hahahahaha. Another possibility comes to mind to get advantages of thicker armor without “plating-up” one’s frame, and reducing flex — it may be possible to use 1/4” or 1/2” rubber/urethane bushings — between armor and frame — a 1/2” bushing tightened to where it acts like a 1/4” or so rubber washer gives the effect of a tight fit, plus a little bit more wiggle room than the default metal to metal mounting solution. Again, maybe a degree or two of flex, but that may be just the ticket, especially if it doesn’t reduce overall ground clearance.Maybe Bud is used to working on R Rovers...where recovery points can be welded several inches off vehicle-to-vehicle?
200 Skid Plate Protection
- Thread starter weaselox
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- 200 series skid plates
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You can’t really be “off” on questions, which is exactly what each of the comments above introduces into the thread discussion. And you can’t really be “off” when “ease of mounting” is specifically introduced into the question and is then confirmed by the answer.
The BB skids look awesome, and the different materials options are a brilliant solution for different use scenarios. The questions above are just trying to explore the different pluses/minuses or different skid/shield solutions. That’s all. If OEM/BB/ARB skids were perfect solutions, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
But the question about welding & potentially reinforcing the three factory metal shields still stands, and curious if anyone has done that mod and would mind sharing reinforcement lessons. Might be a more attractive option for some folks.
Next, all frames flex, expand/contract across different stress angles, temp curves, etc. Even minor “plating” (welding a steel corner to a frame-crossmember junction) of a ladder frame has stiffening effects, irrespective of frame design. Yes, LC200 frames are solid beasts that can support semi-truck loads. But there’s a reason the LC underbody doesn’t look like the Audi, and, as was pointed out, it’s not just about cooling. Right now, there’s a separate thread discussion taking plate about shielding solutions for the running board areas for LXs — to serve as possible de facto sliders/shields for the AHC accumulators & wizardry. These are mods that should be actively supported & incubated because they lead to more overall protection & less overall drag.
The point isn’t to say that we should be moving towards a more fully-enclosed underbody (access has benefits) — but to figure out how to achieve more shielding across a larger surface area — with reasonable expenditure of time & $$$.
The easiest DIY solution seems to be to weld the metal pieces together and to potentially reinforce them (meaning strengthening with more sheet metal or merely closing up some of the potentially unnecessary holes/crevices, which are mud/dirt/moisture accumulators. Before adding this to a long to-do list, asking if others have done this, and if so, pluses and minuses. Plus trying to learn from other creative solutions to this problem.
Another point some reader somewhere may benefit from — in looking at the LC OEM skid/shielding on the high-def underbody photo, I noticed that the shielding design is slightly different from the 2011 LX I’m working on at the moment (one less mount point on wind deflector; less spacing between two metal plates that join over the middle cross-“beam” (not really a crossmember because it’s going front to back — don’t know the name for that part — but it’s the metal part that looks like a giant deformed club; etc.).
I don’t know what model year that LC is that’s in the photo, so just FWIW, maybe shielding parts are not fully interchangeable across the 10-year 200-series run. A number of other people have mentioned fitment issues. So as “boring” and “minute” as these issues may seem, if they save someone installation aggravation and serve as yet another reminder to cross out Ts and dot our i’s when we’re researching part compatibility, then this is well worth it.
I don’t know what model year that LC is that’s in the photo, so just FWIW, maybe shielding parts are not fully interchangeable across the 10-year 200-series run. A number of other people have mentioned fitment issues. So as “boring” and “minute” as these issues may seem, if they save someone installation aggravation and serve as yet another reminder to cross out Ts and dot our i’s when we’re researching part compatibility, then this is well worth it.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
Don’t take things too literally. The “off” statement wasn’t directed at the question, it was directed at your possible answers for those questions. Your possible answers were off. It’s a nicer way of saying, “no man, that’s a terrible idea”
Off-roading is a rather simple premise. If something breaks, replace it with something stronger that doesn’t just move the breaking point to something more expensive. If something doesn’t get broken, then leave it alone if you want to save money.
You won’t find anyone reinforcing stock skids.
Do you know, and have you fabricated and welded before? Serious question. Because adding real strength to the curvy OEM skids will be quite intensive and expensive to the point where just starting with a new design is cheaper.
And yes all frames flex, but the 200 flexes so little that it’s not a factor. So don’t take one questions answer, and apply it to another question. The holes are for installing, not flex. Two separate reasons, not interchangeable answers. Axle housing flex, but you don’t see anyone talking about it because it’s just not a factor on what anyone is using this for. Drive a stock 200 up an RTI ramp, then do it with full skids, sliders, and bumpers. You’ll have the same score, because the frames don’t flex enough to change anything.
