Dang, that looks awesome. Clean too. Sounds like homemade?
Thoughts on Off Road Bumpers?
- Thread starter kanger
- Start date
Dang, that looks awesome. Clean too. Sounds like homemade?
HHIRunner
Observer
SOS Concepts on TacomaWorld
SGTCap
Adventurer
Yes, thank you. The wings are 3/16.
SGTCap
Adventurer
Yep. He's working on a new design. The main cradle will have more angles (stronger) with 1/8 wings(less weight)
HHIRunner
Observer
Yep saw it last night in the SC BS thread on TW and he texted me about it a few days ago
What we need to keep in mind is the winch and winch cradle are the heaviest part of the bumper, IMHO if you are going to go that far why not do the wings and get the protection of the whole bumper. I have built a lot of bumpers and have tried with 1/8" and 3/16" steel. With the 1/8 I found I had to add a lot more gussets and supports and the end result was maybe a 10lb difference. I now stick with the 3/16. I have also found that instead of a winch cradle just mounting the the winch to the face of the bumper saves a lot of weight and material. I have found arb bumpers to be one of the heaviest. Sure they use 1/8" but a lot more of it. I have a arb in my shop that I took off of a truck and it is way heavier than the ones I build out of 3/16! One of the best things about expo is going places you have never been before, in that case you never know what to expect, for me I know it has saved the front and rear of my truck several times on the trail and 2 on the road from dear.
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hilux30
Observer
Here are some pics of a few I've done.
that's genius ... love the rig
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4Rescue
Expedition Leader
This...
Here's just a few reasons I choose to "armor up:
- I saw a vid of a guy goes nose first off Lions Back in Moab one year and land pretty much straight on the front tube-bumper and while I'm sure he was sore... he walked away and was able to drive the truck back to camp
- I hit several Roo at around 65kph with my HJ75 in Australia when I was living there and can tell you that I would not be here today were it not for that ARB Bull-Bar.
- I got clipped (PIT manuvered really) last year by an out of state driver on the freeway (just past the I-5/405 interchange at the 405/Front St. Exit divergence for any Portlander's) at 65+mph, spun in the rain (not sure how I kept my truck upright) and was SURE that when I stopped (mm's shy of the Jersey Barrier) that my truck was gonna be in trouble... I had NO damage, shaken, I drove the truck to Band practice and back home expecting to feel SOME sort of damage/issues with the truck but no... That Marlin Bumper out back (which doesn't really weight that much when you consider what it does) took the hit and simply laughed. Dude's Subaru was mangled and not drive-able in the least bit.
- Winter Snow-storms??? yeah I don't like getting rear-ended either, but I'm almost not even worried about it anymore as it's happened several times and I always drive away shaking my head but completely unscathed (luckily I haven;t been RE'd by a FS truck or a Semi yet but...). The last one was a kid in a Honda Civic who ended up under the back of my truck and sadly did some SERIOUS damage to the intake/EFI system on his engine when he slipped under my rear bumper...
The Marlin Bumper on the back of my truck alone has probably saved not only my life but my truck in it's entirety and certainly several thousands of dollars or more in damage and insurance headaches (!@#$%$@#$##%*^&#&%@&%^#&^%@&#$^%@$&^%@$ Insurance companies!!!) over the years. it's also SO much more then a Bumper, you can use it as a step, a tie-down point for a load, an anchor for a "Tarp City" on a wet trip etc... the opportunities are limited only to your imagination when you find a need.
The sad fact is that apparently only 1/2 of 1% of American drivers have any business behind the wheel and... well you see where I'm going with this... I'm actually almost positive I've "used" my armor less OFF road then I have ON road actually... sad but true.
I choose Tube over heavy plate. I love the looks of an ARB, but tube bumpers can save you a lot of that weight if done right and give you all the protection you could need. I'd also advise that if you truly think your truck already has hooks/pull points, that you REALLY inspect them and see what they're made of (some are better then others and I'm not saying the OP is "wrong" by any means). Having been in the Fire/Rescue game at one point in my life, I've seen more people rely on those "pull points" (or worse, a hook simply attached to "something" under the car) and it more often then not ends in heartache and more damage to the vehicle. A Good bumper lets you pull/lift your rig or another rig from nearly ANY spot or position, not just the one some car designer thought would be nice when the time came to change a tire or get yourself out of a snow-bank... I know the local LEO's were happy I had my bumpers this winter when I extricated several of them from ditches in the snow this year as it was as simple as pulling up, grabbing their pusher bars etc from the rear-corner of my bumper and they were out. No looking under a crudded up plastic fascia for that hook... and then finding it was on the other side or completely covered in ice etc.
At this point in my life I more often then not wonder how anyone lives WITHOUT aftermarket bumpers/armor on actual "used" 4wd's, esp. with the way the OEMS are loving lightweight plastic and crumple zones over solid protection when it comes to bumpers these days.
Cheers
Dave
Arktikos
Explorer
If you don't foresee the need for a winch and your stock front bumper is in fine shape, in most cases it's just a luxury. My 2nd generation pickup's front bumper was rusted out and dented, so I was considering aftermarket. But, the truck is somewhat of a low cost beater ( although a very reliable one that I would drive anywhere) so spending a lot of money on it didn't make sense. Besides, I like the look of the stock bumper with the valence better than anything out there. So, replaced with one of these for cheap.
Here are some pics of a few I've done.
that's genius ... love the rig
Thanks,
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Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
That's how I got my first off road bumper. Guy in a Jeep Patriot made an illegal left turn right in front of me and I t-boned him. Only did minor damage to my '99 4runner but one of the damaged parts was the bumper. I asked the guy at the body shop what the price for a replacement (factory) bumper was and it was within a few bucks of an aftermarket, so I told him I'd just order the aftermarket one and have them bolt it on when they fixed the truck.
