Well... after the holidays and the rush at our business, and the snow or rain, and a welding project for a friend, (and a bit of a fall down some stairs), I had a clear day at home today to work on the ambulance. Today's project was the elk guard (or, for Ozrockrat, the roo guard). Since these trucks have a front-tilting hood, the guard needs to pivot forward. I've seen lots of them, and taken many a screenshot to save a few favorites. In the end, I went simple.
The uprights are 2x3 inch quarter-inch-wall box tube with 3/4-inch steel pipe welded through them, for the pivot bolt. I did a bit of positioning, with some rebar as a pivot point, to find the right spot that allowed the hood to tilt forward.
And, from the front, this is what the uprights look like...
For the upper crossbar, and the side extensions, I used some 2-inch pipe we had from when we pulled a submersible pump out of our well. Yes, it's galvanized (or was, at one point) and yes I took precautions when grinding and especially welding it.
At the point of these photos, it was just tacked together (stick, 6011) to check fit and alignment. I did need to cut a couple of welds and adjust the passenger-side "wing" and now everything lines up nicely. I finished the root pass welds and need to add the center cross piece and some mesh to protect the grill. But, at least I can see what it looks like and am getting closer to having that done. I pulled off the front bumper and can now drop the winch into its home. A little wiring and that will be functional. Then, on to the rear bumper... after this snow storm we're expecting passes by.
