Aluminess - 2012 Tacoma Bumper Available

[Aluminess]

Hello Everyone,

I have been getting lot of inquires lately regarding bumpers specific for the new 2012 Tacoma. We teamed up with 4-wheel camper a few months ago to make an expedition truck out of the 2012 Tacoma. We did front and rear bumpers as well as a special extension kit to accommodate the added length of the camper. The responses have been great so far so its time make it available to everyone. Attached are some pictures for reference.

The bumper will house just about any 9500 pound winch or smaller and has openings for 5" round lights (the square ones shown were a sponsorship from Rigid) These are powdercoated black and weigh about 70 pounds.

If anyone has any questions about the bumper I'll be happy to answer them in this thread or by phone at 619-449-9930 or by e-mail aluminess@sbcglobal.net

 

[huntsonora]

My new favorite bumper for the Tacomas!

As we discussed a month or so go, when you get one done for the 4Runner Trail Edition let me know. I'm still contemplating dropping my 4Runner off for the month of January to have you guys design one

 

[mvbeggs]

Pictures of the rear bumper?

What, no pics of the rear bumper? Do you use the stock, rear hitch? I assume the rear is aluminum, correct?

I like the looks of the front bumper. If I hadn't already placed my body armor order with another vendor, that front bumper would definitley be in the running. Price point for the front?

 

[Aluminess]

What, no pics of the rear bumper? Do you use the stock, rear hitch? I assume the rear is aluminum, correct?

I like the looks of the front bumper. If I hadn't already placed my body armor order with another vendor, that front bumper would definitley be in the running. Price point for the front?

Below are some pictures of the rear bumper.

Using the factory hitch depends on whether or not you have a camper on your truck. If you don't have a camper then you can mount our bumper with your factory hitch, but if you do have a camper then we need to utilize some mounting points that only an aftermarket hitch allows us to attach to. This is due to the extension of the camper past the end of the bed.

Price on the front bumper is currently $1250. Price on the rear is currently $1895 with 2 swing arms (box not included)

 

[Rattler]

I really like that last silver Taco's setup!

 

[grahamfitter]

I don't own a Tacoma but I'm a little curious anyway...

1. Can you build "Plain Jane" versions without hoops, cutouts for lights, rear carriers, etc? What would they weigh?

2. For those living in the rust belt, how does the aluminum bumper (specifically where it mounts to the steel frame) handle corrosion?

3. How would one prevent a winch installed behind the bumper from rusting to death?

4. Is there any impact on operation of air bags?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dave Bennett]

Those gaps look mighty tight between the bumper and the grill/fenders... technical terrain is gonna wreak havoc with them so snug. I've seen ARB bumpers eat fenders and flares with too little gap. I'd recommend more room for flex and vibration.

 

[cam-shaft]

Good work, front bumper kinda looks like a snow plow but..... I agree with the aluminum or steel tube for sure. I think the steel plate for tacomas is eventually going to go away but that is just me thinking out loud. The taco bumper frame mounting is always going to be the weak link of all bumpers. Your rear set up is great just move that spare under the truck and you have more room for more important stuff on the swing away, the back of that bumper will drag way before your spare under the truck will. Love the generator, I have one, that beats any solar power and inverter power out there.

Cam-shaft.

 

[TEJASYOTA]

Those gaps look mighty tight between the bumper and the grill/fenders... technical terrain is gonna wreak havoc with them so snug. I've seen ARB bumpers eat fenders and flares with too little gap. I'd recommend more room for flex and vibration.

ditto on clearance... in that first photo, it looks like it is tilting forward.... lines not aligned. WIll be a big issue when you try to pull or if it had a winch.

I like your rear bumper designs better than the fronts.... the fronts are too much Ranch Hand looking tall and fat looking.
Will they every try to do a rock crawler type of plated bumber (CBI, Demello, etc)?
I doubt it, because it would not hold up well.

 

[Aluminess]

Those gaps look mighty tight between the bumper and the grill/fenders... technical terrain is gonna wreak havoc with them so snug. I've seen ARB bumpers eat fenders and flares with too little gap. I'd recommend more room for flex and vibration.

