Aftermarket Bumper - Quality versus Cost

IMHO they do nothing more than add weight to your truck effectively reducing load carrying capacity.

I had a Fab Four replacement on my last truck and loved it. It was very solid, used it to help stretch fence and never had an issue with it.

donn0128 wrote:
IMHO they do nothing more than add weight to your truck effectively reducing load carrying capacity.

Then you must not be familiar with how useless OE truck bumpers are these days.
Example, gmt 400 vehicles, 90s models, are about the last with stout bumpers. Had a 97 that the wife rear ended someone. Almost totallled the little suv. Only had to re align the bumper and replace the cracked plastic bumper filler behind it. Same truck pushed it 50' out of mud up to the doors with an excavator bucket pushing on the same front bumper. Only damage was a smashed license plate bracket.
Fast fwd to the last f150 series. Front bumper caved, into the tire by getting bumped by a car that sustained less damage. Same truck, rear bumper isn't even 1 piece. It's 2 pieces of tin that weigh about 4lbs each and couple light duty brackets. Seriously, the box that the bumper halves came in weighed more than the bumpers! If you jump hard enough on the corner of the STEP bumper, you'll bend the brackets.
There is a place for aftermarket bumpers for those that actually bump stuff and don't want to replace $2000 worth of parts.

We install Ranch Hand bumpers front and rear on our farm trucks. These bumpers typically out last the trucks.

As for pulling these trucks pull gooseneck trailers so I can't comment their but perhaps you will have to invert your ball/hitch.

I went with a front ARB bumper. It's airbag compatible. It is also designed to bend before the frame. Best engineered bumper I could find. Northridge 4x4 usually has great pricing with free delivery.

donn0128 wrote:
IMHO they do nothing more than add weight to your truck effectively reducing load carrying capacity.

Hit a deer with your "OEM" bumper...tell us how well your truck made out and then, ask me what happened to the 3 deer I hit with my Road Armor bumpers I had on my 2005 Ram. :B

Thanks for all the replies and input.

Yes, the addition of these types of bumpers add weight, and when hauling truck campers this is a very important consideration as most trucks, even 3500's are already close or overweight with many campers, much more so on my 2500. So thanks Donn for the thought. It's an important consideration.

In my case, my OEM plastic lower front bumper shroud didn't fair well even against a frozen snowbank in Fairbanks, Doh!

Nor the back bumper, with the irritating little dimple (now rusty spot on the chrome) created by the extending bolt in the signpost behind the chosen parking spot in a Virginia parking garage that accepted our height. This is a long truck in THAT neck of the woods! Doh again!

And truck manufacturers ARE tasked with lighter weight for increased mileage I suppose.

I'm thinking of good looks replacement of those two things, while at the same time finding a front center receiver hitch for a potential snow plow attachment, and a rear deck for a porch/step attachment instead of placing those forces right on the wood frame camper.

Again, thanks for the input, all good!

DirtyOil wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
IMHO they do nothing more than add weight to your truck effectively reducing load carrying capacity.

Hit a deer with your "OEM" bumper...tell us how well your truck made out and then, ask me what happened to the 3 deer I hit with my Road Armor bumpers I had on my 2005 Ram. :B

X2

Lots of aftermarket bumpers on the trucks driving around here. Between the deer and the antelope its just a matter of time before my truck finds a set.

Cheaper to replace your OEM bumpers with an aftermarket set and they work!

Size and weight does matter. :)

I have the Ranch Hand Legend on my 2014 Ram and really like it. I have hit deer and coyotes with one on an older truck with no damage, and the one on my 14 protected the front of my truck from a large falling road construction sign (can't say the same for the side of the truck). They are a little dated looking compared to some of the new ones, but they do work.