Ideal Rear Bumper (features/options)

[wolfpack10]

I'm looking to have a rear bumper/ spare carrier made in the near future. [MENTION=58830]ARKRWLR[/MENTION] has been very helpful at steering me towards a CBI custom setup. I live in central NC so I'm equidistant from rocks and mountains in the west and sand in the east so the ol' Red Terror can see a bit of diversity.

So now my question is, if y'all were building the perfect bumper what features/options would you include/consider? I'm not necessarily going to incorporate all of these onto one bumper, just want to know what to consider.

Type:
Plate - Heavier & costlier, can hold more weight (i.e. large spare tire, gas cans, hi-lift, bottle opener haha [MENTION=96948]scrap metal[/MENTION])
Tube - Lightweight, lower cost, holds less load
Hybrid

Spare Carrier:
Swingaway - passenger or driver side hinge (passenger side swings out of way of traffic if pulled off the road)
Gas can mount
Hi-lift mount
Relocated license tag mount

Misc Features:
Accounts for body lift (adding brackets later weakens bumper)
Hitch receiver
Alternative coating/materials/thicknesses
Incorporating additional armor (i.e. [MENTION=93512]MojaveMadMan[/MENTION] 's dream skid plate, quarter panel guard)
Modular design - allows replacement of damaged parts
Recovery points
Flat cargo loading area

Fabricators (that ship):
CBI, Shrockworks (long lead time), OudoorLogic (currently paused development for 3rd gen rear bumper?), TAG (inexpensive, but questionable quality/service), Savage Offroad (thanks [MENTION=84681]white_n_slow[/MENTION])

Good Advice:
"Buy Once, Cry Once."
"Buy Nice, or Buy Twice"
("once when they break, and then again when you buy the right parts.")
-@GhostRing & [MENTION=93512]MojaveMadMan[/MENTION]

 

[MojaveMadMan]

It really depends on how much stuff you are gunna hang off the back. If it's just armor, then tube is the ticket. It is light weight, and can still be made to look nice, and like you said is cheaper but still strong. If you are gunna run a tire and gas cans, well there is your answer... For the body lift, get the right one the first time. Adding brackets to account of the addition of a body lift only weakens things.

In my dream world I would do a plate bumper, but out of a material like 1/8" chromoly instead of 3/16" or 1/4" mild steel. I would have thicker material for the D-rings and frame mounts. I would have only the tire mount and the stuff like high lifts and shovels would go on the roof rack. Then for gas cans I have been dreaming of incorporating a skid plate the would go from the back bumper to under the back of the 4runner and protect the cavity where the spare was, then add an aux fuel tank in that space!!

I have heard this saying many times in my history of offroad and building trucks or cars. Get the right parts the first time and cry once, instead of having to buy that parts twice and cry twice... once when they break, and then again when you buy the right parts.

 

[white_n_slow]

I've already got the design for my rear bumper in my head and on paper and this is the basic layout:

-2x3" angle mount to the frame
-3x3" box tube main section. heavy, but strong and can double as an air tank
-hitch tube frenched into main section with the pin hole on the back side of the bumper (reach under the bumper to put the pin in)
-plate "wings" to cover up the sides split into two sections: bottom 45* and upper ~80*
-1.5" box tube or round tube supports from "wings" to frame
- tire carrier spindle mounted to driver's side via double-shear tabs and big honkin' bolt (upper tab will be welded to wing)
-2x2 tire carrier construction

The reason I designed it like this is because it will be pretty simple to build, no tube bender required and not too much in the way of complicated design. Should look pretty OK. All I want to carry on it is a tire and a high-lift. I don't think I'll need gas cans or water.

If I were to get a little ambitious, I would attempt to make one that swings out and swings down so I don't have to lift the tire :fro:


:edit: If you're buying one, I really like the design of the Savage rear bumper. Tube design with a flat space for loading up the cargo area and you can add a tire carrier (a bit of a rarity for a tube bumper)

http://www.savageoffroad.biz/Rear-Tube-Bumper-96-02-Toyota-4Runner_p_11.html

 

[GhostRing]

I have heard this saying many times in my history of offroad and building trucks or cars. Get the right parts the first time and cry once, instead of having to buy that parts twice and cry twice... once when they break, and then again when you buy the right parts.

The considerably less wordy versions are:

"Buy Once, Cry Once."
"Buy Nice, or Buy Twice"


Often the bumper shows too much of the guts behind the originals.
The ideal bumpers in my mind are less "tubey" or "stealth bomber" looking...
I wish more mfrs. were looking into arcs and more graceful bends that
would complement the vehicles body lines similar to the OEM bumpers.
Unfortunately that would drive prices up further than most would pay.

