Swing-out tire carrier buildup!!
- Thread starter Willman
- Start date
crawler#976
Expedition Leader
Nice job!
I notice folks asking how much it would cost to produce a similar bumper. Having built mine (less swingout or side guards) a couple months ago, I can say that at least for my skill level it'd be way to expensive to sell. Material wise I ended up at $210.00 for reciever, D'Rings, 6 feet of 0.25 wall 2x6, and 4 feet of 3/8 x 6" steel, hardware, and primer/top coat. Time wise it took most of 4 weekends - planning/layout, fabrication, painting, and installation had to take nearly 40 hours.
So, to put it conservatively, I built a simple bumper at would cost you $1100.00 to pay me roughly my current wage.
None of my tools or perishable items are included in that either - welder, saw, sawzall, grinders, wheels, saw blades, mig wire, CO2, safety glasses, etc.
Obviously, it would be less the second time around (if I'd kept my prints/layout stuff), and with the addition of a plasma cutter to my current tools, I could do it much faster. (It took hours to saw the angles and mounting brackets with a sawzall in 0.25 wall and 3/8" stock - and nearly $40.00 in blades!!!)
But, my time is free for my own projects...and I really enjoy fabrication, so it's well worth the time and effort involved.
Mark
I notice folks asking how much it would cost to produce a similar bumper. Having built mine (less swingout or side guards) a couple months ago, I can say that at least for my skill level it'd be way to expensive to sell. Material wise I ended up at $210.00 for reciever, D'Rings, 6 feet of 0.25 wall 2x6, and 4 feet of 3/8 x 6" steel, hardware, and primer/top coat. Time wise it took most of 4 weekends - planning/layout, fabrication, painting, and installation had to take nearly 40 hours.
So, to put it conservatively, I built a simple bumper at would cost you $1100.00 to pay me roughly my current wage.
None of my tools or perishable items are included in that either - welder, saw, sawzall, grinders, wheels, saw blades, mig wire, CO2, safety glasses, etc.
Obviously, it would be less the second time around (if I'd kept my prints/layout stuff), and with the addition of a plasma cutter to my current tools, I could do it much faster. (It took hours to saw the angles and mounting brackets with a sawzall in 0.25 wall and 3/8" stock - and nearly $40.00 in blades!!!)
But, my time is free for my own projects...and I really enjoy fabrication, so it's well worth the time and effort involved.
Mark
Willman
Active member
crawler#976 said:
Nice!!! Thanks for your input!!
Sawzall.....Really not my choice in tools....I'm a torch kind of guy!!! A plasma cutter is what i'm talking about!!! That's on my tool list!!! That will really speed things up!!!
A bumper like mine....The air tank part was the most timely for me....making sure that all was sealed and pressure tested takes time (150 psi)....The main part of the bumper, side protection and the tire gate did take some thinking out...but all came together in a timely order.....I have learned sooo much from this build to take to the next swing-out rear bumper!
This bumper took me some time to build due to my schooling!! If i just had to work and not go to school, i could have this hammered out in two weeks working on it after work....I would say i have about 40-55 hours in this bumper. Another thing that killed me on time was building it in my carport...having a garage you can just drop everything and pickup fabbing later...whereas having the carport i would have to bring out and put away everything to be able to keep my stuff safe.
The price tag......A bumper like mine.......I would say around $1000-$1200 roughly...
Doing fab is alot of fun!! I enjoy working with metal.....Getting a TIG welder soon to really make things look pretty!!!
devinsixtyseven
Explorer
I can tell ya from experience that's a fair price and probably on the low side, and the parts to labor ratio is about right as well. My rear bumper, if I had not done a majority of the initial design, cutting, fitment and other stuff, would have run close to 2K$.crawler#976 said:
To really get the most of this DIY without a welder, gather the material and cut everything, even tack it yourself, then take it to an accomplished craftsman for final welding.
it's the fitment, prep and cleanup, cutting and such that takes the bulk of the time, and that's something a guy can do himself, then leave the assembly to someone with the appropriate skills.
