im lookin for some ideas so i can make my own skid plate would appricate some pics if you put them up thanks

 

try searching

https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...ight=skidplate
https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...ght=skid+plate
https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...ght=skid+plate
https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...ght=skid+plate

hope those help

 

thats the skid plate on my truck it came off a 2000 ranger...

 

^ piece of ****

haha
i've seen so many bent ones.
i didn't click on the threads above but mine is plastered all over this website. and Casey (camodown) has his up here in a few places i think

 

I need a skid plate damn it haha someone wanna make me one Haha

 

i'd make another one of mine but it would cost your first born in shipping haha

and i dont really have access to a welder. just go to a welding/machine shop and talk to them, see what you can have done

i've only hit it on one rock so far.. but thats also one less radiator i had to replace at $180 a pop

 

yup, mine already paid for itself

 

yea but you had yours made for the price i paid in steel alone haha, it is a little over built though
actually depending on how you look at it. it got hit possibly 3 times in a row haha

 

Haha my first born....hm if u want him **** hes all yours! haha...o and i've got to a shop and ask them to make me one but the price was just so high i'm talking 200 upwards 300... and i know that i could get one made for cheaper.

 

well i paid $60 alone in steel
about 5-10 in electrodes
and spent at least 4-6 hours welding it

200 seems pretty reasonable unless you know someone.. i know of a few places back home i could either, have it welded free, use a welder and do it myself or pay like $100 to have it done lol

 

Gee thanks alot... *****

If you want to be able to land the full weight of your truck on your skid plate, then go with super heavy duty.. but remember, the bigger and heavier it is, the worse gas mileage your gonna get, and the more wear and tear your putting on the front end due to the added weight. while it is just a peice of stamped sheet metal, its better than nothing.. and, it keeps ALOT of crap out of the engine compartment...

Also, depending on what you wish to spend, you could buy an OEM one like mine and add supports to the back of it. I have actually put a quite a bit of thought into doing such to mine. However, mine is more for 'looks' since I dont relaly have anywhere to really go offroading, and, When I do go play in the mud, Im pretty easy on the truck since unlike alot of these folks, I'm not rich and cant afford fixing stuff from bouncing around offroad too much

 

**** sorry i offended you lol

yea if you dont do much then that little piece of stamped sheet metal would be fine.. but i hit stuff kinda hard. both/all the rocks i've hit with that plate would have severely f'd up the plate and probably just destroyed the radiator lol

its 60 pounds not too much...
the 35s and the way i drive on bumpy roads does 100x more damage to the ball joints and suspension most likely

 

ya but you got constant weight on the front, wear out your torsion bars... but anyways, for the light offroading i do (dont wanna really scratch my truck) the oem stamped sheet metal skid plate works fine. Will it hold up to alot of abuse? not really.. Ni3lz had 2 I think, and he destroyed them, but hes what Id consider a 'serious' offroader... Remember though, the shiny one like mine is alot les strong than the carbon steel one, their both the same, one is of different material is all, and alot stronger, Watch ebay for them, use the term " ranger Skid " with out the quotes, thats how I found mine, and it cost me $65 shipped to my door. Thats also how I found my transfer case skid plate - which is much beefier than my front one, and my gas tank skid plate, also, much beefier than the front one, the middle one Id hafta say is the strongest tho.

Now as far as finding a gas tank skid plate on E-Bay? Well I got mine on ebay, and it toojk me 2.5 yrs of looking to get it, cost me $120 and that included the middle one (which I already had) and it was brand spankin new to boot! sold the extra middle plate tho. Also, the explorer gas tank skid plate will NOT and I mean it, it will NOT fit the ranger, the brackets are totally in the wrong spots, and not angled correctly...

 

the transfer case one has saved my t-case i dont know how many times.. if your truck see's any terrain where you will get high centered of lay up on it as you slide across i would HIGHLY RECOMMEND one!!!!!!

i have had to straighten mine out a few times now, with out it im 99% sure my t-case would have been torn off. i have also had my gas tank skid come into play a few times.. both i would highly recommend!

the front one it good but not as necessary.. sure the stamped steel will hold up to light wheelin, hitting dirt mounds but i would say drop $150 before you drop $180 on a radiator and $30 on AF

 

Anybody have ideas for an '04 XLT4X4? I smashed up my valance and have been thinking about just leaving it off but then the radiator support hangs down and looks UGLY uncovered, along with no protection to the lower radiator area.