3/16 or 1/4 inch for bumper

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jzilla

jzilla

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3/16 or 1/4 inch for bumper (now my bumper build)

Working on a rear bumper template right now, hope to get the steel this week possibly...
Should I got with 3/16 inch or 1/4 inch thick steel plate?
The frame seems to be about 3/16, if I go thicker, will the frame end up bending if the bumper is built too strong? Friend of mine was saying not to build it so strong that there is no give.
On the other hand I want it to be super strong so that if someone rear ends me I might just have to get the spray paint out.
Thoughts?
 
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I'm going through the final stages of my rear bumper plans and I plan on going 3/16th. I do not rock crawl so I'm not planing on using it every trip to pivot around rocks on. I had thought about using 1/4" plate but the weight of the bumper with wings would have been extreme.

I may still use 1/4" in some places but overall I think 3/16th will be plenty.
 
You will get a lot of opinions from people and not one is right or wrong.
So my $0.02:
A bumper, regardless if it is front or rear, is meant to protect the passangers first and maybe the vehicle second, by absorbing impact in the form of bending, collapsing and even cracking and breaking. Technically this idea is great, it will absorb the shock of the impact. ARB is a bumper manufacturer with a winch mount. Body armour is a different story, the "bumpers" built to serve the purpose of being trail armour are not meant to absorb impact, they are meant to protect the vehicle from dents, or worse. They are meant to be strong, push obstacles over and slide over things.
Vehicle frames are built with usually 1/8" metal, they are either "C" channel or full framed, and gusseted and reinforced but meant to be flexible, light enough, strong enough to absorb some impact and are not meant to be the primary line of defence on a trail.
Yes, if you build a bumper out of 1/4" or thicker material it will likely never bend, and if you hit something hard enough the next weaker point likely will.
So what's better, personally, I prefer to have body armour that is durable and strong, the frame can put up with a lot before you end up permanently damaging it. In reality, if you build a vehicle that does not absorb impact and get hit by one that does, the other guy will lose and you'll need a can of spray paint - been there, it's true!. So build a bumper to suit your trail needs and use the other guys impact zones during the accident :D
Keep in mind that if you are building a rear bumper with a trailer hitch it will need to be strong enough to haul whatever you are going to connect to it.
Most things I build, 1/4" main center section, 3/16" ouside wings, 1/8-3/16" gussets. Ask Drew (BC_FJC) how much the bumper I built for him moved after he was hit by a Dodge Ram :D .
 
The bumpers on my old cruiser were 1/4 steel pipe, super strong. The bumpers main purpose is to protect passengers and vehicle from other drivers.
Is there any advantage to using 1/4 inch for the frame mounts?
My bumper will be a hybrid of the following two bumpers.

First 2 pics are the same bumper (sold by fourrunner in the 60forum).

bumper21.webp


bumper20.webp
 
I plan to use 1/4" for the frame tie in, I'm going to use 4" x 4" 1/4" L plate for my frame tie in. I will be using the 6 factory hitch tie ins on the bottom and 8 vertical bolt locations. I plan to have side wings though so that is the reason for the beefy frame tie in, this is also for my 80 so a bit different than one for a 60.

We may rebuild Gavin's HJ60 rear tube bumper replacing it with a plate bumper at some point its a tube bumper right now.
 
I have to agree with Fantom, 1/4'' center and 3/16" for the ends.
This is what i did building our front 80 series bumper.
If the ends are boxed or use multiple angles the strength will be there as well as some weight savings.
 