But as someone who has built a number of bumpers, I can certainly appreciate
the ability to cut out a damaged portion and easily replace it if needed.
Or at the very least keep it somewhat modular...not everyday is an expedition

 

[MojaveMadMan]

The considerably less wordy versions are:

"Buy Once, Cry Once."
"Buy Nice, or Buy Twice"


Often the bumper shows too much of the guts behind the originals.
The ideal bumpers in my mind are less "tubey" or "stealth bomber" looking...
I wish more mfrs. were looking into arcs and more graceful bends that
would complement the vehicles body lines similar to the OEM bumpers.
Unfortunately that would drive prices up further than most would pay.

But as someone who has built a number of bumpers, I can certainly appreciate
the ability to cut out a damaged portion and easily replace it if needed.
Or at the very least keep it somewhat modular...not everyday is an expedition

Haha I like your short version better! I'm not one for sayings normally, but that little "montra" if you will has always stuck by me!!!

I like the idea of making it semi modular. If you did the main section one peice, then the "wings" or "quater guards" their own peices, it would make it easy to swap something out if you smashed a rock real hard. In my mind the bumper is there to protect the body, it is not an extension of the body. It is ment to get dented and scratched and banged up. So being able to fix part without the whole would be sweet. Maybe make it 3 peices that bolt together in a very agressive way so it's strong but still modular...

 

[scrap metal]

One very very important feature that you must incorporate on all rear bumpers or on the tire swing out is a bottle opener! :cheers: :beer:

 

[wolfpack10]

All good advice guys. Thanks for the tips. I'll probably call CBI and Savage tomorrow and bounce some ideas off of them.

Right now I'm leaning towards a CBI plate-style with tire carrier (hinge on the passenger side), hi-lift, gas can & license plate mounts, hitch receiver, and D-links. And thanks to MojaveMadMan I'll probably go ahead and do that body lift I've been eyeing to give myself a bit of flexibility with tire sizes down the road (not that I don't love my current pizza cutters), so I'll make sure the bumper accounts for whatever size BL I need. I may add the panel guards too, kind of on the fence.

One very very important feature that you must incorporate on all rear bumpers or on the tire swing out is a bottle opener! :cheers: :beer:

haha I like your style.

This guy actually mounted one to his spare.

 

[Gerdo]

Think about how to minimize the thickness to maximize the clearance to increase departure angle. My main rear tube is a 2x4x3/16, I wish I went thinner. I probably should have used the same stock that is used for hitch receivers (2.5x2.5x.25). That would have been 1.5" higher.

 

[MojaveMadMan]

Just saw this thread for thew first time. This thing is nice and the price is decent! 1/8" material, real tight to the 4runner, quality looks through the roof!!! I am seriously considering buying this for my rig when I do the build and then doing a few tweeks to match my needs...

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/outdo...umper-now-taking-pre-orders-sale-offer-2.html

 

[wolfpack10]

Just saw this thread for thew first time. This thing is nice and the price is decent! 1/8" material, real tight to the 4runner, quality looks through the roof!!! I am seriously considering buying this for my rig when I do the build and then doing a few tweeks to match my needs...

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/outdo...umper-now-taking-pre-orders-sale-offer-2.html

It appears Outdoor Logic has currently paused development of that bumper. There is speculation that they have a piece of equipment down (see discussion on the last page of that thread). It does look badass though.

 

[JWaldz]

Thanks for the recognition. I guess the only thing I lack on mine is a bottle opener. I will be looking into that!

As I stated before, not only is CBI's wait time short they also build some gnarly strong bumpers. Hell, CBI even stands for "Can't Break It". What's that tell ya?

As long as you can afford it they will add whatever you want to your order. Want dual hidden, motorized, pop up flame throwers? You provide them, and they will mount them. You tell them any ideas you have and they will build it for you. Did I mention the bumper is 100% completely bolt on, no modifications what so ever?




#HappyOwner [MENTION=64712]CBI OffRoad Fab[/MENTION]

 

[Bandit Runner]

Well, just off the top of my head, my ultimate rear bumper would have the following:

Swing-out tire carrier with 120 degree open angle
Super strong dual-sheer hinge
Hidden latch mechanism
One-handed, one-motion latch/swing-out operation
High clearance / departure angle
Integrated receiver hitch
Houses multiple back-up lights
Spare tire protection
Unique styling
Strong, but light weight
Recovery points
Modular bike/gear carrier attached to swing-out

Hmmm… Maybe something like this:

 

[BrianSD_42]

Well I already bought my ideal bumper: savage offroad tube bumper.

 

[TheeMikeB]

I got the CBI hybrid with tire swing and I love it. I installed it by myself in about an hour and a half.