We are well aware of body flex and take that into account when designing our products. It is hard to tell in the pictures, but the bumper does sit in front of the grill, and outside the fenders. If there is flex between the body and frame the bumper simply moves up and down in front of the body.

For anyone looking for an aftermarket bumper, whether from us or another company, this is an important question to ask. You would hate to spend all that money on a bumper just to damage other parts of your vehicle when offroading.

 

[Aluminess]

I don't own a Tacoma but I'm a little curious anyway...

1. Can you build "Plain Jane" versions without hoops, cutouts for lights, rear carriers, etc? What would they weigh?

2. For those living in the rust belt, how does the aluminum bumper (specifically where it mounts to the steel frame) handle corrosion?

3. How would one prevent a winch installed behind the bumper from rusting to death?

4. Is there any impact on operation of air bags?

Thanks in advance!

We can certainly build "plain jane" versions of our bumpers. Fronts will weigh just under 70 pounds and rears will weigh about 55-60 pounds.

We powdercoat all of our products to seal the aluminum. Many of our customers are surfers and are constantly in salty environments. Even after 10+ years of our products on their vehicles the powdercoating holds strong and prevents oxidation. The key is that if you do scratch it, put some paint back over it to keep moister and salt from being able to penetrate the Aluminum.

Perhaps some other people can chime in on their winches and what they are doing. I know that warn powdercoats their housings which helps greatly. You can also use a synthetic line which cuts down on weight as well as removing a component that can corrode.

The airbags work on an inertia sensor located in another part of the vehicle. It works much like your seat-belt where a collision of a certain force will trip the inertia sensor and deploy the airbags. There aren't any sensors located in the bumper so you don't have to worry about them being affected.

 

[Aluminess]

We really appreciate all the feedback that you guys are giving. We may not reply to a lot of threads, but we do read many of your comments and try to improve our products based on your real world use.

 

[Dave Bennett]

We really appreciate all the feedback that you guys are giving. We may not reply to a lot of threads, but we do read many of your comments and try to improve our products based on your real world use.

I like your rear bumper designs better than the fronts.... the fronts are too much Ranch Hand looking tall and fat looking.

Agreed. Looks like it could be half as tall from the frontal view, really looks more bloated than it needs to be.

We are well aware of body flex and take that into account when designing our products. It is hard to tell in the pictures, but the bumper does sit in front of the grill, and outside the fenders. If there is flex between the body and frame the bumper simply moves up and down in front of the body.

Your pictures below clearly show an added piece at the ends of the bumper that clearly look to be under the fender flares. If this is aluminum it IS going to flex L/R/Up/Down in technical terrain and at speed on washboard roads and will destroy that fender flare. The bars/hoops look great as do the light cutouts but the shape of the lower bumper itself needs refinement IMHO, especially the ends of the bumper. Those add on bits look like an afterthought.

Really like your products, just honest input from a guy that's seen EVERY aftermarket Tacoma bumper up close. I know you want to be original, but take a look at AllPro and Schrockworks for some stylistic cues on how those wings can look good.

 

[Aluminess]

The wings under the fender flare are not attached to the bumper at all. They are attached to the body and move independently of the bumper. We didn't want to make the bumper any wider or longer to try and improve the cosmetics so we went with a trim piece.

Making a bumper out of aluminum takes a lot of thought and planning in order to stand up to the abuse that our customers are going to give it. We do not want to skimp on the structure of the bumper at all. One of our biggest differences in design is due to the fact that our winch setup pulls directly off the frame mounting points. This is the strongest way to pull your vehicle. Many of the steel bumpers move the winch slightly above the mounting points of the frame allowing them to make the bumper shorter in height. While they might be able to get away with this design because the bumper is steel, it is not ideal to create that kind of leverage on the frame and on the bumper.

 

[Dave Bennett]

I can see what you're saying IRT the center section of your bumper and the winch. But beyond the center section it's too thick top to bottom and those "trim pieces" look like hell. You guys really should re-think that, it draws the eye and not in a good way.

We've sat around a campfire discussing the merits of your bumpers and these are all opinions that I hear over and over from people.

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