Aluminum Skids?

[Colorado_Taco17]

I am very curious as to how durable aluminum skid plates are and if they are worth taking the plunge for. Anyone go with aluminum and wish they went with steel? or Vice Versa? Ideally I would like to run trails with a technicality rating of up to 6 with peace of mind, which are described by trailsoffroad as the following:
"Quite rocky or deep ruts. Rocks to 12" and frequent. Water crossings may exceed hub depth with strong currents. Shelves to 6". Mud may require checking before proceeding. Moderate grades to 20 degrees. Sidehill may approach 30 degrees. 4WD necessary and second attempts may be required with stock vehicles. Caution may be required with wider vehicles."
Are aluminum skids up to the task? or are steel skids the way to go?

 

[0uTkAsT]

Steel skids are stronger and far more likely to be repairable after a really nasty hit than aluminum, but good quality aluminum skids from a reputable company will still take quite a beating. I've seen aluminum skids from RCI and Pelfreybilt hold up to a lot of abuse, so unless you're extremely hard on them I think you'll be fine either way. If weight and or rust are predominant issues for you, I think they're a solid choice even if you are planning to be on them a lot.

You could always do what I did too, and run a combination of both. I put steel in the front where it's most likely to take the hardest hit, and will be using aluminum for the mid and rear to save a bit of weight and not have to worry about touching up the paint that far back under the truck.

 

[Colorado_Taco17]

Steel skids are stronger and far more likely to be repairable after a really nasty hit than aluminum, but good quality aluminum skids from a reputable company will still take quite a beating. I've seen aluminum skids from RCI and Pelfreybilt hold up to a lot of abuse, so unless you're extremely hard on them I think you'll be fine either way. If weight and or rust are predominant issues for you, I think they're a solid choice even if you are planning to be on them a lot.

You could always do what I did too, and run a combination of both. I put steel in the front where it's most likely to take the hardest hit, and will be using aluminum for the mid and rear to save a bit of weight and not have to worry about touching up the paint that far back under the truck.

I was really considering that same setup, however after seeing the weight savings I decided I would just go full steel. This was mainly just for peace of mind on the trail, and for only 22 extra pounds it didn't seem like that much extra weight. I could have gone back and forth all day debating, but no matter what skids you run as long as you have them its better than the dinky plastic shit that comes from the factory lol. Thanks for the input man

 

[Jay]

I am very curious as to how durable aluminum skid plates are and if they are worth taking the plunge for. Anyone go with aluminum and wish they went with steel? or Vice Versa? Ideally I would like to run trails with a technicality rating of up to 6 with peace of mind, which are described by trailsoffroad as the following:
"Quite rocky or deep ruts. Rocks to 12" and frequent. Water crossings may exceed hub depth with strong currents. Shelves to 6". Mud may require checking before proceeding. Moderate grades to 20 degrees. Sidehill may approach 30 degrees. 4WD necessary and second attempts may be required with stock vehicles. Caution may be required with wider vehicles."
Are aluminum skids up to the task? or are steel skids the way to go?

I have dropped hard on my full steel skids and have minor chips.
I feel aluminum would’ve actually dented

 

[Pelfreybilt]

We have tested bot the steel and aluminum and the steel is marginally better taking large hits but will over time take continuous hits much better and as @0uTkAsT said the steel is repairable where as aluminum tends to crumple.

 

[Colorado_Taco17]

Yeah I think I made the right choice going with steel for what I'll be doing haha

 

[ninong671]

At a minimum get a front skid. The stock tin and brackets is so flimsy.

 

[Tyler]

Agree for the steel front at minimum. I have the TRD Pro skid (aluminum) and just bent it pretty nicely. But it takes a beating and has plenty of life in it. I’ll get pictures when the sun comes up.

 

[ninong671]

Agree for the steel front at minimum. I have the TRD Pro skid (aluminum) and just bent it pretty nicely. But it takes a beating and has plenty of life in it. I’ll get pictures when the sun comes up.

Does that TRD Pro skid require you to remove the brackets to be able to run it or does it bolt on top like the stock tin?

 

[Tyler]

Does that TRD Pro skid require you to remove the brackets to be able to run it or does it bolt on top like the stock tin?

Not sure cause I never had the stock tin. What brackets do you mean, I could go try to check.

 

[ninong671]

Not sure cause I never had the stock tin. What brackets do you mean, I could go try to check.

The metal braces pictured in this stock skid pile next to it's replacement.

 

[Tyler]

View attachment 6058
The metal braces pictured in this stock skid pile next to it's replacement.

So those brackets are on the truck? I don’t think I have those.

 

[ninong671]

So those brackets are on the truck? I don’t think I have those.

Makes sense cause I had to remove them to make the Mobtown skid fit also. The stock skid and braces weigh 14 lbs vs 59 lbs of Mobtown steel if anyone wanted to know.