Cow Catcher, steel bumpers

HeavyG603 · Oct 30, 2020

56PW17 said:
That looks great!

Thanks. Took a bit to get it right (see my post on the plow mount) but glad we are finally there. My advice to anyone thinking about putting on bumper that weighs 250# is to invest in a hoist, saved my back on this project.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Firetruck41 · Oct 30, 2020

Adventurebound said:
Anyone recognize this manufacturer label?
View attachment 226019

Maybe Buckstop?

Adventurebound · Oct 30, 2020

Firetruck41 said:
Maybe Buckstop?

Yep that's them. Good spot.

https://www.buckstopinc.com/products.html

Firetruck41 · Oct 30, 2020

Adventurebound said:
Yep that's them. Good spot.

https://www.buckstopinc.com/products.html

I know they make bumpers for Fire/EMS/LEO. I have a rear bumper for my 2010 2500 from them and it is awesome. I just bought it used this summer and it is still like new, at about 9-10 years old. If I get a front bumper, it will be a Buckstop. But I don't have the Power Wagon aesthetic or winch to worry about, not sure how that would affect things.

Gamedog · Oct 30, 2020

Adventurebound said:
Yep that's them. Good spot.

https://www.buckstopinc.com/products.html

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttt add it to the list!

retired · Oct 30, 2020

says it adds 190lbs over stock. Definitely heavy duty but more than I would want to add up front.

Overlander · Oct 30, 2020

I've ran aftermarket bumpers for the last 10 year on Land Cruisers. IMO, the weight is a small penalty for the protection, assuming you roll trails often. That's only 2.8% of curb. Though I'll give you that it is a slippery slope... add WK sliders and you're now almost 500lbs into armor, a full 1/3 of your payload. And certainly, if it's just for looks then there's diminishing returns on that penalty.

We're putting an Ironman Commercial bumper on my wife's Lexus LX. It's truly a 'mall cruiser'. But she also runs a 400 mile RT over Santiam pass twenty some times per year and I want it for two reasons: 1) wildlife protection and 2) hard point for aftermarket lighting. I want her to have the confidence to roll through a deer with impunity rather than have it potentially total the vehicle. Or worse yet, the temptation to swerve. And in dark/rainy Oregon weather I want some bright aftermarket road lights on the truck to keep her between the paint.

One other item to consider is the airbag compatibility. In the 'overlanding' world (heavily biased toward Toyota, Nissan, and Land Rover) the big names in bumpers (ARB, Ironman) crash test their bumpers for airbag performance. They have designed in crumple zones and have proven to trigger airbag deployment within MFGR specs. No domestic bumper manufacturer that I'm aware of does this. They may perform FEA in CAD but this is way different than destroying a truck in a crash test. This doesn't imply that aftermarket bumpers will make you less safe, its just that they're not proven to be safe. The exception would be AEV. Those guys spend the $$$ to be certified as and OEM provider.

Gamedog · Oct 30, 2020

Yeah I'll gladly add 200 lbs up front if it saves my truck from deer or protesters ruining my truck...

Jk about deer.

Jk. Jk about protesters.

Maybe.

Jk.

retired · Oct 30, 2020

Overlander said:
I've ran aftermarket bumpers for the last 10 year on Land Cruisers. IMO, the weight is a small penalty for the protection, assuming you roll trails often. That's only 2.8% of curb. Though I'll give you that it is a slippery slope... add WK sliders and you're now almost 500lbs into armor, a full 1/3 of your payload. And certainly, if it's just for looks then there's diminishing returns on that penalty.

We're putting an Ironman Commercial bumper on my wife's Lexus LX. It's truly a 'mall cruiser'. But she also runs a 400 mile RT over Santiam pass twenty some times per year and I want it for two reasons: 1) wildlife protection and 2) hard point for aftermarket lighting. I want her to have the confidence to roll through a deer with impunity rather than have it potentially total the vehicle. Or worse yet, the temptation to swerve. And in dark/rainy Oregon weather I want some bright aftermarket road lights on the truck to keep her between the paint.

