Rolled a rock and destroyed my skid plate and need advice

I was parked on Union Pass heading to Dubois from Pinedale and drove a ton of technical offroad with no issues. But here I was parked at an interpretive site. I put the rig in gear to slowly move forward and I ended up snagging a rock in front and the rock rolled and lifted me up. According to Freemont Toyota in Lander I just bent the skid plate brackets and skidplate and should otherwise be ok. I'm not leaking anything and no other damage. Have been driving the last 2 days.

Question?
Do aftermarket plates require the brackets Toyota referred to? I'm contemplating leaving the fires in Wyoming for Colorado and considered buying an aftermarket plate either Loveland/RCI or another if a vendor happens to be Denver or Grand Junction area as I'm on tour for a couple of weeks. I have a email in to RCI.

I have KDSS and just considering the front plate. Aluminum or Steel? Leaning towards black powder coated steel seeing what I just did.

Appreciate any help with my situation. I could just leave as is till I get back to CA but if there is a vendor able to install it might be a plan.

 

I have had good luck with RCI and you are in the neighborhood.

 

I'm very happy with the AL skids Talons Garage offers. I have KDSS as well. I opted for the full skid package for more protection, include cats to help fight theft.

 

I would go steel for the front since it will take most of the hits when offroad.

 

That doesn't look awful. Are you sure the brackets are bent?

The aftermarket skids mount to the factory brackets / welded nuts.

Cheap me would remove the plate, hammer it back to shape, and spray paint it.

More spendy me would buy a raw aluminum RCI skid.

 

Aluminum will grab rocks whereas steel will slide easier. That's why I went with steel. Powder coat will be scraped off from the rocks. Then you'll touch up the scrapes with.......paint. Save some money, buy the skids bare metal and rattle can them. I figured if they were gonna get scraped up anyway, may as well go the cheapest route. Yeah, they need a touch-up after every outing. A wheelin' buddy was so pissed at the powder coat on his sliders, he stripped it off and painted them.

 

If you can remove the bent skid and post some photos of said brackets, more advice might be forthcoming.

 

Thanks all. I may do just that, removing the plate and seeing for myself. The Toyota Dealer in Lander had on the rack and told the service gal brackets along with a new skid.

 

RSG is also in the Denver Golden area and I've been super happy with mine. Good quality, tough as (&^%* and they bolted everything on right there at the shop in an hour.

 

I’d weigh it against the cost of buying the same skid off someone who upgraded theirs but of course dependent on the condition of everything.

 

You didn’t destroy your skids.. you gave yourself some additional ground clearance up front… why not just keep running with it as is

 

I have one off of my 2011. It's the same if you decide to go OEM. Make me an offer and pick it up on your way back to SOCAL (I'm in Phoenix) or pay shipping. I'm pretty sure I can beat Toyota's pricing.

 

I replaced my stock skid with an RCI KDSS version, including the filler plate. They sent me the wrong filler plate initially, but mailed me a new one within a week. I was questioning my decision to buy a steel skid plate, but now, a couple years later, I'm noticing some big divots in it, so I'm glad I didn't go aluminum.

 

Nice. Didn't see they had the filler plate. I see it's 42lbs. I assumed it was heavier. In any case looks like a 2 person job to install or for the dealer.

 

I am very happy with my RSG skids. I initially wanted CBI due to the front having wider coverage than others but their prices were higher and the wait time was crazy. RSG was the only other one with the same amount of wide front coverage. They also sell a front filler plate.

 

Looks like the skid did its job.

 

If it's too busted up to keep using, I'd be tempted to get another OEM skid. Replacing every four or five years is a fair tradeoff for a large, permanent weight increase.

 

Majority of aftermarket skids still rely on the OEM brackets, which are relatively cheap. I think the OKX skid deletes the brackets and mounts to the frame directly, but OKX is only available in aluminum.

Heavier skids are still fairly easy to install in the driveway: just roll it under the vehicle on a floor jack and raise it up.

 

Nah. I've got the same ones (RCI), and I installed the full skid plates by myself with a floor jack and some ingenuity in a couple of hours.

 

Are the brackets the pair of tubular reinforcements that bolt to the frame in front with the flat steel plates? Imagine if mine are bent as the dealer said I'll need to replace. I assume the RCI and some others utilize them.

As well, can I remove the skid without lifting? I do have 2 floor jacks and various blocks and lumber to raise the vehicle but once I get her washed when I get home planning on dropping the front skid to assess which way I go.

 

I sold my factory skids for 40$ on FB. Very few ppl want them and you can get them for pretty cheap.

 

Yes the brackets are the curved tubular supports.

The OEM skid is only like 15 lbs and is hooked to the front crossmember, so it's easy to remove without lifting the vehicle and without a jack.

 

Removing the factory bolts may be a bit of a challenge due to the skid being deformed, but a good socket wrench (1/2") with a short extension and a pry bar should be up to the task. The front skid doesn't weigh much at all. Ramps would afford a bit more room to get under there, but aren't necessary.

 

Great. That's helpful.

 

That OEM factory sheet metal thing is not a skid plate. Tech stream and parts desk call it Engine Under Cover, and that is all that is - a cover from splashing and soft elements such as mud. Sounds like you need real deal based on that damage. I’d recommend aluminum if weight and rust is concern. I took my Artec aluminum plate over rocks and have no serious damage but few little scratches. Because the plate is bare aluminum I’ve no need to break out touch up paint or worry about small scratches turning into rust.

 

I am going back and forth with the pros and cons. My 4Runner is stock except for sliders and KO2s. Aluminum for the reasons you stated do make a lot of sense to me as I'm not an agressive off roader, though I did indeed do something stupid. Not having to repaint or consider rust is a positive. If aluminum gets me in between super solid and super flimsy it might fit my use case well.

 

I went aluminum on the front skids for the weight savings. Not as strong as steel but plenty heavy when I have to drop it and re install solo with floor jacks and lumber.

Easier oil changes access panel for filter is a plus.

 

go with a TRD skid plate

 

So, with all of the added armor, is it a big pain to remove it for every drive train lube?

 

That's the trade off for protection of transmission and transfer case skids. I spend more time removing and replacing those than greasing the zirks.