Steel vs. Aluminum for bumpers?

bkbroiler00

Observer
Howdy - It's the age old debate, like Chevy vs. Ford, Pepsi vs. Coke, Heinz vs Hunts, East vs. West, Jordan vs. Lebron, up vs. down...(you get the idea)

I've seen a few threads where this topic pops up, but not a full thread dedicated to it. So, what are people's thoughts? Obviously weight is a big consideration, but how does that stack up to the strength? After all, rubbing is racing, and bumpers are meant for protection, right? Especially against rocks, hard places, winching, pre-roadkill, other vehicles, etc. There's probably a longevity factor to think about, too. What else is there to consider?

Cheers :victory:
 
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AFBronco235

Crew Chief
For something that is meant to also take the weight of the vehicle during a recovery, I'd go with steel the whole way. The weight issue can be minimized by being smart and not trying to throw a cow catcher on there. Keep is simple and keep it light. It also has the benefit of being simpler to repair if its damaged. Cut and weld basically. Of course, it would take an awful lot to damage it.

Aluminum bumpers are lighter, but they're not as durable. Working on aircraft, I work with aluminum a LOT and I know what it can and can't take. Its decent with compression forces, but not so great with tension or pulling forces, such as when you're stuck in the mud and need a tow to get out. Now if you're never going to be in a situation where getting stuck is possible, then I guess its a non issue. Then again, if that were the case, you wouldn't need to swap out bumpers in the first place. Alluminum is also a LOT more brittle than people think. It can flex some, but once you reach its elasticity point, which doesn't take much, it starts to break down quickly with repeated flexing and eventually just snaps. Steel tends to be more forgiving in that area, due to its greater ductility.

Repairs for aluminum can be a real b*$!(# too. Welding aluminum is dangerous due to the VERY poisonous gas given off by burning aluminum. If welding isn't possible, then rivets and patch panels need to be used, and we're talking 2 rows of rivets, 1 inch apart with rivets spaced 1 inch to make it strong enough.

The short story is, I just can't see aluminum bumpers standing up to the punishment that steel ones often see. And that additional punishment is usually the reason for installing an aftermarket bumper.
 

BajaSportsmobile

Baja Ironman
First off, aluminum is not dangerous to weld, no deadly gasses - no more so than steel.

The weight saving is huge. I don't know the numbers but I can easily hold an Aluminess front or rear bumper up to a van by myself while someone bolts it on. My Stainless Steel Reunel bumper takes two big guys and is still a strain. My guess is 85 lbs vs. +250 lbs.

The Aluminess bumpers are very strong! We lift 10,000 lbs vans from them all the time with no flex or bending. I would never be concerned about their strength...

We see a lot of vans in the shop and ALL of them with steel bumpers more than a few years old are rusty, bent, flaking and rattle. Even my Stainless Steel bumper rusts down by the beach where we live.

We have installed a lot of Aluminess products and their bumpers are very well built. My only thought would be an upgraded latch system.

I just sold a Gobi steel roof rack - it weighed three times what an aluminum rack weighs. Aluminess racks are all pretty much custom built to customers needs.

Chris' new "Modular" Extruded Aluminum roof rack looks like a great way to go. It should be very light and strong and offer flexibility of add-ons and accessories.

We have been working with extruded aluminum for interior products and it is cool to work with, very versatile, but a little pricey.

Of course, nothing good is cheap.
 

ujoint

Supporting Sponsor
The 92-07 Aluminess front bumper is ~75 lbs. My FB001 is 37 and we make it with thicker material than we would if using steel.

I like to use Aluminum anywhere we can to save weight and to avoid corrosion. With everyone looking at MPG's its a no brainer.
 
Corrosion still happens. Road salt and aluminum don't go well together.
The 92-07 Aluminess front bumper is ~75 lbs. My FB001 is 37 and we make it with thicker material than we would if using steel.

I like to use Aluminum anywhere we can to save weight and to avoid corrosion. With everyone looking at MPG's its a no brainer.
 

WUzombies

Adventurer
Corrosion still happens. Road salt and aluminum don't go well together.

I'm building out of steel primarily due to material cost, but if my numbers are right my front bumper shouldn't be more than about 150lbs...guess we'll see.

Side note, when I was a full time skydiver I wore aluminum sunglasses (Gatorz) and destroyed a pair each summer due to sweat salt corrosion. You don't want to know what the wing interiors looked like on some of those 182s and Otters! Aluminum can and will experience corrosion, although differently than steel.

How about titanium for weight and corrosion? :bike_rider:
 

indecisivebrad

New member
Someone should point out that when talking steel or aluminum there are many varieties to choose from. Is your choice of steel 4140 or 8620? Is your choice of aluminum 2014 or 5052? The 3 or 4 digit code found before the word steel or aluminum are what really matters and are often overlooked or ignored. The right form of aluminum will be vastly superior to the wrong form of steel and vice versa. Using the term steel or aluminum to describe a manufactured good is as accurate as describing your truck or van as a transportation device; yes it's accurate, but it's about as vague as you can get.

And yes I used a semicolon, a comma and an apostrophe in the same sentence :victory:
 

goodtimes

Expedition Poseur
The the biggest problems I see with aluminum are:

Tools & equipment: there are a ton of weekend warriors that have tools/equipment to work with steel, but far fewer that can work with aluminum.

Material cost & availability: It's relatively expensive & significantly harder to get. For every aluminum supply house, there are 4 or 5 steel suppliers.

Familiarity: There are a ton of us weekend warriors out here that are comfortable working with steel. We know sizes & rough strengths/weaknesses of specific stock. We can build roll cages, bumpers, skid plates, etc., out of steel all day long without really thinking about it. With aluminum, we're not so sure. Over time, I think this will diminish significantly. Once the masses figure out how to use it appropriately, more people will be accepting of it, & it will become main stream.
 

ujoint

Supporting Sponsor
Corrosion still happens. Road salt and aluminum don't go well together.

Very good point, especially if you leave it raw!

The the biggest problems I see with aluminum are:

Tools & equipment: there are a ton of weekend warriors that have tools/equipment to work with steel, but far fewer that can work with aluminum.

Material cost & availability: It's relatively expensive & significantly harder to get. For every aluminum supply house, there are 4 or 5 steel suppliers.

Familiarity: There are a ton of us weekend warriors out here that are comfortable working with steel. We know sizes & rough strengths/weaknesses of specific stock. We can build roll cages, bumpers, skid plates, etc., out of steel all day long without really thinking about it. With aluminum, we're not so sure. Over time, I think this will diminish significantly. Once the masses figure out how to use it appropriately, more people will be accepting of it, & it will become main stream.

True
 

Ryanmb21

Expedition Leader
My aluminess bumper with bull bar weighs about 75lbs, the comparable ARB is ~150lbs. So to add the (unnecessary in my case) strength I would pay 100% weight penalty.

What is the % of payload you dedicate to all that steel armor?
 

simple

Adventurer
The big 300lb steel bumpers aren't really an option in my opinion. They add too much weight onto the front suspension.
 

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