From my own experience, my rear bumper cost under 100 bucks in materials, but because I wound up with an ambulance trip and unable to do anything for a month, I had to pay someone else to do final assembly as well as welding and the price tag was not low...and he even cut me a break. The welding time wasn't much, but the grinding, fitment, all the little stuff...it adds up in a hurry. What could have been a 200$ project increased significantly when I had to pay someone else to do the small stuff.
Save your money for the welding if you don't have a rig yourself, and spend money on an angle grinder, sawzall, body saw, metal, and maybe a handy CAD program or just some pencils and graph paper.
-Sean
Willman
Active member
devinsixtyseven said:
What do you mean????
Welding it all up is the best part of the buildup!!! Welding is what i live for!!!! Do you not trust yourself with a welder or do you have little to no experience welding???
You could save yourself alot of time and $$$$$ by welding your own material if you have all the supplies like welder, torch, etc.... Sounds like you have a welder....Do you only have a 110 wire feed??? Most cases depending on thickness of your material and the wire you are running a 110 will do the trick!!!
Just my 2 cents....
:ylsmoke:
devinsixtyseven
Explorer
:bigbossHL: I agree 100%! I was using the third-person "you", not you youWillman said:
. My suggestions were for guys building it themselves without access to a welder...that was my situation last summer and it worked out very well, since I had access to all the shop toys but wasn't used to the glue gun yet.
NOW I have a welder
...as I work through this pile of scraps making practice welds to get a feel for speed/feed/heat settings for different materials, I'm also cutting/grinding/tacking up a welding table so I can stop working on the garage floor .If you have a 4.5" grinder, a sawzall and a welder, you can do an awful lot on your own, I totally agree. Without the welder (not cheap, compared to the other two), a guy can do almost everything and then have someone with a rig glue it together
. My welds on larger material are currently :smilies27, I have a lot of practicing to do .
Willman
Active member
devinsixtyseven said::bigbossHL: I agree 100%! I was using the third-person "you", not you you
If you have a 4.5" grinder, a sawzall and a welder, you can do an awful lot on your own, I totally agree. Without the welder (not cheap, compared to the other two), a guy can do almost everything and then have someone with a rig glue it together
Right on man!!! Keep practicing!!!! Building a welding table is a perfect start ! love to see some pictures when your done!
Here is a great link on welding!
http://home.4x4wire.com/deddleman/section_welders.html
Enjoy and keep it up!
:clapsmile
gemini97424
New member
Great looking bumper, I have one quite similar which I had fabricated at a shop in Huntington Beach, CA when I in So CA. I had a pair of sliders welded to the frame and the bumper built for less than $700. I did have a serious problem with porpoising when driving at highway speeds because of the added weight, ie, a shell weighing 400 plus pounds then a 32 X 11.50 tire, 5 gallons of gas and a hi lift jack, to much weight beyond the rear axle and bumper. To solve the problem I ended up going to Deaver Spring in Santa Ana and had a ten leaf spring pack made for the rear. Here are a few pictures:
BigAl
Expedition Leader
I just read thru your build, nice job, a little slow . I saw the never ending debate on trailor spindles reared it's ugly head. I've never seen one fail, I've beaten on mine for 2 years now with now issues, but one thing I did to address the issue was use a more bombproof latch. I figure if the hinge lets go, it's unlkely that the grade 8 1/2" bolt in the latch will fail at the same time. I used this design from atoZ fabrication
It also limits vibs better, IMO
, a little slow . I saw the never ending debate on trailor spindles reared it's ugly head. I've never seen one fail, I've beaten on mine for 2 years now with now issues, but one thing I did to address the issue was use a more bombproof latch. I figure if the hinge lets go, it's unlkely that the grade 8 1/2" bolt in the latch will fail at the same time. I used this design from atoZ fabrication
Willman
Active member
BigAl said:I just read thru your build, nice job
It also limits vibs better, IMO
Thanks guys for the kind words guys!...Yes the build was a little slow...but working, having a family and going to college at the same time will do the trick:shakin:
So far...no problems with the hinge setup!......I put 2 rubber vibration isolators to help take some of the load off the gate.......I think this is the key to this setup!
heeltoe989
Explorer
Very Cool and a killer bumper!!
Northern Explorer
Explorer
Great build!!! I really wish I knew how to weld. Bonus points for your truck being red. :jumping:
