skid plate.........is all this nessary item?

Probably transmission, Mikes07... But (as you'll note above) they're not super expensive. I think you can get the three major skid plates for a little over $200, not including shipping (or installation-- if you're having it done professionally).

That should get the front, transmission and gas tank.

In fact, thinking about it, hell, you guys have convinced me... I should get the front suspension and transmission and skip the gas tank. That's the one thing I've never come close to hitting, and it's plastic which means it's got some give in it to begin with. Hell, you can get the two major skid plates for $100. Any opinions on these:

http://jparts.com/index.php?cPath=23&&page=3&osCsid=6ec8ebf1815e5b7a38c43021ef8724d4

jnaut said:

I agree. I take my gun into the woods (while offroading without skid plates ) because of the possibility of running into a bear.

Click to expand...

You americans and your guns. ha ha.

This summer i ran into this on the trail

jnaut said:

In fact, there's one thing I don't have while off-roading that I'm waayy more ashamed to admit. If someone can guess it, they win.

Click to expand...

common sense? ha ha just kidding!

mikes07kj said:

Ok, I know I want to get skid plates, but in which order should I get them. Which one is the most important to start with.

Click to expand...

I would get them all. But if i could only have one it would be the front skid plate because it is the lowest and on flat ground if you can clear that plate over an obstacle then everything else should clear it as well. However, I think the ****** and tc skids are less than $60 bucks each so they are not too expensive.

icarl said:

You americans and your guns. ha ha.

This summer i ran into this on the trail

Click to expand...

I'll leave my gun behind if I know I can run faster than the rest of the group.

Yeah, we crazy 'murricans. I will note that of the 24 fatal bear attacks this decade listed here, 14 occurred in Canada. You guys might want to consider packin' some heat up north.

common sense? ha ha just kidding!

Click to expand...

Arguable, but not what I had in mind. [-(

btw, icarl, is that a picture that you snapped, or just a stock photo? If you snapped that picture and you were unarmed, you're a braver man than I!

mikes07kj said:

Ok, I know I want to get skid plates, but in which order should I get them. Which one is the most important to start with.

Click to expand...

Depends on what you drive. If you have a 2.8CRD then the transmission plate to protect that ridiculously located oil filter. Otherwise I would get the transfer case and the front skids first.

jnaut said:

btw, icarl, is that a picture that you snapped, or just a stock photo? If you snapped that picture and you were unarmed, you're a braver man than I!

Click to expand...

In the last 25 years of going out into the back country(weather hiking or
4x4'ing) I have come across many a brown, black, and Grizzle bear and have never felt threatened. Give them enough warning and it's no big deal.
I have guided professionally as well.

Remember, we are Canadian. We can own hand guns as long as they remain in the domicile un-loaded. Or we can take them to a firing range, un-loaded with a trigger lock fitted and then secured in a locked steel box in the trunk of the motor vehicle.
You can obtain a special carrying permit if you work in the bush (geologist for example)
But the Government don't hand those out in great numbers.
You can however have a rifle or shotgun with less effort!
Just can't carry them into a Provincial of National park.
Then again, I know several folks who at one time or another didn't obey those rules.

I agree with the "People kill people, not guns moto.
The hunting knive here in Canada is the number one weapon of choice for us folks.
I'd like nothing more than to go down to the local 7-11 to buy a Glock!

socks said:

In the last 25 years of going out into the back country(weather hiking or
4x4'ing) I have come across many a brown, black, and Grizzle bear and have never felt threatened. Give them enough warning and it's no big deal.
I have guided professionally as well.

Click to expand...

I wheel without skid plates, too.

[T]here are four situations that are most likely to cause a bear to attack. By knowing what they are we can work to avoid getting into these types of situations.

1. When a person encounters a protective sow with cubs. An average of 78% of all attacks are related to these encounters.

2. When a bear is surprised, or startled.

3. When a human gets too close to a bear's food supply.

4. Predatory Bear (When the bear intends to eat you).

Click to expand...

In summation, hope to god you don't surprise a sow with cubs. Opinion is divided on how to not surprise a bear. Some experts say make lots of noise, some say that's a bad idea. Debate rages. I have no idea if I'm close to a bear's food supply. I'm in remote areas of the woods where bears are frequent. The entire area is his food supply. And predatory bears? Again, "hope" you don't happen across a "predatory bear". Hopefully it will have a large "P" on its forehead.

Remember, we are Canadian. We can own hand guns as long as they remain in the domicile un-loaded. Or we can take them to a firing range, un-loaded with a trigger lock fitted and then secured in a locked steel box in the trunk of the motor vehicle.
You can obtain a special carrying permit if you work in the bush (geologist for example)
But the Government don't hand those out in great numbers.

Click to expand...

(rotflmao)

I agree with the "People kill people, not guns moto.
The hunting knive here in Canada is the number one weapon of choice for us folks.
I'd like nothing more than to go down to the local 7-11 to buy a Glock!

Click to expand...

Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency!

jnaut said:

btw, icarl, is that a picture that you snapped, or just a stock photo? If you snapped that picture and you were unarmed, you're a braver man than I!

Click to expand...

Well that picture is a story worth sharing. I was taking some pictures with my tripod and heard a rustle in the bush. After i finished i got into the jeep and drove down to the main trail. It was then that i saw the moose trying to get away without being seen. This must have been the rustling noise i had heard. I drove down the trail a little farther and decided it was getting too dark to take any more pictures so i turned around.

On my way back i turned the corner and to my surprise there was the grizzly bear and i was almost running into it with the jeep. It seemed startled at first and started to run away but then it stopped and looked back at me. Once i determined it was not a threat i took out my camera and started taking pictures.

