Rear Bumper with swing out tire carrier for GMT800 Suburban?

[Jelorian]

I've been searching for one for a while now and it seems that there aren't many options. Other than making one or buying an existing bumper and using the swing out tire carrier from somewhere else, there has to be someone out there. A one off from someone who knows what he's doing would work as well.

I've read about the horror stories with Tactical Armor Group/Kennesaw Mountain and do not want to do business with them.

Are there others out there that currently make rear bumpers with tire carriers for the 2000-2006 Suburban/Tahoe's?

I wouldn't mind supporting and working with a local welder but haven't starting looking for one yet.

I'm located in the SF Bay Area.

 

[Bronze]

I'm in the same boat you are. Doesnt seem to be a lot of availability for the full size crowd.

 

[Jelorian]

I'm in the same boat you are. Doesnt seem to be a lot of availability for the full size crowd.

I'm thinking I may have to get a premade bumper and then chop a swing out tire carrier from one of the many that are available to the Jeep crowd and weld it on. I found a few rear bumpers but no tire carrier options.

 

['05TJLWBRUBY]

Ruffstuff Specialties, DIY4x4, Blue Torch Fab, Chassis Unlimited, etc- many others as well offer the "kits" for the rear bumper swing out. Typically consist of the main spindle, bearings, sleeve, cap, etc. to build your own swing out off of. If you can fab, I'd go this route rather than chopping something off an existing and making it work. That is often much more involved and harder to do than just starting from scratch. I need to figure something out for my '97 Suburban as well when I get there- to incorporate a rear winch for sure, and unsure on the swing out yet. I absolutely hated it on the back of the Jeep and couldn't get rid of it fast enough, but the Suburban with barn doors is different animal and can't figure a better spot to put it. Not really many options out there and none that looks right in my opinion. Designing good looking functioning bumpers is much more difficult than it looks. Something is always a compromise. If you have fab skills, might start out with some cardboard or that thick fiber board stuff and tape or glue something up till you're happy with it then move the pieces all over to steel for real deal. That or a local fab shop- but design and build definitely won't be cheap. Interested to see what you wind up with.

Best of Luck,

Mike

 

[ExplorerTom]

Any local fabricators in your area?

 

[washington taco]

I would give Aluminess a call.

http://www.aluminess.com/chevrolet/silverado-2007-2010/chevy-silverado-rear-bumper-2007-2010/

 

[utherjorge]

I'm working on an idea that will take an existing bumper and add something, but it's too early to tell if it will work. I will say that with barn doors (as I have) I think you have to place any swing-away super far out to allow the doors to open. In that sense, I think a swing away with barn doors is a no go for me.

 

[chilliwak]

The problem with taking an existing bumper is that the stock bumpers are just not strong enough to handle the load of a swing out. Usually stock bumpers are made of thin steel that is only designed to take a direct impact and not the torsional forces experienced when adding a swing out. The time and money spendt adapting stock stuff will leave you crying and wondering why you did not get a custom bumper. I say fab one up or look at some of the manufacturers the other posters listed. I hope this helps. Cheers, Chilli...

 

[Jelorian]

Ruffstuff Specialties, DIY4x4, Blue Torch Fab, Chassis Unlimited, etc- many others as well offer the "kits" for the rear bumper swing out. Typically consist of the main spindle, bearings, sleeve, cap, etc. to build your own swing out off of. If you can fab, I'd go this route rather than chopping something off an existing and making it work. That is often much more involved and harder to do than just starting from scratch. I need to figure something out for my '97 Suburban as well when I get there- to incorporate a rear winch for sure, and unsure on the swing out yet. I absolutely hated it on the back of the Jeep and couldn't get rid of it fast enough, but the Suburban with barn doors is different animal and can't figure a better spot to put it. Not really many options out there and none that looks right in my opinion. Designing good looking functioning bumpers is much more difficult than it looks. Something is always a compromise. If you have fab skills, might start out with some cardboard or that thick fiber board stuff and tape or glue something up till you're happy with it then move the pieces all over to steel for real deal. That or a local fab shop- but design and build definitely won't be cheap. Interested to see what you wind up with.

