hodge-xj

well i am sure most of you guys are familiar with the wobbly rear tire carrie issues we end up with after installing a heavy aftermarket bumper that is not properly supported........i installed a nates 4x4 i picked up used a while back and figured with the lower tie in's it would be ok, WRONG!!!!

I figured i would share my idea since i couldnt find much on this topic......
basically i went to the steel mill picked up some short stock they had laying around, i think it was some 3" c channel.....1/4" thick
i was gonna use box steel like others but with the shackle bolt in the way i didnt wanna bother with the extra fab work.....so here is what i did
i wont bore you with the small details of the measuring and cutting and lining it all up, its a pain but very straight foreward

the two pics i attached show how i made the inserts for the frame then welded it to my bumper mount, all i can say is wow, no more deflection or movement at all, i suggest it for anyone with a heavy bumper, i wish i would have known before i had this happen so hopefully someone benefits from it

Irongrave

nice man i've been looking for ideas before i start building my bumper and that's in the idea pile now.

hodge-xj

i would put this high on the priority list, especially if your gonna run a big heavy rear bumper.....i figured with the lower tie ins that it would be ok, but the entire cross member was deflecting and flexing, it tore all the metal around the nuts and was a mess, i actually fixed and welded up alot of metal back there before i made these, had to drill and spot weld everything.......i made these in a couple hours, so a few parts were some "booty" fab since i just wanted to finish up, looking back i would definately enlarge the factory frame holes a bit once you get it all welded up, with a uni bit, maybe one step up, i ended up ruining one of the nuts trying to get a bolt in all cattywompus, but other then that i could probabally lift the truck by them,

1/4" angle or C channel will make your life alot easier, i ideally would have used 4x2x1/4" but with the shackle bolt coming into the frame i didnt wanna section a piece out and the reinforce it all, this was just easier

if ya have any ? at all ask me i just tossed up a few pics for anyone who might be searching for ideas, there arent much in the way of threads on this so figured another idea wouldnt hurt

Irongrave

i'm planning on building a lighter weight bumper and tire carrier (going to keep the hitch and do the detours D-rings on that. might also make up something on the sides like the Xterras have to get up on the roof to get the hi-lift and spare down.

Mattpar

when I made my bumper, i didnt even bother using the factory bolts that hold the bumper on. I ran a peice of 2x4 3/16 down the "frame rail" and used as many of the factory holes i could get.