[rezdiver]

I have been looking through the posts to get some ideas on building bumpers for a stock truck.

I noticed a lot of them are made so heavy duty that it seems like it negates the whole concept of a bumper for a stock vehicle. I understand the idea of being able to withstand running into rocks and trees and having strong tow points, etc... but i am trying to get around the reasoning that the bumpers and mounting points which are actually stronger than the truck frame and body mounting points, wouldnt this totally destroy the frame and body that it is connected to in an accident or impact if the bumper has no give or buckle points around the mounts and mounting tabs. I would think that you would rather have your bumper give and bend rather than your frame and bodymounts..

by stock truck i am referring to a road worthy truck and not a rock buggy

 

[Silvor]

its all gonna depend what you hit man! lol a deer??? higher chance of driving in the night in the mountains then.... bashing your daily driver off the rocks (guess it depends on what your were drinking that day) like it was a rock crawler....the mounting is made better for pulling in most cases.....not so much shock absorbency...for the winch to do its job man.... thats why

 

[Kinslayer]

Most times the material people fab their own bumpers out of isn't actually that strong.. it's like..3/16th or something like that to be strong but still fairly light. The stock bumper you get on any given truck wont withstand or protect from 'everyday' wheeling duties that frequently require pivoting around a rock or tree etc. Also, usually aftermarket bumpers are designed to improve clearance and approach/departure angles.

My bumpers for instance aren't that heavy, and actually strengthen the points of the frame where they mount. The strength across the front of the bumper makes a good anchor point for a winch too as it distributes the load across both sides of the 'frame' (I quote frame so that you know I mean uniframe, which needs strength in certain spots to withstand stuff like winching...in my case owning and wheeling a uniframe vehicle)