Best of Luck,

Mike

Thanks for the info. I'll look into the brands you mentioned. Like you mentioned there aren't very many making rear bumpers for the full size GMT800's. I will probably end up going custom, but it pains me to think that I might have to pay 1/4 the price I paid for my rig.

 

[Jelorian]

Any local fabricators in your area?

I will be looking into it. I'd rather support a local business and hopefully the money I save on shipping can be used towards more options.

I would give Aluminess a call.

http://www.aluminess.com/chevrolet/silverado-2007-2010/chevy-silverado-rear-bumper-2007-2010/

Will look into them....thanks!!

I'm working on an idea that will take an existing bumper and add something, but it's too early to tell if it will work. I will say that with barn doors (as I have) I think you have to place any swing-away super far out to allow the doors to open. In that sense, I think a swing away with barn doors is a no go for me.

I think that would be one route to take. A lot of the swing out tire carriers for Jeeps are pretty solid and I don't think it would be too bad to hack one off and relocated it to a bigger aftermarket bumper.

The problem with taking an existing bumper is that the stock bumpers are just not strong enough to handle the load of a swing out. Usually stock bumpers are made of thin steel that is only designed to take a direct impact and not the torsional forces experienced when adding a swing out. The time and money spendt adapting stock stuff will leave you crying and wondering why you did not get a custom bumper. I say fab one up or look at some of the manufacturers the other posters listed. I hope this helps. Cheers, Chilli...

What I meant was getting a beefy aftermarket bumper and having a swing out carrier attached to it. yeah, the OEM bumpers are thin and will bend and dent with little trouble. Wish I had the fab skills but unfortunately I don't. Will probably work with a local guy and hope for the best. I'm budgeting between $1500-2000 so hopefully I can end up with something I really like with no compromises. Thanks for your comments!

I'll definitly post back on this thread with whatever I end up with.

Cheers!

 

[washington taco]

http://buckstop.biz/chevy1500_99-04_suburban_tahoe.html

Here is another company you may want to contact.

 

[M35A2]

You just have to convert the barn doors to Lamborghini doors.














(Just kidding.)

 

[rayra]

I'm gonna have to disagree with chilliwak somewhat. And add another kink to the quest.
The rear bumper brackets are Y-shaped, support a great extent of the bumper against both top and face loads. I think an extension of these brackets could readily support a swingout mount. And with the other end securely latched when closed to a similar extension, would be plenty strong. There's also room to add a large flat plate on top of the bumper and then remount the plastic traction pads to it to keep a factory look.
But not much room and I don't think much if any for any sort of tubular framing of the mount portion sitting on top of the bumper, with the lift gate style that is the large majority among the GMT800 Suburbans and Tahoes.

I don't think it would be very difficult at all to make a swingout, where the swinging portion is the only part visible above the factory bumper skin. The supporting structure could be integrated with or replace the factory bumper mounts, while still incorporating the the factory bumper steel / skin. The pivot itself could extend down thru the bumper's top surface. Literally mount the bracket wing extensions and any needed bracing, cut / notch the bumper steel for the pivot, put on the swingarm.

I have a few pictures and related comments in a radio antenna mounting topic -
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...ling-and-heavy-gage-power-lines-under-vehicle

There are a few pictures in there of the bracket structures at the ends of the bumper and later in that topic I put a pivot-sized hole in the ends of the bumper, well clear of the path of the hatch.

 

[Jelorian]

http://buckstop.biz/chevy1500_99-04_suburban_tahoe.html

Here is another company you may want to contact.

Thanks for that. I like the simple look of those. I hope they can make something for my Suburban.

 

[rube bonet]

Good fabricator near you, could build whatever you want

http://www.shaffersoffroad.com/blog/