Thanks Cheeze. Not sure the bumper protects much more than what you have already. The side moulded body sections extend past the bumper so those will hit first anyway. Plus, the step really provides the primary impact point. I had replaced the two side sections (prior owner had jacknifed trailer on BOTH sides). When I took the old ones off, they had styrofoam (like Great Stuff) sprayed into the bottom sections, filling the areas below the tail lights. Not sure if that's from factory or owner-installed, or if I should add that to the new ones or not.