rear bumper

[MeelisV]

finding ideas for rear bumper to my tear
if you have pics or ideas then show/tell me

aluminium tubing 1"...2" one or two tubes curved or straigt or .... ?

[desertmoose]

Here's an excerpt from mu build journal. It has worked well for us.

Looking at the hatch, now that it's done, I decided it was too exposed to damage from a bump in traffic (or more likely, from me backing it into a tree). The 1/8 hardboard skin on the hatch would be munched pretty quick in that case.

I didn't put a bumper on originally because I wanted easy access to the galley. A bumper would be a shin knocker.

I finally settled on the following. I welded hitch receivers on each side of the frame.



Then I made a removable bumper held in place with hitch pins. Protected while traveling, and take it off for access while camping.

This also opens up the possibility of attaching a side table, etc while camping.





I did lose a bit of ground clearance doing this, but I think it's worth it.
I'll be painting the bumper when I touch up the frame paint at the end.

Sam

[burlesot]

Sam,
Nice design. I like the idea of being able to design some side tables that could easily insert into those bumper inserts (receivers).

Take a look at how the Orange Crush Trailer uses something like this.

[burlesot]

Sam,
Nice design. I like the idea of being able to design some side tables that could easily insert into those bumper inserts (receivers).

Take a look at how the Orange Crush Trailer uses something like this.

[CARS]

I'm finishing up my trailer and have been thinking about a bumper. I like the idea of the removable one to keep myself from backing into something vertical like a tree or sign, but the top of my frame is 17". Most vehicles on the road will just go right over the bumper and park in my kitchen...

Now the problem I have is that a rectangular beam is not going to cut it for me, so it's going to have to be sculpted on the corners. That means much more welding and grinding, which means more warping. Warping will put everything out of alignment ever so slightly. Out of alignment means it isn't going to just slide in and out of the receiver. hmmmm..... just one more thing to do before it's camp-able.

[Nobody]

After 'finishing' construction we used our TD for several months before I decided to add 'fenders' & the bumper - more for looks than any other reason...


I ordered a 'diamond plate' trailer fender from Northern Tool & modified it to fabricate 2 'mini' fenders to minimize the 'raw' look of the cut-outs at the wheel wells. I found a new 'diamond plate' tailgate protector for an older Chevy P/U, fabricated a bumper 'base' from a couple of lengths of 7/8" square steel tubing, 'wrapped' the diamond plate around that & fastened it to the TD chassis with heavy steel strap. Since it was primarily for cosmetic reasons I didn't expect much protection from severe impacts -




Although I didn't expect much (if any) impact protection from the 'bumper', when I was rear-ended Labor Day weekend of 2010, the collision pushed the bumper down (bending the mounting straps). My TD sustained considerable damage to the lower part of the galley hatch & to the trailer chassis but I'm pretty sure the 'light duty' bumper somehow aided in deflecting much of the force of the impact away from the 'body' of the TD. I was able to repair the damage & fabricate new mounting straps for the bumper & the TD is now 'good as new', with little evidence of the collision damage.




Because of the profile of our TD the bumper doesn't intrude into 'knee space' when using the galley, & even tho designed for looks it does provide a modicum of protection from impact. Just a small example of 're-purposing' (the Chevy tailgate protector) & doing it our way. Won't suit everyone but you may pick up some ideas...

[Woodbutcher]

I used the rear bumper off my Jeep Wrangler when I upgraded to a new tire carrier. All I had to do was notch the plastic floats on the end.

[legojenn]

After 'finishing' construction we used our TD for several months before I decided to add 'fenders' & the bumper - more for looks than any other reason...


I ordered a 'diamond plate' trailer fender from Northern Tool & modified it to fabricate 2 'mini' fenders to minimize the 'raw' look of the cut-outs at the wheel wells. I found a new 'diamond plate' tailgate protector for an older Chevy P/U, fabricated a bumper 'base' from a couple of lengths of 7/8" square steel tubing, 'wrapped' the diamond plate around that & fastened it to the TD chassis with heavy steel strap. Since it was primarily for cosmetic reasons I didn't expect much protection from severe impacts -




Although I didn't expect much (if any) impact protection from the 'bumper', when I was rear-ended Labor Day weekend of 2010, the collision pushed the bumper down (bending the mounting straps). My TD sustained considerable damage to the lower part of the galley hatch & to the trailer chassis but I'm pretty sure the 'light duty' bumper somehow aided in deflecting much of the force of the impact away from the 'body' of the TD. I was able to repair the damage & fabricate new mounting straps for the bumper & the TD is now 'good as new', with little evidence of the collision damage.




Because of the profile of our TD the bumper doesn't intrude into 'knee space' when using the galley, & even tho designed for looks it does provide a modicum of protection from impact. Just a small example of 're-purposing' (the Chevy tailgate protector) & doing it our way. Won't suit everyone but you may pick up some ideas...

How wide is your trailer? I am hoping that my first build will be a 5' trailer that sits nicely on a 4' frame. According to the specifications on the Harbor Freight site for their 4' trailers, the total width is 61-1/4. I'm trying to figure out a way to not go over 5' wide and not build walls that will rub against my tires.

[mikeschn]

You should be able to do that by building out over the wheels part way, and recessing your fenders part way... similar to this, but using your dimensions...



Mike...

[desertmoose]

by the way, I did make a plug in table for mine.







Sam

[Nobody]

- - -



How wide is your trailer? I am hoping that my first build will be a 5' trailer that sits nicely on a 4' frame. According to the specifications on the Harbor Freight site for their 4' trailers, the total width is 61-1/4. I'm trying to figure out a way to not go over 5' wide and not build walls that will rub against my tires.

I built on the standard HF 1740# trailer. My TD 'body' is 60" wide & 114" max length at the curved parts front & rear. Check the pix in my album for the method I used to build 'over the wheels' without a large 'intrusion' into the cabin. I did fabricate a tongue extension using 2x2x3/16" square tubing, which extended my tongue approx 18-20", to accommodate my tongue box & allow better/easier control while backing...

[mikeschn]

Absolutely, that's another way to do it. Build the sub-floor high enough so that the wheel is predominantly underneath the floor.



Mike...

[droid_ca]

is it possible to get aluminum reciever for those that have an aluminum frames or would you have to go with a bolt on??

[eamarquardt]

I inset the tail lights into the bumper. By pulling a couple of pins the bumper drops down out of the way so as not to be a "shin bumper". It also pulls out 30 inches so I can carry bicycles or a small motorcycle back there and the tail lights are still visible. If you click on the pictures they get bigger for a better view.



Cheers,

Gus

[KCStudly]

Damn Steve, every time I see a little more of your Slow build I am more and more impressed. Nice job!