RCI (steel) front skid plate lift point?

I mainly purchased it for ease of oil filter access but am now at a point where I'd like to start lifting up the front for various projects that a ramp won't provide. Has anyone with a similar skid used a 2' 4x4 between the center bolts as the lifting points as I've read suggested? If so, any immediate or long-term issues observed? I plan on lowering onto jacks and chocking the wheels immediately. Otherwise I'll just take the plate off and use the center spot the OEM plate normally sits against.

 

I'm very interested to hear from others myself. I emailed RCI a while back to ask the same question, and I deleted their email reply, but the female who answered didn't go into any detail other than to say it's safe to lift in the center, same as with the OEM skid. I wish I kept the email, but I deleted it because I felt like it was incorrect.

 

Wouldn't be much of a steel skid plate if it couldn't, right?

 

Valid point.

 

...this

and if you are worried about it, add the transfer case plate and lift at the overlap.

 

Yup. I've done basically that. I wrote RCI and that's what they told me to do. I use a 4x4 long enough to extend past the bolt holes to spread the load out.

EDIT: I should add that I have aluminum skids. So if they can take it, the steel will definitely have no issue.

 

Same except I use a 2x4

 

That sounds reasonable to spread the load. Especially if the skid plate flexes in the center while lifting. I would think that would pull on the bolts that go into the frame in a weird inward direction. Depending on the bolt holes used to mount the skid plate, they might not like being flexed like that on a regular basis.

Even though my 4x innovations plates don’t flex, I can still see some slight deformation on the frame around the bolts that do the most work to hold the plates up.

I asked the guy that makes them if they can be used as a lift point, and like a good engineer, he hesitated and said they’re not designed as jackpoints. I still do it, but Im careful picking a spot near a bend to minimize flexing.


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The OE skid has a defined, reinforced lift point which does not flex or cause issues. Why would an aftermarket, stronger skid require a 2x4 to spread the load?

 

If you can't trust a skid plate as a lift point, you probably shouldn't trust it as a skid plate...

 

...because it makes no contact with the reinforced lift point. Peculiar design flaw...

 

Because many aftermarket skidplates still flex/bend, and because they are not supported by a reinforcement pad like on the OE skid plate. The bolts at the touch-points of the skid plate to the frame can therefore experience side loads/ pull inward, if the plate flexes in the center. The touchpoints may also have a much smaller surface area touching the frame, concentrating forces on those spots, and making it easier for those bolts to be leveraged inward if the center of the plate flexes.

With the stock skidplates this isn’t necessary, because they have a built-in extension in the center that transfers the load onto a wide pad, transfering it directly onto the center of a wide crossmember.