I'll bet he also didn't think about what happens if he front ends
someone while pulling the trailer. He will have a thousand pound plus
spear running right through that sheet metal bumper, right through the
door, seat and anything/body else in it's way...

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

cantrelm wrote:
>
> Richard, in your article you make a point of saying "I used Grade 5 bolts
> since ungraded hardware is not suitable for load-bearing applications. "
> You do realize that the bumper you are attaching to is only 3/32" thick and
> is not rated for load bearing applications....... This is somewhat of a
> contradiction don't you think?
>
> Tom
>
> "Richard J Kinch" <kinch@truetex.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns9756BE3F3DDE8someconundrum@216.196.97.131. ..
> > Grumman-581 writes:
> >
> > > Perhaps his next project should be to design a real bumper for his TJ
> ...
> >
> > Bad idea. Bumpers are weaker than the frame so they absorb impact energy
> > instead of bending the frame. You put a heavy bumper (or a frame hitch
> for
> > that matter) on the back of your car, and many collisions are going to
> > result in frame damage that would have just been a simple bolt-on swap of
> a
> > new bumper.
> >
> > On a previous rear-ended TJ I was able to replace a crunched back bumper
> > with a $25 OEM item from eBay (surplus to somebody's aftermarket upgrade)
> > with hand tools. The other guy had $1000s in damage.
> >
> > I wonder if people buying all those macho aftermarket bumpers understand
> > that they've *given up* a lot of their crash protection?

 

Stephen, I have to agree. I made a front brushguard for my Jeep and a week
after getting it on I got rear-ended and launched 4 feet forward and up
under the back of a flat bed truck. Only thing that it did to the Jeep was
scratch off some powder-coating on brushguard. The guy that hit me had to
have a new grill and hood. Had it not been for my guard I would have had to
have all that too.
Here is a pic of guard.
http://www.cantrell.com/scrap/jack1.jpg

Tom


"Stephen Young" <sjyoung1@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:4RUBf.449$2O7.137@fe07.lga...
> Richard J Kinch wrote:
>
> >
> > I wonder if people buying all those macho aftermarket bumpers understand
> > that they've *given up* a lot of their crash protection?
>
> My 1995 K1500 has a brushguard/grilleguard mounted on the front. Bought
> the truck used & outfitted this way. Last year a silly juvenile female
> pulled out in front of me from a side street - her fault & she got
> ticketed. Totaled her Neon. I drove away with no radiator damage or
> drivability problems because that brushguard crushed sideways. Saved me
> big bucks & aggravation until I got it fixed.

 

Stephen, I have to agree. I made a front brushguard for my Jeep and a week
after getting it on I got rear-ended and launched 4 feet forward and up
under the back of a flat bed truck. Only thing that it did to the Jeep was
scratch off some powder-coating on brushguard. The guy that hit me had to
have a new grill and hood. Had it not been for my guard I would have had to
have all that too.
Here is a pic of guard.
http://www.cantrell.com/scrap/jack1.jpg

Tom


"Stephen Young" <sjyoung1@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:4RUBf.449$2O7.137@fe07.lga...
> Richard J Kinch wrote:
>
> >
> > I wonder if people buying all those macho aftermarket bumpers understand
> > that they've *given up* a lot of their crash protection?
>
> My 1995 K1500 has a brushguard/grilleguard mounted on the front. Bought
> the truck used & outfitted this way. Last year a silly juvenile female
> pulled out in front of me from a side street - her fault & she got
> ticketed. Totaled her Neon. I drove away with no radiator damage or
> drivability problems because that brushguard crushed sideways. Saved me
> big bucks & aggravation until I got it fixed.

 

Stephen, I have to agree. I made a front brushguard for my Jeep and a week
after getting it on I got rear-ended and launched 4 feet forward and up
under the back of a flat bed truck. Only thing that it did to the Jeep was
scratch off some powder-coating on brushguard. The guy that hit me had to
have a new grill and hood. Had it not been for my guard I would have had to
have all that too.
Here is a pic of guard.
http://www.cantrell.com/scrap/jack1.jpg

Tom


"Stephen Young" <sjyoung1@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:4RUBf.449$2O7.137@fe07.lga...
> Richard J Kinch wrote:
>
> >
> > I wonder if people buying all those macho aftermarket bumpers understand
> > that they've *given up* a lot of their crash protection?
>
> My 1995 K1500 has a brushguard/grilleguard mounted on the front. Bought
> the truck used & outfitted this way. Last year a silly juvenile female
> pulled out in front of me from a side street - her fault & she got
> ticketed. Totaled her Neon. I drove away with no radiator damage or
> drivability problems because that brushguard crushed sideways. Saved me
> big bucks & aggravation until I got it fixed.

