Denver Offroad making bumpers again. pics of new setup.....

[Coastal616]

Can you provide some details on the material, like what alloy of aluminum, any heat treatment, etc... The claim that is it "double the strength of 1/2in steel" doesn't make sense on several levels.

Also, there is no "aircraft rating" for aluminum. Certain alloys are popular in the aircraft industry, but they aren't necessarily super strong. 7075 is very strong, but relatively heavy and expensive, and it rusts like steel. 6061 is light with moderate strength, but is the most common type of aluminum out there, not something special. I think the aluminum rods and stuff sold at home depot are 6061, certainly not a special "aircraft rated" material.

Any product demonstrations of the bumper getting thrashed? Al isn't as hard as steel, so is going to gouge easier. Also, you can pound out sheet steel alot more than you can pound out aluminum because the equivalent strength steel is much thinner walled. Plus steel is more easily welded for repair.

What he said. Sounds like a bunch of marketing fluff. Or a misunderstanding customer.

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

+1, not to knock anyones work either, they look great but "aircraft aluminum" is thrown around in so many ways by so many people. i work with aircraft and "aircraft aluminum" is well, aluminum... its still subject to fatigue and cracks, also, most, if not all aluminum alloys are weakened with the intense welding heat required, this is why aircraft have a bajillion rivets holding them together and only small parts are welded like battery trays or door pulls, things that wont be disastrous if they break.

again, great looking bumpers but i too would be leery of stacking its strength up with 1/2 steel.

 

[rickashay]

I am not too sure I like the mounts for the bumper. Seems like how they bend upwards from where it actually bolts to the frame would cause a ton of leverage on those frame mounting points in an impact. Also, is it only mounted to the frame rails with 3 bolts per side? I would like to have seen something incorporated with the factory bumper wing mounts, as an additional securing point to the frame and to help distribute the force of an impact or a hard recovery.

Again, not trying to knock this guys product as it "looks" fairly well built but I'm just not a huge fan of the mounts.

 

[blazingshadow]

Can you provide some details on the material, like what alloy of aluminum, any heat treatment, etc... The claim that it is "double the strength of 1/2in steel" doesn't make sense on several levels.

Also, there is no "aircraft rating" for aluminum. Certain alloys are popular in the aircraft industry, but they aren't necessarily super strong. 7075 is very strong, but relatively heavy and expensive, and it rusts like steel. 6061 is light with moderate strength, but is the most common type of aluminum out there, not something special. I think the aluminum rods and stuff sold at home depot are 6061, certainly not a special "aircraft rated" material.

Any product demonstrations of the bumper getting thrashed? Al isn't as hard as steel, so is going to gouge easier. Also, you can pound out sheet steel alot more than you can pound out aluminum because the equivalent strength steel is much thinner walled. Plus steel is more easily welded for repair.

When I made that comment I was still learning about metals and welding. True there is no rating for metal called "Aircraft Rated" But rather types of Aluminum that are rated for aircraft use. But It’s more accurate to say that there are some aluminum alloys that are stronger than some steel alloys. With that being said the mounts and arms are made of Steel, and the actual bumper is made of 6061 T6 aluminum

 

[Nelsonmd]

When I made that comment I was still learning about metals and welding. True there is no rating for metal called "Aircraft Rated" But rather types of Aluminum that are rated for aircraft use. But It’s more accurate to say that there are some aluminum alloys that are stronger than some steel alloys. With that being said the mounts and arms are made of Steel, and the actual bumper is made of 6061 T6 aluminum

I don't mean to bash this design or anything, but I am pretty unconvinced of this bumper as a thrashable piece of armor. The advantages of aluminum over steel (weight, and in certain circumstances, stiffness) just don't seem to be all that applicable to an off-road bumper. On the other hand, a couple qualities of steel seem to be decidedly advantageous, namely the ability to recover dents and bends by pounding it out, weldability without having the re-heat treat it, and material cost.

Do they heat treat the entire bumper after fabrication is complete, or do they just start with T6 Al?

Anyway, I think we'd all love to see you rock crawl with it and report back how it stands up to the punishment.

 

[sooner02r1]

Looks killer. I like the idea of aluminum on a runner. I think the big steel ones are too heavy for a light weight rig.