Front Bumper with the strongest wings?

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Wow...I guess I did not realize that this type of damage is common with the ARB's. I know my kid had essentially the same damage as above, and the wing type obliterated his sidewall...

But while I understand the reason for having nuclear-holocaust proof bumpers, I am still sticking with ARB's original design so that the force is not transferred to the frame.

Check out the ARB youtube videos and you can see that the amount of sidewing deflection is definitely designed for animals and not trees.
 
Not intending a hi-jack here. Getting ready to start fabricating my front and rear.

1. I have seen rear bumpers that have the side gusset mounted with a brace that ties into the frame, would that work on the front wings?

2. I know ARB and previously TJM say their bumpers work with the airbag system, but the sensors aren't bumper mounted so wouldn't about anything you attach? Are ther designed to add additional crumple zones in a head-on?

If I need to start a new thread, let me know.
 
Jule said:
I had a "BULL BAR"!

If these things are only designed for a 150 lb kangroo, they should be called "small calf bars".
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Let's look at the reality of the 80. The strength of any front bumper is in tying the frame rails together with the winch plate. That is going to prevent your frame from bending in any type of "fender bender" - you are totaling your rig if you bend both frame rails tied into 1/4" plate.

Anybody who has cut open an ARB knows how wimpy they are outside of the winch box, which is why ARB's get beat up in slow speed crawling. You are talking about 1/8" box. Anybody who thinks this is anything but a crumple point is kidding themselves, but you shouldn't expect anything else given how heavy any "full" coverage bumper would be to go up in strength.

Ultimately, the body design of the 80 prevents tying the wings back into the frame, and there is really nothing you can do about this without major hacking. Ideally, you would be able to triangulate tube back to the frame. There is a reason hard core rigs use tube - the ability to massively increase strength via lightweight triangulation is the best weight/strength solution.

I think the Slee Shortbus is the best all around front end design if you want full coverage, but I agree with whoever said that you should work with a fabricator to build exactly what you want for exactly what you need. 80 series stuff is expensive enough to make this a very viable open in terms of potentially saving money while you are at it.
 
I'll sell you mine (i'm wanting to move toward a custom tube front.) The wings are 3/16" plate. The width fully protects the AC dryer as well. I've wheeled hard with this bumper and it's held up very well. On my first trip out, I hit a 6"+ tree at about 10 MPH (Snowy trail, trying to climb the hill...) I hit hard on the passenger wing and used it to move the truck to the side. There was no deflection at all. Also, the wings bolt to the center section so if you did bend or tweak it, another wing could be built (instead of replacing the whole bumper).

Built by Hefty Fabworks in Colorado Springs. If you want Head Light protection or modification, I'm sure they could to that too.

Let me know if you're interested and we'll see what we can work out.

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Seriously though, "bull bar", "roo bar" or whatever, I still feel the ARB and similar bars have issues from a design standpoint.

The stock bumper has plastic wings, if you hit something, the wings are not likely to destroy the front tires. Still have a chance of maintaining control of a moving vehicle.

When I hit an elk on the highway, it smashed the bull bar wing into my tire LOCKING the steering of my vehicle and shredding my tire. I was lucky that it was a straight strech and I was able to stop safely. If I had been on a curve, I could have easily lost control of the vehicle and went over a cliff.

From ARB's website:

"Bull Bars & Frontal Protection
An ARB bull bar will provide a 4WD with a massive amount of frontal protection. For those who regularly spend time in remote and rural areas, the impending risk of animal strike makes a steel bar the most obvious choice when selecting vehicle accessories. ARB's bars are superbly engineered and manufactured not only to maintain maximum functionality, but also to ensure they complement the look of the vehicle."


"Loaded with features aimed at making remote area travel safer, no other bull bar offers the same degree of vehicle integration, protection or functionality."

I am saying if nothing else, the wings on an ARB should be designed so that they generally don't take out the tire when you hit something. A corner shot will easily fold the ARB's wing and take out the tire. It could be as simple as making the wings much shorter so that they terminated in front of the flare or something like that. They are not stiff enough to offer any protection from the rock anyway.

I feel the wings on an off road bumper should be strong and stiff enough to handle bump from a rock (i.e. front tire slips off a rock while crawling) the bumper should be strong enough to catch the vehicle weight without body damage. That means jacking it up from a corner with a hi-lift should be a nonissue.
 
ardentyota said:
I'll sell you mine (i'm wanting to move toward a custom tube front.) The wings are 3/16" plate. The width fully protects the AC dryer as well. I've wheeled hard with this bumper and it's held up very well. On my first trip out, I hit a 6"+ tree at about 10 MPH (Snowy trail, trying to climb the hill...) I hit hard on the passenger wing and used it to move the truck to the side. There was no deflection at all. Also, the wings bolt to the center section so if you did bend or tweak it, another wing could be built (instead of replacing the whole bumper).

