bhaner
Active Member
As part of my build I installed the Rock Hard 4x4 skid system. I liked the way everything tied together and figured being 1/4" steel it should hold up well.
The website says: "Our Jeep skid plate system is the industry standard because of the confidence it instills in each and every customer. Each skid is laser cut from 3/16" or 1/4" thick steel coated in our weather and debris resistant powder coat finish. Strength is proven on virtually all Jeep enthusiast forums with glowing reviews. Our skid plate system is the undisputed leader in undercarriage protection."
Nowhere could I find anything that said "Not for heavy JKU's" or anything warning me that they would not be able to handle off road use.
Here is a picture of the skids on the 2nd morning we were at Sand Hollow. This is about 1/4 of the way through the Maze trail.
At the end of the day this is how the transfer case skid looked.
The skid is about 1/8" from touching the transfer case. I am sure when it happened it actually touched!
I don't remember any hard hits and know I was never high centered. I was actually taking it easy so I didn't cause damage on my first big trip.
To me this looks like a bit of a design flaw. There is no center support structure on the transfer case skid at all. Pair that with the weakness of mild steel...
I reached out to Rock Hard 4x4 to hear their thoughts on my issue.
Their first reply was to tell me that they also made their skids in steel. That maybe I should try that. I replied letting them know in fact they were their steel skids.
Their next reply was to tell me that my Jeep weighed too much. I replied asking if there was anything they could do to make them stronger. A support brace, stronger steel like T1 or Hardox.
I even offered to supply my own steel to be cut out... Pay extra... Or to have a local shop with a plasma cut them out if they could send the DXF cut file. They were not interested in helping out at all.
So there you go. Fair warning I guess. Rock Hard 4x4 skids are not made to hold up to "Heavy Jeeps".
FYI... With the hard top I weighed 6600#. With no doors and a soft top I bet I was about 6200#.
The website says: "Our Jeep skid plate system is the industry standard because of the confidence it instills in each and every customer. Each skid is laser cut from 3/16" or 1/4" thick steel coated in our weather and debris resistant powder coat finish. Strength is proven on virtually all Jeep enthusiast forums with glowing reviews. Our skid plate system is the undisputed leader in undercarriage protection."
Nowhere could I find anything that said "Not for heavy JKU's" or anything warning me that they would not be able to handle off road use.
Here is a picture of the skids on the 2nd morning we were at Sand Hollow. This is about 1/4 of the way through the Maze trail.
![FB_IMG_1557839511162.jpg FB_IMG_1557839511162.jpg](https://www.wayalife.com/data/attachments/289/289688-8ba1393d7447ae76fe851811cefb2672.jpg)
At the end of the day this is how the transfer case skid looked.
![60206509_10157241997536703_7751456361916923904_n.jpg 60206509_10157241997536703_7751456361916923904_n.jpg](https://www.wayalife.com/data/attachments/285/285903-8ba4bc80a43d9a69013faeea683a37c2.jpg)
![60678611_10157241997601703_666416467201228800_n.jpg 60678611_10157241997601703_666416467201228800_n.jpg](https://www.wayalife.com/data/attachments/285/285908-1141a2c1f90a3aa04eeba57b2dc87e03.jpg)
![60288157_10157241997646703_8754532251477213184_n.jpg 60288157_10157241997646703_8754532251477213184_n.jpg](https://www.wayalife.com/data/attachments/285/285914-b156032859d7c70e5dd72b05eadec395.jpg)
The skid is about 1/8" from touching the transfer case. I am sure when it happened it actually touched!
I don't remember any hard hits and know I was never high centered. I was actually taking it easy so I didn't cause damage on my first big trip.
To me this looks like a bit of a design flaw. There is no center support structure on the transfer case skid at all. Pair that with the weakness of mild steel...
I reached out to Rock Hard 4x4 to hear their thoughts on my issue.
Their first reply was to tell me that they also made their skids in steel. That maybe I should try that. I replied letting them know in fact they were their steel skids.
Their next reply was to tell me that my Jeep weighed too much. I replied asking if there was anything they could do to make them stronger. A support brace, stronger steel like T1 or Hardox.
I even offered to supply my own steel to be cut out... Pay extra... Or to have a local shop with a plasma cut them out if they could send the DXF cut file. They were not interested in helping out at all.
So there you go. Fair warning I guess. Rock Hard 4x4 skids are not made to hold up to "Heavy Jeeps".
FYI... With the hard top I weighed 6600#. With no doors and a soft top I bet I was about 6200#.