new homebrew bumper

[gotmudd]

i have finally got around to fabbing up my front bumper. as some of you probably remember, a couple of weeks ago i did a swan dive out of my engine bay from 5ft in the air off of my stock bumper . i have the layout pretty much done and welded together [ will post pics this afternoon soon as i get them loaded], but i need some creative ideas for recovery hooks, such as what you guys have used, mounting locations and methods of mounting. my design consists of two 4inch square tubes [3/16inch wall ] welded together laying flat. one tube is cut to 76inches, second tube is cut to 36inches. the long tube is next to grill/radiator support, short tube is in front, to give me an 8inch standing platform in front of radiator and will have the push guard from original welded to mounting brackets and bumper with extra gussets and bracing[sp]. any pics you have of tow/recovery hooks and mounting locations would be great.

 

[Dishtowel]

Two D-links (noisey over gravel or bumps, clankclankrattle), two hitch recievers (one for winch and one for my walrus tusk), and a good old fashion HOOK on the bottom there.

(That 'walrus tusk' thing, its just a hook welded on some 2x2x1/4 tube with a flat on the end for putting a clevis throught, I carry it because lots of stock trucks dont have tow points, but they do have a hitch receiver, TADA, they have a hook, AND a clevis. I also sometimes use it in my rear bumper.)

 

[Ranger44]

I always liked clevis's. You can remove them to prevent that annoying clang clang....

 

[gotmudd]

thanks for the replies, it's always good to "see" things on paper. FWIW, don't care about the clanking, it is after all a truck, and a brutal one at that. i kinda had the D ring idea rolling around in my head but wasn't sure about solid or pivot mount.

 

[Dishtowel]

You know we have a whole "bumpers" thread right? I'd suggest taking a cruise through there.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=397

 

[Hahnsb2]

Yeah the d-rings can get noisy, I solved that by holding my hilift on my front bumper with the winch and running the cable though the rings Rear bumper d rings still make a bit of noise though, but it's not a caddy.

 

[Will]

It's good to have a place for a clevis. My plow has 1" pins so I use the holes for a clevis. They also make great tiedowns because it flops around a lot on the trailer if you don't strap the body down.

 

[gotmudd]

update

the pics are 2days late, but better late than never. not too many pics, when i get on a roll i don't like to stop. sufice it to say photobucket was being a dickhole and then i got called to work and we [ my brother and me, he owns the boat] just got back from killing lots of fish , i digress by jacking my own thread wait it's mine so i can jack it if i want. any way for $30 in steel from a salvage yard this is what i came up with. beginning stage

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[/IMG] finished product

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[/IMG] some joints

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[/IMG]some of the pics came out kinda blurry, but it's a camera phone pics, the one joint on the bottom got real good penetration [they all got good penetration , but i took that one while it was still hot from welding] you guys are probably wondering why the ends aren't capped and that's because i'm gonna cut some plate to cover the ends and put hinges on them so that i have a storage compartment for tow chains and whatnot. other than that all that's left is some extra gussets and towhooks/retrievel points and maybe a reciever in the middleand when i get around to it and take some measurements an under bumper winch with skid plate protector. what i like is that from the front it's size is decieving until you get right up to it. in the center between the frame rails i have an 8inch walking platform w/expanded metal for traction and the tubes are 4x4inch 3/16 wall construct weighing by themselves a respectable 120lbs the tree killer in the middle weighs @80lbs, for a combined weight of @ 210lbs. as it sits it is more than adequate for the person who would never see offroad but, like i said i "need" more re-inforcement, cause i have a tendency of liking to use my front bumper to rip stuff out of the ground. so far all of my friends who have seen it like what i have done[ one of whom happens to be a fabricator and has built several offroad bumpers] which tells me at least they think it is structurally sound, i haven't had a chance to test it yet but will post another update when i do. as a side note to any mods who read this update, if you decide to move this, PM me and let me know where you send it to, thanks.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have never noticed my D-Rings making any noise, one nice thing about them is you can never forget them at home and nobody can run off with them when you leave them on the truck.

 

[gotmudd]

haven't tried bumper yet, but have gotten alot of compliments from friends and strangers alike. not too mention the outright stares that people give when they actually get an up close and personal look at the frankenstein iron that could ruin thier day when they decide to cut me off. especially the retard that cut me off at a light today. him in a honda accord hatchback, the bottom of my bumper sat about mid-window on his hatchback , all i know is that i wouldn't want to look at that in my back window. maybe he shouldn't be pulling out in front of people who are bigger than him.

 

[Mechanickid]

lol

 

[gotmudd]

lol

 

[Will]

That's kind of a disorganized looking thing.

 

[gotmudd]

disorganized in what way? i have a 4inch FLAT surface on each side of the frame rail with an 8inch FLAT surface inside the frame rail, both of which[FWIW] promote a stable walking platform for performing underhood maintenance. with hinge plates on each end of the long inside square tube i will have a place to store my chain and straps. i have a step on the drivers side that allows me to make the initial step to the bumper. FWIW, if i didn't have the opportunity to see it up close and personal[ wait a minute it's on my truck, so i see it everyday] i'd probably think it looked disorganized too. the problem here is that the pics were taken with a camera phone, as stated previously, and the fact that when seen from certain angles it does look deceptively small. also the fact that i'm not done with gussets and body armor to make the front lines flow better.

That's kind of a disorganized looking thing.

 

[funkingonutz]

2 pennies

....just my two cents.....they make clevis condoms, peterson's 4 wheeler did a write up on them a few months ago. not sure where to get them but i know they exist...i want to say summit racing has them but not sure.