HEFTY Fabworks Rear Bumper Wings!

[Vanisljoe]

What is it about the wings that make it (in your opinion) so significantly different than a full bumper that caps the entire crossmember? I'm asking because I really want to know, not trying be an A$$.

I originally wanted a full bumper too, but after seeing these, running them and feeling how stout they are, the extra steel in the middle would have just been more material and more weight. Not to mention shipping cost. Unfinished, and in wing form, these will ship significantly cheaper as they won't have to be shipped freight...

I personally haven't seen any full bumpers for the LC that are priced in the range you mention. crossing fingers: please don't bring up 4x4Labs again... )

Again, IMO they're great and an excellent alternative to a "full," pre-assembled bumper in price.

BumpItOff road sells a basic and powdercoated rear for $625. BumpItOffroad

And I'd rather have a full rear bumper than just the sides. It looks better and more together. Instead of having 3 parts (L side, center, and R side) There is no point to buy just the sides for the same price as a whole rear. Seems like a rip to me.

 

[ardentyota]

I paid about that for an entire IPOR bumper - and it is as solid as you can get. No comparison, in my opinion. Whatever floats someone's boat though. Hopefully these satisfy a need in the marketplace. For half the money, I think they'd be a reasonable solution for lots of people. I agree with others - at that price, you might as well go with a full bumper. I'm not an engineer, but I have to imagine 1/4" steel all the way across bent around and bolted to the factory cross member is a little stronger than the handfull of bolts holding those winglets to the cross member. They make nice levers though.

I don't want to start arguing the price again- we've already done that in this thread.

IPOR is a good comparison though- Looking at their website, the bumper itself (also unfinished as you must add powdercoating for $195) is $795. Then about $165 for shipping. You still have to add finishing of some kind, so we'll leave it like this.

Fully loaded with tire carrier ($495) plus ladder w/ hi-lift mount ($595) is going to be ($795+$495+$595) $1,885.00 plus shipping and finishing.

The fully loaded HF rear wings with similar setup is $1,325 plus shipping and finishing. ($725 for the wings, $300 for the tire carrier, and $300 for the ladder- from their website)

So maybe the price point isn't great for just the wings, but it's much better when loaded.

Again, most of it comes down to an individual's taste and what they want for their truck. But don't say that these are overpriced- pretty much all the labor time is in the sides of the bumpers.

 

[Vanisljoe]

I'm not talking about loaded. I'm talking about basic. I have a JDM RHD and it has a factory tire carrier on it. Some of us mount our spares on the roof rack or in the cargo area and have no desire for a tire carrier. You shouldn't have to purchase the full meal deal in order to get good value for your money.

 

[ardentyota]

BumpItOff road sells a basic and powdercoated rear for $625. BumpItOffroad

And I'd rather have a full rear bumper than just the sides. It looks better and more together. Instead of having 3 parts (L side, center, and R side) There is no point to buy just the sides for the same price as a whole rear. Seems like a rip to me.

$625 is for their plate front bumper. If you scroll down on that page under "Rear Bumpers" it says:

80 series bumper with powder coating starting at $850.00.

Tire carrier for 80 series bumper $500.00.

 

[Vanisljoe]

$625 is for their plate front bumper. If you scroll down on that page under "Rear Bumpers" it says:

Yes. $850 for the rear COMPLETE with powdercoating. I'd even take a plate over a couple of sides at $940ish from HF.

And if most all of the labor as you say was in the sides then wound't it make more sense to make a WHOLE bumper than just the sides and sell that? Seems like a better idea to me.

 

[ardentyota]

Yes. $850 for the rear COMPLETE with powdercoating. I'd even take a plate over a couple of sides at $940ish from HF.

I'm sorry, I'm not following your thought path- you said you could get a basic REAR from them for $625. No where on their site do they list a REAR for $625.

 

[Vanisljoe]

Your right. I must have misread that. The $850 is for the rear. However- that's complete with powedercoating. For a whole bumper. Not $900+ for wings.

I still think HF is asking too much. Maybe by double... Someone's got to say it.

 

[ardentyota]

I still think HF is asking too much. Maybe by double... Someone's got to say it.

Ok.


My wife found the camera cable. Enough talky- here are some better pics:

 

[Paul_L]

Is there anything to hold the swingout open?

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

I'm not talking about loaded. I'm talking about basic.

I think the majority of the folks that are considering these wings (me included) are doing so mainly for the swingouts

I don't really need the added weight of a full bumper

If you're looking for a basic bumper, I'm quite sure there are others out there, but this is a great alternative for those of us simply looking to add swingouts and a little side protection

 

[Hefty]

Your right. I must have misread that. The $850 is for the rear. However- that's complete with powedercoating. For a whole bumper. Not $900+ for wings.

