F-150 Skid Plates

When we take our F-150 off-road, the underbody is exposed to rocks, stumps, logs, and trail-hazards that can seriously damage the engine, transmission, fuel tank or rear differential. A quality skid plate swaps in for weak factory covers and gives us real protection so we can hit the trail without worrying about costly repairs.

We recommend either 10-gauge steel or ¼-inch (0.25″) 5052 aluminum. The steel version is rugged and cost-effective, while the aluminum option gives excellent strength-to-weight ratio and is highly corrosion-resistant — ideal if weight matters.

Key areas include: the engine bay and front cross-member (especially on EcoBoost F-150s with low-hanging intercoolers), the transmission cover, the transfer-case area, the fuel tank, and the rear differential. Each of these spots takes a hit when you’re crawling or dropping into ruts.

We love bolt-on solutions — and RCI’s F-150 skid plates mount to factory attachment points, no drilling required. They’re designed for direct install in minutes with included hardware and instructions.

Minimal impact. We found that quality skid plates are designed to hug the frame and mount close to key components. Some RCI plates “hug the differential tightly, within ¼″ for minimal loss in ground clearance”. The trade-off in protection is absolutely worth a very small clearance difference.

If you drive moderate trails, you might begin with one or two key skid plates (for the engine or fuel tank). But if you want full trail confidence — especially for rock crawling, overlanding or extreme terrain — we go for a full skid plate package that covers engine, transmission, transfer-case, fuel tank and more.

Absolutely. We installed ours for trail protection but still use our F-150 daily. A good skid plate won’t interfere with road use — in fact, it gives peace of mind knowing your undercarriage is protected even in rougher conditions.

Underestimating terrain and relying on the factory covers only. We’ve seen broken oil pans, damaged transmissions and bent cross-members from a hit that a good skid plate would have absorbed. For trail-ready builds, skipping protection is a gamble we don’t take.