Hitch Skid Opinions?

Does anyone on here have an opinion as to what the best hitch skid currently on the market is? They look like a fairly simple design and it seems to me that the offering from Body Armor at $99.95 is the perfect compromise of affordability and function. I just don't want to buy something that is going to break apart when its dragging on some rocks.

 

I used one for a while and it took some hits well. Very strongly built.

 

That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Go ahead and get it. I don't expect it'll ever get a scratch.

 

I've drug my hitch plenty of times, although never at the mall.

 

I use a multi ball trailer hitch with a hook https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/reese-towpower-tri-ball-with-hook?cm_vc=-10005 as my tail skid. It has saved my bumper multiple times.

 

I have that exact one. I didn't want to shell out $160 for Skidmark. It's taken a beating, and paid for itself several times over. Go for it.

 

What are you talking about? Pretty much a guarantee to touch the hitch or anything attached when you do any real offroading. Mine is holding up ok and I've hit it more times than I can count.

 

The dude asked for opinions and he got an opinion. I'm well aware of the possibility of dragging the hitch. Why would you want to add more crap hanging out of it to drag? I think I'd rather just take the hitch off.

 

I'm guessing you don't do any off-roading? I dragged my hitch constantly at broken arrow this last weekend. While the hitch itself is fine it did bend the chain loops on either side.

 

I just dragged the hitch, didn't even know they had these until a couple weeks ago. With that said, I've gone HC rear and don't have that problem anymore

 

I didn't know that hitch skid plates were a thing. Just drag your hitch, it'll do the same thing without adding another piece of steel.

 

Your opinion is confusing then. "I don't expect it'll ever get a scratch" yet the skid hangs lower than the actual hitch. But you're "well aware of the possibility of dragging the hitch"

 

https://warfabarmor.com/collections/skids/products/3rd-gen-tacoma-patton-hitch-skid

I really like this product, used it on my truck in MOAB and it worked very well.

 

I don't get to wheel as much as I'd like and I don't get to play in the rocks very often when I do. But I like to think of myself as a wheeler. I took my first Toyota down that same trail about 20 years ago. My point is that you're still going to drag shit. You're not correcting the problem by adding shit to it. I really didn't expect you to post any wheeling pics because that skid thing looks like mallcrawler bait. I've certainly never seen one on a legit rockcrawler. I guess you're doing a dual purpose kind of thing. All good man.

 

I get that. I tried to explain myself above. Sorry for the confusion.

 

I didn’t drag mine once when I did broken arrow a few months ago. But, I dragged the crap out of it in Big Bend.

Broken arrow is an amazing little trail.

 

Agreed. Drag it. But also think of it as a tailbone. Mine absorbed an impact on a rock and without it I'm sure that rock would have clipped the plastic bumper Would have been a good reason for a steel upgrade, but an untimely upgrade.

 

I don’t understand why some think these are a bad thing, and no, crawlers do not need them as much as others might. The reason is I didn’t lift my truck too much, probably 2” overall, and I have stock bumpers, so yeah, I have and do drag my hitch and I’m not taking it off as we have a trailer too. Anyways, I wanted an extra step in back and saw this one, which should do double duty as both a skid and a step. It was shipped and is coming soon!

https://warfabarmor.com/products/3rd-gen-tacoma-abrams-hitch-skid

 

I did a couple times on an optional climb and I think I tagged it good on the 2nd drop coming down devils staircase. No lift though. Minimal damage to the hitch, moving so slow that I was not too worried, but I could certainly see it handy to prevent bending something on a strong hang up and the step function of the one the OP linked is kinda nice too.

 

I'm not a "legit rockcrawler", and if I were, I probably wouldn't be doing it in a Tacoma. But I don't think the OP mentioned anything about doing the Rubicon or Anaconda. But there are plenty of 4-6 rated trails around here where even a lifted truck will drag the hitch. Rear end is too long. Yes, you can get a metal bumper fabbed, but that's $2k and 200lbs hanging off the back. No thanks.

The hitch skid plates work really well. On those off-camber drops, since it hangs lower, it helps keep the plastic bumper caps off the rocks. Wide base also helps.