**UPDATE**

Sorry again for the delay. Like I said earlier, lot's going on but making progress nonetheless.

Just renders below before I prep the files for the fab shop. This is more complete than any previous version so a couple details to point out:

- Side rail gussets added to fully box in the bumper for strength; voids cut for weight savings
- Hitch receiver tube added with rear gussets
- Front skid plate redesigned to have multiple bends; an aesthetic choice from a design perspective to give more soft edges to help improve the real-world looks
- Most weldable areas are notched and puzzle together; this makes it easier than IKEA to build the plates on the truck and gives dedicated areas to lay welds (hopefully reducing average weld times and to help with product consistency in the real world - hard as a WIY product)
- Raised center section to be more even with recovery points
- Slotted various holes to help with fitment issues on trucks that are not straight on the frame ends or bodymount bushings

A couple notes:

- I found a way to cut production costs with less bends needed in key components, however I would have had to loose the tie-in to the front bodymounts. I feel that keeping this tie-in point will ensure there is less foreward flex of the bumper chassis during hard winching (and an impact) and therefore decided to go the way of more strength vs. cost reduction. Just something I wanted to point out as I spent a considerable amount of time working through this and even redesigned the whole bumper without the bodymount tie-ins - but in the end I think this is the right direction for the product.

Some current revision renders:

Untitled by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Untitled by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Front skid removed for hitch receiver and winch bolt access:

Untitled by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Rear side with gussets:

Untitled by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

I have nothing productive to add besides it looks great, and I'm glad you chose strength over production costs. I'd rather pay more for strength in the beginning than for possible repairs/reinforcements later down the line.

Thanks for the feedback. It’s a tough call to make knowing I haven’t posted a price yet. And I know a LOT (not all, but a lot) of other bumper manufacturers do not tie into the body mounts here. I actually was watching a slow motion clip of another companies bumper that was literally flexing like 2” foreword under winch load. That may have been what pushed me over the edge to make it stronger at the cost of production cost. (We are trying to keep costs as low as we can for the end consumer as well)

Just stumbled across this and read through all 10 pages. I am absolutely onboard for this! The design is beautiful and simple. Looking forward to the progress and hopefully get in on the potential group buy when it's ready. Appreciate all the work and research you've done to bring these older trucks some new options

I'm continuously impressed by this, and cannot wait for it to hit the market!

what's ridiculous is the raw cost of steel - until that changes, $1K isn't crazy, unfortunately.

front receiver FTW.

Thanks for chiming in and glad you are liking the design. I too cannot wait until I can nail down a prototype and be confident enough to put it out there for the initial Group Buy.

Cheers! Appreciate it.

It's insane! At least commodity steel costs are heading back down now... hopefully this translates in the near future.

Funny how I never even considered it originally. But now that I've changed the design to accommodate it, I'm really happy it's there. So many uses and it definitely will make our bumper stronger than it was before with all that center bracing. Win-win and stoked that the forum suggested it!

This is awesome progress!

Some questions:
- are the shackle plates hollow with a skin welded on each side?
- do you have an estimated weight?

Looks cool. A fat lip model would be sweet, but maybe that one doesn’t make sense with your approach.

Bumpski
Waiting on updates.

Bump?

Re-drawing files for Prototype V2. I am supposed to have them by Feb 15th and then it's off to the cutter for round 2 (which will actually be installed on my truck shortly after).

Thanks for the bump!

take my money. This is FANTASTIC!
Looking forward to this very much.

I am in the market for a low-profile winch mount front bumper and prefer the non fat lip look, even though I drive a 99; I'm not opposed to replacing the bumper in it's entirety.

Do you have a potential production timeline and do you need a field tester in CA that will wheel and winch with this bumper?

I'm ready to cut my frame down up to 2" (coastal offroad) so HMU

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk