Steel 3 piece bumper skid plate(s) -UPDATED now with happy ending

[bgenlvtex]

Exactly.

I'm not sure the skid plate has much to do with mounting a winch as far as strength goes. I was under the impression it was more to fit the winch plate that mopar uses. The winch plate ties to the frame and provides the actual platform that you pull from. The bumper and skid are essentially window dressing in the overall scheme of things.

That skid uses the same brackets to mount to the frame as the ones on the Rubicon with plastic bumper. It then just bolts to the bottom of the stamped steel bumper. It's a nice finished look and surely does reinforce the rigidity of the bumper, but the winch plate and hooks are the only things directly tied to the frame and are thick enough to support recovery loads.

I'm interested to see how the winch plate, that comes with the bumper I'm looking at, integrates with the factory skid for the plastic Rubicon bumper. It's also a stamped steel bumper. It's a separate piece instead of being integrated into the bumper like a lot of aftermarket steel bumpers.

I think that the skid tying the bumper a and skid together stiffening the frame horns the winch plate is mounted to is where the value comes in, in addition to stiffening the bumper for the fairlead in the event a rope is used at a high angle.

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[billyjk7]

I understand that, but it IS associated with that bumper and has been since it was first used in 2013

See the highlighted part, this is from the Mopar Performance catalog. I understand it doesn't say JT but it it does say JL which for these parts should be synonymous

I have ordered this one and have it in my garage. The instructions are.specifically for adding this to a JL. it is steel and has all.of the hardware needed to attach to the 3 piece jl steel bumper

 

[bgenlvtex]

Skid plate arrived, and although I have not got the bumper yet, it appears to be correct. Is substantially constructed, and based on the label attached, if you want one should probably get to ordering *close-out skid plate*

 

[billyjk7]

Open it up! Take a pic.....I ordered the other one and we can compare notes!

 

[Gobi Wan K]

Skid plate arrived, and although I have not got the bumper yet, it appears to be correct. Is substantially constructed, and based on the label attached, if you want one should probably get to ordering *close-out skid plate*

Hmmm... I have to wonder if it is being discontinued or if that is the actual name of the part as many similar parts may be called a "close-out" plate.

 

[bgenlvtex]

Open it up! Take a pic.....I ordered the other one and we can compare notes!

@billyjk7

 

[DanOnTheCob]

Hate to be the first one to say it, but its not needed on the gladiator, The factory standard skid on the rubicon at least; is not attached to the bumper at all and doesn't need replaced.

 

[bgenlvtex]

Hmmm... I have to wonder if it is being discontinued or if that is the actual name of the part as many similar parts may be called a "close-out" plate.

Yeah I don't know, possibly.

I however have not seen it referred to as that on any of the parts listings I have found for it, and did find at least one site that showed it as a "discontinued" part number.

So, I don't know, but for $110 and $13 shipping it is a deal. And I promise you they lost money shipping that for $13 it weighs 22 pounds and is more than 3 feet long packed.

 

[bgenlvtex]

Hate to be the first one to say it, but its not needed on the gladiator, The factory standard skid on the rubicon at least; is not attached to the bumper at all and doesn't need replaced.

The bumper will mount without it, but with the correct skid plate it becomes an integrated unit. If you plan on mounting a winch and have the potential of using it at an oblique angle you're going to want to change the skid. It ties the frame horns together and stiffens the center of the bumper where the fairlead would get pulled up or down.

For a purely cosmetic purposes, or just serving as a "bumper" you are correct it is not needed.

ETA: I had the exact same bumper and skid on the JKR in my avatar and the skid and bumper were definitely joined, which is what the 5 bolt holes are for along that top edge.

 

[DanOnTheCob]

The bumper will mount without it, but with the correct skid plate it becomes an integrated unit. If you plan on mounting a winch and have the potential of using it at an oblique angle you're going to want to change the skid. It ties the frame horns together and stiffens the center of the bumper where the fairlead would get pulled up or down.

For a purely cosmetic purposes, or just serving as a "bumper" you are correct it is not needed.

ETA: I had the exact same bumper and skid on the JKR in my avatar and the skid and bumper were definitely joined, which is what the 5 bolt holes are for along that top edge.

Yes you would leave about a 1" gap, between it. I don't know how much more sturdy it will get with that plate on there, Its not really supposed to help out with supporting the bumper, however I guess any little bit helps.

 

[bgenlvtex]

Yes you would leave about a 1" gap, between it. I don't know how much more sturdy it will get with that plate on there, Its not really supposed to help out with supporting the bumper, however I guess any little bit helps.

It is going to transfer load over a considerably larger area and stiffen the center of the bumper substantially.

For $123 I'll consider it cheap insurance against bending a significantly more expensive bumper and/or frame horns.

 

[ColdSRT]

It may help the fairlead part of the bumper but the skid is still thin in the grand scheme of things and I highly doubt FCA designed it that way for extreme angle pulls. The frame horns would be just fine if there were no bumper or skid.

According to multiple JL owners, the winch plate the dealer sells won't fit with the factory Rubicon skid that comes with the plastic bumper. I'm 99% certain they changed the skid for that reason yet still wanted good forward coverage for the sway disconnect. I would love to hear the engineers thoughts on it, but absent that, I guess we'll all have to agree to disagree.

 

[bgenlvtex]

It may help the fairlead part of the bumper but the skid is still thin in the grand scheme of things and I highly doubt FCA designed it that way for extreme angle pulls. The frame horns would be just fine if there were no bumper or skid.

According to multiple JL owners, the winch plate the dealer sells won't fit with the factory Rubicon skid that comes with the plastic bumper. I'm 99% certain they changed the skid for that reason yet still wanted good forward coverage for the sway disconnect. I would love to hear the engineers thoughts on it, but absent that, I guess we'll all have to agree to disagree.

You can't add 4 additional frame connection points and 5 skid/bumper connection points and not gain rigidity in all of the components. The skid is by no means flimsy, and the strength doesn't come from the individual components, it comes from the sum of components. CAD doesn't just make drawing easy.

I'll admit to assigning value to the connection that I cannot substantiate with factory supplied data or design drawing. I will however say that I have assembled/dis assembled and built from scratch enough stuff to say that deflection in the bumper is virtually guaranteed without the skid being integrated in all but a straight pull. The simple fact that the Mopar Performance website dictates that the skid must be used to complete the assembly would seem to substantiate that opinion.

Will the frame horns deflect without it? I don't know for sure, but again Mopar says the skid must be used so I can't see the value in rolling the dice for $125.

I'm not attempting to argue anyone down, I am sharing my opinion and what I have learned from studying these skids and bumper in an effort to help people to complete the job that FCA failed so fundamentally to complete for us.

Anyone who reads this is free to use the skid plate of their choice or none at all, no disagreement from me, your Jeep , your rules.

 

[billyjk7]

Here is mine. It comes complete with hardware.....that may or may bot be there already on the rubicons. Not that this one weighs 30+ lbs. Is there a difference in thickness?

 

[bgenlvtex]

Here is mine. It comes complete with hardware.....that may or may bot be there already on the rubicons. Not that this one weighs 30+ lbs. Is there a difference in thickness?

Looks identical, I took the weight off of the shipping label.

Put a set of calipers on it and give me a thickness.

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