Kavik 100 Series Front Bumper

[LandCruiserPhil]

That may or may not be the case.
Depending on how the bumper bolts together a strike to the wing would likley cause damage to the center section where it bolts up.
As a fabricator I would love to see some more info on how it bolts together, mounts to the frame, internal gusseting ect.

@Kavik ,
Any detailed pics of the structure?
Great work btw!

Thanks
Ben

Ive seen Kaviks bumper in person and have owned a TJM T-17 in the past. It feels much stronger than my old 1 piece steel TJM and he nailed the design by keeping everything simple, nice and tight, and not letting the wings stick out way past the fender. For me Im super stoked to see this come to market and the opportunity to have a light weight aluminum on my LX470.

 

[benc]

Ive seen Kaviks bumper in person and have owned a TJM T-17 in the past. It feels much stronger than my old 1 piece steel TJM and he nailed the design by keeping everything simple, nice and tight, and not letting the wings stick out way past the fender. For me Im super stoked to see this come to market and the opportunity to have a light weight aluminum on my LX470.

Not saying he didn't,
Just saying the engineering and fabricating side of me likes to see the internals
I'm sure it would be beneficial for potential buyers as well.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

The stronger and simpler the support structure, the better. I have seen several bumpers lately (for different models and makes) that are basically just a catch basin to breed rust due to the collection of mud and road salts.

I hate spending hours trying to wash that crap out of bumpers, skids and sliders after a fun weekend. I hope for everyone's sake it is simple and easily maintained.

J

 

[fireball]

Subscribed for photos of the bull bar and turn signal cutouts.

Fun to see another product come to market.

 

[Bomar]

Wife wants to see it on an LX. So I am pending photos.

If I can sell my ARB on my 99 I would love to replace with this. So maybe a 2fer.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Not saying he didn't,
Just saying the engineering and fabricating side of me likes to see the internals
I'm sure it would be beneficial for potential buyers as well.

IIRC my TJM T-17 did not have any internals.

Having had one of your kits in the past I wasnt sure what all the internal bracing was for, can you explain? Seems like most other production and custom bumper I have seen have very little if any internal bracing in the wings of both 80 series and 100 series.

 

[reznunt]

IIRC my TJM T-17 did not have any internals.

I would hope this version has the proper internal bracing and gussets since it's made out of Al. Without it I'd think one good hit in the right spot and it would be done for. Just my opinion.

 

[benc]

IIRC my TJM T-17 did not have any internals.

Having had one of your kits in the past I wasnt sure what all the internal bracing was for, can you explain? Seems like most other production and custom bumper I have seen have very little if any internal bracing in the wings of both 80 series and 100 series.

Yes,
Most other bumpers are made from 3/16" and 1/4" plate and are not modular.
Once you go down in thickness or use aluminum the wing gusset supports are needed. I did several load tests when designing mine to determine where the extra gussets were needed.
I was mainly curious to see how the wings tie into the center.
This was a bit tough to come up with and have it not collapse in a lite impact. If the wings simply bolt to the center it would tear out damaging the center section where it ties to the wing.
The only way I found to address this issue is to have top connecting plates and have a cap over the 3 pieces that tie the center, wings and frame brackets together, this will help distribute the load on impact.
On many of the big name manufactuers the bull bar adds a tremendous amount of structure to the bumper, without that more structure must be added to the bumper to compensate.

Not many manufacturers go with a modular design so I was interested to see how @Kavik overcame the hurdles and figured it may be beneficial to potential customers that have not had the opportunity to see the bumper in person yet, some good pics of the entire bumper and mouting system would be beneficial I would think.

Again, awesome work on the bumper @Kavik!
I'm excited to see more American made products come to market for the 100 series and look forward to seeing some at 100s in the hills!
Which reminds me, I'm sure some lucky person would love to win a Kavik bumper in the raffle .
Also looks like I'm going to have to step up my game a bit with some aluminum bumpers.
Keep up the good work!

 

[DanInDenver]

Where are the tow points? Is it the circles on the bull bar mounts in the CAD drawing?

 

[Kavik]

Yes,
Most other bumpers are made from 3/16" and 1/4" plate and are not modular.
Once you go down in thickness or use aluminum the wing gusset supports are needed. I did several load tests when designing mine to determine where the extra gussets were needed.
I was mainly curious to see how the wings tie into the center.
This was a bit tough to come up with and have it not collapse in a lite impact. If the wings simply bolt to the center it would tear out damaging the center section where it ties to the wing.
The only way I found to address this issue is to have top connecting plates and have a cap over the 3 pieces that tie the center, wings and frame brackets together, this will help distribute the load on impact.
On many of the big name manufactuers the bull bar adds a tremendous amount of structure to the bumper, without that more structure must be added to the bumper to compensate.

Not many manufacturers go with a modular design so I was interested to see how @Kavik overcame the hurdles and figured it may be beneficial to potential customers that have not had the opportunity to see the bumper in person yet, some good pics of the entire bumper and mouting system would be beneficial I would think.

Again, awesome work on the bumper @Kavik!
I'm excited to see more American made products come to market for the 100 series and look forward to seeing some at 100s in the hills!
Which reminds me, I'm sure some lucky person would love to win a Kavik bumper in the raffle .
Also looks like I'm going to have to step up my game a bit with some aluminum bumpers.
Keep up the good work!

I modeled a box gusset on the back side of the wings to combat twist and buckling from contact. I am very happy with the stiffness without it, but it is reasonably cheap insurance. Of course, you never know how bad that "oh s***" moment is, til it happens.

Also, please note when ordering that the outer wings are unique between the LC and LX. I am really picky about the grill/bumper gap. I can damn near put my fist through the gap on my 80 with an ARB. This bumper is very tight and trim up to the body.

The winch plate can also be seen. I am confident most popular foot mount winches will fit. CNC Hawes fairleads and thimbles are in the pipeline.

Anchor/tow points will be limited to the factory location for now.

1st batch of components are at the sheetmetal house. I'll post up pics of the LX install asap.

 

[bluesquirrel]

I really like the structure of this bumper.

 

[benc]

Looks good!
Thanks for the pics.
I'm not sure if you have test fit on a 03-06 LC yet but the profile of the under grill support is the same as the lx all the way under the headlights as well.

 

[Newps]

Excellent design and bracing. No rust and low weight, great job!

 

[socalmtbiker]

Would like to see on an lx before I commit but would like to be on the list. Thanks!

 

[Kavik]

Would like to see on an lx before I commit but would like to be on the list. Thanks!

You are already there, about half way down! What year is your LX?

 

[SierraWheeler]

I'm not a big fan of TJM or their bumper design, but this Kavik design is growing on me. I'm liking the traditional bull bar look, paired with the weight savings of aluminum. It looks like the cut outs on the wings are there for side markers. Any provision or customization option for fog lights similar to what Slee or Dissent offers?

When I first bought my LC I was convinced I would end up with an 03-07 ARB combo bar. The more I learn about the awesome vendors on this forum, the more I want to support the creative community-driven designs here in the LC community. Not 100% sold on this bumper just yet, but really looking forward to seeing a finished product to help me make a decision. Glad to see another home brew flavor on the market!

 

[socalmtbiker]

You are already there, about half way down! What year is your LX?

2005 thanks

 

[reznunt]

I guess aluminum is the new steel. It's a 200 series bumper.

 

[TrekboxX]

Nice work! I would be careful about getting those gaps too small, though. The body will twist and move in relation to the frame, especially off road. Personally I'd go 3/8" or so. Would hate to see them rub the nice PC off the shiny new bumper!

 

[TnTnola]

Any updates with this bumper?