Tube Bumper Questions, ...please help

I just got a TG low profile bumper and for the price it is defineately worth it. I would recomend calling a local shop that carries TG and have them order it and the shipping wont be as much

 

I have a TG low profile front bumper with the light bar welded on to it. I think it looks good and seems pretty sturdy. TG bumpers are made from 1035 DOM steel. BFA rolled his truck with the TG low pro and landed on the side of it and only tweaked it a little. Here's a link to his build thread, it's towards the middle of the first page.

 

I saw that thread. Impressive that the TG bumper held up that well.

 

....and here I got all excited thinking there were a bunch of on point responses to the original question,


...oh well, ...there were things to be learned even from the hi-jacking.


I suppose 1020-DOM is the best choice for me.

...although, as previously stated, my years of BMX have ingrained how much better chrome moly is compared (for strength vs weight ratio) to other steels.

..and it still seems to be better,

...however, the internet guru metallurgy, engineering, and welding consensus seems to be that not many are truly qualified to do the welding on chrome moly, ...not too sure about that???


...also, is aluminum sturdy enough for a skid plate? ...I thoroughly trust the shop doing the work, and that is what was recommended versus a heavy sheet of steel



.

 

If the aluminum is thick enough it should be okay. Coming from Motocross almost all skids are made of aluminum and take big hits well without any damage.

 

1. I would go with DOM steel.

2.I would go bolt on, the majority of bumpers people run on here are bolt on and people put their bumpers through crazy stuff.

3. Plate offers more protection but ways significantly more. Tube is much light and I've heard it is actually stronger than plate. I personally like the looks of tube bumpers of plate. Plate bumpers look too bulky imo.

 

I'm not sure how well aluminum would hold up. The steel skids are typically 3/16" and still need some modifications to prevent them from bending. I don't think anyone makes aluminum skids for the tacomas either, atleast I've never heard of them.

 

For skids it all comes down to strength and how much you use it. Aluminum is strong and lightweight, but it only bends so much before it cracks. Steel while heavier can be folded almost in half.

Chrome moly would be MUCH more expensive, probably twice as much. Dom is best bang for buck.

You won't find many if any weld on bumpers. You could have one made but I wouldn't as it makes repair/modifcation harder.

Tube bumpers are lighter but provide less protection. They are good for blunt impacts. Fill plates will add some protection but still not as much as a plate bumper. The plates are held on by tabs usually. An impact on one of these plates could break the tabs. This makes tube bumpers good for the desert but lacking in forests or rock crawling.

Plate bumpers are heavier but provide maximum protection. Their additional strength also usually allows for a winch to be mounted as well.

 

DOM and chromoly are expensive and definitely overkill for a bumper. Save yourself some $ and just do some nice HREW bumpers. If you go with at least .120 wall you'll have bumpers that will take a ton of abuse. When it comes to bumpers I usually make them out of 1.50" x .120 HREW and they definitely hold up to abuse. Much more than the truck itself will.

A bumper made from chromoly is crazy, unless it's a $100,000 trophy truck or you simply have the $ to blow on something that overkill for a bumper,and unfortunately, DOM is twice the cost of HREW and the strength gain isn't all that much better than HREW for the extra $ spent. The extra cost is due to the process of how it's made, and not it's strength.

Example, a set of 2nd gen sliders uses about 40ft of HREW material, costing $100 or more, so if you wanted DOM you can double that figure...and chromoly is something like $11 a foot currently.

I'll make my bumpers and sliders from any material the customer wants, but experience has shown me that nobody would buy them when I quoted the job, so HREW it is. (my $0.02)

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...-tube-bumper-bolt-w-fill-plates-shackles.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/172157-beefed-1st-gen-weld-rock-slider-kits.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...1st-gen-rear-tube-bumper-non-wrap-around.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/beefed-taco/88531-beefed-sliders-05-aclb-4dsb.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...en-tire-carrier-uses-bed-bolts-model-2-a.html

 

Since you are going custom fab you might consider going hybid a steel skin on aluminum. Aluminum is going to get more scraped & gouged so put a sheet of steel on the botom of it. Thoughts guys?