Rear differential guard?

Did some minor off roading the other day. On a small creek crossing one rear tire fell into a deeper than expected hole in the creek. The rear diff hit a rock. The damage is very minor, just a small, I mean small, ding to that angled rib that is on the front of the diff housing. Gotta be more careful in the future.

That brings me to the question: has anyone seen some kind of guard or shield for the diff? It seems to be the lowest hanging object. Sure being positioned between the rear tires it gets the "protection" of riding up and down with the tires. But that's not perfect and in some conditions could take a serious hit.

Upon looking at it I'm at a loss as to how a guard could be attached...would have to be attached to the diff itself and that kind of defeats the purpose. Maybe some "sacrificial" material, say an aluminum guard in front of the diff that would collapse should it get hit and save the diff housing itself. Just thinking...

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

https://rcimetalworks.com/product-category/toyota/tundra/2022-2023-tundra/

 

well there you go now, as they say. Good find

 

Do you have a lift already?

 

A lift doesn't raise the rear axle. And going to 35" tires only raises the rear diff a little over an inch higher than stock 32" tires.
I'm guessing adding a skid plate would lose any ground clearance gained by taller tires and might even get damaged easier than the diff housing itself. Might even cause you to get hung up, depending on the situation.
Start with taller tires.

 

No lift. I think the best solution is just to be more careful.