Is there a risk of damaging undercarriage by driving through this?

FloridaMan655321 · Sunday at 4:25 PM

Those weeds are more annoying than dangerous to drive through. I had a Jeep and didn't want to drive through them, but because of the annoyance. If you have to, do it, but if you're able to get a tractor out there and mow them down, that is ideal.

21st Century Truck · Sunday at 5:03 PM

K6CCC said:
@21st Century Truck why don't you search for it since you feel it is an easy search, since I like @trev5150 I can't find anything with about a dozen different search words and phrases.

Here you go:

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...e-shutters-in-bumper.12270/page-5#post-416255

Maquis · Sunday at 9:06 PM

That looks similar to what we call Canadian thistle. It can cause minor cosmetic damage, but I’ve never had it break anything.

GoodSam · 2025-05-12T00:06:21-0700

trev5150 said:
Search results for query: cooler vent protector

I made a 8"x20" aluminum screen from amazon roll and I used 4 thin Tyraps, carefully curved around thicker bars to hold it in place. It would not be heavy duty enough to take hits from sticks jamming straight in, but might work to keep thistles out.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PBM1C2F?
Should find a way to mount a heavy steel bar to the front end and knock those plants down!

Henry Ford · 2025-05-12T06:23:06-0700

L1GHTNING said:
They’re slightly prickly, but you can drive over them easily. Are they safe to drive across slowly?

Is your truck a pretty princess or is it FORD TOUGH?

You can drive across those pathetic weeds at any speed you want. I recommend doing donuts over them so they know who's boss!

jjupi91897 · 2025-05-12T12:04:55-0700

L1GHTNING said:
I went to some open land that we have access to and it’s about 50acres long. Trying to get supplies across to the other side and I noticed these tall weeds.

They’re slightly prickly, but you can drive over them easily. Are they safe to drive across slowly? Is there any risk of damaging something important underneath the vehicle? Coolant lines/batteries/etc.

AI OVERVIEW:
"The Ford F-150 Lightning is capable of handling some rough terrain, thanks to its four-wheel drive, locking rear differential, and strong torque. However, it's not specifically designed or marketed as a dedicated off-roader. While it can manage moderate trails, steep or highly technical terrain might be challenging without modifications."

subseavet · 2025-05-12T13:50:07-0700

21st Century Truck said:
This is another good reason to pop on the aftermarket hexagon grille onto the front cooler opening... it's cheap insurance to protect stuff from gathering on top of the very inclined radiator and it works well and looks OEM. Described in other threads here, easy to locate via the SEARCH function.

I have made that upgrade using the supplier many others have in the links here and it is awesome at keeping this kind of debris out of the cooler. Super easy to install and it's robust enough to last, and easy to replace if it gets damaged.