Built by Hefty Fabworks in Colorado Springs. If you want Head Light protection or modification, I'm sure they could to that too.

Let me know if you're interested and we'll see what we can work out.

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Thanks for the suggestion.

I used to live in COS, really really miss it. I am Iron Pig land now. What you described with the tree is basically the same thing that took out my ARB (and lights and sheet metal).

:cheers:
Jule
 
Jule said:
The stock bumper has plastic wings, if you hit something, the wings are not likely to destroy the front tires. Still have a chance of maintaining control of a moving vehicle.
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If you hit the elk with your stock truck, I doubt you would have been able to drive away. I think you have unrealistic expectations of a bumper.

When I hit an elk on the highway, it smashed the bull bar wing into my tire LOCKING the steering of my vehicle and shredding my tire. I was lucky that it was a straight strech and I was able to stop safely. If I had been on a curve, I could have easily lost control of the vehicle and went over a cliff.
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Yes, you lost a tire, but the truck was driveable, although you had to pull the bumper back. If you did not have the bumper, you would have probably lost the corner of the truck, deformed and probably cracked the radiator, lost the light and damaged some other pieces as well.

In a heavy impact, the bumper is a sacrificial piece to try to save the truck. It did that job. Hitting an elk and expecting no damage is not realistic.
 
sleeoffroad said:
If you hit the elk with your stock truck, I doubt you would have been able to drive away. I think you have unrealistic expectations of a bumper.

Yes, you lost a tire, but the truck was driveable, although you had to pull the bumper back. If you did not have the bumper, you would have probably lost the corner of the truck, deformed and probably cracked the radiator, lost the light and damaged some other pieces as well.

In a heavy impact, the bumper is a sacrificial piece to try to save the truck. It did that job. Hitting an elk and expecting no damage is not realistic.
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"What we have here is a failure to communicate."

I apologize. I was a little emotional when I started this thread. :crybaby:

Let's try this again:

1. My experience is that the sides of the ARB, outside of the framerails, crumple rather easily. Especially considering that ARB uses 1/2 acre of metal on the front of the vehicle. The guys that play in the rocks bend these frequently. That is why we have a Slee bumper and a Metal Tech bumper, etc.

2. "Being Drivable" i.e., radiator saved, does not mean :censor: if the bent wing jammed into the tire causes a loss of control and a rollover. When I mention the elk incident, I was not implying that I would be able to drive home if I had a stock bumper, I doubt I would have, just that the stock plastic wings would not have destroyed the tire like the bull bar wing. BTW - I did lose both lights with the elk hit.

3. I am NOT asking for an indestructable bumper, just one that has good clearance and is stout enough to play in the rocks AND have some reasonable headlight and radiator protection. Basically an ARB top on a Slee bottom or similar. Right now 80's have choice of the ARB with good (small) critter protection and several bumpers designed for rock crawlers able to take moderate bumps from trees and rocks, but no one offers a marriage of the two. I was hoping someone had one on the shelf by now.

I started this thread to point out what I see as a design issue of the ARBs for how they are marketed (wing folding into tire possibly causing a loss of control, bumper hanging low and getting bent up by rocks and jacks) and to see what the alternatives are. It looks like the answer is to fabricate, I was hoping for something off the shelf.

Okay you guys can resume :deadhorse: me now.
 
Jule check out BumpIt Offroad. Mike has a very nicely designed and strong plate bumper for the 80, and he'll customize it for you any way you want. He's awesome to work with and his products are fantastic.
 
You aren't the first who wants an elk-proof bumper...

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/278462-rock-bullbar.html

Juxtaposed to your story, there are plenty of threads here about ARBs holding up great in wrecks. Best bet, don't hit things. Most of our armor is meant for very slow speed rock/brush protection. Not tree/1,000lb beast protection. My .02
 
perhaps just a straight channel style bumper that has no wraparound would be the best choice. once you intergrate a 90* bend in the construction for the sole purpose of aesthetics, that becomes its weak point. no one style of bumper will protect a vehicle 100%. if i knew how to weld, id build my dream bumper that would be like you said: arb upper, slee lower.
 
d0ubledown said:
if i knew how to weld, id build my dream bumper that would be like you said: arb upper, slee lower.
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I still think the original Slee bumper came about as close to that combo as anything I've seen (and those wings are pretty stout).
Slee front view.webp
 
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