If you're going to do the typical tire carrier on a spindle addition, go fairly thick on the bumper end. If not, I think you can use lighter material and gain a lot of strength with bends, ribs, boxing and gussets. But if it's just there in case one day someone rear ends you, I would not go 1/4" or even 3/16" for that matter. I'd just leave the clean stock bumper your california truck came with, maybe leave the reciever hitch under it for extra protection in a collision. No sense adding an extra 100lbs of steel to your truck unless it serves an actual purpose :meh:
 
So 1/4 inch for the section between frame rails? I am adding a tire carrier spindle.
The stock bumper has to go as I am adding a tire carrier.
Also I like making stuff :)
I will have to post some pics of my centre console and you will see where I am coming from with that point. I think Kim liked it when he saw it:)
 
Also considered this, but I like the look of the angled in ends as in the other pics, besides I asked my wifes opinion and she said no way to this style, so tapered ends it is.

bumper18.webp
 
A boxed in bumper is much stronger than an open (channel) type bumper for the same material thickness. I used boxed in 3/16"for my rear bumper to support my fuel swing out and 1/8" on the corners and sides. A super strong component simply transfer the impact to the next weakest component - which could be the frame. Steel is easy to fix if you dent it and all that iron you hang on your rig is dead weight costing more fuel down the road:steer:.

Oh yeah -- I reinforced my wings underneath with some 3/4" pipe to protect the body seam underneath - this added a lot of strength to the rear wings. Round pipe reduces mud hang-up as well.
 
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Glenn-BJ74 said:
A boxed in bumper is much stronger than an open (channel) type bumper for the same material thickness. I used boxed in 3/16"for my rear bumper to support my fuel swing out and 1/8" on the corners and sides. A super strong component simply transfer the impact to the next weakest component - which could be the frame. Steel is easy to fix if you dent it and all that iron you hang on your rig is dead weight costing more fuel down the road:steer:.
Click to expand...

Good point, I thought about boxing just the ends as the centre section will have the rear cross member right behind it (which is in mint shape being on a Cali truck). Don't want a bunch of junk collecting in it though.
 
I build my 80 series bumpers out of 3/16" plate, and they have stood up to some severe abuse. There's even a lamp pole in Abbotsford with a pretty good dent in it from some poor backing up (oops!). Frame tie-ins at 1/4" are not a bad idea. Boxing in the area that supports the tire carrier spindle is pretty well a must to eliminate flex, but it doesn't need to be thicker than 3/16". For wings going towards the wheel wells it really helps to brace them to the frame at their front edge.

Again, this is opinion which you are welcome to take or leave, though a somewhat educated opinion.

Good luck with the project, looking forwards to seeing the finished product!
 
Thanks for the feedback, always trying to learn more here.
Jason can you give me a picture example of what you mean by this? For wings going towards the wheel wells it really helps to brace them to the frame at their front edge.
Thanks,
John
 
The plan for the 77 is to use c channel in 3/16s with 1/4 in mounting points to the frame.
Bought some A to Z Fab Mega Spindles for tires and accessories.
I am sure it will work just fine for you.
 
Channel collects mud and can catch on logs, stumps and rocks when backing up ( tuck that edge up) . The stock 74 rear bumper on mine caught on a buried log while going up an incline and tore the chrome wing bit clear off the truck.
 
jzilla said:
Thanks for the feedback, always trying to learn more here.
Jason can you give me a picture example of what you mean by this? For wings going towards the wheel wells it really helps to brace them to the frame at their front edge.
Thanks,
John
Click to expand...

Hi John,

This pic is in tube, but gets the point across well. Basically if you're going to be giving the rear lower 1/4s some protection it needs to be tied to the frame at the front edge otherwise a hard hit near the front edge will really force it upwards. Note how there is a tube that passes under the 1/4 panel and joins to a plate on the frame.

Jason

IMG-20120109-00493.webp
 
Drool....
 
Cruisin' said:
Hi John,

This pic is in tube, but gets the point across well. Basically if you're going to be giving the rear lower 1/4s some protection it needs to be tied to the frame at the front edge otherwise a hard hit near the front edge will really force it upwards. Note how there is a tube that passes under the 1/4 panel and joins to a plate on the frame.

Jason
Click to expand...

Gotcha thanks!
So I ended up getting some 3/16 and 1/4 inch plate today. I was able to make the frame mounts this afternoon, hope to make more progress tomorrow. I have some scrap 1/2 plate I am thinking of using for recovery points.
For those with recovery points, how large is the hole for the shackle? How far out should the recovery point protrude from the bumper?
 
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