How many safari's do you go on, (1 Viewer)

[frankies off road]

IDK what everyone else will say, but I like it as a base idea. Beef it up a little and see if you can suck it up to the grill anymore. Also, the "wing" tubing might be a little vulnerable.

thanks,,,

its a dual bolt pattern,less the winch plate upgrade it mooved back 1" but its a prototype and that may change+or-

I am not trying to push sales here in the tech section,i am after whats needed and whats wonted for future prototypes ..

 

[elmariachi]

thats what i was looking for.

I like it. I would consider a larger horizontal main tube to help strengthen the wraparound "wings". I'd be a bit concerned about what happens to that upper piece should you nose over and slam the weight of the truck onto it. I can clearly see why you asked the questions you asked. Do you have any more pics that show exactly how it and the winch are mounted?

 

[frankies off road]

That and you can still spend a week or more in parts of Nevada and the rest of West and never see another person, unless you want to. So yeah, it is a little different than running Rubicon, Fordyce, Moab, Tellico and Badlands. You can cover a lot of miles with out using any pavement. I grew up in Arkansas, so I know what private property and a house down every road is like. I prefer the West many times over. While there are guys that rockcrawl their 80's as has been said, a lot drive of them long distances just to try a different road and see a unique spot, while doing it comfortably. Gotta be able to take your gear.

fair enogh. and i think i am starting to understand what i was missing.

there seems to me that there will be two defined markets one extreme best entry/departure and one less extream more exploring take the wife and kids from point A to B and back in comfort and gear.

I think there may be a middle of the road as well.

 

[tech_dog]

I got started on the "safari trend" after a small love tap from a rock caused $2500 in bumper damage. I took a closer look at the bumpers and noticed they're mostly made of plastic and tin foil.

 

[-Spike-]

not finished yet,and its bolt on.

Personally, I think that thing is gonna fold on impact almost as easily as a stock bumper. The steel on the ARB, IMHO, is too thin but at least has some depth to add strength. Thin tube won't have any strength out at the ends (where most rocks meet trucks) and your lower reinforcing bars cover too much tire for me. The only improvement I see over an ARB is less length added to the vehicle, but because of the angle on the lower part of the ARB the improvement in approach angle is negligible. Somewhat more improvement over the ARB winch model, but I'd think ARB could fix that if they were asked enough. Also, I'd think (no expert here) that the manufacturing of your bumper as pictured would be way more labor intensive than the cut and fold method probably used in an ARB.

-Spike

 

[mickey_rubicon]

there is nowhere to put your beer on that bumper while youre workin on the truck. the tubing doesnt look strong enough - maybe a bit bigger tubing, but the fit idea is really good. I would not mind testing one in my neck of the woods as long as there is a little ledge somewhere.

 

[frankies off road]

I like it. I would consider a larger horizontal main tube to help strengthen the wraparound "wings". I'd be a bit concerned about what happens to that upper piece should you nose over and slam the weight of the truck onto it. I can clearly see why you asked the questions you asked. Do you have any more pics that show exactly how it and the winch are mounted?

No more pics and its dark,its not even cloes to finished,its built from 2" 120 wall DOM 52,000lbs yield. endo will most likley kill it.

the winch mount is for mock up and sizeing at this point; the break guy is draging his feet on the actual winch plate.

looking to tie the wings into the mounts for side impact and i am looking for ideas there for sure.

 

[elmariachi]

I think there may be a middle of the road as well.

I would normally not be in this type of discussion because I use my current 80 for mostly the long-range expedition stuff and only wheel it when I get in the rocks around good spotters that I trust. But I have a wrecked '97 FZJ-80 in the garage that I am seriously thinking of making into something like what is pictured below, so I have been pondering things like rollcage and rock armor.

I think you should finish your prototype and put up some pics and see who bites. Its good that you are trying to build for this 80 market.

 

[frankies off road]

Personally, I think that thing is gonna fold on impact almost as easily as a stock bumper. The steel on the ARB, IMHO, is too thin but at least has some depth to add strength. Thin tube won't have any strength out at the ends (where most rocks meet trucks) and your lower reinforcing bars cover too much tire for me. The only improvement I see over an ARB is less length added to the vehicle, but because of the angle on the lower part of the ARB the improvement in approach angle is negligible. Somewhat more improvement over the ARB winch model, but I'd think ARB could fix that if they were asked enough. Also, I'd think (no expert here) that the manufacturing of your bumper as pictured would be way more labor intensive than the cut and fold method probably used in an ARB.

