[Jerry Bransford]

Here’s the old rusty OE skidplate… no more rust worries there now!



And the old heavy steel Tomken skidplate… that thing was much heavier than I remembered…



Check out the lack of clearance between my Rubicon Express track bar and the old Tomken skid plate on the following two pics. There was evidence of a lot of rubbing between them from the lack of clearance.





Check out the new added clearance between the track bar and the new skid plate. Savvy Off Road gained this by moving the gas tank and skid plate as far to the rear as possible.

[Jerry Bransford]

The hands of mrblaine tightening the stainless steel straps that secure the plastic gas tank to the new skid plate.




The above is one reason for the big gain in ground clearance that other aftermarket skid plates don’t offer. Notice how the gas tank is up against the tub floor with just enough clearance for the hoses and connections. It would be literally impossible to raise the tank any higher so with Savvy’s skid plate, you’re gaining the most possible ground clearance which so far as I can tell, is far more than the others give.

There were so many cool little touches I noticed that Savvy included in the design… these are a few I can remember but there are more that Blaine mentioned I can't recall right now.

Flanged gripper nuts that help spread the load while helping to keep them tight.

Grade 5 carriage bolts that won’t spin if you should ever need to replace a nut from trail damage means you won’t have to drop the skid plate to tighten or replace them.

Wider mounting surfaces to spread the load and better absorb those impacts from hitting big rocks on the trail.

Mounted as far rearward as possible to provide maximum clearance away from the track bar.

Inside corner strengthening brackets to absorb energy from impacts and provide extra beef where it’s needed.

A space/slot for clearance around a tow hitch receiver so you won't have to remove the hitch or bumper to install the skidplate.

All the details can be found on their website at http://shop.savvyoffroad.com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=1 like what kind of aluminum (6061 T6) used, etc. which is over my head since I’m not really up on metals like mrblaine and Gerald are from Savvy.

How difficult to install? I’d say it’s a two-banana job with help from a friend being recommended. There’s no cutting or drilling needed, it’s a bolt-on job… you just have to drop the gas tank which is really no big deal. All in all, I’m digging it. The 39 lb. weight savings, no more rust, and the 1.5” of added ground clearance are great since I’m always dragging my TJ over the rocks. I think we’re going to be seeing a lot more cool aluminum products from Savvy and I’m looking forward to seeing whatever comes next!

[Pvt_Joker]

I want one so bad

I hate living in the rust belt with no money

Hell if i got one of those i would make dedicated runs to tuttle to try it out

[SuperWade2]

Originally Posted by Jerry Bransford

How difficult to install? I’d say it’s a two-banana job with help from a friend being recommended.

Maybe having Blaine help with the install of the product might invalidate your "Banana" rating scale just slightly...

I wish I wasn't 7 hours away, or I'd ask Blaine to help me install mine too when it shows up in a couple of weeks...

Wade

[mrblaine]

Originally Posted by SuperWade2

Maybe having Blaine help with the install of the product might invalidate your "Banana" rating scale just slightly...

I wish I wasn't 7 hours away, or I'd ask Blaine to help me install mine too when it shows up in a couple of weeks...

Wade

If his tank hadn't been nearly full, it would have been a half banana job.

[SuperWade2]

Originally Posted by mrblaine

If his tank hadn't been nearly full, it would have been a half banana job.

A "half banana" job for MrBlaine is about 5 Banana's for the normal human and about 10 on my scale... I f'ed up a Vanco Caliper today, so I don't think I should be trusted around tools or my Jeep any more....

[fromme]

I do have one question. How would using this skid fare with a rear Currie Anti-rock? Mrblaine was kind enough to answer a PM of mine when I met with difficulty installing the rear A/R with a Kilby skid. It's tight under there. What should I expect there if I was to use your sweet new skid?

[Savvy]

Jerry,

Nice before and after pix. Thanks for the nice write up!

Gerald

Originally Posted by Jerry Bransford

Got it installed today, here are a few comments and pics...

The total weight savings for my TJ was 39 pounds! The new aluminum skid weighs 32 lbs. my old OE skidplate and Tompken aftermarket skidplate together weighed in at approximately 71 lbs. total.

Additional ground clearance gained under the new Savvy Off Road skidplate is approximately 1.5".

Trackbar clearance, at least an extra inch which is cool because my RE trackbar was rubbing against the old gas tank skidplate.

Here are a few pics...

Before:



After:

[Bennettj13]

Of course you guys open up for business after I've ordered most my parts for my build. Buttheads. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to ship my brand new Swayloc back to Redrock, or try to sell it for your version which I'm sure will be around sooner or later.

[brunosplace]

I may have finally found something to get me past my disdain of body lift's!!! Seeing the clearance to the rear track bar along with the increase in ground clearance is impressive!!

[mrblaine]

Originally Posted by Bennettj13

Of course you guys open up for business after I've ordered most my parts for my build. Buttheads. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to ship my brand new Swayloc back to Redrock, or try to sell it for your version which I'm sure will be around sooner or later.

Personally, I'd keep the SwayLOC.

The other parts, that's negotiable.

[mrblaine]

Originally Posted by brunosplace

I may have finally found something to get me past my disdain of body lift's!!! Seeing the clearance to the rear track bar along with the increase in ground clearance is imprssive!!

It's always enjoyable when the light bulb starts to be a bit less dim, eh?

I do understand folk's disdain for body lifts, but when every aspect of your rig's performance counts to make your days on the trail easier, the pros really do outweigh the cons by a large margin.

[sailsurf7713]

Count me as a so far very happy customer. Can't wait to have the product installed and out on the trail.

[brunosplace]

Originally Posted by mrblaine

It's always enjoyable when the light bulb starts to be a bit less dim, eh?

I do understand folk's disdain for body lifts, but when every aspect of your rig's performance counts to make your days on the trail easier, the pros really do outweigh the cons by a large margin.

I do understand why folk's do them, I just never liked them, and didn't like the added leverage against the body mounts since my Jeep is also used for snowplowing in the winter, and didn't want to worry about them when an employee was using the Jeep.

I know I wouldn't hit anything hard enough to cause damage, but I can't always guarantee what may happen when one of the guys are driving for me. One of them managed to bend the 3/8 thick 3x3 angle iron on one of the plow frames this winter. Nobody remembers hitting anything of course, even though that had to have brought the truck to a stop!! In another instance they sheared a 3/4" grade 8 pivot bolt and claimed to not have felt anything!!

[Mini-Me26]

A quick question for people who have ordered, who's doing the shipping? I'd buy one right now, but I don't want to take it up the derrière by customs and brokerage fees from UPS.