LR3 Skid Plates Design/Sizes etc.

[GeoRover]

Why don't you just buy one from Tactical Rovers? Price is good and they are well built... www.tacticalrovers.com

I think I have concluded that this is exactly what I should do. I was excited about the building part of it and tweaking it. Seems like its probably not worth it.

 

[Mack73]

Tactical Rover's doesn't have an engine/front skid. Just a transfer case and gas tank.

And yes I am a huge fan of aluminum.

I just installed a tactical rover's gas tank skid, and holy hell it weighs probably over 100 pounds in steel. It totally skipped my mind when buying or I would have gone for an aluminum one. But oh well, it is on now. What's another MPG

 

[Trynian]

Tactical Rover's doesn't have an engine/front skid. Just a transfer case and gas tank.

And yes I am a huge fan of aluminum.

I just installed a tactical rover's gas tank skid, and holy hell it weighs probably over 100 pounds in steel. It totally skipped my mind when buying or I would have gone for an aluminum one. But oh well, it is on now. What's another MPG

Covering that big span of the gas tank is a problem and hard to get the rigidity needed in aluminum and all the bracing that goes into it.

Even with the steel it gets bent quite a bit. The tactical ones are about the best ones I have seen so far.

Other parts are ok in aluminum but I prefer the steel gas tank skid.

 

[4advtr]

Covering that big span of the gas tank is a problem and hard to get the rigidity needed in aluminum and all the bracing that goes into it.

Even with the steel it gets bent quite a bit. The tactical ones are about the best ones I have seen so far.

Other parts are ok in aluminum but I prefer the steel gas tank skid.

This is misleading. The only thing that would need to change if using AL instead of steel would be just increase the thickness. It would still be at least 1/2 the weight if not even less.

The reality is that its ok for skidplates to bend, they are meant as protection. If a person is going to drive like his truck is bulletproof he will pay a price somewhere; Damage to vehicle, poor fuel mileage due to massively heavy skids, Broken axles/CV's due to excessive vehicle weight, etc. A stock fuel tank will take a few hits without being damaged, by putting any type of skid between it and the foreign object you've added a buffer.

 

[Trynian]

This is misleading. The only thing that would need to change if using AL instead of steel would be just increase the thickness. It would still be at least 1/2 the weight if not even less.

The reality is that its ok for skidplates to bend, they are meant as protection. If a person is going to drive like his truck is bulletproof he will pay a price somewhere; Damage to vehicle, poor fuel mileage due to massively heavy skids, Broken axles/CV's due to excessive vehicle weight, etc. A stock fuel tank will take a few hits without being damaged, by putting any type of skid between it and the foreign object you've added a buffer.

I disagree, the heavy weight of the LR3 will bend the plate without driving like it is "bulletproof" being very carful in fact. A boulder field sometimes does not allow you to go around an object and you must subject the plate to the 7,000 pound weight.

Yes we do expect skid plates to bend in most places. But the gas tank on the LR3 is very long and has very few bracing points so the plate has to be shored up with cross bracing. It is the one location you can't allow to much bending as there is very little space between the tank and the skid, otherwise your tank starts to get crushed and damage the internal fuel pumps and sensors. The stock one will take very little as it is a paper thin gravel shield.

Can you make a skid plate out of alluminum? Yes you can but it seems to be harder and generally more expensive as I have yet to see to many ever emrge on the market yet. Using the steel in this one area is easier to fabricate and seems to be more cost effective.

I have both 8mm aluminum in other places to save weight and steel on the sliders and the gas tank.

 

[Houm_WA]

...probably depends on what alloy of Aluminum you use, too.

 

[blackforestham]

8mm 6061 seemed pretty damn stout to me.