Delta VS Rear Bumper Review (1 Viewer)

[ThomasMore66]

No, you didn’t. We are still waiting on a couple final components and final powdercoating prices before that is finalized. We are shooting to be competitive with a fully kitted out SLEE for same/similar options. BUT, you will be able to add options down the road instead of having to go whole hog at the beginning.



1. There will be:
-base bumper
-arms (0,1, or 2)

-tire carrier*
-jerrycan carrier (they carry 1, can be daisychained to carry more)*
-hi-lift holder*
-ladder*
-kitchen/tool box*​

*On edit: these four five attachments will require at least one arm to bolt to. Tire will take up one arm, a second arm can fit hilift and two jerrycans and maybe some more stuff

As stated before, because of our manufacturing process, you will be able to just get the base bumper, then upgrade with arm(s) later down the road.

2. Addressed above

3. If you want a custom bumper, you pay for a custom bumper




I would say the structure of the bumper is adding strength to the whole thing there. There is lots of internal support and the bumper basically bolts together to be a huge square tube around the frame.

That being said, no thought was put into increasing the strength of the stock attachment point. The bumper is using those holes to add rigidity to the bumper itself.



Where is your cam mounted now? That is something that seems to be unique to each rig, so we didn’t designate anything. Plenty of places to tuck one of those in though, and what I would consider part of the fun for me.



Highly unlikely (I.E., no). All that does is keep us from selling bumpers for longer. There will be some kind of small Mud discount though.

My cam is just on the rear license plate. I didn’t think drilling holes in the new bumper to mount it would be my first approach.

 

[Delta VS]

My cam is just on the rear license plate. I didn’t think drilling holes in the new bumper to mount it would be my first approach.

Is it wireless? The stock plate location is not blocked, but I can see how a camera could be hindered by the arms if in that location. You can see in OP's pics on the first page how it might work. When it comes to moving license plates and mounting them elsewhere, most (if not all) states require them to be lit, which is why we made sure they are still visible with the arms on. Wiring through moving arms would increase cost too much.

 

[ThomasMore66]

Is it wireless? The stock plate location is not blocked, but I can see how a camera could be hindered by the arms if in that location. You can see in OP's pics on the first page how it might work. When it comes to moving license plates and mounting them elsewhere, most (if not all) states require them to be lit, which is why we made sure they are still visible with the arms on. Wiring through moving arms would increase cost too much.

Ok. I saw some pics where it was on the right gate.

 

[Mark W]

I would say the structure of the bumper is adding strength to the whole thing there. There is lots of internal support and the bumper basically bolts together to be a huge square tube around the frame.

That being said, no thought was put into increasing the strength of the stock attachment point. The bumper is using those holes to add rigidity to the bumper itself.


.

Just from looking at the pictures it is not 100% clear to me... is that center section of the bumper, where the pintle would attach... is that also a boxed section, or is is a single layer of steel sitting flat against the factory cross member? If it is in fact a boxed section, are the mount holes for the pintle sleeved? If not, can the internal area be accessed to install sleeves?

Thanks,

Mark...

 

[Delta VS]

Just from looking at the pictures it is not 100% clear to me... is that center section of the bumper, where the pintle would attach... is that also a boxed section, or is is a single layer of steel sitting flat against the factory cross member? If it is in fact a boxed section, are the mount holes for the pintle sleeved? If not, can the internal area be accessed to install sleeves?

Thanks,

Mark...

Hi Mark, thanks for the question. It is in fact a single layer of .188 steel plate, no need for sleeves.

 

[Mark W]

Use the shackle mounts for recovery, problem solved. Even if you read all the pintle threads on MUD, they generally say it will tow, but not recommended as a recovery point.

MUD is a good place to share info and experiences. But just because something is "generally said" is no reason to go against my own personal experience.

