Does a Lift change LCA/Shock Skid priority?

[GladLad]

I was considering Rear LCA Frame Side skids after bending one on a rock. While reviewing I also saw skids for: Front LCA, Front LCA Frame Side, Rear LCA, and Rear Shock Mount.

I decided to take a look and see what I've been hitting most. After the main belly skids, the Rear LCA Frame Sides (RLFS) have seen the worst (in need of skids). Other than a minor Front LCA Frame scuff, the rest listed are practically untouched.

Then I thought, if I get the AEV 2" Mojave lift and 35" tires, the RLFS will be 3" higher; more out of reach. Leaving the other, currently mostly untouched areas to be the more vulnerable as they would only raise with the tires (1").

So the question becomes, do my beat up RLFS remain my skid priority, or would the lift achieve the same thing and deflect priority elsewhere? Does anyone have experience with how the area faired after a lift?

Obviously, a lift doesn't mean I'll never hit again, and instead could just mean taking on harsher obstacles. Most offroad trips see no rocks, maybe twice a year. As to the shock mounts, a lift would add extensions, possibly making skids incompatible or already armored up as they're now double layered.

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[Bandit’s Lair]

I would still do them. As you said, more lift usually leads to harder obstacles. If nothing else, it lends some reinforcement to the control arm mounts. That plus those skids usually aren’t overly expensive. Better to have and not need than crush the mount and not have.

 

[bleda2002]

I'd worry about the lowers before the frame side if you have a lift and some tires, they're gonna be the main ones that still scrape everywhere. Id still do the rear frame but it wouldnt be a priority over the lowers

 

[Zachanadandy]

I've never run a control arm mount, shock, or diff skid on anything. Nearly 3 decades of wheeling. Dozens of rubicon trips. Tens of thousands of off road miles. You aren't going to rip a mount off by dragging it in the rocks. You aren't going to wear through the bottom of a diff dragging it in the rocks, not even after thousands of miles. The skid fans want to show all their battle scars as proof that they needed them. 1. They hang lower, and in some cases significantly lower, so they'll drag in places the diff and mounts wouldn't have even touched. 2. The slight dent in the frame side mount posted won't affect anything. The control arm mount is just as strong as it was stock. The control arm can still be unbolted and removed just like before. When you're talking belly skids where things like oil pans, the exhaust crossover, etc are easily destroyed by contact with rocks, I'm all for armor. When we are talking control arm mounts or diffs? Not worth the cost and reduced ground clearance in my opinion.

 

[GladLad]

I would still do them. As you said, more lift usually leads to harder obstacles. If nothing else, it lends some reinforcement to the control arm mounts. That plus those skids usually aren’t overly expensive. Better to have and not need than crush the mount and not have.

That was my original thought, especially based on where I hit. The mount isn't exactly a bolt-on replacement part I can find on the shelf. Anything is fixable, but you know what I mean. And these long bodies like to hit that spot, and I'm not convinced a lift will change that. New capability, new obstacles.

I'd worry about the lowers before the frame side if you have a lift and some tires, they're gonna be the main ones that still scrape everywhere. Id still do the rear frame but it wouldnt be a priority over the lowers

Right, and that was my second thought: post-lift priority change. I hadn't bought any skids yet, because I wanted to learn what I needed. So far the axle side parts have avoided much issue. The axle parts get a little more attention from the spotters, and being so close to the tires they tend to ride high when I ride the high points.



Two conflicting thoughts, my specialty. I appreciate the input, both of you. Do you all tend to find you strike the same spots?

 

[GladLad]

I've never run a control arm mount, shock, or diff skid on anything. Nearly 3 decades of wheeling. Dozens of rubicon trips. Tens of thousands of off road miles. You aren't going to rip a mount off by dragging it in the rocks. You aren't going to wear through the bottom of a diff dragging it in the rocks, not even after thousands of miles. The skid fans want to show all their battle scars as proof that they needed them. 1. They hang lower, and in some cases significantly lower, so they'll drag in places the diff and mounts wouldn't have even touched. 2. The slight dent in the frame side mount posted won't affect anything. The control arm mount is just as strong as it was stock. The control arm can still be unbolted and removed just like before. When you're talking belly skids where things like oil pans, the exhaust crossover, etc are easily destroyed by contact with rocks, I'm all for armor. When we are talking control arm mounts or diffs? Not worth the cost and reduced ground clearance in my opinion.

