Don't you already have a Dobinson up front?
Builds Trail Tailor- Custom Armor Build plus a few things
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I think would be interested in the front bumper as well.
Markuson
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If TT had offered Tony's bumper with a full bull bar...I'd have wanted one...
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E, If it goes to production there will be three versions.
1) base like Tony's
2) low center bullbar
3) full front bars (center bullbar and headlight loops)
J
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Markuson
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He posted a bit ago about significant rust already forming on some of his bumper hardware... Maybe its related to his comment here...?
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I'm curious how strong that would be if welded externally. Maybe J can comment as I'm no welder.
The bars on my bumper extend all the way through/inside the main bumper structure...creating full bracing/leverage.
Watchu think? Curious to hear from a master welder/fabricator.
95% of all the bars I've ever built are surface only. The key is proper triangulation of the bars. You want the bars to be pushed into the base metal instead of lifting up from the base metal during impact. I've hit a ton of crap (wildlife, street posts, other vehicles and a shopping cart...(don't ask) from 10-80 mph over the years and I've never had a surface weld from a tube to the base metal break loose.
Most straight vertical/flat front bars are less than 1 degree away from the lifting phase on 2 of the 4 attachment tubes and sometimes all 4 tubes (domino effect).. Where if they just leaned the front center bullbar forward 5-10 degrees it would increase the strength exponentially and start pushing the impact force down before it would actually start lifting. Hope this makes sense....
I know that the Buskstop bumpers (GREAT PRODUCT) are run though the base and then theirs are actually bolted to the base so they can be removed if damaged or need to do front body or engine removal maintenance.
This is one of the things that we will be addressing if the bumpers go to production and depend on how my clients want to finalize the design. However, right now the base and low bullbar are the favorites for them. One ( Middle east) said they preferred not to run the full bar set up. Mainly because they said it looked like crap on any bumper it was ever put on.....
J
Markuson
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Thanks for the response/info/perspective.
I deleted my original question (I guess while you were responding) because I didn't want it to sound like I was poo-pooing the idea. Really was just wondering about strength compared with pass-through. Thanks a lot for the thoughtful answer!
Re: Bull vs. No bull... I would imagine desert-runners in the Middle-East aren't worried about deer/moose/elk/roo strikes anyway...and camels are sooo dang tall that they'd be right over the bars...
Thanks again!
Markuson
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Thanks for the response/info/perspective. I deleted my original question (I guess while you were responding) because I didn't want it to sound like I was poo-pooing the idea. Really was just wondering about strength compared with pass-through. Thanks a lot for the thoughtful answer!
Re: Bull vs. No bull... I would imagine desert-runners in the Middle-East aren't worried about deer/moose/elk/roo strikes anyway...and camels are sooo dang tall that they'd be right over the bars...
Thanks again!
Markuson
That would be my thinking as well. But, I quit asking "why" when someone makes comments like that. I figure they have a reason and I just automatically respect that unless its a safety issue or just a plain dumbass idea...
In 25+ years I've only run two full bar setups (hybrid low center hoops designs) on my offroad rigs and I think only two on my 1 ton welding trucks. I'm with the Middle East guys... I personally think it looks like crap and most are made from lighter materials that do more harm than good in a collision.
Markuson
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That would be my thinking as well. But, I quit asking "why" when someone makes comments like that. I figure they have a reason and I just automatically respect that unless its a safety issue or just a plain dumbass idea...
In 25+ years I've only run two full bar setups (hybrid low center hoops designs) on my offroad rigs and I think only two on my 1 ton welding trucks. I'm with the Middle East guys... I personally think it looks like crap and most are made from lighter materials that do more harm than good in a collision.
For me, it's not truck protection. It's an animal "catcher" that helps catch/crumple the large critter in the bars so it doesn't fly through the windshield and kill you like the couple near us in Alaska--both dead in their pickup. As for the truck...ya...damage still gonna happen...
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Yep same thing with a buddy of mine and his SO. Hit a bull moose at 70+ ... girl died and my buddy is an amputee on the lower right leg now.
He had a full face mask set up that I built for him. Bumper and truck lived... Some animals are just too tall for any protection to work correctly...
Markuson
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Ya, sometimes nothing will save ya. Most critter strikes are shorter deer, etc. so I'd like to keep them up front. There are plenty of ways to die though...
I fly ultralight aircraft, which is faaaaar more likely to kill me than a critter strike... So to each our own, right? 
By the way... For the most part, I agree that non-bars LOOK better. On the other hand, there is also a sort of TANK aesthetic that can be appreciated.
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Interested at what ends up being made!
Agree that some fashion of hoop could work..... I loved the Blueberry style on my 100..... matching the lines of the truck is key. I'd like a little protection for the grille and down the center of the truck but don't need a full bar.
look forward to seeing what you come up with, but pencil me in...
E
look forward to seeing what you come up with, but pencil me in...
E
I'd prefer only a headlight/fender protection, if anything, but that would look goofy. I see those getting hit more often than the grill.
In my experience, grill-only "protection" are mostly for esthetics unless they're a full stinger style but if you're tipping a 200 enough to make use of a stinger you've got other concerns.
In my experience, grill-only "protection" are mostly for esthetics unless they're a full stinger style but if you're tipping a 200 enough to make use of a stinger you've got other concerns.
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General thought process for me is that I can drive/limp home with a busted headlight, but if the radiator is compromised I'm SOL....
J
For sure. I was thinking of the off-road aspect. I haven't hit anything head on that endangered the radiator on the trail. I have encountered a few off-camber downhill turns that got close to a fender and/or headlight rub though.
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Your clearances/approach is 3-8" more than all the other offerings out there.... SORRY ABOUT THAT!!!! HA!
J
Your clearances/approach is 3-8" more than all the other offerings out there.... SORRY ABOUT THAT!!!! HA!
J
Hah! I'm definitely not complaining.