If you know how to fabricate, then why are you asking, go out and start making something and share it. That what helps the group.
You get a lot of flak on here for being a troll. It’s because you bring up questions that make everyone think one of two things:
1) he has no real world experience and over thinking everything
2) he is just causing arguments
Which is it? I hope it’s just #1, in that case, we’ll get you up to speed... one day.
Not being mean, far from it, just letting you know what we see and not sugar coating it.
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“Over-thinking” is what produces vehicles like the “over”-designed and “overengineered” Land Cruiser. So I take that as a compliment. I could care less about the troll tags. I know that the questions I’m asking and knowledge/photos I’m contributing to the overall collective knowledge base are worthwhile. I’ve been reading this forum for a very long time, so I’m not coming at this as a newbie. I’m trying to be as detailed and methodical in my posts so that I don’t overlook key details, for myself and others.
Plenty of modding/fabbing experience, but no experience with something as complex as a 200 series LX. Educating myself on the AHC system alone has forced me to re-evaluate and re-examine so many baseline assumptions that I had about automotive “basics” like suspension geometry, handling dynamics, and so forth. Underbody protection considerations are closely linked to that learning curve. You want to protect something that’s as vital and strong as the AHC, and yet something that can be screwed up very easily on a trail. Same with front armor.
That’s not overthinking, but good preparation. My use scenario for the rig are intercontinental overland trips with a family and kids, so longevity/durability/ease are key considerations. 80% road; 20% off road (with significant deep back-country research travel). I want to do as much of this work ahead of time so that when (not if, but when) something starts going wrong on the road, it’s not going to be an obvious point that I’m kicking myself over for failing to address (like better shielding).
The OEM shielding is “broke” on most of our rigs, including ripped out mounting brackets on plastic shields, hard-to-reach rust/corrosion/debris, etc. The replacement solutions like ARB/BB/(hopefully soon, Slee) skidplates are really welcome additions but need far more documentation on forums like this. A lot of folks are reporting a lot of small but annoying fitment/QC issues, and that’s ultimately what this boils down to. The goal here is to explore middle-ground mods between an entirely new skid system and the OEM setup.
I’m documenting this and adding my own suggested mods but the more we can pool collective knowledge to come up with different solutions the better.
Plenty of modding/fabbing experience, but no experience with something as complex as a 200 series LX. Educating myself on the AHC system alone has forced me to re-evaluate and re-examine so many baseline assumptions that I had about automotive “basics” like suspension geometry, handling dynamics, and so forth. Underbody protection considerations are closely linked to that learning curve. You want to protect something that’s as vital and strong as the AHC, and yet something that can be screwed up very easily on a trail. Same with front armor.
That’s not overthinking, but good preparation. My use scenario for the rig are intercontinental overland trips with a family and kids, so longevity/durability/ease are key considerations. 80% road; 20% off road (with significant deep back-country research travel). I want to do as much of this work ahead of time so that when (not if, but when) something starts going wrong on the road, it’s not going to be an obvious point that I’m kicking myself over for failing to address (like better shielding).
The OEM shielding is “broke” on most of our rigs, including ripped out mounting brackets on plastic shields, hard-to-reach rust/corrosion/debris, etc. The replacement solutions like ARB/BB/(hopefully soon, Slee) skidplates are really welcome additions but need far more documentation on forums like this. A lot of folks are reporting a lot of small but annoying fitment/QC issues, and that’s ultimately what this boils down to. The goal here is to explore middle-ground mods between an entirely new skid system and the OEM setup.
I’m documenting this and adding my own suggested mods but the more we can pool collective knowledge to come up with different solutions the better.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
Sounds good man, as a guy who’s driven vehicles in combat zones for years, preparation is something I’m also very concerned with. So don’t think I don’t think about this stuff constantly also. But if you have fabrication experience, then it still makes me wonder why you don’t just make some skids or improve yours. Why spend money you don’t need to if you can do it yourself. Listen, I don’t work for BudBuilt, I just am a friend of Bud, and had some input on the skids. But at the end of the day, I make my money else were, know what I mean? But you’re not going to get any feed back on your question, because like I said earlier, no one has strengthen their stock skids. So you need the pathfinder on this one. If Slee ever makes them, then buy those and report back so the community knows there is a another tested and proved option.
If you are overlanding across the world, then I would suggest not bashing the bottom of your truck and using OEM skids for payload reasons. Expeditions 7 traveled the world without even sliders, because why would they need those? Rock bashing in remote foreign countries with a family is just not a good idea for a slew of reasons. Having more protection is always a plus, and light weight options exist ie ARB with their 3mm thick and BudBuilt with their 3.1mm thick steel versions offer lighter weight with reduced costs over aluminum.
