Bumper Guard and Bull Bar Idea

[MrDJ]

Hey all, I have been trying to design a way to strengthen my bumper and I came up with this idea:

View attachment 18180

I have been thinking about a wrap around steel plate just a few inches wide under the fog light holes. From there, my existing Bull Bar could be welded on to make it a little stronger, and on either side of the bar, where the plate mounts to the frame somehow, I will add either some small tow hooks or d-ring shackles. My last idea is that if the plate is strong enough, a 2" receiver could be welded on for a winch mount.

Does anybody think this idea might work or is it a total bust? After drawing up this design, I think I like the look of it.

 

[Bartonmd]

Should be fine if you aren't planning on going off road, or going up any steep driveways, or pulling on it very hard...

Mike

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Hey all, I have been trying to design a way to strengthen my bumper and I came up with this idea:

I have been thinking about a wrap around steel plate just a few inches wide under the fog light holes. From there, my existing Bull Bar could be welded on to make it a little stronger, and on either side of the bar, where the plate mounts to the frame somehow, I will add either some small tow hooks or d-ring shackles. My last idea is that if the plate is strong enough, a 2" receiver could be welded on for a winch mount.

Does anybody think this idea might work or is it a total bust? After drawing up this design, I think I like the look of it.

I doubt you will gain any strength for the bull bar and maybe make it weaker if you dont find other mounting points than the bull bar has anyway. You are going to be hanging a decent amount of steel weight away from your frame and since you are trying to keep the stock platic you are not going to have much in the way of support.

A bull bar is not designed to have hooks or shackles and definitely not a hitch attached to it. Any of those you connected would be virtually worthless.

If you want more strength than the bull bar, you need to come up with a different mounting system or best bet is to lose the plastic BS and buy a real steel bumper from BartonMD.

 

[MrDJ]

Forgive me, I don't think I worded my idea correctly. I do not plan to mount the shackles and receiver to the bull bar. I am wanting to run a steel plate around the front bumper that is welded to the frame to mount the shackles and possible receiver to. The bull bar will just be mounted to the front of the steel plate. I also plan to strengthen the bull bar and add another set of mounts closer to the top of the bar to add more support.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

I would like to see how you are going to weld it to the frame while leaving the plactic bumper. You will have some pretty long mounts which will make any recovery equipment(shackle/hook) connections very weak. Have you pulled off the bumper and support to see what you have to work with?

 

[MrDJ]

I will hopefully pull the bumper off this weekend while I am home. I was thinking about looking around the area where the tow hooks mount and try to fabricate something for there. That should be strong enough for the shackles to use as tow points correct? If it won't be strong enough for a receiver at this point, that's fine.

 

[Bartonmd]

I knew what you were talking about... It's basically only really a (semi-)good idea if you live somewhere, like Europe, where you have to keep the stock bumper cover. You're talking about going down lower than the stock plastic, which we all took off, anyway, because it kills approach angle and groud clearance.

Before I started making radiator skids and bumpers for these (and after I started making oil pan skids), I had the second hand Curt front hitch from The Roadie. It was better than not having a radiator skid, as it sat right under the radiator, and right behind the bottom black plastic facia piece that clips to the bottom of the bumper. If you've seen how beefy that thing is, with its frame mounts, you'll see that you've got a world of fabrication to do, in order to get anything down that low to be at all strong... Not to mention that's a tube. Not sure about how much you've worked and designed out of sheet metal, but what makes sheet metal strong is pulling 90-degrees to the face. Or rather, sheet metal is only as strong as the face you are pulling 90-degrees to. So if you had planned on just plating, even with 1/4" steel, the front bottom of the bumper, it wouldn't be strong, at all. Like, 2 guys pulling on a rope attached to your shackle mount could bend it. The reason my bumpers are strong with the shackle mounts and 2" receivers is because you're pulling agains 6.5" of .179" steel at the top of the shackle mounts, and 6" at the bottom of them.

That's why I say that it'll work if you don't plan on using it, or going off road, or going up a steep driveway...

