x2...there are all kinds of great threads bumper builds, roof racks,sliders,and tire mounts are amongst the most common in the fab section...the first thing you need to ask yourself is "do i have the equiptment" and second "do i have the skill" if you are just starting fab work you really want to read up on this stuff pay attn. to the materials used and the overall designs

 

2x6 3/16th wall will be plenty man .25 wall is overkill I realized this when i did mine they weigh a ton

 

why add about 300lbs to your rig with the .250 wall...if you bend 3/16s wall you got bigger issues..remember these trucks are only stamped sheet metal

 

I agree, I've noticed alot of over built stuff on here. Funny my boss and I were just talking about this exact subject. 1/4" wall tubing for bumpers? are you serious? We both came to the conclusion that people who arent in the trade tend to go heavy with everything they "fab". Which isnt always a bad thing, but most the time light weight materials would do the trick!

I will be making my sliders out of 2x2x1/8", This is what I ran on my Tacoma, came down hard on them more than a few times and they held up nicely, keep in mind that truck weighed 1000lbs more than the cherokee!

 

I wouldnt use anything less then 1/4" on Bumpers, sliders or links.. The home brew bumpers i fab'd up for my XJ are 5/16".. Why you ask? Cause the steel was free.. Too, it doesnt hurt to add a little weight, helps plant the tires and keep it on the ground. Ever seen a coleworx buggy? They are so light weight all they do is spin all over everything. Muddlover, you're getting a little too far ahead of yourself, focus on one thing at a time.

 

when I use my .25 wall homebrew bumpers I blaze new trails and make sure(since I can't always see dead ahead while doing this)that when I hit a big ol tree i didn't see at say 15-25mph that all I say is dammit i scratched my paint. also makes my jeep sit lower. so not as high of cog.

 

I'm all for using free stuff! That being said, 5/16? What do you play on hitting a Sherman tank?

Your building indestructible bumpers and bolting them to stamped and spot welded sheet metal unibody chassis. I think there is a flaw in that kinda logic!

I would rather have my bumper crumple and absorb impact rather than transferring that energy into the chassis.

 

Go start smashing those on rocks and tell me how they hold up, especially for y-link long arms I would not trust .180 tube to essentially hold my ENTIRE front suspension in place.

Stop getting so butthurt over it.

Not when you start dropping all 4,000 pounds of a rig down on an area thats the size of a golf ball. You'd be surprised how easy "thick" steel can be bent in an offroading vehicle.

I have to ask what type of wheeling you're planning on doing before I can say what size tubing/plate you should use.

For a road going vehicle that logic is great, for something that is used offroad that type of logic sucks. Having bumpers that "crumple" ends up breaking more stuff than just the bumper in most situations. The solution to the sheet metal unibody chassis are unibody stiffeners and some creativity with an angle grinder and a welder.


There are quite a few opinions flying around as to what thickness of tubing or plate is the "right" thickness.

Bottom line is it depends what the end usage is going to be. If its just for looks or trail riding, go right ahead and us .120 wall tubing and 1/8" or 3/16" plate for the whole thing.

If you're planning on putting a winch/recovery mounts on it at the very least the plates that bolt to the frame and the winch plate need to be 1/4"

However if you're like myself and thoroughly intend to beat the **** out of your rig, 1/4" bumpers and sliders are not overkill. If anything they're the bare minimum.

As far as long arms go, considering they pretty much hold the entire front suspension in place I'd say that .250 wall tubing is the bare minimum someone should use, if they're going to be smashed against rocks and beat on I'd say that some .375 wall tubing is in order.

A full bodied rig that has been beefed up with large stock tires will regularly weigh over 5,000 pounds but will also take one hell of a beating.

 

Moved to Cherokee Chat:

 

Zach I'm inclined to agree with you on the long arms, if you intend on droping all the weight of your entire rig on the LCA then 1/4"+ is a must.

When I say crumple, I'm not saying fold up like a lawn chair! The logic doesnt change, its all about absorbing energy. When everything is so rigid it can flex, something will eventually break.

 

Well my XJ isnt going to be in a high speed accident on the freeway at 80 mph. It'll do good to even see pavement hardly ever, too im fixing to fab up my own 3-link inwhich the unibody will be plated/stiffner from front to back. it already is at the mounting points of the bumpers, i just havent got to do the rest. Too, i put a receiever adapter in both front and back of the center of my bumpers intended for a remote winch so i can put it in the front or the back.

 

I am also gonna run my winch the same way, winch bumpers are so bulky lookin to me, I prefer smaller sleeker looking bumpers.

What gauge material did you beef up the unibody where te bumpers mount? I'm leaning towards 10ga, I have 20 sheets of it in the rack at work!

 

Yea im the same way, i built mine to be simple, functional yet tucked. The sheet metal i used was 1/8" 11-gauge.. It was the floor board of a old rail buggy i was scraping so figured id use the sheet metal off of it for something.

 

you should see the winch bumper I built. Total stickout from the grill? 5"

I'm gonna have to cut and notch the grill to run a winch but I could care less.

10gauge would work perfectly for plating the unibody. It'll bring the thickness of it up to near 1/4" from the crappy 1/8" that it is stock.

 

Post up a pick Zach, I would rather not have the winch on the bumper full time, it will very seldom get used.

I did see one tucked into the frame rails that looked promising. Will have to resech it more!