Couple questions.

Buying a bumper. Looking at sometihng in the 600-1000 range. Ranch hand legend seems to be the best bang for the buck at $825 plus shipping. Bull nose looks kinda funny, and the others dont have a reciever and i want a reciever for extras later (nose in trailer parking, winch plates, recovery point, etc)

Many say this bumper needs to be welded on though? Does it just loosen with time..?

Does anyone here have one of these just bolted on and no welding?

And last but not least, can someone measure the bumper from the deck plate, to the first horizontal bar, to the 2nd bar, to the third bar?

Im going to need to cut one of the horizontal bars out and rework it a little.

Thanks for any help!!

 

Oh one reason im kinda stuck on a ranch hand is i like the few inches extension out from the body... it will give me a place to stand while working under the hood!

Most other bumpers dont have anywhere to stand.

 

Advise from my BIL who works at a body shop says not to weld it on. he said welded on bumpers pay all thier bills when they charge for frame straitening. If you do weld it, just tack it so it will stay, but break if you hit something significant.

 

Oh so welding will damage frame if it takes a good hit? And im guessing otherwise the bolts just break?

 

Thats what he told me when I talked about getting one. He said the frames get racked. Then your truck goes down the road sideways.

 

I have the Ranch Hand Legend just bolted on to my frame. I see no reason that it needs to be welded on.

 

thanks for the responses, now i guess i just need to figure out how to install it once i get one... find an engine hoist im guessing.

 

I found the easiest way to mount it was to put the bumper on a wood box on top of a creeper. I measured the height of the frame and shimmed up the box accordingly and it just stabbs into the frame nicely...very easy, it pays to take your time getting it aligned.

FWIW I have a ranch hand legend now as I took out a chevy with my old roughneck made by the perry co. I am dissappointed with ranch hands quality compared to the roughneck, the quality is night and day different, the rh is cool, but the roughneck had a better paint job, no lame welds no sharp edges, stout expanded metal and weighed a good 70lbs more. the rh will do but I would trade you mine tommarow for another roughneck.

ps, I sold my roughneck for 500 bux after a 3/4 ton chevy bit it at 40mph....took it like a champ!

 

I agree with high country. While I have no experience with the Roughneck brand, I am highly disappointed with my Ranch Hand.

For one, I couldn't order it with fog light holes. Which is minor, but still a pain.

In addition, the build quality on it doesn't seem to be the greatest. The day it arrived it had rust spots forming in some of the creases. And the wire mesh they welded on is all wavy and easily bendable.

I bought an imitation ranch hand grille guard for my 05 on eBay for less than half the price of what the Ranch Hand would have cost me and the build quality on that thing was superb!

 

No pictures or prices of the ruff neck by perry co anywhere online?? They mention on the site it 257 lbs, i thought the ranch hand was tipping right over 300?..

Either one no big deal, but the box and creeper sounds like a good idea. Im considering using my old junker car as i think the back hatch is right about bumper height.. set the bumper on the car then drive up to it... lol


Ill stick with the bolt on and not worry about any welds.. just use plenty of loctite.

Thanks for all the responses

 

Well

as many of you know i got rear ended, so ima go ahead and spill my guts on this Weld no weld thing on the bumper. Now i got hit at 70 mph from behind and i was at a complete stop, my rear bumper wound up under a jeep and bent and broken to u guessed it. I didnt weld up my bumper because i knew that it would bend the chassis even more so if it was welded on and it would have the potential to really hurt someone. Now a welded bumper and 6 3/4 inch bolts holding it sounds massive, but with newtons second law, well its not gonna help much and in my opinion its what saved my chassis from bein bent. I was lucky......

Now if you weld it on, and its welded wrong, well it can actually work against you and weaken the frame. I have a new rear bumper, and it is NOT welded on, now i hate that it sits on there and u squat a heavy load on it and it will bend down farther and wont sit straight anymore.

My suggestion is IF YOU MUST WELD IT ON... tack weld it only so that it dont move, a full on weld will hurt you more than benefit you...

the true weakpoint of these rear bumpers no matter how well constructed they are, is the bolts that are holding them to the truck...

Just my two cents and experience...

Rick