On BB QC issues, the first two crossmembers had holes drilled in the wrong spot and that was resolved because of a bad jig. So no issues.
But again, if you can fab something, why even take the risk if there even was one? Just go make it. That what I do. For example, I made my battery tie down bracket because I can make one that’s better for me and my purpose.
Alright... I’m going to go back to painting my interior.
Love it, thanks man. Looking forward to seeing the interior. Will definitely be posting photos of the skid protection mods, the first of which will be the AHC running board areas.
Around $1,300 total, not sure if the prices have changed recently. Very well-built product.
Just finished a long Utah-Nevada tour with Bud's Stainless Stage 3 Rock Armor on my L series 200 [LX570].
I had gone back and forth over alum vs. steel. Basically for me, overlanding gravel roads and dirt/sand trails, aluminum wins. For anything like typical western rock fields and stair-steps, steel wins. Anything with big holes was a non-starter for mud and salt.
The factory setup isn't bad for daily driving, just leaves a lot to be desired if you actually get hung up on anything. Super snag prone. The metal is too thin to weld and too complex to reinforce meaningfully anyway. Just the prep for welding would take a full day.
I had ordered a while ago and Bud offered to upgrade to his new (Gen 3?) design with some new arm features (maybe better droop clearance) and it also didn't have the welded front 'dome" parts shown here. Bud and his staff were amazing to work with. No instructions, but it was all pretty obvious with the great posts in this site. The welding and bending were impeccable. everything fit absolutely perfectly and all the SS hardware was individually packaged. 3 hr install after about 40 min to remove the factory parts.
Glad to hear about the temperature assessment by Taco2, but my plan in any case is to change the fluids ever two years anyways.
Long story long. I only barely scraped once over 200 miles of actual wheeling. Worse scratch from installing it. It turns out that with the skid's excellent clearance(!), the ACH, and careful tire placement I was able to navigate it all through rock gardens, stairs, and drops with no harm. I didn't do Golden Crack, Teapot, etc. so keep that in mind.
I have 0 reservations about aftermarkets skids for this vehicle and a strongly recommend Buds for quality and thoughtfulness of the design.
I had gone back and forth over alum vs. steel. Basically for me, overlanding gravel roads and dirt/sand trails, aluminum wins. For anything like typical western rock fields and stair-steps, steel wins. Anything with big holes was a non-starter for mud and salt.
The factory setup isn't bad for daily driving, just leaves a lot to be desired if you actually get hung up on anything. Super snag prone. The metal is too thin to weld and too complex to reinforce meaningfully anyway. Just the prep for welding would take a full day.
I had ordered a while ago and Bud offered to upgrade to his new (Gen 3?) design with some new arm features (maybe better droop clearance) and it also didn't have the welded front 'dome" parts shown here. Bud and his staff were amazing to work with. No instructions, but it was all pretty obvious with the great posts in this site. The welding and bending were impeccable. everything fit absolutely perfectly and all the SS hardware was individually packaged. 3 hr install after about 40 min to remove the factory parts.
Glad to hear about the temperature assessment by Taco2, but my plan in any case is to change the fluids ever two years anyways.
Long story long. I only barely scraped once over 200 miles of actual wheeling. Worse scratch from installing it. It turns out that with the skid's excellent clearance(!), the ACH, and careful tire placement I was able to navigate it all through rock gardens, stairs, and drops with no harm. I didn't do Golden Crack, Teapot, etc. so keep that in mind.
I have 0 reservations about aftermarkets skids for this vehicle and a strongly recommend Buds for quality and thoughtfulness of the design.
Did you have them powder coated? Would love to see some pics installed
Cool looking at the same configuration but the pictures aren’t great on the website. So your leaving the stainless unpainted completely?
Those BB stainless look really nice. Interestingly enough I see Slee is testing a set of their new skids for the 200. I’ll have to check them out tomorrow.
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What's the real-world difference between the Bud Built Rock Armor vs Overland Setup?
(No, I haven't had time to actually read and compare all the details Hoping someone here has...
(No, I haven't had time to actually read and compare all the details
Hoping someone here has...
What's the real-world difference between the Bud Built Rock Armor vs Overland Setup?
(No, I haven't had time to actually read and compare all the details
My understanding...
-Added strength and pieces selected in anticipation of major hits that happen when crawling...while over-landing assumes you aren’t in the habit of doing rock gardens. So more about skidding over dunes, or burms or brush...that isn’t like to smash anything specific or get hung up.
So for me...shock guards, RLCA, heavy skids that are super strong, continuing farther back might make sense where folks doing Baja or Alaskan dirt aren’t thinking about jaggy, huge rock-damage.