New Rear Bumper Option, Off Road Specialties

[ntsaint]

There's been another thread about this bumper (https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/395056-rear-bumper.html), but no proper writeup with detailed pics, etc. Thought I'd go ahead and post up with my thoughts complete with some pictures.

Chris (action fab) of Off Road Specialties in Hot Springs, Ark, has built bumpers for a couple members already, but to my knowledge, mine is the first he's done for the 100 series with a tire swingout.

Chris was great to work with through the entire process. Communication and feedback was never an issue, and he was very patient with me when I asked questions, made changes, etc. I'm very pleased with the end result--a custom, one-off bumper that will hopefully prove to be a great option for mud members going forward.

Bumper was just installed yesterday, so I have no off road experience with the bumper yet. But it has been 100% rattle free so far, and I've put about 8 hours of drive time in since install.

Now for the pics. Weather has been crappy here the last couple days, so this is a mix of camera and iphone pics.

First off with the bumper only, no swingout. I really like how close it hugs the body. Departure angle is really good.

Also a couple with the swingout sans tire.

 

[ntsaint]

Moving along. Everything mounted up.

 

[ntsaint]

Swingout open, side view, and shot of the fit and finish of the wings.

We DID do a couple flex tests, no issues found.

 

[ntsaint]

Couple of the latch and pivot hardware.

Latch is really slick...opens easily, and can be closed with one hand.

Swingout arm is long, but glides open and closed with no issue. There is a locking pin on the backside that locks it open when fully extended. You can easily unlock the pin and close the arm without walking around to the passenger side of the truck, which I really like.

 

[ntsaint]

Couple things that I asked Chris to add in along the way that I'm real happy with are below. Tabs running the full length of the swing arm, so that when I run my wire loom to the AUX light, backup camera, and license plate light, I'll have a lot of tie-wrap points to keep things clean.

Second is a mounting point for one of Nick's Cube LED's. Going to wire this into my reverse lights, as well as switch it for use on the trail.

 

[ntsaint]

Finally, quick shot of the recovery points...

 

[ntsaint]

That's it. I'm not trying to pimp the bumper for Chris...there's no affiliation there and certainly no referral benefits for me. BUT, I am very pleased with the bumper so far, and wanted to share details in case anyone else was interested in a custom build.

Be glad to answer any questions, shoot more pics, etc, if necessary.

 

[Slickspawn]

That looks really nice. Did he make a jig when he built it so it can be purchased without him having the vehicle present to build it on?

 

[ntsaint]

That looks really nice. Did he make a jig when he built it so it can be purchased without him having the vehicle present to build it on?

Yes, he did, and thanks.

 

[Kigiin]

That swing out swings wide... get out of the way! Looking at it, I now know why most rear bumpers have split swing arms.

 

[tabraha]

Good lookin bumper!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[SWUtah]

What's the net weight gain compared to stock, with and without share tire carrier?

 

[ntsaint]

That swing out swings wide... get out of the way! Looking at it, I now know why most rear bumpers have split swing arms.

Yeah, it's long, but not as long as it looks in that picture. That's a bad angle.

I actually thought about this a ton over the course of a few months before I decided on the single arm.

I am in and out of my cargo area fairly often, and wasn't too excited about having to work two swing outs every time I needed access. So the convenience of a single arm outweighed the shorter swing for me.

 

[ntsaint]

What's the net weight gain compared to stock, with and without share tire carrier?

I don't know exactly, maybe Chris can help out here.

If I had to guess I'd say less than 100lbs for everything, but that's a big time guess.

 

[Kigiin]

Yeah, it's long, but not as long as it looks in that picture. That's a bad angle.

I actually thought about this a ton over the course of a few months before I decided on the single arm.

I am in and out of my cargo area fairly often, and wasn't too excited about having to work two swing outs every time I needed access. So the convenience of a single arm outweighed the shorter swing for me.

Yeah, unlatching one arm is better than two.

 

[action fab]

I don't know exactly, maybe Chris can help out here.

If I had to guess I'd say less than 100lbs for everything, but that's a big time guess.

I would probably guess it closer to 150lbs total. I can pretty easily lift the swing. Guessing it's 40'ish. And although it's bulky, I can pick up the bumper by myself without too much issue. I'm going to guess it's 90'ish lbs.

 

[nakman]

Yeah, it's long, but not as long as it looks in that picture. That's a bad angle.

I actually thought about this a ton over the course of a few months before I decided on the single arm.

I am in and out of my cargo area fairly often, and wasn't too excited about having to work two swing outs every time I needed access. So the convenience of a single arm outweighed the shorter swing for me.

Sweet lookin' bumper man, seriously. You must not pull any trailers then, as the other side to that single arm coin is access to the back when one is hooked up. There's no way that would clear my camper battery, or utility storage box, or motorcycles... but I don't plan on you borrowing either any time soon so I guess we'll be ok.

 

[ntsaint]

Sweet lookin' bumper man, seriously. You must not pull any trailers then, as the other side to that single arm coin is access to the back when one is hooked up. There's no way that would clear my camper battery, or utility storage box, or motorcycles... but I don't plan on you borrowing either any time soon so I guess we'll be ok.

Ha, you're right. The arm actually clears the top rail of my trailer when it's hooked up, but won't clear anything that's loaded on the trailer and higher than the rail. Oh well...

 

[bhicks]

Did this bumper ever get put into production? Is Chris still willing to make these?

 

[AllLC]

Any word on these bumpers?

Is he making any more?

hows it holding up?

Looking for a solid rear bumper with receiver for camper.