Somewhere in the back of my mind, the Smittybuilt Atlas keeps popping up as a possibility as well. I've seen several locally, and other than feeling very heavy and having concerns about the latch, they seem pretty decent. Given that I don't want to engage in the "Smittybuilt = poo-built" debate, or the "everything from China sucks" debate, are there any fact based observations out there about that option? A major pro is that it puts a tire and 2 cans on the back of the rig for about 60% of the cost of the others, and in 2-3 days delivered locally versus several weeks, it seems like a workable option.
My original idea to build one was basically something that looked like the Atlas with a few more options added, including a 3rd can. I got pretty well through the center of the bumper, hitch, and tow points, got it mounted, and generally ran out of steam when I started to build the ends of the bumper. My main issue was that I really only have the capacity to bend 15" wide plate on my swag bender, so I'm welding a LOT, and don't know how well that will work in the long run. I also don't have the patience to lay an entire bumper out in CAD then send it out for a one-off laser cut and bend... only to do it 3-4 more times when I screw up. There are plenty of shops that could do it, but I don't have strong working relationships there, and I'm not likely to develop them in building a single bumper. I also don't want to absorb the engineering costs in an attempt to start a business building something that hundreds of others are also building.
Although... I might be willing to put that time and effort into building a 6' press brake. Anyone else tried that?
Thanks, and keep any ideas coming.
