IronClad OffRoad Tube Bumper Prototype

[95ToyCruiser]

My friend and I started a company (IronClad OffRoad) several months ago and have spent the last few months getting our shop ready, waiting on equipment, begining to make a website, starting an LLC, etc. We finally got around to designing our first bumper for the 80 series about a week ago. Please let us know what you think. It's a non-winch tube bumper (winch option coming soon).

The mounting points are 3/16" and 1/4" US made plate steel and the tubing is 1 3/4" .120 wall 1020 DOM, also US made. It attaches using all factory mounting points (4 top bolts, 2 bottom bolts, and 2 side bolts).

Pricing is still being calculated but is looking to be in the $450-$550 (bare metal), $550-$650 (powder coated).

Sorry for the fact that it is muddy in the pictures, we had wheeling event the moring after we finished it.

 

[elduderino315]

That looks awesome! I like that it's sleeker and has a lower profile than Metal Tech's. Would there be a version without a stinger available? This is something I definitely see on my truck in the near future. Wins my vote fo sho

 

[mhanssens]

X2 on without the stinger, (even though it is a non-winch it would be nice to have mounts on it)

 

[julstirn]

What else you going to make for the 80? I like it by the way.

 

[yoopercharged]

got a rear?

 

[Josh N]

X3 on the stinger. Any chance of putting a 2" receiver in that thing? Yes, I have been looking for a bumper with a receiver up front.

 

[95ToyCruiser]

Thank you very much for the input. We will be making a smaller/no stinger option, just have to make a jig and get this to production first. We are in the weird transition between working full time at our other jobs and starting this company. So it's meant long nights and limited sleep.

We will eventually be offering the following for 80's:

1 front tube bumper with or w/o winch (hopefully a universal design as mentioned above)
2 front plate bumper with or w/o winch
3 rock sliders
3 rear plate bumper with swingout
4 rear tube bumper with or w/o swingout
5 skid plate
6 gear sets
etc.

All of these may not be for sometime, depends on interest/request for certain products. We are also developing products for Pickups, 4Runners, Tacomas, etc at the same time.

Thank you very much for commenting, please let us know what we can do to better this design.

Shane and Zach
IronClad OffRoad

 

[95ToyCruiser]

X3 on the stinger. Any chance of putting a 2" receiver in that thing? Yes, I have been looking for a bumper with a receiver up front.

Yes, I could French one into the front plate and gusset it in the rear. I had a front receiver on my Tacoma and it was great for moving things around, you could put a trailer anywhere you wanted.

 

[profro]

I like it. +1 again for winch option and no stinger.

 

[mhanssens]

i wouldnt make the tube sizes smaller though, i like the size you used

 

[fzjconvert]

Gear sets, can you expand on that? Are you talking R&P or trasfercase?

 

[lt1fire]

Gear sets? Are you making your own or buying from a supplier??

 

[95ToyCruiser]

Gear sets, can you expand on that? Are you talking R&P or trasfercase?

The gearsets I'm refering to are the R&P and are from American Gear and are american made, come in several ratios, more to come once we get our website finished and updated, thanks for all of your replies.

Shane and Zach
IronClad OffRoad

 

[Slabsides45]

When will you have pics/prices on the plate bumpers?

 

[95ToyCruiser]

When will you have pics/prices on the plate bumpers?

We hope to have a plate bumper done in the next month or so. Haven't had all the time in the world, closing on my first house in a week and working long hours at my 9-5 (lately more like 7-5:30 and then 7-1 am in the shop).

Again, thank you very much for the replys and advice.

What do you guys want made? (in addition to this with a smaller/no stinger and a plate front) I know what "I' think looks good and "I" like on an 80, but would prefer to spend my time developing designs and products that you want and would like.

Shane
IronClad OffRoad

 

[Nay]

I think that the main "problem" with the currently marketed front tube bumpers is that they are still built around the AC dryer....figure out how to really differentiate without materially changing your business plan. There is still very little that is really marketed to truly light weight and high clearance applications. Many of us are willing to modify sheet metal if we don't have to then design and weld - there is a niche 80 series market there. If you don't believe me, look at how many rear bumpers 4x4 labs has sold.

I think anybody who wants a tube bumper would pay for an AC relocation kit on top of it. That allows you to run the lower tube off the top of the frame, which really increases clearance. There are more bends potentially, which increases complexity (my lower tube is one piece with bends on two different planes), but you can really market to the growing harder core crowd and then figure out how to integrate a light weight winch like the 9.0Rc...on top of the rails rather than inside of them where the fairlead is low and angled down and right in harm's way. You want to get high clearance, turn the frame ears into a boxed slider and keep everything else on top.

Tube is a difficult application for a rear 80 bumper because it is hard to brace the wings and triangulation does not come by simple "tube bumper function" the way it does up front. Plus, you need real strength between the frame rails. Perhaps figure out a rear bumper design that includes trimming and reinforcing the rear quarters. They hang way too low and serve no function once the plastic moldings are gone, and much as the 4x4 labs bumper requires cutting the cross member go one step further with the quarters and really get high clearance with a great looking design.

I wouldn't waste much time on yet another version of 80 series sliders unless you can find a way to gain some much needed clearance in your design, perhaps including a version for people who have or will re-route their exhaust above the frame rails. Find a way to cut the weight in half - 80 sliders are really big and are a very heavy add-on for a vehicle that really cannot afford to gain weight. Slight changes to what is on the market really means you'll be competing on price and that's how guys with dreams end up with long hours and low profits in a low volume market.

Anyway, here are some pics of my front to show how much higher you can bring the lower triangulation point when you aren't designing around the AC dryer. You can also see how far out to the wing the triangulation extends, and the obvious mount for the winch on top of the frame rails, which makes your winch vs. non-winch bumper identical.

Finally, I don't think you need to make the stinger that much smaller as you want to just be able to see it over the hood as it is a great point of reference on a big 4x4 (both on trail and in parking lot or garage), but I think you have way too much angle for an 80 which really doesn't need to get much longer than it already is.

Good luck with the biz - nice to see some new ideas, and always remember, tube is your friend

 

[julstirn]

I agree with Nay and am not hardcore yet but that is the path I am going. Id love to design my own junk but not a fab guy (yet). High clearance stuff is the way to go. Maybe leaning towards hardcore crowd is smarter more than expedition group. As he also said improve on the stuff already being done and keep stuff cheaper since 80 stuff isnt cheap.

 

[dafun1]

I'm tempted to start a company just to fabricate the AC dryer relocation kit! I can't believe no one has offered this as a product. I know Mot used to/possibly still can get them from Japan, but somebody needs to start making a kit. The only option right now is to have an AC shop custom relocate right? Kind of a thread jack...Nice bumper though guys!

 

[KimoSabe]

I'm tempted to start a company just to fabricate the AC dryer relocation kit! I can't believe no one has offered this as a product. I know Mot used to/possibly still can get them from Japan, but somebody needs to start making a kit. The only option right now is to have an AC shop custom relocate right? Kind of a thread jack...Nice bumper though guys!

On hold for now https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/419622-jdm-c-drier-relocation-kit.html

 

[mhanssens]

Any updates on the bumper dude???? im pretty interested, youre work looks clean