Man Im right there with you about the theory behind the build. I dont really want anything extreme with mine either. Id rather this truck last me decades and my kids have memories in it than anything.

I try to keep this quote in mind, “The Gladiator is the vessel to the fun, not the fun itself” It gets me to this high mountain lakes, or backwoods camp locations, where the fun is. Minimal mods, maximum fun.

You're thought process was the same as mine and I went with ASFIR aluminum skids and been very happy with them.

Dude; this is the absolute hands down best detailed explanation of why one should go with a certain product and how to chose your mods. Thumbs up my man, love it 🤘🏻🔥🤙🏻

Nice edit! “My dads a guinea pig” 😂 kids know everything! 💯🇺🇸

Good vid man. Keep ‘em coming.

Man, this video was really great and its nice to have someone not stuffing premium gear down your ears for 45 mins. I have a '20 Sport with 4.10 gears and will probably go aluminum as well, but because of my previous build which I still have, a V8 swapped 2008 Xterra. It has full aluminum skids with steel sliders, rear locker, bumpers and 35s. I swapped the old 4.0 V6 not because of reliability issues (it actually ran amazing) but because I added alot of weight to small platform and made it a great overland vehicle.

I have been running ASFIR plates for 13 years on my JK. The plates are 1/2 inch hardened aluminum. They have stood up to everything and still look pretty good.

Great video!

Excellent video

I think I finally made up my mind after watching this. I should go aluminum cuz I don't plan to go hardcore off-roading. Just camping and maybe climb a rock or two and I just want the aluminum for added protection.

Getting a ruby gladiator. Never owned a jeep. Thx for the info

2019 Colorado Z71 crew cab long bed. Comes with two little skids, one under the steering gear and one under the transfer case..tiny. Like you, not rock crawling at all, just want some better protection. After adding fiberglass camper shell, 100 lb tool box, two humans and OEM Zr2 sliders, I have about 600 lbs payload left from the original 1472; glad I didn't get the ZR2, it has less payload and tow capacity. You've pretty much convinced me to go aluminum, probably GM as their set up is fairly cheap. Might have to hunt around for transmission and fuel tank which could require combination. Almost went Gladiator but I really need the 6' box and I like the comfort. I'm almost 60. I'm not a brand fan boy, they all have their place I've owned everything except a Nissan and Jeep, going back to a 67 International pickup. All good vehicles with their own quirks. The toughest trails I'll probably ever see are in Big Bend National and State Parks, West t]Texas. You should go there! Nice common sense approach, I'll be watching more of your channel, just subscribed. Gear is gear, travel is travel.

Great looking Jeep and enjoying your videos. I'm very curious to find out where you found your truck bed cross bars? They look like the height I'm looking for. Appreciate the help. Thank you.

3 years still running stock gt. My needs do not include rocks but plenty of sand and mud. The only thing i miss is lower ratio as they stopped offering it on manual jeeps. I did not even upgrade my wheels yet, 😆 as to your skids, I hope they work out for you. I will add some once i need to replace parts. My theory is simple, unless you are towing your jeep to off-road, you are spending 90% of your time on the road, and it should not suck.

Great content also

Same for me in every aspect of my gladiator

I like your thought process behind this build. In the future if you did want to increase payload capacity, what are the main components you would upgrade in order?

What are the bed rack brackets and where are they from? Do they allow you to use most any bed rack and keep the tonneau cover?

I see you ended up with a soft top as some point? How do you like it? Im looking to get soft top right now. Debating to keep the old hard top or not...

Do you have any other skids other than this Belly pan?

Let's go brandon!

A buzzcut... LOL

Man you pay all that money and still had to do custom work to it. I’d be pissed. Problem with aluminum is greater friction on rocks over steel counterparts. The plastic covering material they designed slides well though

Aluminum won’t slide. It will gall and gouge. Steel will slide.

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪💪❤❤❤

You’ve got some of the worst spiders I have ever seen. A good amount of your ability is dependent on the ability of your spotter

drug? use dragged