Thank you for the experienced input, that paints a different picture. I didn't feel my mount was in danger in its current condition, but it showed me how hard/often it gets it. And that perhaps future hits could be worse, or pinch it to where it was a problem. Protect now, avoid the regret.

But you're saying after 30 years of wheeling you've never encountered a lca mount issue? Replacement, crushed, pinched, etc.

Diff has a little scuff, but nothing major. I wasn't considering that one yet as it tends to be one people watch. Belly skids would be overkill for the level and frequency I rock crawl.

I'd be curious as to where you strike the under body most and their condition. You're certainly more skilled, but also more frequent and likely wheeling harder. A testament to the lack of necessity you preach.

And no, I don't expect pics, I'm just curious.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Thank you for the experienced input, that paints a different picture. I didn't feel my mount was in danger in its current condition, but it showed me how hard/often it gets it. And that perhaps future hits could be worse, or pinch it to where it was a problem. Protect now, avoid the regret.

But you're saying after 30 years of wheeling you've never encountered a lca mount issue? Replacement, crushed, pinched, etc.

Diff has a little scuff, but nothing major. I wasn't considering that one yet as it tends to be one people watch. Belly skids would be overkill for the level and frequency I rock crawl.

I'd be curious as to where you strike the under body most and their condition. You're certainly more skilled, but also more frequent and likely wheeling harder. A testament to the lack of necessity you preach.

And no, I don't expect pics, I'm just curious.

I've bent a few stock mounts on old XJs and TJs bad enough you had to do some reshaping to get the arm back in, but those mounts were light weight in comparison to the modern axles.

 

[UTDieselRubi]

I have a 2" lift and 37s right now and still beat the absolute trash out of all 4 frame side mounts. Luckily after the first hit awhile back I ordered the Rock hard set for all 4 corners and I would say it was 100% worth it since the one I hit nearly bent in to the control arm. Frame damge is the one thing I avoid most so Imo those should remain a #1 priority unless your only running dirt roads. Also the rock hards are a super solid set for a decent price. Save yourself the piece of mind and spend the 200$.

 

[Flyin6]

Extreme trails: Yes

95% of everything else: No

I think about it like this: Jeep/ Stellantis markets and sells Jeeps as HD off-road vehicles. They know some of their owners; I estimate 20% will take their vehicles off-road. Those owners are going to use their Jeeps as they were told they could. Therefore, Jeep created both the product and the incentive to go off-road and explore. Some of the vehicles will be damaged, and Stellantis may be responsible for paying warranty claims. Therefore, it behooves them to build a product that will not cost them a bunch of their dwindling profit because under-engineered parts are breaking. The solution is simple: build parts that won't break under normal off-road usage.
Money drives, literally, everything.

 

[UTDieselRubi]

Extreme trails: Yes

95% of everything else: No

I think about it like this: Jeep/ Stellantis markets and sells Jeeps as HD off-road vehicles. They know some of their owners; I estimate 20% will take their vehicles off-road. Those owners are going to use their Jeeps as they were told they could. Therefore, Jeep created both the product and the incentive to go off-road and explore. Some of the vehicles will be damaged, and Stellantis may be responsible for paying warranty claims. Therefore, it behooves them to build a product that will not cost them a bunch of their dwindling profit because under-engineered parts are breaking. The solution is simple: build parts that won't break under normal off-road usage.
Money drives, literally, everything.

True for most things, but if you take your jeep off-road at all, smack a boulder and break a piece of your frame... 100% they are telling you to pound sand on your warranty claim. Doesn't matter if the advertise off roading or not. They don't care and are not engineering the control arm mounts for impact.

 

[Flyin6]

True for most things, but if you take your jeep off-road at all, smack a boulder and break a piece of your frame... 100% they are telling you to pound sand on your warranty claim. Doesn't matter if the advertise off roading or not. They don't care and are not engineering the control arm mounts for impact.

