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.
*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