Sump Guards / Bash Plates
When venturing off road the risk of vehicle damage greatly increases and the most vulnerable part of the vehicle is the undercarriage. On older vehicles with solid axles front and back, the axle itself offered a lot of protection and that will usually get caught on rocks before anything important gets damaged. Although it is still possible to damage a solid axle, the risk is much greater that a vehicle with independent suspension will have its vulnerable bits damaged on an off road trail.
Vehicle manufacturers usually underestimate the terrain where their vehicles will be used and the protection plates they offer as standard equipment are ridiculously thin and really not up to the task of protecting a 2 ton vehicle against a rock or any other feature that might get in the way.
When a rock hits an insufficient protection plate a vehicle can be damaged in many ways. The plate can put a dent in the sump which in turn can damage the oil intake and that results in catastrophic engine failure. Some vehicles have their radiators and intercoolers exposed by the factory protection plate and one hard knock can destroy the radiator. Then there are also sensitive diff actuation components on IFS vehicles that can easily be damaged.
Fortunately there are a few companies that have realised there’s a serious problem and offer some excellent products to protect the bottom of your vehicle. These plates range from about R1500 to R3500. To me this is an excellent investment compared to the possible damage you can incur. I would go so far as to say that if you buy a vehicle with independent front suspension, this should be the first modification you do and if you don’t want any modifications on your vehicle, have an aftermarket sump guard fitted regardless! That is exactly what I did, and before I went off road for the first time with my vehicle, I already had the new sump guard fitted.
A few companies make sump guards or bash plates as they are sometimes referred to, but I can highly recommend the products made by Stofpad 4×4. Have a look at their website at www.stofpad4×4.co.za .
A good quality plate should have the following characteristics:
-Should be made of 3-5mm mild steel or stainless steel, or at least 8mm if made from aluminium.
-It should bolt securely to the vehicle and bolting points should offer solid support and be able to handle the weight of the vehicle.
-The bolts should be protected from possible damage.
-On an IFS vehicle it should protect the engine sump, the front differential and anything else vulnerable like the radiator, oil coolers or inter cooler.
-On a SFA vehicle the plate should protect the engine as the front differential is exposed and away from the engine.
-There should be sufficient space behind the plate should it be slightly bent during an impact not to cause damage to anything behind the plate.
-It must still be removable should it get damaged.
-Corrosion protection of some kind is a good idea. Even though the bottom of the plate will have that protection scraped off at some point, the rest of the plate shouldn’t rust.
-An access panel to the sump plug will make your mechanic’s life a lot easier and you won’t have to pay for the labour to remove it every time you get an oil change.
-The plate should still allow for sufficient airflow to the radiator and other coolers.
I’ve had my for-fours bash plate on my Triton from the day I picked it up from the dealer. It is now over a year old and still doing its job extremely well. I can go up or down any hill, and although I can hear the bash plate scraping on the ground and hitting rocks, I know nothing will happen to the delicate parts of my vehicle.
This is what the standard bash plate on a hilux looks like. It's actually one of the best standard plates, but still made of very thin plate.
This is what the Hilux For-Fours bash plate looks like.
For-Fours bash plate for a Colt.
Toyota Prado bash plate.
The brand new bash plate on my Triton.
After 6 months of abuse I took the plate off to inspect my vehicle for damage. There was absolutely no damage eventhough the plate had quite a few dings and scrapes.
And after a year of abuse the plate is still retaining it's shape and doing it's job very well.