Truck Bumper Project

[Joe Jones]

I have looked at the MOVE truck bumper kits, and the offerings of REAL TRUCKS and others.

I want to make front and rear bumpers for my 2018 F150 4x4. The kits are nice. The MOVE kits are raw, and can be built, welded and finished (powder coat?) by the buyer.

They declined my offer to purchase the DXF file for one of their bumper models. I wanted to start with their basic design and add a few additional features. I guess they believe I wanted to go into production of them, but I really only wanted ONE set for my truck, customized for my purposes.

As I looked into it, the designing of them is really simple. Google SKECTCHUP can be used to draw them and create the DXF files, so I guess this will be a project for me moving into August of 2021.

I want to make a front bumper that will have a concealed 10K winch, driving and fog lights, a concealed roof rack mount, embedded cameras for the onboard DVR, and connections for the other accessories the truck might end up with, such as a snow plow, a rotating sweeper brush, and maybe more.

The rear bumper will also have a concealed 8K winch, the roof rack mounts, side and rear camera ports, bright back up lights, and possibly more.

As long as I am going to make it myself, there really isn't any limitation, beyond my crazy imagination.

Joe

[acourtjester]

I'm sure the is a market for these but it may be small so the original designer does not want to lose any business. You may start with using cardboard to make a mockup to develop your cut files. You may do a search here I think sometime back there was a similar post but don't think it had cut files either.

[DieselFumes]

Sounds like a fun project. Planned to do the same and started my design in Fusion 360 but never ended up having the time to finish it yet. Your ideas are much more elaborate and I would love to see the finished project

[Joe Jones]

I wish I had the ability to bend metal over a length. The homemade and aftermarket bumpers are okay, but they all have chiseled flat surfaces, and look a bit like the Stealth Bomber. I am not talented enough to incorporate lengths of segments of pipe into the design, to make the curves more gradual.

Joe

[acourtjester]

build yourself a plate roller
viewtopic.php?f=124&t=21121

[Joe Jones]

Well, I could find someone who can calculate the exact cut lines for curved bumpers, I guess. Laying out the curves with flat plates to fill in the gaps, and a LOT of welding and grinding ... SolidWorks could do it, but I have not learned the program yet.

It might be interesting to lay out a complete bumper that is made of intersecting segments of pipes, rather than flat surfaces. I wonder what that would look like.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

Getting closer. I swung by Springfield, MO. a week ago, and picked up a 12 gauge 48" finger brake from GRIZZLY TOOLS! It was on sale for $2,500.00 so I couldn't pass it up.

"Some Assembly Required." I still have to assemble it and get it all squared up, but at least I will be able to bend 14 gauge at 48" width now, and 12 gauge at 24"

I think I will modify the brake by installing two powerful linear actuators, so the bending process will be at the push of a button, rather than by wrenching my old, aching back!