-Possibly
I wouldn't know because, since my first Jeep, a new CJ7 purchased in 1979, I have never damaged a frame.
But
I do not and have not resided out west where the big rocks live. I have gotten to some big rocks in Korea, South America, and Asia, but not in Jeeps. I have wheeled my current Jeep in CO, UT, and NM, but not in ugly spots very often...

 

[Zachanadandy]

True for most things, but if you take your jeep off-road at all, smack a boulder and break a piece of your frame... 100% they are telling you to pound sand on your warranty claim. Doesn't matter if the advertise off roading or not. They don't care and are not engineering the control arm mounts for impact.

30+ years, dozens of rubicon trips, fordyce, John Bull, Pritchett Canyon, etc and I've never even seen someone break a frame on the rocks. Dragging the frame, even with the weight of the vehicle on it, does nothing but surface scratches. If you're running at freeway speeds and slamming into rocks, little bolt on skids will just be more debris in the trail of carnage behind you. It's called rock crawling for a reason. Slow down and pick better lines. If you're trying to rock race like KOH, you bought the wrong vehicle.

 

[UTDieselRubi]

30+ years, dozens of rubicon trips, fordyce, John Bull, Pritchett Canyon, etc and I've never even seen someone break a frame on the rocks. Dragging the frame, even with the weight of the vehicle on it, does nothing but surface scratches. If you're running at freeway speeds and slamming into rocks, little bolt on skids will just be more debris in the trail of carnage behind you. It's called rock crawling for a reason. Slow down and pick better lines. If you're trying to rock race like KOH, you bought the wrong vehicle.

Congrats on your experience? Its not a competition, and believe me, if I was speeding through trails maybe I would have broken my stock un-trussed axles on 37s by now, so I think I take them slow enough. I can tell you that a gladiator with only a 2" lift will kiss rocks, even if you take the best line and control arm mounts are very thin and bendable on these. Just look at OPs pics. You are anti skids and saying you would take bent/rusted control arm mounts over cheap armor? Idk thats just odd to me but you do you. They will never become trail debris either with the way they are built/mounted.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Congrats on your experience? Its not a competition, and believe me, if I was speeding through trails maybe I would have broken my stock un-trussed axles on 37s by now, so I think I take them slow enough. I can tell you that a gladiator with only a 2" lift will kiss rocks, even if you take the best line and control arm mounts are very thin and bendable on these. Just look at OPs pics. You are anti skids and saying you would take bent/rusted control arm mounts over cheap armor? Idk thats just odd to me but you do you. They will never become trail debris either with the way they are built/mounted.

They are mounted to the same mount that you're trying to protect. Any impact that would rip the mount off will just rip the mount and skid off together. Bending mounts is possible, and you just straighten them with a crescent wrench and/or hammer. If the skids make you feel better run them, at least the control arm skids don't cost any real clearance. The diff skids are another story.

 

[GladLad]

I have a 2" lift and 37s right now and still beat the absolute trash out of all 4 frame side mounts. Luckily after the first hit awhile back I ordered the Rock hard set for all 4 corners and I would say it was 100% worth it since the one I hit nearly bent in to the control arm. Frame damge is the one thing I avoid most so Imo those should remain a #1 priority unless your only running dirt roads. Also the rock hards are a super solid set for a decent price. Save yourself the piece of mind and spend the 200$.

Thanks, that's the example I was looking for. You lifted and that's still the area you bash up, so priority hasn't changed.

Do you hit the the axle side lca and shock mounts too? If so, it could also indicate your wheeling environment is different than mine. Likely is, as most of mine is tame, but I do have more out-west trips coming up.

The RH4X4 frame side skids are $320 now. Can you tell me if the bolts/nuts they supplied you are rusting, as reported elsewhere?

I can see how it would bend, it looks like it's only held on one side. At least for the fronts, looks like the rear bolts to both sides.

While there are plenty of options for the rear, the only other company I can find with frame side fronts is Barnes 4wd. They've wrapped it, including more bolts so it doesn't act like a cantilever. Only $60, requires some drilling.

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