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Your cart is empty.If you are going to do a lot of off-roading the Backbone from Body Armor 4x4 is an essential accessory to have for your Jeep. This handy 4-in-1 tool acts as a skid plate, wheel chock, recovery point and a step fitting right into your 2" hitch. Made of 1/4" heavy duty steel the Backbone is treated with a e-coat finish to withstand the harsh protecting it from corrosion.
Colin Kappe
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2024
I haven’t gotten any real use out of this yet, but initial thoughts are that it’s solidly built and it should work great to protect my hitch and potentially my rear bumper on steep off road encounters. It fits the hitch on my 2018 Nissan Titan like a glove just barely sliding under the chain loops, and the added bonus that it can act as a step is a plus. Wouldn’t hesitate to purchase again.
Joseph Szklarz
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024
This skid is effective and the best value I found online. It helps the rear departure of a Gladiator slide on/off steep grades rather than scrape. It protects the receiver and plastic bumper cover! It also offers a bonus step to access the truck bed.
Connor
Reviewed in Canada on March 4, 2024
Bought this for our cold winters in Canada, you never know when someone might slide into you and I view it as the r cheapest insurance I’ve ever purchased! Fit the hitch well, few pin settings incase you have a spare tire hanging off and need the clearance. Also makes a good recovery point.
Woodsy
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023
I’ve used this hitch in Moab and it has been super durable and dependable, and has never bent until I got rear ended at a stop light today. I have bashed it on rocks and had half the weight sliding on the rocks, I’ve only had to spray paint it to keep it from rusting/ It has prevented any damage to my vehicle and continued to impress me with how stout and dependable it has been. I loved how amazing it has preformed, so I have purchased a new one right away to replace this one.
Customer
Reviewed in Australia on November 3, 2023
A simple but very effective way to protect the vehicle body work when out and about on difficult 4x4 tracks. Also adding protect to the rear of the vehicle when packing in areas with low barres /bollards etc.
Z.H.
Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2023
Good value for the money. Seems well made. It does wobble like others mentioned, so if that bothers you, clamp it down. I hope it lasts. Pictured mounted to Toyota 4Runner.
Stephanie
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2022
I bought this as a gift for my fiancé and it was well worth it! It looks great on the truck and is excellent quality. It also helped us avoid damage to the truck. Another driver rear-ended us while in traffic, going about 20 mph, but there was no damage done. Had the hitch not been there, there would have been some damage for sure.
Zenith
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2022
Although this is installed on an RDX, used for light FSRs, the dual function as a hitch step and even rear end protection makes it a worth while buyPros:Good constructionWell done paint jobSturdy step with grip up topCons:Rattles (Anti-Rattle Receiver Pin will stop the rattling)
Nomad
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2022
I purchased this along with the Go Rhino anti-wobble shackle ($20) and threw on some rubber caps for the bolts, along with some anti-seize lubricant. Unfortunately, due to the design of this skid plate, you have to install the anti-wobble shackle upside down. This exposes the bolts on the upper side, and I live in the rust belt. I put the anti-seize on and capped the bolts to make it easier to remove later on and to keep it from rusting as much as possible. I do wish I didn’t have to deal with this fix, but the wobble did bother me since I’m using it as a step. Now, it’s locked on tight and I can access my roof rack with ease.This thing is sturdy. I bought it for rear end protection (a lot of those other flimsy looking steps didn’t look good and crumple right into your bumper). I also wanted a step to access the roof rack on my 4Runner. Lastly, having a skid plate in this position is nice as well. That’s probably the order of my priorities.So far it looks and feels great. I hope the top plate doesn’t rust. I’ll update if it does rust prematurely and I’ll try to see if I can mitigate that. But for now, it looks fantastic. Less worries in the parking lot and on the road. If someone wants to pull too far forward, it’ll be their problem.If you are willing to either deal with it being wobbly (I didn’t hear it while driving, but felt it while using it as a step) or install a fix like I did (easy and cheap) then this is perfect.Realistically it would be preferred that it didn’t wobble from the start… but aside from that it’s all good.
Felix D. Cat
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2021
Thoughtful design. Well made. Quality materials. Well finished/painted. Nice welds. Looks good. As a hitch step I’m certain that it can support the weight of any human being. I weigh 200 lbs and vigorously jumping up and down on it induced not even a hint of flexing or bending. This thing is as solid as rock. Heavy. I wouldn’t want to rear-end a vehicle which has one of these installed. I don’t off-road...however there’s plenty of potential for vehicle damage on our public roads from other (inattentive) drivers these days which is why it’s now menacingly hanging off the back of my 2018 Sorento. As for rattle abatement I hammered a composite shim (a wood shim would work as well but a composite shim won’t shrink, swell or crack and they break off cleanly at the length desired) between the skid’s shank and my receiver tube from the backside of my hitch tube and broke it off at the appropriate length when it would wedge no more so that I could reinsert the rubber receiver plug on the backside of my receiver tube. Thanks to another reviewer for that tip. If the shim works it’s way out I’ll take another approach to mitigate any rattle. So far so good. No regrets buying this beast.
Marc Barry
Reviewed in Canada on April 7, 2021
Installed on my 2019 Ram 1500 Classic. Fit perfect. Straight as an arrow. Put a lock on it and it doesn't have any noticeable rattle. I body matched painted the steel plate and I've had lot of compliments and people asking where I got it. Step works great and will provide a bit of protection if someone bumps the rear end.
Andrew Tang
Reviewed in Canada on June 20, 2020
This thing paid for itself today. I got rear ended by a F150 while waiting at a traffic light and it protected my bumper and potentially tailgate. My only complaint is that it's prone to rusting, so I recommend spraying some sort of protection like cosmoline.
Jason Smith
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2020
The Body Armor Skid Plate/Step looks great on my 2020 Toyota Tacoma Off-Road V6 AT LB and it looks pretty sturdy made out of thick metal. Some of the other reviewers mentioned that they had issues with fitment of this skid plate on their hitch and while I didnt have any problems getting the first two holes to fit on my hitch I did have some other fitment issues for example:1) I couldnt get the hitch pin on my hitch lock to work with the body armor skid plate/step because the bottom plate is so close to the hitch, I used some rubber o-rings instead.2) I couldnt use a hitch tightener which makes it so that the skid plate doesnt wobble around when you step on it or while your driving for the same reason (the bottom of the skid plate it too close to the hitch leaving no room for a hitch tightener)Overall though I would say that this is a very sturdy skid plate/step that will definitely protect the bottom/back of your vehicle but it could use some minor improvements to make it better thats why I didnt give it a perfect score.
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