custom bumper reliability

[trae]

Howdy everyone!

I'm curious how small custom fabrication shops ensure that their bumpers and recovery points are up to spec and won't shear under load? Part of the reason I'm interested in this, is because a vehicle I'm researchign (nissan xterra) doesn't have any obvious recovery points.

My background is in software, so I dont know anything about the hardware and materials science, but I want to learn.

Thanks

 

[Robert Bills]

Stick with established suppliers for your Nissan Xterra front bumper and you should be fine.

Examples of suppliers whose Xterra bumpers have a good "real world" track records and which are regularly used for winching and recovery efforts are Shrockworks [http://www.shrockworks.com/], Hefty Fabworks [http://www.heftyfabworks.com/, ARB [available through XterraPerformance.com and other sources], and Calmini [https://www.calmini.com/model.php?m=37&b=1&t=6]. Hardcore Offroad, a relatively new entry into the Xterra markeplace, is reported to make a good product [http://www.hardcoreoffroadpa.com/ but their Facebook page is their primary Internet contact point, https://www.facebook.com/HardcoreOffroad/?fref=ts].

An example of a shop with a less than perfect reputation is P&P Engineering, which makes tube bumpers for Xterras. However the build quality is inconsistent and the owner turns into a complete d*ckhead if a customer dares challenge his lack of responsiveness. An example of a company to stay away from at all costs is InSain Fabication in Colorado, which can turn out pretty welds but the company screwed many Xterra owners in 2015 and early 2016 in a group buy organized on an Xterra forum.

Best of luck in your search for the perfect bumper for you.

 

[maktruk]

A couple of pieces of 3/4" thick by about 12" long angle iron and a couple of well placed holes and you could bolt them up to the stock tow hook locations.

...

 

[trae]

Stick with established suppliers for your Nissan Xterra front bumper and you should be fine.

Examples of suppliers whose Xterra bumpers have a good "real world" track records and which are regularly used for winching and recovery efforts are Shrockworks [http://www.shrockworks.com/], Hefty Fabworks [http://www.heftyfabworks.com/, ARB [available through XterraPerformance.com and other sources], and Calmini [https://www.calmini.com/model.php?m=37&b=1&t=6]. Hardcore Offroad, a relatively new entry into the Xterra markeplace, is reported to make a good product [http://www.hardcoreoffroadpa.com/ but their Facebook page is their primary Internet contact point, https://www.facebook.com/HardcoreOffroad/?fref=ts].

An example of a shop with a less than perfect reputation is P&P Engineering, which makes tube bumpers for Xterras. However the build quality is inconsistent and the owner turns into a complete d*ckhead if a customer dares challenge his lack of responsiveness. An example of a company to stay away from at all costs is InSain Fabication in Colorado, which can turn out pretty welds but the company screwed many Xterra owners in 2015 and early 2016 in a group buy organized on an Xterra forum.

Best of luck in your search for the perfect bumper for you.

That's Robert, that's very thorough. I've heard of ARB, Shrockworks and Calmini but not the other ones. For my own curiosity, do they do any stress testing (or other testing) or is there simply a history of reliability?

A couple of pieces of 3/4" thick by about 12" long angle iron and a couple of well placed holes and you could bolt them up to the stock tow hook locations.

...

That's very cool maktruk, I didn't know that could be done. I can't quite picture the geometry though -- is there enough room to attach a line and not damage the bumper?

 

[Robert Bills]

Maktruk's solution for Xterra recovery points is a good one. In fact, it is essentially the same thing I use on my Xterra with the factory bumper [purchased from a member of an Xterra forum who, alas, no longer makes them]. The brackets simply bolt into pre-existing threaded holes on the bottom of the frame horns normally used by the factory tow hooks.

Another option for front recovery points for a 2005+ Xterra is to buy a second factory tow hook (regularly available at reasonable prices from Xterra owners who have purchased aftermarket bumpers) and simply bolt it in on the driver's side in reversed position.

 

[maktruk]

Maktruk's solution for Xterra recovery points is a good one. In fact, it is essentially the same thing I use on my Xterra with the factory bumper [purchased from a member of an Xterra forum who, alas, no longer makes them]. The brackets simply bolt into pre-existing threaded holes on the bottom of the frame horns normally used by the factory tow hooks.

Another option for front recovery points for a 2005+ Xterra is to buy a second factory tow hook (regularly available at reasonable prices from Xterra owners who have purchased aftermarket bumpers) and simply bolt it in on the driver's side in reversed position.

The problem with factory tow hooks is that they're made of cheap pot metal, and break easily on snatch-style pulls. The brackets and shackles, not so much.

They do sit a bit low compared to aftermarket bumpers, but for $85 vs. $1200 I think it's a worthy trade-off. Yours sit a bit lower than mine did, a different design. I'd sell him mine but they're already gone.

