Welding Tips and Tricks

Here's a bumper I just finished.
8" channel, and 1 1/4" sch 40 black pipe.

Mig and stick used.

Enjoy.....

There you go.

Bash away.

~John

Almost moose-proof!

At least "moose resistant".

Nice project.

Nice finish, too!

BTW, please quit inviting the "bashing". Only good-natured ribbing will be permitted, and the folk who don't get this will be dealt with.

Steve S

Very nice! How did you get anything done with all that photography goin on? Nice, well thought out project John, great craftsmanship too.

I just wish I had a truck that would carry a bumper like that. I'm a sucker for bumpers with attitude and I was smiling for sure when I got to the end of the pics and saw it mounted on the truck. Definitely keeps folks from trying to bluff you at a 4-way stop. To carry on with Steve's idea, you could call it the "Move Over Moose" model.

Nice work, John.

LDB

ldbtx wrote:I just wish I had a truck that would carry a bumper like that. I'm a sucker for bumpers with attitude and I was smiling for sure when I got to the end of the pics and saw it mounted on the truck. Definitely keeps folks from trying to bluff you at a 4-way stop. To carry on with Steve's idea, you could call it the "Move Over Moose" model.

Nice work, John.

LDB

Thank you.

exnailpounder wrote:Very nice! How did you get anything done with all that photography goin on? Nice, well thought out project John, great craftsmanship too.

If your gonna take the time to do it right, that means there will be plenty of time for pictures.

This is my personal truck.

Thanks.

Otto Nobedder wrote:Almost moose-proof!

At least "moose resistant".

Nice project.

Nice finish, too!

BTW, please quit inviting the "bashing". Only good-natured ribbing will be permitted, and the folk who don't get this will be dealt with.

Steve S

Thanks.

When it comes to moose protection, this bumper ain't gonna do much.
The moose are all taller then the truck, so they will just fall on your hood, and go right into your windshield.

Really, there are thousands upon thousands of trucks running around with nothing.

If I hit something, I hit something, brush guard or not.

My invitation for bashing was good natured.

John,
Nice job.

If I can mention one thing without you taking it personal, there's something that you can think about next time you build one of these. You made the bumper "V" shaped and that in itself is fine, but it will do more damage to the truck itself if you hit anything with the center of the bumper. You put gussets from the mounts to the outside ends of the bumper and if you had room you would have been better off continuing that same bracing into the middle and tying it into the receiver hitch. That way it wouldn't be so apt to spread your frame rails out when it hits something straight on. It would put all the force in a straight line into the frame rails. After all the intentions of a bumper are to protect the truck and it's passengers, and look good.

I guess you could also just not hit anything, that works best.

Len

+ 1 on the not hitting stuff option ! always best - I like it - nicely done & great pictures of build - I'm not knocking the design but as Len mentioned it is quite a sharp V to follow the trucks contour ( which worked well & kept it tucked in close maintaining approach angle )- if time had allowed maybe put less V in the center but add another bend further out - obviously more work so possibly not cost effective - also why use all those pipe bends / T's ? - it would be stronger to make the top part in one piece using a cheap pipe bender then cope the uprights to it.

That came out nice, I like the looks of it, good job.
You would probably save the radiator if hitting a smaller animal.

Youre right about the moose, wont stop it. I took down an 800 lbs moose with a lot lower car than your truck. It rolled over the roof, crushed windscreen and one sidescreen. I walked away with minor cuts, moose became dog food.

Yep, you can "save the radiator" and still hurt the truck. Friend of mine built a hell for stout bumper, similar to John's, for his F-250 4X4. He was making good time headed for the house one night when he hit a feral hog that probably went 500 pounds at least. The hog bounced over the bar ditch, off a tree, through a barb wire fence and fetched up dead in a pasture. The headlights were fine, no leaks of oil or water and the grille was intact so Robert heads for home. Truck was driving a bit hinky, so the next day he took it by the Ford house, figuring it might be a bent tie rod. Nope! The frame was kinked in a spot that couldn't be safely straightened, and the insurance company ended up totaling the truck.

I'll vote with the prevailing opinion -- best not to hit anything.

LDB

Braehill wrote:John,
Nice job.

If I can mention one thing without you taking it personal, there's something that you can think about next time you build one of these. You made the bumper "V" shaped and that in itself is fine, but it will do more damage to the truck itself if you hit anything with the center of the bumper. You put gussets from the mounts to the outside ends of the bumper and if you had room you would have been better off continuing that same bracing into the middle and tying it into the receiver hitch. That way it wouldn't be so apt to spread your frame rails out when it hits something straight on. It would put all the force in a straight line into the frame rails. After all the intentions of a bumper are to protect the truck and it's passengers, and look good.

I guess you could also just not hit anything, that works best.

Len

I'm kicking myself for not adding more 3/8" x3" flat bar to the inside. You are correct.

That would be one of the many things I will do different on the next one.

noddybrian wrote:+ 1 on the not hitting stuff option ! always best - I like it - nicely done & great pictures of build - I'm not knocking the design but as Len mentioned it is quite a sharp V to follow the trucks contour ( which worked well & kept it tucked in close maintaining approach angle )- if time had allowed maybe put less V in the center but add another bend further out - obviously more work so possibly not cost effective - also why use all those pipe bends / T's ? - it would be stronger to make the top part in one piece using a cheap pipe bender then cope the uprights to it.

Thanks Noddy, and thanks.

I will contour the next one better.

This is only the second bumper I've done this way.

As to the weld-in tees, elbows, is because I had no bender or notcher. I'm never building a brush guard with weld-in fittings again.

So much work.

Funny thing is that a friend of mine just bought a new JD2 air bender, capable of bending 1 1/4" solid rod. And he bought the notcher as well.

Just days after I finish my bumper.

John - for only your second bumper that came out great & our comments are only hints at how we might do one different ( which is real easy to say after seeing it finished - you only get ideas for how much better the next one will be when its too late for the current project ! - it's not a bad idea to search Google images & use these for inspiration when starting a project ) - either way it's a good strong bumper & it don't matter how well built it is if you have a head on with something - energy has to go somewhere - sure it will hold up just fine - shame the bender did'nt come along in time ! - if your stuck for notching-the printable template idea from " Metal Geek " works quite well & for up to 2" pipe I used for years a short off cut of channel with a couple of V blocks welded on to clamp the pipe to then I had a raised platform 2" high of channel the exact size of my rotabroach magnetic base with a lip round so it could'nt slide welded on- so in use just stick the drill down - pipe was already centered by the blocks held down by a big old C clamp that came off the railway ( sorry never took a picture of it but my only photo's are film nanyway - not digital ) - obviously you need the long cutter but it worked pretty well - made it originally so I could get a decent notch on smaller ( 1" > 1-1/2" ) stainless pipe when doing boat handrails in situ.

John

I echo what the others mentioned. This is a really nice, well thought-out project, with great attention to detail. Sometimes it's best not to make things 'much stronger' than what they protect, as what they protect is what's going to suffer if the sh1t ever hits the proverbial in a big way.

Nevertheless, you've done a really great job and continued to demonstrate good design ideas and the ability to take them through to a first class result.

Pat on the back required.

Trev

Looks great on the truck John - think it suits the overall look of the vehicle & spacing of the uprights with the front grill blend well - over here the safety / inspection guys would'nt like the gusset edges or sharp corners of the channel - but I'm sure where you are it's fine - great looking area too.