Mike

 

[MrDJ]

I definitely thank y'all for the advice! I am now rethinking the design. I was looking at a new steel bumper but I do not do a lot of off-roading, and I honestly don't think it would be very cost-efficient for me right now. I am mainly looking for a way to raise the bull bar if possible (right now it is about 3.5" below the bumper and it kills my ground clearance). I am also wanting to add recovery points somehow. The 2" receiver is a dream but not a must-have.

Are there any possible suggestions for raising a bull bar?

 

[Bartonmd]

I will hopefully pull the bumper off this weekend while I am home. I was thinking about looking around the area where the tow hooks mount and try to fabricate something for there. That should be strong enough for the shackles to use as tow points correct? If it won't be strong enough for a receiver at this point, that's fine.

The stock tow hooks are mounted to the bolts that go through the frame, and hold the bumper support on. Makes it a little difficult to put something mounted to what's behind the plastic, in front of the plastic. If you just want good tow points, you can take the stock hooks and bumper support, and weld a piece of 1/8" from side to side, inside the bumper support, and mount the other holes of the tow hooks through it. The thing that makes the stock tow hooks sort of weak that they pivot around the strong bolts, and the other side is bolted to the bumper support, which is .060 steel. The failure mode would be that the tow hook pivots around the bumper mounting bolt, and rips the back 1" out of the bumper support, and the hook starts pointing forward. Just make the area that the stock tow hooks mount to on the bumper support, stronger...

This is basically what I did with the radiator skids I do with the optional stock tow hook mounts on them... I make the tow hooks mount to my radiator skid, rather than the wimpy bumper support, so they can't go anywhere.

Mike

 

[Bartonmd]

I definitely thank y'all for the advice! I am now rethinking the design. I was looking at a new steel bumper but I do not do a lot of off-roading, and I honestly don't think it would be very cost-efficient for me right now. I am mainly looking for a way to raise the bull bar if possible (right now it is about 3.5" below the bumper and it kills my ground clearance). I am also wanting to add recovery points somehow. The 2" receiver is a dream but not a must-have.

Are there any possible suggestions for raising a bull bar?

Take it off. Those are poser pieces.

Mike

 

[MrDJ]

Also, am I correct in saying that the mounting locations for most bull bars and grill guards (which I believe is under the radiator mounts) is not suitable for mounting something that might be holding a load like recovery points?

 

[The_Roadie]

... I do not do a lot of off-roading, ...

Then what's your mission that requires shackles and tow points? Helping others out of ditches could be done for $50 by getting a 2" receiver shackle mount for your REAR receiver, and a good recovery (not tow) strap. Bull bars are such wussy products meant for appearance only, that I just gotta ask: Why bother? You can't use them to PUSH other vehicles like the push bars they sometimes put on State Trooper vehicles. You can't pull on them. You can tie a clothesline to them while camping. If you hit a deer, they bend your hood and INCREASE the cost to repair. If you hit a bull, everybody dies.

 

[Bartonmd]

Also, am I correct in saying that the mounting locations for most bull bars and grill guards (which I believe is under the radiator mounts) is not suitable for mounting something that might be holding a load like recovery points?

This is correct.

If you hit a bull, everybody dies.

I literally just laughed out loud!

Mike

 

[Me007gold]

This is how the tow hooks mount. Hopefully this gives you a better idea of what you have to work with


Without the tow hooks

With the tow hooks

 

[MrDJ]

Then what's your mission that requires shackles and tow points? Helping others out of ditches could be done for $50 by getting a 2" receiver shackle mount for your REAR receiver, and a good recovery (not tow) strap. Bull bars are such wussy products meant for appearance only, that I just gotta ask: Why bother? You can't use them to PUSH other vehicles like the push bars they sometimes put on State Trooper vehicles. You can't pull on them. You can tie a clothesline to them while camping. If you hit a deer, they bend your hood and INCREASE the cost to repair. If you hit a bull, everybody dies.

By not a lot of offroading, I mean I try to do some. There are not a lot of places where I live to do stuff like that. I would like tow points in case I am ever in trouble and need help. I do plan on trying to do more offroading in the future.

 

[djthumper]

If you hit a bull, everybody dies.

I literally just laughed out loud!

Me too that is funny as hell!