My boss has them on his JL, The diff skids started rusting before he went wheeling. In their defense we do live in the Pacific Northwest
Why? He is roughly showing the load that each material can withstand before suffering plastic (permanent) deformation. That's how I look at it anyway.
What I am saying is that RCI probably didn’t design a skid system specifically out of aluminum that takes advantage of its ability to be formed/bent in structurally stronger shapes than steel. They used the same design as their steel. They also mentioned that a bunch of welds were missing broke. Looking at the welds on my skids, and on boat, they look nothing like the RCI welds. I am guessing that their welders are not the best at welding aluminum. All of my aluminum skids are TIG welded. It’s super labor intensive.
I'm not arguing the fact and I agree, wire welded alum, poorly in this case I might add, is never as good as TIG. My point was just the yield point were it will not return to its original shape is lower and the maximum stress that alum can withstand before failure, or rupture is lower. Not that I would ever test either to their limits.
UGH!! Bummer. Thanks for the info. Talons Garage it is.
Thank you. That was helpful!!! I went back and forth too many times in the decision making process. Information like this is definitely beneficial. I'll strongly consider aluminum when the steel plates start to go.Yes, I have used both steel and aluminum skid plate in Montrose, The Rubicon, to Moab. Aluminum skids that are formed with a clean sheet design and not mimicking a steel skid and that are lined with UMHW function better than steel. They deform on a severe hit and tend to bound back, they absorb the impact and don’t transfer it to mechanical parts, and they don’t corrode. I have run steel on my TJ, aluminum on my FJ and now aluminum on my Bronco. The aluminum on the FJ are not ideal because the DESIGN was lacking, not the material. The steel required constant touch up so that they didn’t rust. The aluminum/UMHW skids I have now allowed me to run 7/8 rated trails at Sand Hollow with zero issues. No metal scraping noises, no scratches in the skids, when I hit a rock at 30+mph my front diff and oil pan were saved. I am still using the UMHW aluminum skid. My front factory steel bash plate was trash and needed to be tossed. I am now running an aluminum bash plate as well.
This is also a great point. Can mix and match materials when applicable. Does not have to be all or none. Can be both.
By far my biggest problems with hitting obstacles were with vehicles that didn't have great ground clearance. The S-10 I mentioned earlier had a frame 10" off the ground and a body 13" off the ground. On one stretch of USFS jeep trail that was filled with small loose boulders I really used those skidplates. Ditto on a NPS trail at Glen Canyon.Ground clearance matters most. I have never contacted anything on NPS/NFS-style roads. The only time we've impacted is when doing difficult trails. The reality is that unless/until you do trails with significant obstacles, the skid plates are just mental peace of mind.
That said, I would start at the gas tank and transmission. But keep in mind that driving technique can get you over a lot of substantial obstacles without contact.
Over 20 degrees roll, 18+ pitch, coming down a rock ledge on three wheels and no contact with any object:
