Cuoutdoors
Executive Member
Lifetime Member
I want to start my review by giving a little back story. I am on my second pioneer 1000-3 and had a skid plate on the first machine as well. I have had many four wheelers with aluminum skids, plastic skids etc. Machine 1 came with a crappy factory skid and I knew it needed to be changed. I never was real impressed with aluminum skids and sought out the perfect solution. To be clear the 1000-5 and 1000-3 have the same frame and use the exact same skid.
I quickly narrowed down to UHMW (ultra high molecular weight) or HDPE (hight density poly ethylene). Both materials are the poly ethylene family. However UHMW is nearly double the cost of HDPE. I went to a supplier in Des Moines and had a long conversation about the 2 options with a man that has been in the plastic business for over 20 years. I could write much more detail but suffice it to say that UHMW is absolutely superior for wear resistance and is definitely the better choice for a skid plate. UHMW has self lubricating properties which actually became very noticeable.
At the time of machine 1 I did not want to pony up and spend $750 for a piece of plastic. It was hard to justify that to myself so I explored other options. I also enjoy making things myself instead of buying them if its at all possible. It makes you feel more accomplished. I ended up buying a piece of UHMW that was 5ft x 10ft. As it turns out that is the perfect width for the skid and I could cut it to length. It still cost me close to $600 because I was paying retail but I was saving some money compared to $750.
One thing that appealed to me, and still does, was the ability to have one piece front to back with no cracks, joints, seams of any kind. I spent a great deal of time measuring to ensure I made the piece perfectly. If I failed I would have a $600 piece of garbage so the stakes were pretty high. To make a VERY long story short, I built my own skid, I bent it up in the front fender wells, and made it all one piece front to back. It was great, I loved it, it worked very well. The down side is that it was very high risk, and by the time I bought all the bolts, washers, etc, I had spent another $50. So I wasn't saving much. When I installed the plate I actually noticed a big difference in going UP HILL. When going up hill and the belly would drag over rocks, trees etc. there was a significant improvement in how much more easily the machine made it. It was like you greased the bottom and the obstacles were no longer causing so much resistance.
Now on to machine 2. Here I am again trying to avoid spending a pile of money. I found out that Trail Armor offered a 10% discount to forum members so I gave them a call. To be completely honest, I was able to work out a deal and get an additional 10% off in exchange for giving a review/comparison to my previous plate. That being said I will still give an unbiased report.
First, the fit and finish of the Trail Armor plate is top notch. All the edges are routered, the holes are chamfered top and bottom. It is a very well done product. There are certainly no complaints about the quality of the product.
Installation went well. It was a little tough by myself but so was the one piece. The holes all lined up nicely and the pieces fit well together. I like the angled piece for the front wheel wells however they will not clear 28" tires on factory suspension. I had to cut about a 1/2" wide x 3" length of plastic out of the inside section of the flange because the tire would rub. Again that is 28" tires with stock suspension. Factory 26" tires will clear fine. It's not the end of the world but I wish it could've stayed.
Next on the TA skid is the vent/drainage holes. They are all cut very clean and camfered as previously stated. One complaint is there are a set of roughly 1 1/2" drain holes under the driver side that line up directly below the brake lines. I will post pics. I would like to see those moved. I have terrible luck and I'm afraid its only a matter of time before a stick finds one of those holes and kills my brake line. So far so good though.
Lastly, I was concerned about seams and if the bottom took a hard blow could a seam pop loose? The skid plate comes with a metal strap to put across under the motor where the seam is for the front and center skid sections. This is an area that has been talked about in other threads with a concern that skid plates could flex enough to touch the bottom of the motor or the shifter lever that is right there. This isn't a Trail Armor problem its an issue that Honda should've had another cross member there. I think the plate provided by TA will suffice for the vast majority of riders. If you're a person that is extremely hard on things (like some on this forum) you will want something a little heavier yet. I think the TA solution will suffice for me and I also added just a few extra screws around the center of the under belly on my machine. Thus far the skid plate has performed very well around my home in Iowa and also in the mountains out in Colorado.
So whats the verdict?
I do still really like the idea of having one piece instead of 5. But by the time I buy the sheet and the hardware im only saving a little compared to the Hondasxs discount price of $675. By the time one figures in shipping, taxes, etc, I feel It's not worth the risk just to try and save a few dollars. After all that I have several hours in cutting out and building my own plate. It just isn't worth it. If the price were significantly lower to buy a full 5x10 sheet it would be more tempting to build my own. I would me much happier in the $500 price range but it is what it is.
I want to add one last thing. I emailed my review at probably 9:30 at night. Allison is the gal that read it and she even replied that same night! On top of that their customer service has been top notch every time I talk to them. I really have no complaints.
If you want a great product at a fair price call Trail Armor and get a UHMW skid. You'll be glad you did.
I quickly narrowed down to UHMW (ultra high molecular weight) or HDPE (hight density poly ethylene). Both materials are the poly ethylene family. However UHMW is nearly double the cost of HDPE. I went to a supplier in Des Moines and had a long conversation about the 2 options with a man that has been in the plastic business for over 20 years. I could write much more detail but suffice it to say that UHMW is absolutely superior for wear resistance and is definitely the better choice for a skid plate. UHMW has self lubricating properties which actually became very noticeable.
At the time of machine 1 I did not want to pony up and spend $750 for a piece of plastic. It was hard to justify that to myself so I explored other options. I also enjoy making things myself instead of buying them if its at all possible. It makes you feel more accomplished. I ended up buying a piece of UHMW that was 5ft x 10ft. As it turns out that is the perfect width for the skid and I could cut it to length. It still cost me close to $600 because I was paying retail but I was saving some money compared to $750.
One thing that appealed to me, and still does, was the ability to have one piece front to back with no cracks, joints, seams of any kind. I spent a great deal of time measuring to ensure I made the piece perfectly. If I failed I would have a $600 piece of garbage so the stakes were pretty high. To make a VERY long story short, I built my own skid, I bent it up in the front fender wells, and made it all one piece front to back. It was great, I loved it, it worked very well. The down side is that it was very high risk, and by the time I bought all the bolts, washers, etc, I had spent another $50. So I wasn't saving much. When I installed the plate I actually noticed a big difference in going UP HILL. When going up hill and the belly would drag over rocks, trees etc. there was a significant improvement in how much more easily the machine made it. It was like you greased the bottom and the obstacles were no longer causing so much resistance.
Now on to machine 2. Here I am again trying to avoid spending a pile of money. I found out that Trail Armor offered a 10% discount to forum members so I gave them a call. To be completely honest, I was able to work out a deal and get an additional 10% off in exchange for giving a review/comparison to my previous plate. That being said I will still give an unbiased report.
First, the fit and finish of the Trail Armor plate is top notch. All the edges are routered, the holes are chamfered top and bottom. It is a very well done product. There are certainly no complaints about the quality of the product.
Installation went well. It was a little tough by myself but so was the one piece. The holes all lined up nicely and the pieces fit well together. I like the angled piece for the front wheel wells however they will not clear 28" tires on factory suspension. I had to cut about a 1/2" wide x 3" length of plastic out of the inside section of the flange because the tire would rub. Again that is 28" tires with stock suspension. Factory 26" tires will clear fine. It's not the end of the world but I wish it could've stayed.
Next on the TA skid is the vent/drainage holes. They are all cut very clean and camfered as previously stated. One complaint is there are a set of roughly 1 1/2" drain holes under the driver side that line up directly below the brake lines. I will post pics. I would like to see those moved. I have terrible luck and I'm afraid its only a matter of time before a stick finds one of those holes and kills my brake line. So far so good though.
Lastly, I was concerned about seams and if the bottom took a hard blow could a seam pop loose? The skid plate comes with a metal strap to put across under the motor where the seam is for the front and center skid sections. This is an area that has been talked about in other threads with a concern that skid plates could flex enough to touch the bottom of the motor or the shifter lever that is right there. This isn't a Trail Armor problem its an issue that Honda should've had another cross member there. I think the plate provided by TA will suffice for the vast majority of riders. If you're a person that is extremely hard on things (like some on this forum) you will want something a little heavier yet. I think the TA solution will suffice for me and I also added just a few extra screws around the center of the under belly on my machine. Thus far the skid plate has performed very well around my home in Iowa and also in the mountains out in Colorado.
So whats the verdict?
I do still really like the idea of having one piece instead of 5. But by the time I buy the sheet and the hardware im only saving a little compared to the Hondasxs discount price of $675. By the time one figures in shipping, taxes, etc, I feel It's not worth the risk just to try and save a few dollars. After all that I have several hours in cutting out and building my own plate. It just isn't worth it. If the price were significantly lower to buy a full 5x10 sheet it would be more tempting to build my own. I would me much happier in the $500 price range but it is what it is.
I want to add one last thing. I emailed my review at probably 9:30 at night. Allison is the gal that read it and she even replied that same night! On top of that their customer service has been top notch every time I talk to them. I really have no complaints.
If you want a great product at a fair price call Trail Armor and get a UHMW skid. You'll be glad you did.
