2012+ Tacoma Bumper Shake

[Tacoma13SR5]

Good day ExpeditionWorld. I have a 2013 Tacoma Double Cab and I currently have an AllPro APEX series bumper on it. I've noticed lately that it tends to shake quite a bit compared to when I first bought it back in 2013. I know one other member on here has the same issue I am having. Does anyone else out there deal with this with any other aftermarket bumper? Thanks for your time everyone.

 

[kai38]

My ARB also shakes like bolts are missing.
I asked an ARB rep at SEMA and was told the way the bar mounts to frame, using sub frame mount makes it shake.
I don't know how the ALLPRO mounts maybe this helps?

 

[Andy@AAV]

Is it loose when you grab it and shake it? It could be that the body is actually moving and since the bumper is fixed to the frame it seems like that is what is moving. I thought my ARB was shaking, but its really the hood and body that are moving slightly. That made it seem like it was shaking all over the place when on rough roads.

 

[Tacoma13SR5]

From what you're saying, it might be the body moving in comparison to the bumper. Sometimes at night when my fog lights are on, I see the bumper shaking in comparison to maybe the body of my truck moving. I've noticed on some videos people have posted on youtube of the ARB shaking while they go over some rough terrain and just think to myself that that's not normal. But, maybe it is? I'm sure those who weld their bumpers on don't experience it at all.

 

[lugueto]

For ride comfort reasons, the body mounts on more modern cars are softer than they used to be. This means the body doesn't vibrate as bad due to the dampening abilities of the body mounts. If your bumper is solidly mounted (check this), then the shake you can see is the frame moving relative to the chassis.

This is perfectly normal, I was worried when I first installed ARB bumpers in my vehicles and they have worked flawlessly for years. One even took a pretty good hit and scoffed at it. You'll get used to it...

 

[Tacoma13SR5]

All sound explanations. I appreciate it.

 

[bknudtsen]

I recently parted with a Tacoma with an ARB, and I am keenly aware of the shake you describe. If it were the body shaking, don't you think you'd feel it vibrate in sync with the bouncing bumper? You are sitting inside the body after all. I believe that the Tacoma's "frame horns" are inadequate to support the weight of the ARB. Just think about what you removed when you installed the ARB. A couple of pieces of plastic and an aluminum bar. It weighed nothing in comparison to what was added. I can guarantee you that the Toyota engineers did not spec the frame-end bumper mounts for the weight of an ARB bumper. IMHO, what you and I are/were seeing is movement in the end of the frame, not the body.

 

[ADVW/Liam]

I agree with bknudtsen. Mine has shaked since day one. Guess there is nothing I can do about it, specially now that I am at "bingo" in refrence to cost of replacement of the vehicle. I'm going to drive this Tacoma into the ground, or give it to my 4 year old when he turns 16. Whichever one comes first.

 

[lugueto]

bknudtsen, have you seen a modern pickup truck bed shaking? a Tundra for example? This clearly shows the difference between the cab riding on rubber mounts and the bed being directly mounted to the cab.

The part that's actually shaking is the frame under the body, the vibration is dampened by the rubber body mounts so the body shakes less. Why would you feel the frame vibrating if the mount's job is to filter out the vibration?

 

[bknudtsen]

bknudtsen, have you seen a modern pickup truck bed shaking? a Tundra for example? This clearly shows the difference between the cab riding on rubber mounts and the bed being directly mounted to the cab.

The part that's actually shaking is the frame under the body, the vibration is dampened by the rubber body mounts so the body shakes less. Why would you feel the frame vibrating if the mount's job is to filter out the vibration?

I never said that you would or would not feel the frame vibrating, just that if it were the body vibrating, you would feel that.

 

[Tacoma13SR5]

It's been a while, but I do believe I found the issue as to why my bumper is shaking. After a hit and run accident back in October of 2013, I noticed this past weekend that where the AllPro bumper mounts to the frame, the mounts are "pulled out" and bent. There is a gap between the bumper and the mount and even the welds on the frame where the bumper mounts are cracked in certain spots. I have an uncle that's a professional welder and knows cars, so he may be able to assist me on this one.

 

[Cascadian_Matt]

Hey guys, hate bringing up a old thread but wanted to pass along some info...
The movement you are seeing is from the flexing of the frame. No matter what bumper you install, that frame is still going to be bouncing all over the place. One of the differences with the ARB is that you can easily see the hoops/frame. The same frame shake happens to the factory crash beam, but its hidden under the bumper skin.

Fact is the Toyota has had a known issue since the Prado 120 platform was introduced. MANY FJ Cruisers (and going back to the Prado's oversees) have had their inner fenders split from the metal's fatigue caused be the constant flexing across the entire front end. Go take a look at one of the FJ Cruiser forums and read some of their experiences. All of that happens with or without an aftermarket bumper. From some of the polls they made, it happens more to stock vehicles. The going theory is that aftermarket bumpers add some rigidity between the frames above what the factory bumper does.

Those connections comes to play here because the Tacoma, 4Runner and Tacoma all use basically the same front structure. The inner fender tearing isn't happening as much, but the movement between the frame horns is pretty much the same. Fun stuff!