?
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It is a direct bolt in, but not a bolt and go. The stock 231 uses a yoke, which accepts a 1310 u joint on the end of the driveshaft. The rubicon case uses a flange mount on the end of the driveshaft.
 
Irun said:
It is a direct bolt in, but not a bolt and go. The stock 231 uses a yoke, which accepts a 1310 u joint on the end of the driveshaft. The rubicon case uses a flange mount on the end of the driveshaft.
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So a new rr shaft is in order. Or will the the rubi ds work?
 
Mr. Pink said:
So a new rr shaft is in order. Or will the the rubi ds work?
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The Rubi shaft will have a flange on one end and 1330 u joint on the other (to mate to the Rubi 44), so it's best to get a new DS.
 
you can also get a new yoke for the Tcase that accepts a 1310 cv driveshaft.
 
I have the UCF extra clearance skid in Aluminum (1/4") and the Savvy Engine skid ready to be installed. I'm running a body lift too. I will gain 2" inches under the belly when installed Regarding weight savings. The stock steel skid is about 42 lbs on my bathroom scale. The new belly skid AND the engine skid together weigh 39 lbs. So, I'm saving about 3 pounds of weight, but dramatically increasing my protection and breakover angle. A tummy tuck is an in-depth mod, but it is SO worth it.
 
Mike_H said:
I have the UCF extra clearance skid in Aluminum (1/4") and the Savvy Engine skid ready to be installed. I'm running a body lift too. I will gain 2" inches under the belly when installed Regarding weight savings. The stock steel skid is about 42 lbs on my bathroom scale. The new belly skid AND the engine skid together weigh 39 lbs. So, I'm saving about 3 pounds of weight, but dramatically increasing my protection and breakover angle. A tummy tuck is an in-depth mod, but it is SO worth it.
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Interesting thing to note about 6061 is that it has just about the exact same strength as steel per pound. So if you reduce the weight of the main skid you are reducing the strength. Not that it matters much, but considering the UCF skid is also welded which destroys the heat treatment on 6061 that makes the UCF 1/4" well, weaker than stock by quite a bit.
 
Mr. Pink said:
was the rubi case a direct bolt on and go type swap?
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The bolt pattern to the transmission is the same, yes. But it’s taller than the nv231 and needs a bit more room in that regard. Also, it uses a different rear drive shaft connection and the shifting mechanism is reversed. So it does need a bit of tweaking beyond just bolting it in. Not a big deal to do that stuff, though.

I got it used online and it’s been awesome having that 4:1 off-road.
 
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pagrey said:
Interesting thing to note about 6061 is that it has just about the exact same strength as steel per pound. So if you reduce the weight of the main skid you are reducing the strength. Not that it matters much, but considering the UCF skid is also welded which destroys the heat treatment on 6061 that makes the UCF 1/4" well, weaker than stock by quite a bit.
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I'm not sure where you're going with this? Is my jeep gonna fold in half, or am I going to ruin everything when I smash the skid into a rock? It may deflect. The UCF design, while not as elegant as Savvy's, is still going to be pretty strong. Its folded into a trapezoidal box (edges give stiffness in bending) and it has a welded in crossmember. that crossmember is a U-shaped rib that runs lengthwise across the skid, again, adding resistance to bending.

Strength is a pretty vague term to be throwing around...
 
Mike_H said:
Strength is a pretty vague term to be throwing around...
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I have bent the stock skid many many times. In fact when I finally removed it I had just about a 1" tuck. Many folks get tied up in weight savings and assume aftermarket skids will be as strong or stronger. My point is that for those of us that hit the skid hard this isn't a good option. Every pound less an aluminum skid weighs with similar construction it is that much weaker. People that hit their skids should know this. You probably will be fine, most people hardly ever hit their skid. Some people recently have been lured into getting aluminum stuff and learn the hard way it ain't all that strong, even compared to the stock stuff. That's all, nothing wrong with what you did or your decision. If I put it on it would be trash quick, very expensive trash, and I'd be pissed nobody told me.
 
One thing to note about aluminum vs steel construction is that the aluminum can be made thicker for the same weight. The thickness increase increases the strength exponentially. For example, the 3/8” UFC skid is much much stronger than stock because it is so much thicker, yet weights the same. It also adds a boxed channel which severely increases torsional strength over that stock skid with no boxing Same with why aluminum wheels are stronger than steel despite weighing the same or less. It’s the thickness advantage that heavily compounds the wheel strength.
 
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pagrey said:
I have bent the stock skid many many times. In fact when I finally removed it I had just about a 1" tuck. Many folks get tied up in weight savings and assume aftermarket skids will be as strong or stronger. My point is that for those of us that hit the skid hard this isn't a good option. Every pound less an aluminum skid weighs with similar construction it is that much weaker. People that hit their skids should know this. You probably will be fine, most people hardly ever hit their skid. Some people recently have been lured into getting aluminum stuff and learn the hard way it ain't all that strong, even compared to the stock stuff. That's all, nothing wrong with what you did or your decision. If I put it on it would be trash quick, very expensive trash, and I'd be pissed nobody told me.
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"with similar construction" That is a pretty key statement. I can design something out of aluminum to be MUCH stiffer than steel and still be much lighter as well. They won't look anything alike though. The UCF (or Savvy) aluminum skids are nothing alike, other than both supporting the drivetrain and providing protection. They are a non-similar design, so you stating the fact that you bent the shit out of your factory pan doesn't relate in the slightest to an aluminum pan of a different design.
 
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