Bored Clerk's Rear Bumper Build

Thanks! I really appreciate that. It's tough when I build my own stuff; I focus on all the things I don't like or screwed up. Makes it hard to really enjoy them sometimes.

 

I completely understand. Just got out of the shed after working for 5 strait hours on my cap rack. I almost cut it apart early on when I realized it was 1/32" out of square. One of the few times I just went with it.

 

1/32" out of square on a welded structure that big? Yeah, I'd be pumped and would certainly 'go with it'. Haha!

 

Awesome Build Thread, just read the whole thing

 

Thanks!

 

I wish I had the skill and tools to do this stuff. Well done.

 

Thanks!

Get a tool or two and read some threads/watch some you tube and get after it! If you enjoy it, you'll get more tools and more knowledge.

 

Very well done 1BC! You did a bonny job Lad! As Thelgord pointed out, you are indeed an artist. Your roots to a Machinist Dad show (he should be proud). I admire your creativity (understanding some things were “borrowed”), but mostly I commend you on your attention to detail. That is the hallmark of a true Craftsman (which are a dying breed in these new times). Your sense of humor at set-backs and tenacity to keep charging both shined through - and made 16 pages of forum worth every minute! Your thinking ahead is an inspiration to us wannabe fabricators. I also have to offer admiration to your lovely Bride who endured being a Bumper Widow, a “Depleted-Bank-Account Bumper Widow” even for so many months.
Aye, the bumper turned out great and perfectly fits the Battlewagon Creed that Tacomas are known for! Thank you for sharing all of this with us. I'm looking forward to your other-build post (I'm new & havnae seen it all yet).

 

Well, with praise like that, you're welcome in my build threads anytime! Thank you for all the kind words! My wife and I are both habitual hobbyists. It works out well! Plus, it always gives us new stuff to talk about with each other in the evening. Good fun all around.

Hop on over to my camper build. That's likely to drag on for months as well! Or the epically long slider build. Haha. I have a solid pattern of taking my sweet time getting anything done.

 

Awesome build!

 

Thanks!

 

I think this was a premier bumper build!
Well thought out and executed - details like the SS slider plate for your snap-pin won't be found on production tire carriers or most other custom ones!

Kudos!

 

I would have done the slider plate if I were designing my own but I used a hinge/pin from off the shelf! Then I just made it work for my purposes. Thanks for the compliments!

 

Beautiful build, just read it through. I really like the little details like the stainless plates for the pins, etc. Really shows a well thought out approach! How is it holding up? is there enough support on the hitch?

 

It's holding up well so far. No rattling and everything is still right. I haven hit it on anything so who knows on that front. I also wouldn't tow anything nearing the capacity of the truck. I will be towing a small U Haul open trailer with a new husqvarna 701 Enduro in a few weeks. I think it'll be up for that...I'll find out! There's quite a bit of small bracing going on in the bumper but I did have to ditch a big amount of bracing that I wanted because of how my design fit with the bed of the truck. I don't ever tow heavy and I rarely tow at all so I made that compromise. A moto or two on a trailer or a 1/4 ton military trailer (M416b1) with garbage for the dump is pretty much all I'll tow so I think it'll be okay.

 

Awesome, that's kind of what I had in mind for mine, maybe up to a small boler for the largest payload.

 

My camper build has taken a huge left turn for the better and now includes a flatbed! That means that my rear bumper will no longer work so it's for sale: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2005-15-custom-high-clearance-rear-bumper-250.501091/

A new, simpler rear bumper build will be in my immediate future. Oh, and my bed is for sale too; excluding the 110v plug and taillights.

 

Bumper sold this morning! It's taking up considerable room in the garage until the 20th when a cool dude from up north is going to pick it up and put it to use! Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll get some pics of it on its new truck to post up here for fun.

 

That sold quick! I knew it would though. That was a screaming deal. Why did you sell it so cheap?

 

It's home made, I'm a rookie welder, it's not perfect by any means, and you can't use your tailgate. And, I wanted it gone ASAP. I don't have room to store stuff. I could have held out longer for more money but it's not worth the time and hassle for me right now.