Deep snow without skid plate?

[marathonracer]

When I bought my 06 Tundra DC this summer the previous owner (highway driver only) removed the skid plate I assume to make oil changes easier. Well a recent storm has dumped 14" of snow and after moving my work truck around the yard it just occurred to me that a lot of times running in the woods with heavy snow I used to basicly plow snow with my Tacoma's skid plate (birth of my baby girl and a rusted through rear diff forced us to upgrade). Am I in any danger running my tundra in deep snow without it? Or should I be scouring the junk yards trying to find one?

 

[Dwill817]

I don't see where it would hurt. If snow gets trapped under your engine it should melt quickly, but if you can find a replacement skid I would pick one up. Gotta think about what could be under the snow like a big rock or stump.

 

[SiliconTi]

+1

It is not the snow to worry about, it is what is under it.

 

[NMC_EXP]

After blizzards I would drive around looking for folks to pull out of the ditch.

On crusted snow my FJ40 skidplates would act as a toboggan leaving me on top of the crust with wheels off the ground. This happened several times.

I suspect that without skidplates the hanging down stuff would tend break the crust and keep the wheels on the ground.

Digging that thing out with my hands once was enough to convince me to carry a shovel.

Jim

 

[tyv12]

Living up in Canada I've seen guys without skid plates get snow packed in the engine bay and once it hits the warm engine block and turns to ice it can puncture a radiator, shred the serpentine belt, tear off your rad fan and rip off hoses or wiring when it turns into a giant frozen glob... Snow jn an engine bay is a very bad thing

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: Skid plates will usually keep the snow from "DAMMING" and stopping forward travel, however-

Your front differential-(solid axles) will usually dothat anyway-

Ya gotta carry a shovel and you can clear the mid-vehicle buildups, before getting stuck and-

You can usually avoid being the "stuckee", by not letting your wheels spin "IMMEDIATELY" upon stop of forward travel-

No it's not impossible, just stay aware of tach./speed-

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO

 

[marathonracer]

Living up in Canada I've seen guys without skid plates get snow packed in the engine bay and once it hits the warm engine block and turns to ice it can puncture a radiator, shred the serpentine belt, tear off your rad fan and rip off hoses or wiring when it turns into a giant frozen glob... Snow jn an engine bay is a very bad thing

That was my fear. Most of the places I go in the winter are logging roads that are out service so normally a stump or a rock would not be an issue except when crossing washed out sections or places were beavers have built dams on the old road bed but those are year round issues. I was thinking that snow getting packed in there would be an issue.

How much should I expect to pay for one? I think at a dealership for a new part it would be around $300 I was told in which case I'd just go with a skidrow aftermarket plate

 

[NMC_EXP]

:sombrero: Skid plates will usually keep the snow from "DAMMING" and stopping forward travel, however-

Your front differential-(solid axles) will usually dothat anyway-

Ya gotta carry a shovel and you can clear the mid-vehicle buildups, before getting stuck and-

You can usually avoid being the "stuckee", by not letting your wheels spin "IMMEDIATELY" upon stop of forward travel-

No it's not impossible, just stay aware of tach./speed-

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO

Sound wisdom which I learned the hard way.

My anecdote about FJ40 tobogganing was from my 20 something years when the objective was to find how large a snow drift I could get through without getting stuck, and how long could I drive on top of deep crusted snow with 7.00 x 15 tires without punching through.

This was on rural roads in the midwest, not way out in the boonies.

Jim

 

[Haggis]

...I was told in which case I'd just go with a skidrow aftermarket plate

That would be my suggestion. The factory skid is prone to rotting anyway and the skidrow one is definitely beefier.

 

[keezer37]

Gotta think about what could be under the snow like a big rock or stump.

For all the pros and cons, I think this carries the most weight. I missed where a trail was just last week in about six inches of snow. With backing a poorer choice, I pushed on to correct my course. Over just twenty feet I managed to locate a three inch six foot length log and pulverize something else (dirt/wood combo) in my work truck. I hit that log almost lengthwise. I'm glad my tire didn't manage to angle it up on a splintered end.

 

[ebg18t]

+1

It is not the snow to worry about, it is what is under it.

That is my concern. Nothing worse than that 'thump' when you hit something you didn't see.

 

[Dwill817]

Like Keezer said, it's easy to slightly miss a trail and run into about everything in the woods especially in the deep snow you'll be in up in Maine. I would upgrade to an aftermarket skid and call it done. Even if you make it through all the snow, it could save your butt at a later date.

 

[Mrknowitall]

I've seen belt's get tossed, but that's about it. If it were me, I'd just take that as extra incentive to fabricate some front end protection-

 

[Kmrtnsn]

I have seen blocks of ice do as much damage to a truck as any similar sized rock. I'd get that skid back on. It's cheap insurance.

 

[bkg]

Skid will offer two good areas of assist:
protection
floatation (yes, I've seen good skids work as skies).

Stock skid ends at 1st cross member, so it's not going to do much for flotation, or frankly, even protection. Also, it WILL collect snow, that will turn to ice, that can cause problems. I still think it's better than no skid..