Robert

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Robert has reviewed 2 Product(s).

Looks Sturdy but be aware of fitment for your diff configuration to fit Dana 30 or Dana 44.
rkruz 6 years ago
The Rock Hard covers beefy construction using 1/4 steel and stealth fighter like angles suggest to me this unit will do the job to deflect hazards more to help reduce the blunt force trauma of the stock round diff cover. The black power coat is thick and applied professionally and a nice aesthetic touch is the silver backing on the RH cut out logo that will impress your friends when you make them lean under to view your new skid plate protection:). Installation is the simplest with the removal of 5 stock bottom bolts replaced with the over cover and 5 provided socket bolts. Be gentle with the bolts or you can break the diff cover seal and make a lot more work of it to replace the seal. The torque to reinstall the bolts is 20 ft-lbs per Rock Hard 4x4. However there is an ordering/fitment caution you should be aware of. The Northridge nor the Rock Hard 4x4 site are precise on the fitment (Rock Hard much less so). Northridge specifies the 9053 fitment for the JKU Sahara but dont specify front or back. I expect they presuppose folks ordering are aware that the Sahara has a Dana 44 in the rear and a Danna 30 in the front. So when installing this for the front you will quickly discover it wont fit. Sahara fitment is Rock Hard P/N 9030 for front and 9053 for the rear. Rubicon is Dana 44 front and rear. The pictures attached show the attempt to installed the 9053 cover on the front of a 2017 Sahara. The cover is much wider then the diff.
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Rock Hard 4x4 Dana 44 Differential Cover Black

Sturdy and looks slippery but install instructions need improvement
rkruz 6 years ago
These are my observations after installation on a stock 2017 JKU Sahara. Design Evaluation: - While I cannot attest from actual off road use of the skid plate, by inspection I can see it is orders of magnitude better than the stock providing nice angular deflection over the oil pan and tender parts of the jeep. - Oil plug access was critical for me and the large access hatch to the plug is wonderful. - The 1/2 tapered washers are a great idea to protect the bolt heads. I can attest that during the install my original bolt heads were so chewed up from rocks I could not slip socket to over the head. It looks like the large tapered donuts should help that situation and provide a more slippery skid over an obstacle. - There is an inspection plate to allow removal of debris that might collect near the exhaust. A huge improvement in the design would be to provide captured threads in the plate rather then requiring the user to reach into the hot exhaust area to hold the nut where the bolt is freed. Installation experience: - The Jeep has to be raised 6 inches or so to crawl under for access. I only needed to put the front end up on stands to get reasonable access for my 250lb bulk to work under the Jeep. - The written instructions were poor with few pictures but the online RH4x4 video was a big help but still could easily be better. - The stock bolt heads on the transmission cross member holding the stock oil pan skid were scored from dragging across rocks and had large burrs in the preventing a socket from fitting. I had to file down the burrs to be able to fit the socket. - Using the floor jack to lift the skid in place was a big help. - The hardware provided is not labeled in the instructions so it would help to organize it before starting the install. I mention this because there are 2 different thread 1/2 inch bolts. I made the mistake of grabbing the wrong one when bolting the skid into the transmission and could not get it to start until I compared and realized it was a metric threaded bolt needed. - The 2 brackets that support the front of the skid attach to the engine mounts. It was very difficult to visualize the installation from the video but there were enough clues so that once you got into it you could figure it out. Access to tighten the bolts is very awkward and the RH installation video does not show at all the tightening of these bolts. in the engine mounts. Suffice to say it takes some angular acrobatics to hold the nut while tightening the bolt. Maybe this would not be such an issue on a lift but it would have been great if RH provided some advise here as we spend a lot of time struggling to get those bolts tightened. - There is an inspection plate that bolts into the frame and the video shows the installer doing this. However the hole in the plate is larger then the head of the bolt so it slips through. this is easily solved by using the factory bolt with washer that originally was in this hole. Conclusion: Appears to be a good sturdy design and significant improvement over the stock skid. The installation could have been smoother with better written instructions. The video was a great help and once you get into the install you are able to work through the gaps of the instructions.
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Rock Hard 4x4 Steel Oil Pan/Transmission Skid

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