plate vs tube armor, and rear bumper ???

Hello all,

Just picked up a really nice 2003 DCSB and I am looking into getting some armor before I take it onto anything serious. I've done some reading up on the two primary options, plate or tube, but (I see there is a hybrid option out there for a front bumper, but not a rear, so I'll probably pass on that ).

I didn't read all 482167816 pages of the bumper thread, so please excuse me if somewhere in there my questions were answered, but here are my main curiosities;

Will a tube bumper be strong enough for the abuse of serious trails, like the Rubicon?

It seems the majority goes plate, and they sure look nice, but I lean tube for weight savings.. if tube holds up as well as plate on these harder trails then I'm all but sold.

My other concern is the spare tire.. I really like the look of a rear bumper with tire swing, but I have a couple questions I'm hoping y'all can shine some light on.

Are there any tube style rear bumper with a tire swing (in hopes of having a front/rear bumper set up that match), or is that out of the question on a rear tube bumper? This is probably something that could sway me to go plate over tube if I can't match the front and rear, however it all really depends on my next concern..

Does serious wheeling with a rear tire swing even make sense due to angles? Or should I just plan on putting a spare in the bed (and by serious wheeling I'll again reference the rubicon, as that is my goal).

Thanks for any and all information to help me decide!

 

if you want plate but worry about weight, you can go aluminum plate bumper. That's what I did

Can't answer your question about the rear tire swing bumper, but if you want to go aluminum, they do exist (aluminum tire swing bumpers are available for jeeps, so I don't see why you couldn't get one for a tacoma)

 

Can you/do you access to a welder?

 

Tube bumpers aren't really any less strong than plate bumpers. They are just lighter and lower profile, so they don't offer quite as much protection.


-Lots of protection
-Low weight
-Low Cost

Pick 2.

Pick up a trail gear tube bumper for $400 or so, it's light(ish) but doesn't offer a ton of protection. Or you can get a light(ish) aluminum ARB plate bumper for like a grand.

 

Damn, I hate those three option choose two realities!! But it seems once again, it has merit.

Aluminum would be too expensive for my budget to cover armor and lift/wheel/tires, so I'll be sticking to steel.

I have never welded, but dream of picking up the skill, so much cool stuff can be done if one knows how! I do have a cousin nearby who welds, he may help me out if needed. I would consider buying a welder and learning with a DIY kit, but I don't have any space to work where I'm at, so setting myself up to weld is a no-go at the moment.

Now I'm leaning coastal offroad front and back, as well as their skids, then I'll just need to find some sliders.. I suppose a little additional weight isn't the end of the world, just have to use the appropriate coils and leafs (thinking OME 882s with Dakars, maybe an AAL?). It'll still be about 2000 lbs lighter than the bronco I just sold hahaha

Any opinions on wheeling with a rear bumper with swing out tire carrier?

 

I really like my 4xInnovations sliders. They were like $250 for DOM tubing sliders. They require welding, but you can customize them and get them to fit exactly the way you want them to. I narrowed mine by 1" on each side and tucked them up as close to the bony panels as possible (see pic below).

I bought a Lincoln 125 flux-core welder several years ago, and recently put a bumper together. A bumper, IMO is not a bad place to cut your teeth with welding. The bumper made me a better welder, for sure (I still make no claims of being an expert!). But I wouldn't tackle a bumper as your FIRST project, though. I started with a few gates/fence structures, some modifications to my motorcycle trailer (built a fold-down ramp), etc...


As for the rear bumper, honestly just wheel with what you have now. I would say ignore the front bumper too, except those make good mounting location for winches, which are important to have.

Bumpers are meant to be used, lol. At least with 1st gens we actually have metal bumpers. If you get to a point when you're wheeling that you keep tagging the rear bumper, then consider a lower profile wrap around style (to protect the bed panels).