 

cantrelm writes:

> Richard, in your article you make a point of saying "I used Grade 5
> bolts since ungraded hardware is not suitable for load-bearing
> applications. " You do realize that the bumper you are attaching to is
> only 3/32" thick and is not rated for load bearing applications.......
> This is somewhat of a contradiction don't you think?

The bumper is suitable for load-bearing, for a suitable load.

One problem I understand with ungraded bolts sized about 1/2 inch or
smaller is that hand-tightening torque can stress the shaft close to the
working limit, leaving not enough strength for the applied load. This is
not an issue for the bumper itself.

 

cantrelm writes:

> Richard, in your article you make a point of saying "I used Grade 5
> bolts since ungraded hardware is not suitable for load-bearing
> applications. " You do realize that the bumper you are attaching to is
> only 3/32" thick and is not rated for load bearing applications.......
> This is somewhat of a contradiction don't you think?

The bumper is suitable for load-bearing, for a suitable load.

One problem I understand with ungraded bolts sized about 1/2 inch or
smaller is that hand-tightening torque can stress the shaft close to the
working limit, leaving not enough strength for the applied load. This is
not an issue for the bumper itself.

 

cantrelm writes:

> Richard, in your article you make a point of saying "I used Grade 5
> bolts since ungraded hardware is not suitable for load-bearing
> applications. " You do realize that the bumper you are attaching to is
> only 3/32" thick and is not rated for load bearing applications.......
> This is somewhat of a contradiction don't you think?

The bumper is suitable for load-bearing, for a suitable load.

One problem I understand with ungraded bolts sized about 1/2 inch or
smaller is that hand-tightening torque can stress the shaft close to the
working limit, leaving not enough strength for the applied load. This is
not an issue for the bumper itself.

 

Mike Romain writes:

> I'll bet he also didn't think about what happens if he front ends
> someone while pulling the trailer. He will have a thousand pound plus
> spear running right through that sheet metal bumper, right through the
> door, seat and anything/body else in it's way

Between the coupler and the vehicle interior is 40 square inches of 3/8
steel, and a beefy frame cross-member in front of that.

In such a collision, I would expect the rubber boat is going to be ripped
off its hold-down straps, launch forward, hit the back of the car, bounce
off and pitch-pole over the car.

Of course, if you want to start postulating arbitrarily forceful
collisions, then some scenario is going to have a trailer axle or something
through my eye socket.

Please, I'm just trying to get my toy boat and waverunner trailer 6 miles
down to the beach.

 

Mike Romain writes:

> I'll bet he also didn't think about what happens if he front ends
> someone while pulling the trailer. He will have a thousand pound plus
> spear running right through that sheet metal bumper, right through the
> door, seat and anything/body else in it's way

Between the coupler and the vehicle interior is 40 square inches of 3/8
steel, and a beefy frame cross-member in front of that.

In such a collision, I would expect the rubber boat is going to be ripped
off its hold-down straps, launch forward, hit the back of the car, bounce
off and pitch-pole over the car.

Of course, if you want to start postulating arbitrarily forceful
collisions, then some scenario is going to have a trailer axle or something
through my eye socket.

Please, I'm just trying to get my toy boat and waverunner trailer 6 miles
down to the beach.

 

Mike Romain writes:

> I'll bet he also didn't think about what happens if he front ends
> someone while pulling the trailer. He will have a thousand pound plus
> spear running right through that sheet metal bumper, right through the
> door, seat and anything/body else in it's way

Between the coupler and the vehicle interior is 40 square inches of 3/8
steel, and a beefy frame cross-member in front of that.

In such a collision, I would expect the rubber boat is going to be ripped
off its hold-down straps, launch forward, hit the back of the car, bounce
off and pitch-pole over the car.

Of course, if you want to start postulating arbitrarily forceful
collisions, then some scenario is going to have a trailer axle or something
through my eye socket.

Please, I'm just trying to get my toy boat and waverunner trailer 6 miles
down to the beach.