Utah safety inspectors wanted to see a longer bumper that extended the wheel track of the vehicle. From reading the law it means that I needed a bumper that extended from the center of one tire to the center of the other.
The problem that I have a BTF shortie bumper that is part of the full width axle kit. So there really was not a way to just bolt on a longer bumper and pass inspection since my "bumper" is not integrated to my frame. I needed to find a better solution.
I decided to create a strong accessory mount system that can be multi use. And my first accessory was going to be a simple street legal bumper.
Shortie bumper
First I welded some 2" ID square tube to the inside corners. It is out of the way here, out of site and I had lots of good surface area for a solid weld. There is a small gap at the bottom so water won't be trapped.
Now I can make this multi use. The bumper is simple and non-sexy, but it is legal. Plus it can be removed very easily.
And now I have a bumper that can pass state inspection.
Pros - It is simple, strong and out of the way, and cannot be multi use
Cons - The idea of sliding in two parallel receiver hitches at the same time took more effort to make work that I wanted it too. It was hard to keep them all parallel enough to slide in and out smooth. And the heat from welding would warp them enough they came close to binding again. The bumper worked out well, but next time I may not get that lucky. If the bumper ever does get tweaked by something I may have to cut it in half to get it unbound. I will design the next accessories in two halves so they never bind.
Next on the list will be some recovery points since that bumper does not have any solid ones. Also some points that can be used for flat towing, maybe a better looking bumper that held driving lights? High lift holder? Jerry can holder? Winch mount? We will have to see what is needed.
The problem that I have a BTF shortie bumper that is part of the full width axle kit. So there really was not a way to just bolt on a longer bumper and pass inspection since my "bumper" is not integrated to my frame. I needed to find a better solution.
I decided to create a strong accessory mount system that can be multi use. And my first accessory was going to be a simple street legal bumper.
Shortie bumper
First I welded some 2" ID square tube to the inside corners. It is out of the way here, out of site and I had lots of good surface area for a solid weld. There is a small gap at the bottom so water won't be trapped.
Now I can make this multi use. The bumper is simple and non-sexy, but it is legal. Plus it can be removed very easily.
And now I have a bumper that can pass state inspection.
Pros - It is simple, strong and out of the way, and cannot be multi use
Cons - The idea of sliding in two parallel receiver hitches at the same time took more effort to make work that I wanted it too. It was hard to keep them all parallel enough to slide in and out smooth. And the heat from welding would warp them enough they came close to binding again. The bumper worked out well, but next time I may not get that lucky. If the bumper ever does get tweaked by something I may have to cut it in half to get it unbound. I will design the next accessories in two halves so they never bind.
Next on the list will be some recovery points since that bumper does not have any solid ones. Also some points that can be used for flat towing, maybe a better looking bumper that held driving lights? High lift holder? Jerry can holder? Winch mount? We will have to see what is needed.
