Durability of Aluminum Winch Bumpers

[Xtremluck]

I’m curious to hear about others who are running aluminum winch bumpers and how they are holding up. I’ve had my Pelfreybilt aluminum bumper mounted for just about 3.5 years now. It has survived a decent amount of rock strikes and probably a couple hundred winch cycles during that time. Recently I noticed some cracking near the frame horn mounts so I think it’s days are numbered. Not sure if it’s a poor bumper design or just the reality of using aluminum for a front bumper that gets used.

How are your aluminum bumpers holding up?

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[ahtoxa11]

Bump, because I wanna know as well. I was running aluminum skids and ended up switching some of them (like the engine skid) to steel for better performance according to my use.

Now I'm planning on front/rear bumpers and looking to decide whether to go with steel or aluminum again.

 

[HELGA]

Old post I know but I'm going to be heading in the winch bumper direction soon and found this searching for aluminum bumper threads on here.
My biggest issue is Maine winter roads. The salt and brine are hell on everything and had the thought that aluminum might be a good option that won't rust.
If there's a design issue with some though it would be good to know, and if they simply can't withstand moderate use it would also be good info to be armed with before dropping a lot more money. I can factor in rust maintainence to the equation if I have to for cost of steel vs Al.
Thanks.

 

[mrblah]

Old post I know but I'm going to be heading in the winch bumper direction soon and found this searching for aluminum bumper threads on here.
My biggest issue is Maine winter roads. The salt and brine are hell on everything and had the thought that aluminum might be a good option that won't rust.
If there's a design issue with some though it would be good to know, and if they simply can't withstand moderate use it would also be good info to be armed with before dropping a lot more money. I can factor in rust maintainence to the equation if I have to for cost of steel vs Al.
Thanks.

yes they will withstand moderate use and hits. However, if your idea of moderate use is rock crawling where you are planning to take hits to your bumper everytime you take it out on the trail then you might want to stick with steel.

 

[HELGA]

Understood.
Thank you.

 

[Grug556]

yes they will withstand moderate use and hits. However, if your idea of moderate use is rock crawling where you are planning to take hits to your bumper everytime you take it out on the trail then you might want to stick with steel.

I love aluminum, its light and doesnt really rust. That said like above it wont take the hits. I have mixed skids half steel half aluminum. Some here have said basically with aluminum its a temp plate to take a few hits then get replaced.

Maybe we ought to get the vendors to make them out of 1 inch titanium... that should work if anybody wants to drill out the holes

 

[Metal Head]

The way a lot of people market Aluminum is shitty. Yes if you look at the strength to weight of something like 6061-T6 vs. mild Steel aluminum wins, but that is the raw material only. When you weld Aluminum you ruin that -T6 tempering that gives it all its strength in the heat affected zone. Mild steel does not have this issue, and with proper welding it is generally stronger at the weld joints due to the bead thickness adding to the cross sectional area.

My bumpers and skids are all steel, just answering your question about the reality of aluminum.

 

[mrblah]

I’m a big fan of aluminum but you have to be cognizant of where you going to put it and what your vehicle uses are.

 

[srsrogerissrs]

I'm okay with aluminum on the front as I'm not usually dropping off into a massive rock gardens with boulders that can hit the front bumper everywhere, however definitely need steel on the belly and booty.

 

[El Dusty]

Ive had a pelfreybilt front bumper on my rig for about 5 years now and love it for weight savings. Its taken a few hits on the lighter side. I never put a winch in it as Im trying to keep it light and rarely wheel hard enough to need one.

All my other armor is steel though. With all the times Ive been in tough spots I think Ive only really relied on my sliders a handful of times. Aluminum probably would have done the trick except it likely would have taken much more damage.

My biggest fear w/ aluminum is doing a recovery and having a failure like in this photo. See IG link for more pics (not my rig). Pretty rough and Im sure the repair was a nightmare. Flexural Rupture at the frame connection I believe.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPJGqlOnm9I/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==&img_index=4

 

[mrblah]

I love aluminum, its light and doesnt really rust. That said like above it wont take the hits. I have mixed skids half steel half aluminum. Some here have said basically with aluminum its a temp plate to take a few hits then get replaced.

Maybe we ought to get the vendors to make them out of 1 inch titanium... that should work if anybody wants to drill out the holes

Lol titanium. I have dreamt many a dreams about titanium.

 

[HELGA]

Awesome folks. Really appreciate the guidance/input with this. Exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Xtremluck]

OP back for an update. Ditched the Pelfreybilt for a CBI aluminum full front. Had it for just about 2 years and have hammered it across a lot of the really technical trails we have out west. Including most recently a tour through the Rubicon. At least 100 winch cycles in with plenty of rock strikes and it’s still going on strong.

Also on the whole debate around aluminum skids not being up to the task of rock crawling. I’m prepared to debate that heavily. Mine are just fine after years of abuse and the only real negative I see is that aluminum doesn’t slide as easy as steel. Acceptable for me given the weight savings.

