EVO Protek JK Cross-member Skid Improvement

Let me start this out with saying this IS NOT a slam on EVO. I purchased the EVO Protek Skid system for my 13’ JKUR. It arrived quickly and bolted straight up with little tweaking. The engine/oil pan skid is an awesome piece. Both it and the transmission skid fit perfectly. The cross-member skid fit very well, but I had to ever-so-slightly open a hole on the passenger frame rail. (No big deal)…. Would I buy this set again? YES without hesitation. Would I recommend this system? YES I already have. This said, I do feel there is room for improvement on the cross-member skid and this is what this write-up is about.

In another thread I commented that I felt there was a weakness to the popular EVO Protek Cross-member/Exhaust Skid. The good news is the weakness can be easily improved. Here is what I did to repair the damage at the weak spot and hopefully improve it so it doesn't happen again.

I think this picture pretty well shows the weak portion. This was done from one impact of a rock. I would call this a medium impact. It wasn't exactly hard but not soft either. A front tire was on a muddy rock. It slid off and I hit this with another rock. (I was going to hit the skid no matter what) but it wasn't as controlled as I would've preferred. But hey, this is why I have the skids!

Skid+Front.jpg


Not only did this impact add the dent to the left but it actually tweaked the bend that is intended to protect the exhaust up and it is now just barely touching and rattling.
Here are some more pictures of the damage once the skid was removed. You will notice that I added some paint marks of where the exhaust runs to add some clearance.

1_Damage_Bottom.jpg

1_Damage_Front.jpg

[url]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-43n_B1aitIs/UfZisHsGViI/AAAAAAAAAWY/30VT_zJLGAI/w927-h695-no/1_Damage_Top.jpg[/url][img]

Here is what it looks like after beating it back, (or as close as I could), into place. I used an old piece of tree trunk as an anvil…. Worked great!

[img] https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YW7Kp0rsYzo/UfZis2OUesI/AAAAAAAAAWg/lkyKYxv-lIc/w927-h695-no/2_Beat_Back_Front.jpg
2_Beat_Back_Top.jpg


Here is the piece of metal I cut to add as a gusset. I had a ¼” piece, but the skid isn't quiet that thick.

3_New_Piece.jpg


Here is the new piece welded on to the skid. Note: I should've cleaned the metal a little more on the back as the welds don’t look as good. To be honest the front weld is plenty strong. I only welded the back to seal the crack… (I live in the salt and rust belt) Hell I could've used caulk!

4_Welded_Front.jpg

4_Welded_Back.jpg


Here it is all painted up:

5_Fixed_Painted.jpg


And now re-installed….

6_Fixed_Exhaust.jpg

6_Fixed_Front.jpg


(That’s my wife’s leg :yup: ) My stomach was too upset to take the final pics… She is awesome! :clap2:
So, one thing I could’ve added (and entertained) was an additional gusset to run the length of the Jeep toward the cross-member from the front bend. The left potion of the skid is pretty open and unsupported for 4-6”. I think what I added will do the trick though and in the end I didn’t want another place to fill up with mud. As it sits now will drain well. If it ends-up still being an issue this is something I may add.

For those of you that are wondering if I contacted EVO on this, I did. They felt the skid did its job and protected the exhaust. In all honesty they are right. However, I feel a good skid should be able to take more than one impact without causing damage. A second hit in the same manner would’ve resulted in exhaust damage. They offered to discount a replacement if I wished to purchase one. I declined as I felt I would only be getting another skid with the same weakness. The true purpose of my contact was not to get a free skid or even a discount but rather to offer this as an improvement to their system. It seems that the material I added would’ve been scrap off the original cut. This would require and additional bend and weld though.

Again, I am not slamming this system only pointing out a weakness I’ve found. (After some internet research I am not the only one to have this issue) The remaining pieced and even other potions of this skid have held up VERY well. I am wheeling with a stock suspension for now so I use the skids more than I would like. I know many guys that even with a mild lift never experience damage (or light damage) in this area.

Happy Jeeping!
 

MTG

Caught the Bug
Is this a slam on EVO? :idontknow: :cheesy:


Looks like a good fix for you. And also provides further proof that I need to learn to weld. :thumb:
 

Tackerdown

Banned
x2! I think I might be dangerous if I learned how to weld. :D

Great pix and details of the issue.:thumb:

I've found that it is not that hard once you fugure temp settings and feed speed for various metal thickness. But without gas mine still looks like a bird crapped on it here in there.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Thanks for the complements guys... Sorry for those that can't see the pictures. I post them on my Google+ account. I didn't realize some couldn't see them when linked to there... I'll have to figure something else out for pictures.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 

RanchoRubi

Caught the Bug
Great job and thanks for sharing. I'm on my second EVO skid. It did the job the first time. I would have trashed my exhaust and cross member. But I've been thinking about reinforcing that weak side. I like your approach. :thumb:
 
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