Heavy Duty Bumpers for Expedition/Overland Use: Practical Necessity or Superfluous an

[McZippie]

Would a DIY and/or aftermarket Expo type front bumper change how an airbag would 'trigger-off' in an accident?

[Regcabguy]

I live 20 minutes from Aluminess and have toured their factory a few times. Their product is the only way to go for strength without too much weight. When you figure in the standard powdercoating,and outrageous $85 installation,they are very competitive.
I love that place.

[E.J.]

Besides the other benefits mentioned (place to mount a winch, recovery points, more rugged than stock, etc) I'm a little surprised that nobody yet has mentioned the improvement in the approach angle. Modern vehicles all seem to have these low-hanging air dams, probably to improve airflow and to eke out that last little bit of fuel economy (so as to get closer to CAFE standards.) But that low approach angle can hurt you when you're approaching a steep rocky road.

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Maximizing approach angle was the number one design consideration behind mine. Every little bit counts with a rig like this.

[TheAlmightySam]

^ That Forester is totally rad. Have you got a build thread anywhere for it?

[E.J.]

Thanks Sam, I've got a journal over at offroadsubarus.com documenting most of the mods.

[brushogger]

For all us Full Size folks make sure to look at Aluminess, they make some amazing light weight but super strong bumpers.
I had one on my Sportmobile front & rear and let me tell you I was able to winch my 11,000lb rig off the front bumper without a worry.
The rear bumper had really cool storage and held a 35in Nitto Trail Grappler without an issue on 1 swingout and a big ol' box full of stuff on the other side.
http://www.aluminess.com

Yeah they are not cheap but that is part of what happens when you think about saving the weight but have it be well engineered.
And they are a great company that uses their product also.

Now if only I could get them to make something for my 70 Burb

I live 20 minutes from Aluminess and have toured their factory a few times. Their product is the only way to go for strength without too much weight. When you figure in the standard powdercoating,and outrageous $85 installation,they are very competitive.
I love that place.

X2 . My Aluminess FJ cruiser bumpers are due to ship the 1st or 2nd week of June. The winch bumper 43lb.s. The rear with dual swingaways for spare and 3 fuel cans 75lbs. I cant' wait! They are great guys to deal with too. I wish I only lived 20 min from them. The price on the bumpers is reasonable for what it is. The shipping to Oklahoma is a #$%^&!

[crazyeyez]

Would a DIY and/or aftermarket Expo type front bumper change how an airbag would 'trigger-off' in an accident?

this is something i have always thought about concerning a big heavy steal bumper.

i would have loved get a big bumper, but the price and weight is a downside. and not many ppl sell em for my truck and making one myself wasnt an option. luckly i did find one. its not a full bumper, but more of an extra heavy duty bull bar. seems like most bull bars out there are just for looks and mounting lights. but ever look at the mounting bracket for those bars? thin, i wouldnt trust standing on them, let alone recovery points.

[crazyeyez]

like the basket/bumper!! is that a one off home made or pre-made?

[crazyeyez]

lol, cool. you did a really good job on it

[Stumpalump]

I use stiff bumpers because they are a major part of the frame or unibody rails. With stock flexible bumpers the frames and body will twist way more than you would expect when on uneven surfaces. I recently I removed the stock bumper on an E350 4x4 van and noticed between the bumper and frame horns was a thick plastic spacer. It was not what I would call a solid attachment and the stock steel front bumper could be twisted or flexed by hand. If you follow the frame back past the flexible rubber motor mounts the first solid crossmember is behind the transmission. So basically you have the front frame horns swinging in the breeze. Consider this is the point where the front of the springs mount and you can imagine how much it moves. A solid bumper boxes this in and really tightens up the handling on a loaded rig. It stops creaking and twisting of the whole frame and body.
Unibody vehicles like a Jeep Cherokee are even worse. They flex so much the whole body cracks around the doors,tailgate and floor from all the twisting. Stiff bumpers box all vehicles together and make them better handling, more crash worthy and longer lasting. You can really feel it on and off road.