For a dynamic recovery (a hard snatch with a strap), I prefer a centered attachment point, not one off to the side of the rig. I do not like the off center stresses on the rig (and the unequal loading on the mounting hardware for the bumper).

Mark...

 

[Mark W]

Hi Mark, thanks for the question. It is in fact a single layer of .188 steel plate, no need for sleeves.

Thanks for the quick amswer I hate to beat this horse to death, but... I would assume that the front side (vehicle front side, opposite from the rear bumper) of the cross member is unobstructed by the bumper so that there is still the ability to reinforce the center of the cross member?

I'm very impressed with the design and apparent workmanship I see in your bumper. To the point that it made me reconsider holding off on the 5 I am working my way toward ordering from Luke at 4x4 Labs. (Love Luke's rear bumpers and 4x4 Labs has been my go to for years.)

But for my uses, the center section of rear bumper itself has to be beefed up beyond what the rear cross member offers. Or alternatively I have to be able to reinforce the cross member itself. Under heavy tasking, the mounting area of the pintle in the cross member is prone to puckering outward unless there is some sort of reinforcement here.


Mark...

 

[Box Rocket]

Thanks for the quick amswer I hate to beat this horse to death, but... I would assume that the front side (vehicle front side, opposite from the rear bumper) of the cross member is unobstructed by the bumper so that there is still the ability to reinforce the center of the cross member?

I'm very impressed with the design and apparent workmanship I see in your bumper. To the point that it made me reconsider holding off on the 5 I am working my way toward ordering from Luke at 4x4 Labs. (Love Luke's rear bumpers and 4x4 Labs has been my go to for years.)

But for my uses, the center section of rear bumper itself has to be beefed up beyond what the rear cross member offers. Or alternatively I have to be able to reinforce the cross member itself. Under heavy tasking, the mounting area of the pintle in the cross member is prone to puckering outward unless there is some sort of reinforcement here.


Mark...

I've thought about this too Mark. From what I've seen (which is no more than anyone else at this point) I believe the "front side" of the rear crossmember could easily be reinforced to improve the ability to do center section snatch recovery.

 

[Mark W]

Dave sent me some additional pictures to look at. This bumper is very well designed and very well built. It does not interfere with beefing up the cross member. The problem is that the rear cross member itself is not easy to reinforce. It's easier to suggest that you crawl under take a quick look at your cross member then it is to describe it , but it is an irregular cross-section. The most reasonable way I see to reinforce the rear cross member is to cut the center of the front out and build a replacement piece to slip inside and weld into it. *Possibly* install a section of thick plate (1/2 or 3/4 inch?) And then simply replace whatever portion of the front of the cross member you have to remove for access to install the reinforcement. Still pondering a simple and straight forward approach. In the past, with bumpers that replace the cross member this was not an issue. And for most 80's users it probably isn't anyway.

This is going to be the case with any design that retains the rear cross member, it is not in any way a flaw in this bumper. One definite plus with this approach is that it leaves the entire area where the spare previously rode unobstructed for installing of an auxiliary fuel tank it is not a big difference, but sometimes an inch or two matters.

 

[TonyP]

My 80 series experience is limited, but could you not just remove the rear crossmember and replace with a standard reese style cross member that will fit in the "Delta" cover on the bumper? Just spitballing here.

 

[Mark W]

My 80 series experience is limited, but could you not just remove the rear crossmember and replace with a standard reese style cross member that will fit in the "Delta" cover on the bumper? Just spitballing here.

You will not find any sort of "standard" tow bar that would mount in place of the rear cross member and fit behind the bumper. And this bumper is designed to work with the cross member, not instead of it. So, the short answer is... nope.

Modifying the rear cross member is not an overly daunting undertaking. Just a thing. And again, for most people it is probably not even a real thing to worry about.


Mark...

 

[TonyP]

You will not find any sort of "standard" tow bar that would mount in place of the rear cross member and fit behind the bumper. And this bumper is designed to work with the cross member, not instead of it. So, the short answer is... nope.