Rarely do I actually tag my rear bumper on something, so it's not like I really *need* a lower profile bumper. It would be for a tire carrier, really. And even then, it's not like I am tagging my spare tire (in stock location) on rocks, so I don't really *need* to have a tire carrier, either. Maybe when I get 33's and it doesn't fit under the bed anymore, that might change things.

 

If you do find a way to diy, start with the rear bumper. Toyota made it stupid easy to build a solid rear bumper on these trucks. And with how our 1st gens are pretty squared off in the back, a real sharp looking bumper can be made pretty easily. I built mine over a few lunch breaks at work.

 

If your adding weight to your bed (camping gear) an aal is the way to go with the Dakar’s.

882’s should be fine but 883 have the higher spring rate.

I’m currently running 882’s and running a tube/hybrid homemade bumper and adding a winch I’ll let you know how much I sag with the winch I’m currently working on installing

Swing outs depends on the departure angle of the bumper and the locations of the spare tire.

There are options out there.


Best advice I was given: figure out what you want your truck todo and build it that way. Yes, you’ll spend countless hours researching but it’s worth it. Keep it mind your build might change direction and that’s just how it goes.

 

I would not recommend coastal offroad. I bought a rear bumper from them and have had nothing but issues. Currently in a dispute with my credit card company over the purchase for misleading advertising. I still like their bumper but customers mean nothing to them. I know you wouldn't run into the same issues I did because they have fixed the problem since. They are horrible with customer service though.

 

Allpro

 

Anyone with plate bumper (rear) with quarter panel protection?

 

details, please!

 

They had the bumper advertised for 1st gen Tacoma’s. First their photos show A solid bent piece that goes in the back. The main “bumper”. Well it’s not one bent piece like the photos it’s 5 pieces you have to weld together. Sucks but ok... then I started the bumper, have to cut the rear quarter panels to have the clearance for the bumper. You have to do this cut before you can start assembling the bumper. When I started assembling I realized that the bracket was not going to work with my truck. It was designed on a 95-97 frame that have shorter leaf springs. So had to shorten the bracket and go to a local water jetter to get new holes cut... the owner admitted that he was in the wrong for this. He would only offer me a “sizable discount” if I spent more money on another product. I told him that I already have a front bumper and there is not another product he offers that I could use. I told him if he gave me a refund on this purchase I would be happy to share what I had to do to make it work so he could redesign. He gave me $37 back 3% of my purchase. (I paid $50 to the water jetter) I wasn’t asking for anything crazy just 25-30% of the original purchase. Because 1. It was not the same as photos showed on the website and 2. It literally did not fit my year of truck. Since then he has added a option for what year of truck you have in a first gen.

During this I still supported his company and sent people his way. It wasn’t until I read his counter letter about the dispute. He never mentioned that I gave him the opportunity to make things right. He said I was “flustered” with the fact it was a DIY bumper and that I probably didn’t have the tools or skills. I have 15 years of welding experience and I am using a millermatic 185 MIG that runs on 220 volts. I’m Flustered because I spent close to $1,300 on a product that did not fit.

 

Wow thats fucked up on their part. Shame too because I'm considering their DIY front bumper but I don't know if I want to risk ordering from a company that can't admit when they make an obvious mistake or do the right thing about it.

 

Damn, yeah, that's pretty lame.

 

Not my truck but a tube bumper with a swing out. As far as tub bumpers not having a lot of protection I'm gonna have to disagree. Most cover a good deal of the side/ rear quarter panel and offer a very good departure angle.

 

To the OP, since I'm not a fan of plate bumpers, I went with a tube bumper and just replaced my tail gate with a swing out.

If you've got someone that can weld pretty well, either have them make you a bumper with a swing out, or buy the bumper of your choosing and have a swing out made for said bumper.

 

I highly recommend the CBI weld it yourself bumper. Great customer service too.

 

You have any more photos of that bumper? Looks like an Allpro bumper that was modified for a swing out.