OK...here it is....the next in a hopefully endless series of installs and reviews of products for the X...This time it is the Shrockworks Stainless Steel Front Skid Plate...
As soon as I reads about it being available on XOC I called Shrockworks and ordered it...as usual I got Jim on the phone when I called and he said it would ship in a week. Cost was $133 including shipping to my home address. It arrived exactly two weeks after my order was placed...
Kind of hard to damage a skid plate in shipping but as always you can tell care was placed in its packaging...
and a side view showing the welded tabs that will attach to the sides of your Shrockworks bumper and the 4 holes through which you will attach the skid plate to the front of your bumper...
The skid plate comes with all necessary hardware to mount the skid plate and also comes with the correct size and type of drill bit necessar to drill the holes in your bumper...Now I found this very nice...sives time for the installer looking for the correct size bit either at home or local HD...Maybe this only saves you a minute or so but it is a thoughtful touch--plus you get a really good quality bit out of the deal!! Other than the bit you get the 4 screws for the front of the bumper, 4 lock washers, 4 washers, and 4 nuts. For the side tabs 2 bolts are provided...
Install is very straightforward requiring only a few tools...
and to be honest the torque wrench is really overkill as I will explain later...the socket and regular wrench size you will need is 13mm, and I used WD-40 on the bit as I was drilling to lessen the friction and keep the heat down...I went through about one fully charged battery for my 14.4V drill, so you probly want to have a spare one charged up just in case...
First thin I did was take a look at the sides of my Shrockworks bumper where it attaches to the sides of the frame...You should notice a small round hole on the lowest and farthest back portion of the Shrockworks bumper...
With help from a friend or by balancing objects to prop up the skid you can put the bolt in on each side and it will hang like this...
At this point you can swing the skid up--as long as you haven't overtightend the side bolts--and then drill holes through your Shrockworks bumper right in line with the 4 holes in the skid...Then its just a matter of putting the scres through each of the 4 holes, putting the washer, lock washer, and nut on the other side, tightening each one down with the 13mm wrench and the plate is fully attached!! Then go ahead and tighten down the side bolts and you are done!! One word of caution...I used a torque wrench on the side bolts, over tightened them and snapped one off that had to be drilled out and replaced....Regardless...it is a very easy install and goes a long way in protecting the front of your X...I have wheeling a good deal with it and banged it off a # of stumps and rocks...never moved, never dented, and has stayed as shiny and good looking as the day it came out of its wrapping...a couple pics of it fully installed follow...
As soon as I reads about it being available on XOC I called Shrockworks and ordered it...as usual I got Jim on the phone when I called and he said it would ship in a week. Cost was $133 including shipping to my home address. It arrived exactly two weeks after my order was placed...
Kind of hard to damage a skid plate in shipping but as always you can tell care was placed in its packaging...
and a side view showing the welded tabs that will attach to the sides of your Shrockworks bumper and the 4 holes through which you will attach the skid plate to the front of your bumper...
The skid plate comes with all necessary hardware to mount the skid plate and also comes with the correct size and type of drill bit necessar to drill the holes in your bumper...Now I found this very nice...sives time for the installer looking for the correct size bit either at home or local HD...Maybe this only saves you a minute or so but it is a thoughtful touch--plus you get a really good quality bit out of the deal!! Other than the bit you get the 4 screws for the front of the bumper, 4 lock washers, 4 washers, and 4 nuts. For the side tabs 2 bolts are provided...
Install is very straightforward requiring only a few tools...
and to be honest the torque wrench is really overkill as I will explain later...the socket and regular wrench size you will need is 13mm, and I used WD-40 on the bit as I was drilling to lessen the friction and keep the heat down...I went through about one fully charged battery for my 14.4V drill, so you probly want to have a spare one charged up just in case...
First thin I did was take a look at the sides of my Shrockworks bumper where it attaches to the sides of the frame...You should notice a small round hole on the lowest and farthest back portion of the Shrockworks bumper...
With help from a friend or by balancing objects to prop up the skid you can put the bolt in on each side and it will hang like this...
At this point you can swing the skid up--as long as you haven't overtightend the side bolts--and then drill holes through your Shrockworks bumper right in line with the 4 holes in the skid...Then its just a matter of putting the scres through each of the 4 holes, putting the washer, lock washer, and nut on the other side, tightening each one down with the 13mm wrench and the plate is fully attached!! Then go ahead and tighten down the side bolts and you are done!! One word of caution...I used a torque wrench on the side bolts, over tightened them and snapped one off that had to be drilled out and replaced....Regardless...it is a very easy install and goes a long way in protecting the front of your X...I have wheeling a good deal with it and banged it off a # of stumps and rocks...never moved, never dented, and has stayed as shiny and good looking as the day it came out of its wrapping...a couple pics of it fully installed follow...