Modifying the rear cross member is not an overly daunting undertaking. Just a thing. And again, for most people it is probably not even a real thing to worry about.


Mark...

Right, but you can weld in a new crossmember with a reese receiver in place of the rear member. You'd get your receiver and stronger rear member. Get two birds stoned at once.

I understand this kind of defeats the purpose of a bolt-on solution bumper though. Just brainstorming solutions for those that need this specific fix.

 

[Mark W]

I see what you are saying. But the way this bumper is designed to utilize the existing cross member, it is simpler to reinforce the existing structure I think. There would be modification of the bumper itself if you were to remove and replace the cross member with something different.
The pics that Dave was kind enough to share with me show just how integrated the "system" is.

Mark...

 

[rockstate45]

For those concerned about pulling from ONE side, why not run a short rope through two shackles, one at each side, and get a center pull? Seems like it’d alleviate any issues with “strength” and may even be better because you’re distributing the load.

 

[Peluo]

MARK W 4x4 Labs rear can accommodate a auxiliary fuel tank provided that you order one with the “Labs crossmember” moved further back. I myself have a LRA 24gal. Tank with my Labs bumper and hitch to boot. By the way awesome Bumper Delta VS, really like the steps, arms and latch mechanism.

 

[ThomasMore66]

This pic from the Toyota Trails magazine is awesome!

 

[Rollinns]

I really like the bumper, all the design features added, like the side steps and the way the entire system was designed to not squeak and be easy to open, and the open sourcing of the accessory mount point info.

One question that wasn't answered in the video about the latch is: Is the handle spring loaded (to stay closed)?
As in, if the swing out is open, can I just release the hold-open pin (at the pivot) and push the swingout to the closed position and the latch will fully latch itself?
or do I need to reach down and fully close the latch after the swingout is closed all the way?

In the video it appeared to me that after the the swingout is closed, the latch still needed to be manually closed. Just wanted some clarification on this.

Thank you for all your effort into these old trucks, my guess is that even the people that ask about a bumper re-design and justification about the prices still appreciate at some level that a company is getting into offering new items for these after the LAST of these trucks sold here in the US are 20+ years old.

 

[Delta VS]

1. I really like the bumper, all the design features added, like the side steps and the way the entire system was designed to not squeak and be easy to open, and the open sourcing of the accessory mount point info.

2. One question that wasn't answered in the video about the latch is: Is the handle spring loaded (to stay closed)?
As in, if the swing out is open, can I just release the hold-open pin (at the pivot) and push the swingout to the closed position and the latch will fully latch itself?
or do I need to reach down and fully close the latch after the swingout is closed all the way?

In the video it appeared to me that after the the swingout is closed, the latch still needed to be manually closed. Just wanted some clarification on this.

3. Thank you for all your effort into these old trucks, my guess is that even the people that ask about a bumper re-design and justification about the prices still appreciate at some level that a company is getting into offering new items for these after the LAST of these trucks sold here in the US are 20+ years old.

1. Thanks!
2a. The handle is not "self closing". We have looked into that, but it adds another layer of complexity and cost. So yes, the handle needs to be manually "locked" into place. It can be tuned to require very little effort though.
2b. While it's not self closing, it does latch on it's own. Meaning you can pull the outside pin and swing the door closed and it will catch and stay there so all you have to do is push the latch to lock it.
3. Thanks for recognizing the hard work! We consider ourselves very lucky, being able to do this kind of work. "Having" to go out and test products is such a chore...

 

[COYS]

Dope bumper! Matches the front nicely.

 

[SNLC]

@Mark W not the same cross member and not the same truck but @Delta VS whipped me up a couple of quick plates to my specs to do exactly what you are talking about.

My client is only towing 3,000lbs max off this but I think it is plenty strong, the plates are 3/16s. 70-series all over the world tow stupid loads off the stock cross member.


Cheers