I just trashed my 3 rd skid plate on my Raptor. I started with an AC Racing .190. It lasted about 3 rides. Then I went to an Armidillo .25 thk. It lasted about 10 rides. I just trashed the PRM .25" yesterday. It lasted about 15 rides. They get bent beyond all repair. They crack when you straiten them.

Is there a skid plate out there that will hold up in Arizona?? Steel maybe?

 

What are you constantly hitting to do that much damage? What size rear tires as well?

Unsure on what I have other than it's 0.25 thick and it has been hit hard a lot and never bent much other than deep gouges. I also took a hole saw to it to let the dirt/debris fall out at the rear shock area.

Now the belly skid plate is another story, mine is pretty hammered and I want a thicker one.

 

i agree with 30bones,,,,,,are you running 22" rears yet?

Don't use steel. The swingarm is aluminum,,,,,steel would actually be too rigid for an aluminum swingarm,,,,risk cracking the swingarm imo.

I have gone thru 3 skidplates on the raptor so far as well.

 

It's rocky terrain here in the desert and I haul ***. I am running 20" rear tires. The skid plate is formed around the sprocket and brake disk from rock impacts. It's nasty.

I try to avoid them as much as possible.

I am running the stock belly pan. Don't have much of a problem there.

 

I here ya on the rock problems. We used to ride at a place in NC that was heck on skidplates.

22" rears and 23" fronts and you will hit the rocks about 60% less at least.

 

you may want to gear it down a little to compensate for the larger tire

 

Actually, I am already geared down. I was thinking it was too much for the desert, I am always rapped out in 5th gear. 22" may just do the trick.

I am already running 23" in the front which is great on rocks. But I am going down to 22" because it rolls on the sidewalls in hard turns. Gives it a squishy, unpredictabe feeling.

Thanks!

 

Didn't see you were in AZ.....LOTS of rocks out there to smack.

 

Get the Tusk swing arm guard.

 

Anyone ever try shock mounting their Skid plate?