made up some steel bumpers today in solidworks, wanting to get the pieces cut on the laser at work, some pieces be bent.

What do you think? sort of to scale but I didn't measure my truck yet because I don't have it.

a few questions: how thick should I use the steel? 1/8" be thick enough? I'd like it to be pretty stout but no need for overkill. also for the clevis mounts, what diameter should the hole be? is 1 inch to thick for the mount?
Also should I have every piece cut individually and welded, or should I get bent pieces? really the front bumper cane be made as 3 pieces, top, front, and bottom, as long as they are bent correctly, and just weld those three together. any advantage to welding each piece individually over the bent steel? strength issues?
so enjoy...

 

if you want it really strong go 1/4 but its going to be heavy. 1/8 is still strong

 

it said like 48 lbs for the front bumper based on its calculation. and really it will likely be 10 gauge which is a little thicker than an 1/8th its like .1354 inches

 

double post...

 

do it 1/8 and just add as many supports as u want on the back side, that should beef it up and keep it "light weight" just the mount point use thicker like 1/4 atleast or 3/8s to be sure

id add come 3/8 1/2 for the clevis mounts, its not like your gonna rip a 3/8 mount that easily, but if u wanna go thicker for looks its up to you, or for a tighter fit on the d-ring so it doesent rattle that much

 

I would go 1/8, i built my rear out of 3/16 and its freaking heavy. i would say if you can get it bent or bend it do that. I welded all of mine and it got annoying doing all the grinding to clean it up.

 

3/16" is what mine is made from and it was 69lbs. Heavy but worth it. I have hit rocks, trees, brush, and you would never tell. I have yanked a grand Cherokee off a rock that broke a winch line with a strap to the d ring mounts on the front. I know you are wanting to keep it semi-lightweight, but I would definitely recommend 3/16 plate. That is what all the other companies are using as well

 

Yeah I think most people use 3/16".

 

hey if you guys say so! according to solidworks' calculations even at 3/16" thickness the rear bumper is under 50lbs. since i'm losing the hitch anyway thats really not much of a difference.

oh and here's the new/final designs properly measured and proportioned to fit. Both bumpers will have a receiver tube and D-ring mounts, but I think they got left off.

 

got to hand it to the French, they make good 3D modeling tools.
1/8 should be cool,
what do you plan on doing with it is the real question. I think if your gonna offlroad a whole lot and pull tons of people out, i'd go 3/16.

 

So, when are you going to make them?

 

at least the rear within a few months. josh is gonna help me make the brackets and get everything together

here's a question on the d ring mounts. as you can se in the rear bumper, I have holes for the location. i can either weld the mounts to the outside, or weld them to a plate and have them protrude through holes like so, for a little extra support. woulc it be necessary/overkill/good insurance?

 

Good insurance and probably overkill. I say we do it

 

haha alright. and we dont have to measure to make sure they are even. holes to be cut on laser! something else i thought of is doing certain panels in 3/16 and some in the 10 gauge, maybe likt the license plate holder part. I also was thinking it'd be good to add some like 3/8" plate triangle supports on the inside. in some different locations for some extra strength. I really want the rear bumper strong for towing, probably thinking to use the mounting holes that the hitch uses.

 

remember what i said about using 3/16" plate for the front section all on bent from one sheet? then use 10 gauge for the top and sides. 3/16 for the mounts to the frame, and as the bracing.

For the rear, 3/16 for the top and back. 10 gauge for license plate and sides. 3/16 for bracing and mounts to the frame.

 

I don't remember you saying that but sounds like a plan. Plenty of time to get em drawn up and cut before you get back.

 

you asked me if you should bend some or cut everything. I told you to bend the front section, then cut the rest.

 

So you're talking about on the front bumper, the front panel where the receiver tube is, and the panel on either side with the foglight hole, then the rest 10 gauge?
Then the rear bumper, do the top, bottom, and vertical face in 3/16 and the rest ten gauge?
I'll try and color code the panels tomorrow to clarify.

 

That is my suggestion

 

sounds good to me!

 

Ok here's the latest drawings, and an exploded view of separate parts.
the face and top are one piece, cut and bent. There are the three bottom plates (two long and the one small square at the bottom), the license plate recession, and the little step piece that goes at the bottom of the license plate recess.

there are also the two endcap pieces (not shown) as well as the d ring mounts & backing plates and a receiver tube to be installed in the appropriate holes. hoping to put in the parts request in not too long. doesnt much matter though because it wont be welded up unti josh gets back to the bluegrass to help me with it. Suggestions? comments? I'm thinking all these pieces will be 3/16 except the license plate angle piece. will be 10 gauge. Also will get some 2x2 square triangle supports out of 3/16 to beef it up in places

 

They will be nice bumpers !
Build them a little heavier than you originally wanted, just to cover anything you come up against.

The shackle mounting points should be near or on the bumper/frame mounting points.
Welded to the actual bumper mount will be the strongest.
Use a longer shackle mounting so it will go along the entire mount and MAYBE actually bolt through to the frame.

These will look great.

 

thanks for the tip! something to think about, might just beef it up though, not sure how much I'll actually need to pull. should be pretty close anyway.

here's some drawings showing dimensions of a few components. they are not completely defined I know, just enough to give you and idea of the size. hopefully the mount is ok for the size. i'm thinking they will be 1/2 inch plate.





looking at these d rings, might need a larger hole in the mount if i go with the 5/8" or larger.
http://www.4by4connection.com/drings.html

 

2 questions... well more 1 question and 1 point of advice if possible.

1) Are you planning on bending the bumper on that top seam? Or welding 2 pieces together (think it's for the rear bumper)?

2) If possible (not sure how big the holes are) but you could use a dimple die on the holes to give it some added ridigity. If they are like 5" holes, you won't find one big enough... but if they are like 3" holes, should be able to find a shop to dimple them pretty easy.

 

planning on bending at the top. and yes it's for the rear bumper, front bumper is definitely lower priority for now.

the holes are 4.5", what is a dimple die and why would that be good? I was just going to have these pieces cut on the laser at work.