Question about bull bars and bumpers
- Thread starter Thelgord
- Start date
toyotech
Expedition Leader
Which bumpers require cutting anything? Most are direct bolt on.
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US Offroad requires removing the hook and cutting off the loop, Body Armor 4x4 requires removal of the hook, as does road armor ...
[edit] at least they do for the 2012-15 Tacoma [/edit]
[edit 2] not that it really matters much as most people (more reading) seem to consider these as week metal and not to be trusted if your are REALLY stuck. [/edit 2]
[edit] at least they do for the 2012-15 Tacoma [/edit]
[edit 2] not that it really matters much as most people (more reading) seem to consider these as week metal and not to be trusted if your are REALLY stuck. [/edit 2]
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plainjaneFJC
Deplorable
I didn't cut anything for my aluminess.
Clutch
<---Pass
Yes. Aluminum can be built to withstand similar impacts as steel, it is more expensive and harder to work with is the reason it isn't more popular
Not all plate bumpers are created equal, take the ARB for an example, there are crush cans between the bumper and frame of the truck, they are there to absorb impact...some other manufactures don't have that.
plainjaneFJC
Deplorable
That was one reason I chose not to go with the ARB. You cant pull from the bumper, then again I would probably use the factory recovery points so I guess its just a matter of what you like. I wanted mine a bit different.
Clutch
<---Pass
Opposite for me, main reason I bought an ARB was for animal strikes...and winching is well...waaay down the list...coffee table seems to be its' number 1 use.
Though...pretty useless against with Moose and Elk up here in Idaho. Ok for the small mulies in SOAZ...came "this" close to using it one day, almost hit a mulie going 75 down the highway...almost, ******** puckering moment for sure (whew!)
While in AZ, never felt the need for winch...now in Idaho...definitely feel like I need one here.
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Louisd75
Adventurer
That's not my experience with the ARB. It's been a while since I installed mine, but my fuzzy memory recalls that the bolts going into the end cap of the frame prevented the bumper from moving away from the truck with a hard pull. The bolts would allow the bumper to move aft in the event of a collision. I've definitely has no issues with winching other than a known issue with the relatively weak end caps on the first generation of Tacoma's.
brianjwilson
Some sort of lost...
Meh air bags are expensive! I'm sure it doesn't take much to set them off in a Tacoma. If you look at the front end with the plastic bumper removed it is pathetic. Just a thin aluminum little crash bar. A 1/4" aluminum bumper will provide much more protection. Maybe not from larger animals, but definitely smaller animals and light impacts. I'd be afraid a 10mph impact in the front of a tacoma would put it out of commission.
An aluminum plate bumper gets my vote. Better clearance, better protection, carries a winch and fairly light st 55lbs for a pelfreybilt. The ARB or other steel bumpers are heavy. The us offroad winch carrier isn't a bad setup, and is more reasonably priced, but if I remember right it weighs 65lbs. Does not improve front end clearance. However it would add some small amount of protection for the radiator/trans cooler etc.
The front hitches with portable winch mounts seem like a good idea, but in practice I didn't like it. A winch on a portable mount is big, heavy and awkward. And either you carry it all the time, or you don't have it when you need it. It sucks getting stuck in 2' of snow, sliding off of a trail out in the mountains, and having to climb into the back of the rig and drag the winch around. It sticks out too far to leave it up front while off road.
An aluminum plate bumper gets my vote. Better clearance, better protection, carries a winch and fairly light st 55lbs for a pelfreybilt. The ARB or other steel bumpers are heavy. The us offroad winch carrier isn't a bad setup, and is more reasonably priced, but if I remember right it weighs 65lbs. Does not improve front end clearance. However it would add some small amount of protection for the radiator/trans cooler etc.
The front hitches with portable winch mounts seem like a good idea, but in practice I didn't like it. A winch on a portable mount is big, heavy and awkward. And either you carry it all the time, or you don't have it when you need it. It sucks getting stuck in 2' of snow, sliding off of a trail out in the mountains, and having to climb into the back of the rig and drag the winch around. It sticks out too far to leave it up front while off road.
So many choices ... Now aluminum is in the mix ...
Honestly I can't see myself going with an aluminum plate bumper. Maybe I'm just too old school, but with steel you don't really have to worry to much about it being engineered correctly, it's just steel and you know it's strong. Of course I also have a truck with a plastic bed so ... maybe I should try to find one in the wild to see first hand before I decide. I am however leaning toward the ARB steel bumper.
The US Off-road option is good if you don't want to change the look of your taco, but as others have pointed out, it does nothing to improve clearance. Then again the cost is a lot lower.
I really appreciate all of the feed back this thread has gotten. You all really know your stuff and the wealth of experience is amazing.
Honestly I can't see myself going with an aluminum plate bumper. Maybe I'm just too old school, but with steel you don't really have to worry to much about it being engineered correctly, it's just steel and you know it's strong. Of course I also have a truck with a plastic bed so ... maybe I should try to find one in the wild to see first hand before I decide. I am however leaning toward the ARB steel bumper.
The US Off-road option is good if you don't want to change the look of your taco, but as others have pointed out, it does nothing to improve clearance. Then again the cost is a lot lower.
I really appreciate all of the feed back this thread has gotten. You all really know your stuff and the wealth of experience is amazing.
I have a plate bumper on my truck (03 gmc Yukon), from my experience with that, be prepared to upgrade suspension at the same time as the bumper is installed. I didn't, and the front suspension drooped enough that it was riding on the bumpstops, which split in half. I put in a cheap leveling kit to fix the problem, but I should have done it at the same time as the bumper.