Deer Bumper

[Freep]

I've been thinking about getting a bumper to protect the front end of our truck from deer. How many of you have hit a deer or other large animals? I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble.


One thing that is making me lean toward getting one is that I realize when the camper is loaded my front end lifts a little, making my headlights point upward too much. Maybe a little more weight on the front would help.

[JTLance]

Friend of mind is a 28+ year body shop man. He LOVES trucks that use these huge frame mounted bumpers. He says ANY, ANY, impact torques the frame. HA

Save the money for your deductible.

[yblaw]

I have an Aluminum front winch bumper/grill guard on my 5500, with a 16.5 Warn winch. It's a somewhat pricey but lighter weight alternative to steel bumpers....Check them out at www.aluminess.com

[CAJW]

fpoole wrote:

CAJW wrote:
.... Buckstop with a 17,500 SuperWinch, .....

Ahhhrrrgghhh... (Tim Allen, Tool Time Grunt) 17,500??

heheh, I'll have to check it out... I was going with the Warn 16.5 and while I did see some Hydraulic Winches, they appeared to be a little pricey... and complicated for the bumper install..

Heheh, thanks CAJW, Gawd, now something else to upgrade to .... Joking..
thanks..

Here you go. I met Tim years ago and I’m betting he’d be proud, ;).



Buckstop

[Kayteg1]

^^^^ that's the kind of brush guard my wife had on SUV during pile-up.
Even the guard had tabs holding it to upper radiator mounts, the whole thing bend over and damaged the hood. With bigger impact - it would be the guard who would destroy the radiator.
Lot of factors that can play role in different scenarios.

[jefe_4x4]

On further contemplation of a bovine deflecting bumper, I'm remembering what my insurance agent said about a deer encounter. "If you have a choice, do not swerve off the road but hit the deer straight on". Seems the insurance company will pay for any on-road encounter but not pay up if you swerve off the road and hit a tree or other obstacle.
The most debilitating collision with a large bovine creature is one that incapacitates your radiator. That's why I have the upper tube to help protect it. This one is marginal but a first line of defense.

jefe

[zcookiemonstar]

jefe 4x4 wrote:
Isn't the stock Dodge 2500 bumper considered a crumple zone? My son driving in the slow lane was Pitt maneuvered by a high flying drunk trying to pass on the shoulder of the freeway shoving him into the center divider at speed. Hit and run, but he didn't get far as the collision destroyed and completely immobilized his pickup. Matt's 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee's front end was smashed all the way back to within an inch of the I-6 block. Everything forward of the block was accordioned flat. He suffered only a cracked tibula and some contusion but the guy's insurance paid off big time.
I had a Tomba Burro welded together for my old FJ-55 and there was nothing crumply about it, built exclusively for travel in Mexico where bovine like to sleep on the pavement after a hot day. In Canyonlands, 1978:

jefe

I think the whole front end is considered a crumple zone. I am not sure what is better the crumple zone or a big solid bumper or hitch.

We were lucky no one IN the truck had any injuries. Can`t say that for the deer.

[zcookiemonstar]

Kayteg1 wrote:
$5000 becouse it is Dodge 🙂
I dig my old topic about replacing bumper on my F450, but the photobucket pictures are gone.
Still I spend $200 on used bumper that fixed my truck.
Looking at above damage - I lucked having taller truck, where deer went under, not touching the grille.

$5000 because insurance paid the bill.

The front is lower on that truck because it is 2wd. I was just happy we were not in the car. I was on the brakes hard enough to miss the first deer but the second one didn`t make it.

[jefe_4x4]

Isn't the stock Dodge 2500 bumper considered a crumple zone? My son driving in the slow lane was Pitt maneuvered by a high flying drunk trying to pass on the shoulder of the freeway shoving him into the center divider at speed. Hit and run, but he didn't get far as the collision destroyed and completely immobilized his pickup. Matt's 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee's front end was smashed all the way back to within an inch of the I-6 block. Everything forward of the block was accordioned flat. He suffered only a cracked tibula and some contusion but the guy's insurance paid off big time.
I had a Tomba Burro welded together for my old FJ-55 and there was nothing crumply about it, built exclusively for travel in Mexico where bovine like to sleep on the pavement after a hot day. In Canyonlands, 1978:

jefe

[Kayteg1]

$5000 becouse it is Dodge 🙂
I dig my old topic about replacing bumper on my F450, but the photobucket pictures are gone.
Still I spend $200 on used bumper that fixed my truck.
Looking at above damage - I lucked having taller truck, where deer went under, not touching the grille.

[zcookiemonstar]

Hit a deer several years ago with my old ram 2500. Over $5000 in damage. It did not cost me a penny I have zero deductible on my comprehensive coverage.Nothing was repainted it was all bolt on parts.

[fpoole]

CAJW wrote:
.... Buckstop with a 17,500 SuperWinch, .....

Ahhhrrrgghhh... (Tim Allen, Tool Time Grunt) 17,500??

heheh, I'll have to check it out... I was going with the Warn 16.5 and while I did see some Hydraulic Winches, they appeared to be a little pricey... and complicated for the bumper install..

Heheh, thanks CAJW, Gawd, now something else to upgrade to .... Joking..
thanks..

[CAJW]

fpoole wrote:
Yep, I'm looking at them too.. Buckstop Bumpers... with a winch, so curious to what gets posted... Same thing with headlights.
thanks..

This is the setup we have. Buckstop with a 17,500 SuperWinch, which while we’ve had a few close calls, no real test of the bumper yet.

[SideHillSoup]

The Deer Gaurd or as we call them front end ornaments look pretty, but rarely worth the exspence.
I’ve hit two deer and one bear. The deer were in our Honda EXI.... two times. Second time was a week after I got it back, from the first deer.
The bear was in my 2001 F150 with a huge steel bumper with a 8000 lbs Warren winch mounted to the bumper. The bear hit the bumper/ winch flipped up, took out the hood windshield and caved the roof back to the back window. My girlfriend at the time didn’t think much of my driving abilities, and she called her dad to come get her when we got to town, and that was the end of my the love of the month...at 21... I got a couple cuts to my face and right arm from the broken glass.
The truck and the bear were dead.... I liked that truck too.

All three animal intrusions were after dark. I have come up on deer, bear, moose, Elk, sheep, goats, rabbits and people many many times. There everywhere around here. The neighbours had a grizzly in their back yard about a month ago.... critters are everywhere....
Lesson I got out of those three episodes was don’t drive at night. If you have to drive at night cut your speed way back. Same as driving at Dusk and Dawn.... slow down. For 40 years I drove at night, dusk and dawn to and from work, no dead critters.
99% of the animals I saw dead on the road to and from work, got hit..... and flew or were dragged hundreds of feet farther down the Hwy....Speed
Some of Semi B train, Chip trucks have the deer guards on the front of there rigs. We have hundreds of those trucks drive by our place daily to and from the the pulp mill.
Every day you see damage on the trucks as they drive 24/7, with Deer guards and with out. My son in- law owns and drives a logging truck. He is here sitting here right now, so I asked him... he laughed.. and said save your money for deductible, and I agree.
Soup.

[fpoole]

Yah, Buckstop has the Alum option, apx $750- or more. Apparently, if I remember correctly, sigh, there's really only a 90lb difference...

https://www.buckstopinc.com/buckstop-bumpers-for-dodge/