Rear Swingout Bumper Issue/Help

Hey y'all, I recently picked up an SOS (no longer in business) high clearance single swingout bumper from Facebook Marketplace that I got for a pretty good deal. One of the main reasons I bought a swingout is because I'd like to have a folding table on it for camping as I use my tailgate as a table and want more space. Well, after having it on the truck for some time and taking measurements to build my own table, I realized the swingout is not parallel with the rest of the bumper when open or closed. At first I thought it might be the weight of the spare and gas cans but that didn't change anything. I tried re-mounting the whole bumper thinking maybe I didn't install it straight but that didn't change either as the bumper is as straight as it can be. After inspecting it seems the pieces that hold the actual swingout are not welded straight but angled more down. I don't know if this was the original design or a build quality issue as I can't contact the original fabricator and can't find any pics online but leaning towards the latter. I thought about bending them but don't want to comprise the integrity of the metal and I don't have a welder to grind and re-weld them straight. If anybody has any insite or anybody in Socal with fabrication experience can weld them back on but straight that would be great.

 

Do you have any more pictures of the bumper.

 

Can you shim the table and make the legs adjustable? Wouldn’t think you’d be on flat ground anyways

 

Pretty common, based on how that's designed.

Especially with +70lbs hanging at the far end (water and fuel).

 

Looking for any specific pictures are angles?

 

I've thought about that but I also sleep in my Softopper so I'm relatively leveled when I set up camp.

 

I took into account the additional weight on the swing out and it looks the same with or without the tire and other stuff. I've seen other single arm swing outs in person with the same stuff on the back but they were level.

 

Do you have a picture of the back view and underneath?

 

I wonder if you cut the bottom bracket tab. Then added 1/4 piece of metal then weld it back to it.
That should move the angle closer to plumb.

 

I can grab pics for you tomorrow.

 

Don't mind the dirt, I never clean under there Lmk if you need better pics.

Driver side


Passenger side (swing out side)

 

From what I see (We build our carriers with a dual shear pivot/bracket somewhat similar) the pivot sleeve was not squared to the bumper properly in build. I'd personally cut the welds off from the top pivot plate and pull it in closer to the bumper which should fix the issue. Just be mindful that with the pivot plates cut off, you'll also need to preload the carrier arm up a bit so it sags to the proper latch position with the weight of the tire and fuel cans on it. Probably an hour job for a competent 4x4 fab shop if they do it all on the truck.

 

Thanks for this, I'll see if I can find a local shop around me.

 

Tons of So Cal fabricators

@Ricardo13x
@GHOST SHIP
@Shmellmopwho

Three guys I can vouch for and recommend, and since So Cal is spread pretty wide you're sure to find one of them near you

 

On the upper mount, you could weld on a second piece of 1/4", with the bolt hole moved closer to the truck. In essence, replacing the 2 gold washers with the 1/4" plate.

You would have to open the hole in the existing piece to allow the bolt to move toward the truck.