Attention: TDR Forum Junkies I've had a few requests recently to post some pictures of my new bumpers, so here they are. Last year, I set out on a quest to get new bumpers for my truck (front and rear). I searched the web feverishly to find something for the front that was capable of withstanding an impact from any small car, or any large animal. I also wanted it to be fairly light weight, hold a 15000 pound winch and have plenty of room for lights. As I began my search, I discovered that it was a pretty tall order. I looked seriously at Reunel, Road Armor, ARB, and eventually Hanson Enterprises. I settled on Hanson Enterprises because they were one of the only ones that would support a 15000 pound winch and their weight was significantly less than Reunel and Road Armor (150 pounds). ARB was nice looking and light, but just wasn't strong enough (IMO) for what I wanted.
The rear was a separate story. I wanted dual swing away carriers. One for a 35 inch spare tire, and one that would hold for Wedco cans. I also thought it would be cool to have a tool box built into it. Again, I looked at Reunel and Road Armor and while their bumpers were nice, I also really wanted easy removal of the swing away carriers so I could take my camper off easily. Both of they thought it would be pretty difficult without an upper attachment point, like might be found on a van. That wasn't an option and finally, I found 4x4 Labs in Northern CA. They do a lot of custom fab work for Landcruisers. They are close by, so I went up to take a look at their work and talked to Luke about what I wanted. He hadn't done a Dodge before, but had done A LOT of swing away carriers (some with some really trick stuff, like ladders, stoves, etc. ). I told him that I was going to hammer this truck through the desert at 60-70 miles an hour and anything remotely weak, would be left to die in Baja. He grinned and accepted the challenge. The bumper was built up right before a long trip to Baja so we purposely left the powder coating until after the trip so we could make any necessary changes. We drove over 400 miles of the Baja 1000 course and not a rattle from the rear. I returned from the trip and had the bumpers pulled and coated. I still need to add inset lights for the front, but other than that, they are done!
The rear was a separate story. I wanted dual swing away carriers. One for a 35 inch spare tire, and one that would hold for Wedco cans. I also thought it would be cool to have a tool box built into it. Again, I looked at Reunel and Road Armor and while their bumpers were nice, I also really wanted easy removal of the swing away carriers so I could take my camper off easily. Both of they thought it would be pretty difficult without an upper attachment point, like might be found on a van. That wasn't an option and finally, I found 4x4 Labs in Northern CA. They do a lot of custom fab work for Landcruisers. They are close by, so I went up to take a look at their work and talked to Luke about what I wanted. He hadn't done a Dodge before, but had done A LOT of swing away carriers (some with some really trick stuff, like ladders, stoves, etc. ). I told him that I was going to hammer this truck through the desert at 60-70 miles an hour and anything remotely weak, would be left to die in Baja. He grinned and accepted the challenge. The bumper was built up right before a long trip to Baja so we purposely left the powder coating until after the trip so we could make any necessary changes. We drove over 400 miles of the Baja 1000 course and not a rattle from the rear. I returned from the trip and had the bumpers pulled and coated. I still need to add inset lights for the front, but other than that, they are done!
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