 

[DaveInDenver]

The problem with factory tow hooks is that they're made of cheap pot metal, and break easily on snatch-style pulls. The brackets and shackles, not so much.

They do sit a bit low compared to aftermarket bumpers, but for $85 vs. $1200 I think it's a worthy trade-off. Yours sit a bit lower than mine did, a different design. I'd sell him mine but they're already gone.

The factory hooks are cast but I wouldn't necessarily call them cheap pot metal. Whether they break or not is really just if you exceed the design limits or not. I would trust them to do whatever the claimed capacity is.

Even established shops may not be able to provide any FMEA to back up their design, so it's usually just a matter of trusting a ton of steel, smart layout and good welds. ARB is big enough to do design, analysis and testing. This doesn't mean their bumpers are necessarily right but just that they have optimized the design to meet the forces with the right steel in the right places. You'll also notice that ARB usually does not put recovery points on many of their bumpers.

Ultimately you can really only trust what you can either analyze or test to your satisfaction. The points you (maktruk) built I would would trust and the limit would be the bow shackle and mount point in the frame I suspect.

For a bumper with shackle tabs you want to see them at least pass through a slot and be welded on the front and back. IMO it's not a good sign if the tab is just welded to the face with a fillet. Even better is to see the tab have gussets or be fabricated like a 'T' with the forces being spread through more material.

 

[anickode]

The problem with factory tow hooks is that they're made of cheap pot metal, and break easily on snatch-style pulls. The brackets and shackles, not so much.

They do sit a bit low compared to aftermarket bumpers, but for $85 vs. $1200 I think it's a worthy trade-off. Yours sit a bit lower than mine did, a different design. I'd sell him mine but they're already gone.

I used to (a few years back) work at a foundry that did contract work for 2 of the big 3, plus Roush, Detroit Diesel, and Dana. Lots of specialty parts that required extra care when casting to ensure metallurgical superiority and part quality. We did a lot of tow hooks for trucks and SUVs and they were all cast from 4130 steel and heat treated. Now that's not to say those hooks were engineered for winching a loaded 3500 truck with an 8.1 vortec up a hill over tree stumps and logs... They're made for plucking the vehicle out of sand or mud or snow, or dragging it up onto a wrecker.

If they fail using them for heavy recovery it's because they were simply not designed for that, not because they're poorly made.

 

[maktruk]

I wish I still had the snapped hook from my Frontier. The thing was absolutely porous.

I did drop the disclaimer "snatch-style pull" btw. Sure, an OEM tow hook will hold up when you're getting winched on the tow rig. I doubt that's what the OP is looking for though.

 

[kojackJKU]

ARB and Shrockworks are the real deal. They have been proven again and again with strength. I would hesitate using the ebay bumpers etc for actual recovery and what not…but well known companies design them to work.

 

[MOguy]

I am not familiar with the Nissan but if at all possible I would want my recovery points attached to the frame in the factory location. Some vechicles have tie downs that are often mistake for as recovery points. If there isn't place on the frame I would go for the smallest bumper possible that had legit recovery point made buy a reputable builder.

http://www.club4x4.com.au/recovery-points-vs-tie-downs/

 

[DaveInDenver]

I am not familiar with the Nissan but if at all possible I would want my recovery points attached to the frame in the factory location.

Using the factory tow hooks (or at least the locations) is what ARB usually intends.

 

[trae]

ARB and Shrockworks are the real deal. They have been proven again and again with strength.

Thanks for the insight. I'm mostly curious about the process though. Do these builders have a process for reliability testing or is it that these bumpers are overbuilt enough (and what does overbuilt mean) that they can handle the stress people throw at it?

 

[Robert Bills]

Thanks for the insight. I'm mostly curious about the process though. Do these builders have a process for reliability testing or is it that these bumpers are overbuilt enough (and what does overbuilt mean) that they can handle the stress people throw at it?

For an accurate answer to that question you should contact each builder and ask. Answers from this forum will be more conjecture than fact.

ARB advertises that is has "invested heavily in vehicle crash barrier tests to validate the performance and compliance of its air bag compatible bull bars. . . ," but does not detail any other type of stress testing (if any), nor does it publish exactly how the "crash barrier tests" were performed. I am not aware of any other custom bumper fabricator for the 2005-2015 Xterra that advertises or publishes any testing procedures or results.

 

[pugslyyy]

Thanks for the insight. I'm mostly curious about the process though. Do these builders have a process for reliability testing or is it that these bumpers are overbuilt enough (and what does overbuilt mean) that they can handle the stress people throw at it?

I think it all depends on the business you are buying from. A company like ARB is going to have uniform production methods and enough consistency in manufacturing that they can do meaningful product performance testing.

Small fabricators are building based on their long experience on what works - combination of gut feel and trial and error. Product testing consists of what he builds on his own rig and bashes the crap out of on weekends.

ARB manufactures, a small fabricator crafts. Each approach has benefits and drawbacks.