Heavy Duty Bumpers for Expedition/Overland Use: Practical Necessity or Superfluous an

[rxinhed]

A Ramsey front bumper with REP8000 winch came with my new Ramcharger; however, I finally have a chassis for my Iron Horse with folding crane. I have a set of sliders from my Montero parts bin that are the perfect length, too. I am going to convert the 1/2-ton suspension and axles to Dana 60s and 3/4-t front springs and 1-t rear. My goal is to haul our horse trailer and similar loads for our ranch.

 

[JeremyT101]

Martinjmpr, i know this is slightly off topic for this thread, but what are your thoughts on your current tire selection? I was thinking of putting those Hankooks on my truck, how have they fared for you?

 

[Borrego60]

Bumper replacement was the first thing I did to the 03 tundra, I have been in head to head crashe not my fault. I switched out the factory bumper 20 pounds of plastic for a ARB Sahara bumper 170 lbs hit me now. I do feel alot safer with that bumper up front.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Martinjmpr, i know this is slightly off topic for this thread, but what are your thoughts on your current tire selection? I was thinking of putting those Hankooks on my truck, how have they fared for you?

Love 'em. They do great in the snow and they have been great in the desert (Moab) as well. They also did very well on some rocky trails in CO last year (Schofield Pass.) No complaints at all.

 

[98dango]

hear is my finished bumper it came out at 61lbs a little heavier than i hoped.

 

[01tundra]

I personally prefer the more simple, lighter approach now a days.......

 

[craig333]

I"m just waiting for the cash to do an aluminum bumper. I'd love to do a Reunel, they're only an hour away, but with the dodge every pound counts. Will I hit anything? Its pretty much inevitable unless I want to stay home.

I was rear ended coming home from work. I had visions of massive damage to my camper. Luckily she hit my trailer hitch. Punched a nice hole in her car. Didn't even remove the rust from the ball. I'd rather know I have some protection than have to wait for an insurance check.

Oh, I don't think they're ugly. No rear bumper, now thats ugly.

 

[REDrum]

Like the photos from down under show, a full "bull bar" does offer more than just a place to mount winch, land limb risers, and add machismo--they could mean getting back to civilization, or not, after an abrupt encounter with a large animal. And, yes, they do help keep to "keep it real" in the Whole Foods parking lot too...

 

[bob91yj]

I hate the way most of the bumpers stick out so far. I think the extra length of some of them makes the approach angle a wash. Anyone know of a bumper that doesn't have the parcel shelf as part of the design?

 

[McZippie]

Would a DIY and/or aftermarket Expo type front bumper change how an airbag would 'trigger-off' in an accident?

 

[Regcabguy]

I live 20 minutes from Aluminess and have toured their factory a few times. Their product is the only way to go for strength without too much weight. When you figure in the standard powdercoating,and outrageous $85 installation,they are very competitive.
I love that place.

 

[E.J.]

Besides the other benefits mentioned (place to mount a winch, recovery points, more rugged than stock, etc) I'm a little surprised that nobody yet has mentioned the improvement in the approach angle. Modern vehicles all seem to have these low-hanging air dams, probably to improve airflow and to eke out that last little bit of fuel economy (so as to get closer to CAFE standards.) But that low approach angle can hurt you when you're approaching a steep rocky road.

Maximizing approach angle was the number one design consideration behind mine. Every little bit counts with a rig like this.

 

[TheAlmightySam]

^ That Forester is totally rad. Have you got a build thread anywhere for it?

 

[E.J.]

Thanks Sam, I've got a journal over at offroadsubarus.com documenting most of the mods.

 

[brushogger]

For all us Full Size folks make sure to look at Aluminess, they make some amazing light weight but super strong bumpers.
I had one on my Sportmobile front & rear and let me tell you I was able to winch my 11,000lb rig off the front bumper without a worry.
The rear bumper had really cool storage and held a 35in Nitto Trail Grappler without an issue on 1 swingout and a big ol' box full of stuff on the other side.
http://www.aluminess.com

Yeah they are not cheap but that is part of what happens when you think about saving the weight but have it be well engineered.
And they are a great company that uses their product also.

Now if only I could get them to make something for my 70 Burb

I live 20 minutes from Aluminess and have toured their factory a few times. Their product is the only way to go for strength without too much weight. When you figure in the standard powdercoating,and outrageous $85 installation,they are very competitive.
I love that place.

X2 . My Aluminess FJ cruiser bumpers are due to ship the 1st or 2nd week of June. The winch bumper 43lb.s. The rear with dual swingaways for spare and 3 fuel cans 75lbs. I cant' wait! They are great guys to deal with too. I wish I only lived 20 min from them. The price on the bumpers is reasonable for what it is. The shipping to Oklahoma is a #$%^&!