The grizzly acted like other animals i have photographed but seemed less anxious and more curious then say a moose or a deer. It was not concerned about me at all even though i was so close but was curious and would keep looking back. Once it got around the corner ahead of me i drove down the trail to see if i could still see it to take more pictures but it had vanished into the bush.

tjkj, you should be more careful on the trail! You could damage something.

If it were light out, I'd take some pictures of the dents in my muffler.

jnaut said:

I wheel without skid plates, too.



In summation, hope to god you don't surprise a sow with cubs. Opinion is divided on how to not surprise a bear. Some experts say make lots of noise, some say that's a bad idea. Debate rages. I have no idea if I'm close to a bear's food supply. I'm in remote areas of the woods where bears are frequent. The entire area is his food supply. And predatory bears? Again, "hope" you don't happen across a "predatory bear". Hopefully it will have a large "P" on its forehead.



(rotflmao)



Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency!

Click to expand...

Now, that is funny!

icarl said:

The grizzly acted like other animals i have photographed but seemed less anxious and more curious then say a moose or a deer. It was not concerned about me at all even though i was so close but was curious and would keep looking back. Once it got around the corner ahead of me i drove down the trail to see if i could still see it to take more pictures but it had vanished into the bush.

Click to expand...

That's a great picture. You were in your jeep, so that would make me feel safer for sure. According to the 'experts', if you're within 50 yards of a bear, that's within the danger zone.

You always have "bear spray"!
Oh sorry, thats Binaca for bears with a Cajon taste!

jnaut said:

That's a great picture. You were in your jeep, so that would make me feel safer for sure. According to the 'experts', if you're within 50 yards of a bear, that's within the danger zone.

Click to expand...

The bears in that area the picture was taken are wild and not conditioned to humans like the bears you see in National Parks. These bears here are not used to humans. The bears in the parks like Jasper or Banff have been conditioned to associate humans with food because of all the people camping there. Bears are a big problem in those parks but not so much in the area i was in.

How about rock rails? Are they not just as important. The only offroading I've done (so far) is thru some farm land and I know its pretty safe as far as no big rocks or tree stumps. But arent the rails just as important.

bump

mikes07kj said:

How about rock rails? Are they not just as important. The only offroading I've done (so far) is thru some farm land and I know its pretty safe as far as no big rocks or tree stumps. But arent the rails just as important.

Click to expand...

*Back to skids
yes they are depending on the level of trail you are on and if you are willing to accept body damage
remember that you can drive home with body damage

as to those who wheel with out skids
#1 please stay out of the public parks
why? well simple when you bust your fuel tank and 10+ gallons of fuel leak out the EPA can fine the park or even shut it down and those of us who have common sense should not suffer because of you
#2 why it would seem you can "be careful" and not damage any thing you are even more wrong
why? when my wife floped the TJ I was spotting her and she was going about 1/4 miles an hour on an incline in a ravine up hill
it was only body damage but I was trying to avoid it and then there is the last time I was stuck I was on the edge of hard dry ground an it crumbled
causing me to loose the rear tires and fall on the axle and the FUEL TANK
I have a skid and it only suffered a few FIST SIZED dents now if I did not have the skid those would have been holes in the tank ,it was supporting the weight of the Jeep

Yes this is all TJ related
so lets talk KJ
go look at the center point between the wheels ,front to back
what is there?
let me answer the transfer case and transmission
what happens if you go over a hill that is to steep and bottom out on them?
let me answer
if you are with me and do not have skids first I tell you
"I told you you needed skids" then I tell you to "call a tow truck"
then I will get you off the hill ,offer a passenger seat if I have one, and keep on wheelin
I am not an a$$ at all out on the trails but I have no mercy on those who have been warned and still show up unprepared ,knife to a gun fight
oh and when you get the Jeep home and find out that you are shelling out $3000+ to get it fixed and post it on a public board I WILL post up a big
"I told you so" because you can buy 10 sets of skids for that money

EVERY skid made for the KJ is IMPORTANT
get them all before you go off road
because if you can not afford the skids then you can not afford to wheel
even with all the skids and beef I have on the TJ I know that on any given day I can break some thing and it can cost $20 ,for a U-joint, or up to who knows
oh and I carry spare U-joints so that will not end my day

jnaut said:

I respectfully disagree. Skidplates are a really good idea if you go off-road, but not absolutely necessary. It all depends on what kind of wheeling you do, where, what obstacles you cross and the driver.

Skid plates are a bit like wearing a seat belt. It should be done, but it doesn't mean you'll die a horrible death if you go without one. It's all about assessment of risk.

My advice is, if you have the money, get the skid plates. If you don't have the money (raises hands) then you need to be careful, know when you're crossing obstacles where if you slip off a log or stump, that you know what the consequences will be. When possible, have a friend observing your line any time there's a question, and move very, very slowly.

I've been doing off-roading for four years sans skid plates and haven't damaged anything yet-- well, ok, confession, my muffler has some really jim-dandy scrapes on the bottom.

As soon as I have the money, however, I will be getting skid plates.

Click to expand...

very funny haven't been around much have you, have seen skid plates save a ****** even on the highway, you need skids period no matter how careful you are, one slip is all it takes Flame on Brother!

Having skids offroad can only help. The mopar front and tcase skid are ok but the ****** skid lacks some. It takes up a lot of ground clearance so you hit it a lot when its not even needed. First time you land on it its bent but it works great if you can take it easy and slide over it.

The gas tank skid is ok for sliding but again, first time you land on it, it will bend.