One other item to consider is the airbag compatibility. In the 'overlanding' world (heavily biased toward Toyota, Nissan, and Land Rover) the big names in bumpers (ARB, Ironman) crash test their bumpers for airbag performance. They have designed in crumple zones and have proven to trigger airbag deployment within MFGR specs. No domestic bumper manufacturer that I'm aware of does this. They may perform FEA in CAD but this is way different than destroying a truck in a crash test. This doesn't imply that aftermarket bumpers will make you less safe, its just that they're not proven to be safe. The exception would be AEV. Those guys spend the $$$ to be certified as and OEM provider.

in the jeep world and in Ram world AEV does manufacturer standard testing. That is one reason they take so long to come out with. When they built the bison they found that even a few pounds made a difference in front end crash testing.

Overlander · Oct 30, 2020

retired said:
in the jeep world and in Ram world AEV does manufacturer standard testing. That is one reason they take so long to come out with. When they built the bison they found that even a few pounds made a difference in front end crash testing.

Yeah, really respect the work Dave does on his stuff! That Bison is an example of prime engineering. I don't think people respect how much goes into a proper design when it's so much less expensive to bolt on shiny black parts.

Gamedog said:
Yeah I'll gladly add 200 lbs up front if it saves my truck from deer or protesters ruining my truck...

Jk about deer.

Jk. Jk about protesters.

Maybe.

Jk.

Definitely won the humor post award today. And I agree about both. Maybe. J/K. I'd feel very bad if I hurt a deer. J/K.

Grand Mesa · Oct 31, 2020

Definitely won the humor post award today. And I agree about both. Maybe. J/K. I'd feel very bad if I hurt a deer. J/K.

A Suicide Deer wants to get hurt.

Overlander · Oct 31, 2020

Man, I used to ride sport bikes (motorcycles) and deer was always a concern. The thing was it was rarely the lead bike that got it. It was the second bike. First bike spooks it and it runs into the second guy. Scary to think about at triple digit speeds...

RAM08110719 · Nov 2, 2020

Gamedog said:
I'm still wondering who makes these bumpers... This was posted by @Grand Mesa a few weeks ago when Mesa County posted this pic on their website... I think they actually flow really well with the Ram lines.

View attachment 225920

Those look like a very proper bumper for our Rams. I like the factory metal. Far beats the other guys plastic. But it does get bent from getting bumped into. I would rather destroy what bumps into my bumper. Then leave only minor scratches behind on my bumper. My truck seems to be a target in my area. I have 3 dents in the back bumper and 2 in the front. I want bumpers that give instant karma. Breaks what decides to bump into it. It will be for the next Ram. I do want a 2500. For the stronger axels. The better ride height. Of course I would hope the engine will be much bigger. I think I saw a 7.4L correct me if I'm wrong. I have the 4.7L now. Its fast. I want faster. But I don't want a car. May love speed. But I also like to travel in style and never get stuck in the snow. These trucks are great. First winter was last year. I had snow plowed up to the doors and frozen. Didn't need to shovel any of it. Put it in 4X4 hi loc and away I went. Keep them rubber down my friends.

bear52 · Nov 2, 2020

As far as cow catchers or brush guards or whichever you wish to call them, a salesman at Trucks N Stuff told me I can't put one on my brand new 2020 Ram 1500 because of the sensors. Is this true?

retired · Nov 2, 2020

Many aftermarket bumpers have sensor locations

Gamedog · Nov 2, 2020

bear52 said:
As far as cow catchers or brush guards or whichever you wish to call them, a salesman at Trucks N Stuff told me I can't put one on my brand new 2020 Ram 1500 because of the sensors. Is this true?

He probably meant "you can't put the kind he sells on your truck"...

Plenty of bumpers out there that allow sensors.

HeavyG603 · Nov 2, 2020

bear52 said:
As far as cow catchers or brush guards or whichever you wish to call them, a salesman at Trucks N Stuff told me I can't put one on my brand new 2020 Ram 1500 because of the sensors. Is this true?

My TDK one had the option for sensors. I just didn’t have them on my tradesman.

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bear52 · Nov 2, 2020

Are you guys saying the "Cow Catcher" has sensors in it? I thought it was just a matter of the Cow Catcher blocking the sensors on the front bumper of the Ram ???

TX

Gamedog · Nov 2, 2020

bear52 said:
Are you guys saying the "Cow Catcher" has sensors in it? I thought it was just a matter of the Cow Catcher blocking the sensors on the front bumper of the Ram ???

TX

We're saying there are aftermarket bumpers that allow the factory sensors to be installed within them :waytogo:

Dean J Gardner · Nov 2, 2020

I've had this one for a few years, nice and heavy made by Hammerhead. They make them in a few different configurations for the 2500/3500.

Cow Catcher, steel bumpers

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