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[Inv4drZm]

OP back for an update. Ditched the Pelfreybilt for a CBI aluminum full front. Had it for just about 2 years and have hammered it across a lot of the really technical trails we have out west. Including most recently a tour through the Rubicon. At least 100 winch cycles in with plenty of rock strikes and it’s still going on strong.

Also on the whole debate around aluminum skids not being up to the task of rock crawling. I’m prepared to debate that heavily. Mine are just fine after years of abuse and the only real negative I see is that aluminum doesn’t slide as easy as steel. Acceptable for me given the weight savings.

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To me it seems hard to justify spending $600 more for armor that's not as strong that'll only save 100 lbs if I do the math on the 3 skids and a front bumper.

I don't know what the mpg benefit of saving 100lbs is, but if its half of a mpg then you save $30/yr if you daily the truck. Meaning it'll pay off in 20 years.

 

[comtn4x4]

To me it seems hard to justify spending $600 more for armor that's not as strong that'll only save 100 lbs if I do the math on the 3 skids and a front bumper.

I don't know what the mpg benefit of saving 100lbs is, but if its half of a mpg then you save $30/yr if you daily the truck. Meaning it'll pay off in 20 years.

Obviously it depends on which bumpers you're using as examples but the weight savings on a front bumper alone is 100#, for the skids add another 80-100#. I think the 100# in the front makes the biggest difference personally. Don't have to run as stiff a coil.
I'll have to agree with <!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: dbtech_usertag_mention --> @Xtremluck <!-- END TEMPLATE: dbtech_usertag_mention -->. I've had my aluminum front bumper and skids for 8 years and they've done very well through some pretty good abuse. It does matter who you buy from and how they're built same as it does with steel.

As far as sliders and rear bumper goes I'm in 100% agreement, steel is the way to go.


*added note: There's not a single thing on my rig that was a good investment or will justify it's expense at any point in time. It's all purely for my own joy.

 

[HELGA]

At 25k miles per year saving .5 mpg @$3.50/gal is $175. Not saying that makes a point one way or the other but it's more than $30 and for me makes it worth the discussion and thought.

 

[mrblah]

At 25k miles per year saving .5 mpg @$3.50/gal is $175. Not saying that makes a point one way or the other but it's more than $30 and for me makes it worth the discussion and thought.

lighter the vehicle, the less of a dog it is and less stress on the drivetrain.

Right now, I'm trying to put my vehicle on a weight loss program without sacrificing too much protection and clearance. It's really difficult and expensive

 

[Xtremluck]

To me it seems hard to justify spending $600 more for armor that's not as strong that'll only save 100 lbs if I do the math on the 3 skids and a front bumper.

I don't know what the mpg benefit of saving 100lbs is, but if its half of a mpg then you save $30/yr if you daily the truck. Meaning it'll pay off in 20 years.

The weight savings is quite a bit more than that. If I was using steel for a bumper and skids I would be at least 200 lbs heavier. At 6300 lbs at current full trip weight that is unacceptable to me. Mostly for the added burden of getting the truck through technical rocky stuff on the trails I know you and I like to frequent.

Should I be rock crawling a full camp setup? Probably not but it's fun to do it and believe or not I still get 16mpg on the highway because of my conservative tire choice.

 

[Xtremluck]

Obviously it depends on which bumpers you're using as examples but the weight savings on a front bumper alone is 100#, for the skids add another 80-100#. I think the 100# in the front makes the biggest difference personally. Don't have to run as stiff a coil.
I'll have to agree with <!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: dbtech_usertag_mention --> @Xtremluck <!-- END TEMPLATE: dbtech_usertag_mention -->. I've had my aluminum front bumper and skids for 8 years and they've done very well through some pretty good abuse. It does matter who you buy from and how they're built same as it does with steel.

As far as sliders and rear bumper goes I'm in 100% agreement, steel is the way to go.


*added note: There's not a single thing on my rig that was a good investment or will justify it's expense at any point in time. It's all purely for my own joy.

You are spot on, definitely steel for sliders and rear bumper. Although I have bent both my steel sliders and broken welds on their mounts. Also my rear steel CBI bumper is bent and it has to be one of the heaviest and most stout options out there. Steel isn't invincible but there is no denying it is stronger than aluminum.

It's all about the applications and where you can get away with using lighter stuff. For me I tend to be careful about front bumper placement so if there is a rock strike it isnt as violent as when I drag my rear off a rock shelf or go over rocks with my sliders.

 

[Inv4drZm]

I must have done my prior math at like 25 mpg thinking it would be the same difference for 15 mpg.

15 vs 15.5 for 12.5k/ year, you do save around $90/year, but I don't know if its a half mpg difference just throwing numbers around.

I would love to shed weight, I weighed the rear seats which I rarely use and that's 75lbs and located fairly high on the center of gravity.

Aftermarket front seats would shed weight too.....

Regarding material choice for skid plates, the heavier skids should actually *lower* your center of gravity. I would love to experiment with 1/8" AR skidplates I have everything modeled on my PC just need to send it to a local shop to have cut.