I still think HF is asking too much. Maybe by double... Someone's got to say it.

Thank you for your opinion. Where did the $900 plus for wings come into play? For $350 a set as you suggest I could barely pay for the materials let alone the labor. If you want a set for $350 build your own then tell me they aren't worth it. There is a lot of engineering involved in the wings and they aren't easy to build. If you look at our site we have rear bumpers for the Fords for less than these wings because they can be built twice as fast. The pricing is based on materials and labor cost. My shop doesn't run for free. I'm not in business to give away products. If it sells great, if not I have way too many other customers to worry about a couple of peoples opinion. I still feel the price is reasonable. Again thank you for your opinion but you made your point already.

Is there anything to hold the swingout open?

Yes there is a spring latch on the inside of the carrier. They were on back order and since Ardent is local we'll just add it when it gets here

I think the majority of the folks that are considering these wings (me included) are doing so mainly for the swingouts

I don't really need the added weight of a full bumper

If you're looking for a basic bumper, I'm quite sure there are others out there, but this is a great alternative for those of us simply looking to add swingouts and a little side protection

Thanks Snake. This is the reason we designed this alternative. Time will show that they are strong enough to hold up to the competition.

My philosophy in business is "why reinvent the wheel". I look for a different approach to design and look to fill the voids in the market. I take a risk every time I develop a new product. I put out new designs and implement different avenues than other companies. We try to keep all of our pricing reasonable but I am in no way trying to be the cheapest. Our company has always provided extremely high quality products and our customers keep coming back. Providing a new product is a challenge as we keep very busy now as it is. If I can provide a quality product to the LC community, thats great. Time will tell.

 

[ardentyota]

Ok, so I have pictures of the accessories arm now... It turned out great.

The license plate will be relocated under the Jerry Can.

 

[OLD DAWG]

Nate, I really like the looks of what you're doing and will definately keep you in mind when it's bumper time. Thanks, Doug

 

[ardentyota]

Trail testing

I finally got to test the wings- On Holy Cross trail here in CO.

All I can say is that the wings held up amazingly well. I didn't hesitate to bash and bang them.

This obstacle required me to realign myself a few times. Each time I did, there was a resulting slam into the USPS rear wing.

In this picture, I had most of the weight of the truck on the USPS rear wing while waiting for direction from my spotter.

Here is how they looked afterwards:

On the way down the trail, there are several large drops on which I slammed straight down onto the wings. They again proved that they could handle it. There was no deflection and the body is as straight as it was before the run.

I'll get some clean shots up in a few.

 

[ardentyota]

Clean shots:

Oh, and I never once got hung up on the rear.

 

[Chef J]

They do appear to have taken a beating and remained intact. I'll be watching for sure, IMHO they definitely fill a niche plus healthy competition typically pays dividends to the end user with better products.

 

[azcromntic]

I went by their shop a few weeks ago and they had a wing I could look at that was not mounted. Those things are STOUT! Holy caca!! While I was there they gave me a quote on a few other things. I'm looking for a carrier with the can holder and jack holder that I can remove when I'm not on the trail. I use my LC for work and play so being able to unbolt them is PERFECT!! Not to mention I believe I could bolt it on all by myself: no jack, jack stands, three people with tongues sticking out the side of their mouth lining things up. And, for my purposes it's just enough protection and something to put a high-lift on.

I took a look at their front bumbers as well. They had one made for a Blazer and that thing was SWEET!

I think what I liked most about Hefty was that they are a custom fab shop. So if you want it welded then I'm sure they can weld it up for you. In other words you can get exactly what you need.

Just my two cents worth. I plan on having them do some stuff for me.

 

[mudking82]

I will be seriously thinking about these in the near future. I just got done researching every manufacturer of rear bumpers I can find for the 80 series, this will fill a niche in my opinion. I am definitely interested in seeing the basket and ladder swing outs too, are those in production yet? And would it be possible to get the wings with the spindles installed so down the road I can add the swing outs?

 

[tenmile]

Hey Hefty, great idea! Is your shop in CO Springs? I would be very intrested in your product (with a couple of minor mods) if you could also provide the type of release system that I see here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/318750-bolt-tire-carrier-finished-now.html as I believe the lever would be quicker and more comfortable release mechanism for those of us that are often in the back of the vehicle (Daily drivers). I also like this tire carrier in the post if you could fab one up. Let me know your thoughts.
Jeff

 

[Hefty]

PM sent. Also sorry Chief J for the delay to your PM. I don't get on here very often due to being on so many forums. The basket and ladder options are available I just don't have pics yet sorry.