JKR skid plate FAIL

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Prubah

New member
Took my 14 JKR up a logging road this past weekend. If there is a weak point in anything, I'm the guy to find it. I managed to lodge a log between the frame cross member/skid plate and the poly gas tank. Thankfully the log didn't puncture the tank. It crushed a corner of it. The 18 gal is now more like 16 n 1/2. I'll have to replace the tank at some point. This could have ended very very bad. The log if a bit drier could have lit on fire as I did smell a slight burning when I drove over it. I'm also now considering keeping this as a pavement queen and finding a cj8 scrambler to build with a Mercedes diesel.
branch.jpg
tank.jpg
 
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P

Prubah

New member
No kidding we'd have taken a different line. But that really isn't the point. (No pun intended). You can see from the size of the branches in all the pictures. Roughly two1/2 to three inches in diameter. Small enough to fit into some tight places, big enough not to break. I was on a logging road with some mud and soft moss/mulch. So a branch is laying flat on the ground. As one drives over it and the front tire gets past the midway point of the branch in soft moss. The branch acts like a see-saw. The raised end ends up in a gas tank or through a firewall. I see what happened in these pictures as a design flaw in these 'TRAIL RATED' JKs. Now do I think the designers can foresee every mishap thrown at the Jeep? No. But clearly from my pictures one can see the designers could have added a few inches to the skid plate wrap. They left an opening in the skid plate just above the cross member and right behind the tire. 'Design flaw'. And, yes. The sheet metal is crap if one can drive a branch up their butt.
 
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L

lysol

Explorer
New clutch lever modification. Can now be hand operated.

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N

nnnnnate

Adventurer
I see what happened in these pictures as a design flaw in these 'TRAIL RATED' JKs.
Click to expand...

How many circumstances did you have to get just right for this to happen? Go and re-create it a dozen times predictably and then I'll give you credence on the design flaw. Same with the dude that had the branch go through the firewall. Its unfortunate what happened to him but it was a freak thing. Thats it.
 
DaveNay

DaveNay

Adventurer
nnnnnate said:
How many circumstances did you have to get just right for this to happen? Go and re-create it a dozen times predictably and then I'll give you credence on the design flaw. Same with the dude that had the branch go through the firewall. Its unfortunate what happened to him but it was a freak thing. Thats it.
Click to expand...

I'm too lazy to do the math, but I really hate to imagine how thick the sheet metal (armor?) would have to be to prevent a 3" log from puncturing when hit with 10K lbs of force (or more).
 
TexasTJ

TexasTJ

Climbing Nerd
Stuff Happens and we all have to get over that. Lets face it all autos are made to drive on the road first, trail second. Look at this pour Land Rover Guy.
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