I was trying to find a better picture but this is what I found. This is my front bumper that has a winch behind it. The front of the bumper is 1/16" past the end of the frame. I had to cut the valance out for the winch but not the grill.
Fron bumper design-need your input (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter NCFJ
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You must have trees where you're from. I'm in Az. The trees we did have are currently burning to the ground. Most the trails out here require more ground clearance than roof clearance.
out to get the mail
ground clearance=big tires, then low COG means cutting fenders, from the looks of your SUA fenderless lowrider we must be on the same page.
flip your bezel by the way... wherever it is.
Nice work. What trail is that?
Annihilator, west of phx, in the White Tanks mountains, due west of Luke AFB.
Agreed, there is a happy medium. I usually go with a 4" spring lift and recommend
a wider track to gain stability. The economy way is 1 1/2" spacers. The more costly approach for a 60 is an 80 rear and widening the front with sleeves
like Rob did in the "60 build for Moab" thread
Is that 'Holy Cross' trail
I agree with the beet boy..
There are a ton of better ways to gain bumper clearance than lift.
Perhaps, but I have yet to see a marketable bumper that will provide better approach with stock suspension than a reasonable aftermarket bumper and a 4" lift
even if you tuck it in you'll still have the shackles which will probably hang more often
You're best approach will always be more lift. S/R's will also give you a safer and better approach
I'm not sure what gains you'll get by shaving the bumper. Especially if it sacrifices front end protection
Huge difference from this statement and your previous opinion on Lift and SR's.
I probably have better spproach with a 2.5" lift and 35's than the SR truck pictured.
I do agree that if you are limiting things to stock and marketable, there are not many options out there that would not benefit from a lift. Course, then you are not staying stock..
fred
SILVER Star
Lcwizard:
I think you misunderstood Battlewagon's comment:
"not to be petty, but I'd venture to say that less lift is still going to serve you better on the trail. I would not solve a shallow approach angle with more lift. rather have my bumper hit than my roof."
He was NOT worried about hitting trees with his roof (due to excessive lift), but the ground.
You clearly have ground available for hitting in Arizona, no?
I think you misunderstood Battlewagon's comment:
"not to be petty, but I'd venture to say that less lift is still going to serve you better on the trail. I would not solve a shallow approach angle with more lift. rather have my bumper hit than my roof."
He was NOT worried about hitting trees with his roof (due to excessive lift), but the ground.
You clearly have ground available for hitting in Arizona, no?
Oh, I get it, it's a roll over joke. We do have ground here but we're not advanced enough to have gravity
so no one rolls over in Arizona. Science is attempting to work it's way into our classrooms so I expect
we too will have roll over issues in the next couple years.
so no one rolls over in Arizona. Science is attempting to work it's way into our classrooms so I expect
we too will have roll over issues in the next couple years.
Considering some of the wide open waterfall ascents the AZ bozo's do..
I think you are correct..
True, I never condone staying stock. I nearly always limit my trucks to 4" of spring lift. Even then I widen the track. I don't consider this to be excessive considering how popular SOA lifts are which generally provide 6"~7" of lift.
This thread , I assumed was froma builder looking for ideas on a 'Marketable' bumper.
To make it marketable the winch mount should not have such tight tolerances that it will only house one possible brand of winch. Personally I will only run Warns but I understand more and more consumers are looking at the other, cheaper options.
I actually have three sets of drawings for the winch section of the 60 bumpers.
Four if you include the 8274. The standard will handle all brands of planetary up to 9500lbs ( 6" drums ). The warn 10000, 12000 and 15000 have 9" drums so the winch plate is deeper and the bumper has to protrude farther. The Warn
compressor winch is in between the two.
I agree with lcwizard here. On a 60 series since this is posted in the 60 series section if a bumper is 1" farther back or 1" farther forward doesn't do to much for you. A stock 60 gets hung up on everything. 3-4 inches is about the minimum for moderate trails. At 3-4 inches there are many things that hit before any bumper in my experience. And even if your bumper is whats limiting you and you create more room to clear steeper obstacles will never clear the ass end on the way down in a million years anyway. This is just an opinion but on a 60 the bumper serves as protection from things other than rocks as well so I would like having a little space up there. Keeps junk from taking out headlights or condensor/radiator when cruising through rough desert at 50. If I didn't find rock crawling so boring I would build a buggy, which obviously takes no design cues from a wagon.... Maybe when I get old as they say with age comes the cage. For now I like my mx bike and having the 60 for camping, exploring moderate trails and recovery for my bikes and sand rail in case of emergency.
My point for most 60 bumper buyers bolt on adequate protection and some nice lines that compliment the truck are most important. If something takes modifications for most people the product would either have to come with installation or if they are willing to do the modifications they are probably too cheap to buy a bumper. It rules a lot of buyers out.
My point for most 60 bumper buyers bolt on adequate protection and some nice lines that compliment the truck are most important. If something takes modifications for most people the product would either have to come with installation or if they are willing to do the modifications they are probably too cheap to buy a bumper. It rules a lot of buyers out.
Lift is only one way of making a truck do better off road.
I'll happily go run the con with a 2.5" lift on my 60. And I consider that trail to be "moderate".
Let me put it this way, there is no single way to mod a 60 to make it suitable for trails. Once you start modifying things, there are a million routes to take.
BTW, to the OP. You are never going to make everyone happy. You will however sell more bumpers if you do not have to mod the cruiser to make one fit.
Building for the largest group of peopleis the best idea.
I'll happily go run the con with a 2.5" lift on my 60. And I consider that trail to be "moderate".
Let me put it this way, there is no single way to mod a 60 to make it suitable for trails. Once you start modifying things, there are a million routes to take.
BTW, to the OP. You are never going to make everyone happy. You will however sell more bumpers if you do not have to mod the cruiser to make one fit.
Building for the largest group of peopleis the best idea.
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NCFJ
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You are of the same mind set in regards to mass market that I am. I posed the original question to get a feel for how people feel about cutting the valance and grill. I got the answer I was expecting, but no harm in asking.
Personally I am OK with a cut here and there on my rigs, after all they are trail rigs, not show trucks. I just wanted an overall "feel" for how folks feel about cutting into their rig. Hell, over in the FJ Cruiser world the vast majority fear the word "weld"
Stan, I agree that winch fit on the 60 leaves a lot to be desired. When I had my 60 I came real close to cutting it (I think there might still be sharpie marks on it). Knowing your designs, could you make it available either way , where basically only the placement of the outer tubes is different? So basically they would look vitually the same, except with the center being "tucked in" on the, lets say, more "hardcore" version. (that'll get me hatemail!) I see the market for both ways. Someone that wants a tight, high clearance bumper won't want the bulk and the other side is the guy that wouldn't ever think of taking a sawzall to his truck. (I usually break out the sawzall right after I bolt the tag on...) I say offer both, along with a non winch version for the mall crawlers.
When I had my bumper built I sent the specs for my winch, a chart and a request that it have enough clearance to not have to do anything to the front except for remove bumper and frame rail horns.
Well, get it all mounted up and the winch won't fit. Had to cut the grill to make it fit. Would have loved for the bumper to be out just 2-3 more inches.
Not. Happy. At. All.
Well, get it all mounted up and the winch won't fit. Had to cut the grill to make it fit. Would have loved for the bumper to be out just 2-3 more inches.
Not. Happy. At. All.
