Protecting Your New Ford Bronco: Adding Skid Plates, Bumpers, and Other Armor Upgrades

We’ve all been there, you're bouncing along a trail, having a great time, when you hear (and feel!) the impact - you’ve misjudged your clearance, and now, all you can do is hope you haven’t caused catastrophic damage to your rig, in the middle of nowhere. All it takes is one close call, and you’re on the hunt for ways to armor up your truck. We’ve got access to all the best brands around when it comes to protecting the underside of your truck, and we’ll make sure you’re covered.

There are a few things to consider before you make the purchase, but we’ve got all the information you need to make the right choices for your Bronco armor.

Yeah, they look great. But bumpers are an incredibly functional piece of your Bronco armor. Front and rear bumpers not only offer substantial protection from impact, but they add a ton of versatility, too. If you want to add LED lighting, a winch, a tire carrier, or even mount things like fuel cans or a jack to your rig, a new set of bumpers just might be the best way to do it.

Our favorite bumper for the Bronco is the Addictive Desert Designs Rock Fighter. With the Rock Fighter bumper, you’ve got freedom to add accessories and lighting, and it’s fully compatible with ADD’s skid plates, which will come into play next.

The type of driving you'll be doing is an important consideration when choosing truck armor. If you'll be doing a lot of off-roading, you'll want to choose skid plates that are made from heavy-duty materials like heavy-gauge aluminum. The ADD line has options, to suit the look at abuse-level you need. Consider the Addictive Desert Designs Rock Fighter skids for maximum strength and durability, and the ability to work with a bumper from the same series. It’s got an aggressive look, and will take all the road, er…trail, rash you can throw at it.

Just make sure whatever bumper you’ve got allows the skid plates you’re looking at to fit (or consider buying a family of armor that works together from jump.

Another important consideration when choosing truck armor is the level of protection you need. If you'll be doing extreme off-roading, you'll want skid plates and armor that provide full coverage and maximum protection, from front to rear.

When you’re really dragging your truck through the tough stuff, you should take a look at a skid plate for your rear diff as well - the last thing you want is to be tangled up, with a destroyed diff, halfway up a trail. Avoid the smelly oil spill, and keep your truck on the trails with a rear diff skid plate like the ones offered by DV8 Offroad. With every level of abuse that you throw at your truck, you can level up a little further. Then you can start to fill in the blanks in between. Need a transmission skid plate? Ready to protect your transfer case? Check out the great options from Mishimoto, and know that you’re not just buying car parts - you’re buying peace of mind.

On the other hand, if you'll be driving on mostly paved roads with the occasional dirt road thrown in for family camping trips, you can choose less aggressive skid plates made from lightweight materials - the ADD Stealth Fighter line is designed to match the factory lines on your truck, and clean up the look of your truck, without changing it altogether.

Rock sliders are forgotten about, or waved off as a step, by a lot of people, but they’re a great way to protect a brand new truck - ensuring comfort and daily drivability for years to come. If you accidentally come off a ledge and pinch your door frame, you’ll regret it every time you have to fight with your door (assuming you can get it open). A well-constructed slider like the Dominator Extreme DSS from Go Rhino is designed to keep body damage from your truck by absorbing the impact through sturdy steel bars, and it includes integrated, unobtrusive steps for extra convenience that doesn’t limit your ground clearance.

When you’ve got rock sliders, the sliders take the hit, your truck keeps functioning as intended. There are options that bolt on or weld on, so make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into when it comes to your installation.