-Spike

you said in an above post about a custom home built rock bumper any pics ?

testing for durability will begin when its finished .

I thank you all for your input

 

[-Spike-]

Sure- when it's done. Right now it's a piece of 2x5" .250 wall square tube mounted to the cut frame rails, with the ends angled and prettied and a receiver, whole thing slightly wider than the frame rails. Eventually it will get a 2x3" .250 wall square tube atop it, wrapped around the corners, and a hitch-mounted winch.

Keep in mind that serious rock crawlers cut things off their rigs, not add to 'em. As in buggy. They use the 80 to tow the buggy to the rocks.

-Spike

 

[frankies off road]

Sure- when it's done. Right now it's a piece of 2x5" .250 wall square tube mounted to the cut frame rails, with the ends angled and prettied and a receiver, whole thing slightly wider than the frame rails. Eventually it will get a 2x3" .250 wall square tube atop it, wrapped around the corners, and a hitch-mounted winch.

Keep in mind that serious rock crawlers cut things off their rigs, not add to 'em. As in buggy. They use the 80 to tow the buggy to the rocks.

-Spike

your a funny guy eh

I would like ya to send me some pics when your done, we are always looking to better designes..

I will post some better mounting pics when its done I think when ya see the finished mounting you will like it.

thanks again and sorry for the entro,but you guys responded holding nothing back and thats what i was after

 

[-Spike-]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=80700&page=3 has some pics from a recent run- mine is the ugly 80 without the ARB. There's a good example of approach angle there- the rock face I'm pictured on in one post was at least 50 degrees. The front bumper touched just a little.

-Spike

 

[elmariachi]

Check here to0:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?p=1063432

 

[frankies off road]

He changed forums with this:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?p=1063432

I didnt see the photo chop untill now,thats pretty cool..

this thread was about another bumper altogether,but the rock bumper got in this thread ,

SORRY.

 

[elmariachi]

I didnt see the photo chop untill now,thats pretty cool..

this thread was about another bumper altogether,but the rock bumper got in this thread ,

SORRY.

Hey, at least you are you're getting feedback, right?

 

[Nay]

fair enogh. and i think i am starting to understand what i was missing.

there seems to me that there will be two defined markets one extreme best entry/departure and one less extream more exploring take the wife and kids from point A to B and back in comfort and gear.

I think there may be a middle of the road as well.

I'm that guy in the middle. I want to be able to take wife and four kids hardcore wheeling, camping for a few days, to the mall, and just down the long road to a faraway place. To me, better angles, less weight, and equal or better strength are a clear advantage for all of my scenarios, which seem to occur in tandem at times in unexpected ways

The bracing of the side wings of any 80 bumper interests me, because there are no natural side bracing points back to the frame due to the body design at the front of the fender well, and the distance between frame and bumper (both vertical and horizontal). Unibody Jeeps are SO much easier in this area.

That Hanna "one-off rig" has extensive body trimming at the front of the wheel well, which IMO removes structural components. So how do you wrap anything around the side and properly support it back to the frame?

Anybody done this? Pics?

Nay

 

[frankies off road]

Hey, at least you are you're getting feedback, right?

Thats true....



MODERATORS
I haver no products for sale at the present and I did not post in the tech section trying to pimp products for sale all i wonted was the question you all have answerd for R@D ideas..

thank you all for your helpfull input and anyone else please post up .

good night all.

F.

 

[notyourmomslx450]

Jim,
If you go hardcore/buggy with your wrecked 80, let me know. I know a great cruiser shop that has one of the best fab guys I've ever seen.

 

[tech_dog]

Actually, if I had the skills, time, and equipment to fab up my own bumper, I'd have made something like Slee's no-hoop front bumper, but with the winch box cut out. That would have improved the approach angle and reduced the weight, and I could have lived without a winch.

It would be kind of like a TJM front bumper, but more solidly built.

 

[ginericLC]

I brought my lower tubes more swept back. I never had an issue with my bumper bending and I stood the nose on end on one corner. But I think this was because it was braced swept back instead of parallel to the top bar. Oh, and it was designed to have the lower tube below the license plate removed for a removeable solenoid low profile winch. There is a company that I know of that is going to be producing a bumper really similar to this already. I can't say more than that.

My beef with the ARBs is the flimsly tow points that fold over on the rocks and they don't have enough of an approach angle. I've seen some realy nice modified ARBs where they cut the lower wings and reinforced them so they can take bigger blows. It would be nice if someone made one that you could take out of the box and mount up and have it be right from the get go.