MUX's rear bumper build

[Paul]

Considering the business i'm in i thought about baler twine

 

[Gav Peter]

I have an equivalent to that at the moment - despite it being very effective, its a pain in the ass for getting into the back of the truck... ;-)

 

[Gav Peter]

Bit of an update for others currently making rear bumpers: ;-)

So whereas most swing outs have the shaft held in place just at the bottom with nice big nut to tighten the hool lot down, because of the way I cut my bumper into the rear of the truck, I felt I needed my pivot point directly on the bumper meaning it would be lower & more inboard, therefore, my design had to be more of a 'cassette' arrangement... With hindsight, I could have designed this with the spindle in a more 'traditional' position but I'd got this so fixed in my head... No way back ;-) Doing it the traditional way would have moved the arm out of the way more for letting the tailgate drop down - I have been very restricted in how I could design the arm...

The housing is built from 6mm steel profiles; I had bearing collars machined top & bottom (in hindsight, this would be one machined part...) & Col welded in a bit of tube for me. The housing was then built around the bearing hub & a 20mm dia pin drops through the lot. The bearings are simple ball bearings in races...

It needs painting...

I have had problems with holding the arm in place but I think I am close to sorting it now. This is how I mounted the toggle clamp to start off with:

Clamp on bumper; clip on arm; no positive location despite fitting all manner of packers between clamp, clip, arm, testicles, anything that moved!!! Load o' old rubbish - lots of blue rope...

MkII

Clamp on arm, clip on bumper, new RSA cleat added to bumper c/w some sort of plastic as a wear strip; bracket on arm that held the clip now superfluous & soon to be removed. Once the clip is in place, I hope that the friction force exerted by the clamp on the arm onto the cleat on the bumper will hold the arm in place. However, as a backup, I have bought one of these sprung loaded shoot bolts

that I'm sure will lock that arm in place once fitted. Configuration usure at the moment but it'll lock bumper to arm positively...

This kind of thing (or sommat like) that is used to hold drop down sides on flatbed trucks in place might proove a suitable alternative too:

In the meantime, blue rope!!!

Hoping this assists in some manner

 

[Paul_Humphreys]

The shot bolt look intersting, as it would do for keeping the carrier open. Where did it come from?


Paul

 

[Gav Peter]

I'm sure they are available from many sources but this is where I am able to source from: WIXROYD. Far from cheap though. I am realising why some of these bumpers cost what they do....

If you do contact them, be sure to get an accurate delivery date - one option I was looking at was on a 28 day lead time!!! - and they have been cr@p at deliveries in the past for me... Not a glowing reccomendation I know but they do seem to be more economic than others...

If you can't (or even if you can!!!) buy direct, let me know what you want - I may be able to get a better discount as a trade account holder...

Cheers
Gav

 

[Paul_Humphreys]

Web site is a pain!! I can not find them. Even if I did find them I still have to go through a process to find the price. I do hate web sites like that!!

Paul

 

[Paul_Humphreys]

I have just found these!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Barrel-Shoot-Bolt ... 3efd5295d5

 

[Gav Peter]

Web site is a pain!! I can not find them. Even if I did find them I still have to go through a process to find the price. I do hate web sites like that!!

Even if you speak to them, that last lad I spoke to told me the part number I was quoting didn't exist - I was reading off his feckin' website!!! I gave up in the end & asked him what I wanted...

I have just found these!!

They look alright Paul - good price to Wixroyd.

Have a mooch around this site that I found too - there mght be something else that fits your glove & its laid out clearly too... AUTOW

 

[Dave Burgess]

Just as a recommend, I've use Autow in the past to buy an axle for a trailer - but one that matched one I already had. They were really good and as I recall shipping was included which for a 7ft 1800kg capacity softride car trailer axle was impressive!

Gav, That toggle clamp needs to pull up against a solid block to allow it to over-centre and provide a positive clamping force. You appear to have it arranged to stop up and down movement which, whilst desirable, is not your main axis of control, is it? I'm thinking it's the rotational axis i.e. the swing out. If that toggle clamp were to lock an interlocking pin you would be there.

Hope this is helpful...

 

[Gav Peter]

Hi Dave

Thanks for the input on both topics above...

I have seen (but not used) Autow in the past - they seem pretty definitive about their kit. Good to know they can back it up with service

On the clamp, come the final design, the spring loaded shoot bolt will provide the pin to prevent the arm swinging out & the over centre clamp will prevent the arm from bouncing up off the pin...

I have been 'using' someone elses design of this arrangement without fully understanding it to date but I think its getting through now ;-)

A bientot & good luck with your bumpers ;-)

 

[Navraj Singh]

Hi Gav,

Pretty cool bumper

Just have 1 question though.
Y did you not go for a rap around bumper as I built?

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

He got carried away with the angle grinder so he didn't have any choice

 

[Gav Peter]

What he said!!!

I fancied sommat a bit different Nav - I've never been 'in love' with the standard bumper that sticks out left right & centre so after seeing what Jon did with his RIP80 I lopped it off & did what I did ;-)

It has caused its own problems but I like the way its turned out. The flanks are rather vunerable at present & some tubular corners are planned for it... Ah, but when... ;-)

 

[Navraj Singh]

Just don't get carried away with the grinder again

 

[Gav Peter]

Bobtail?? Did someone mention bobtail?

 

[Rob]

Now that would be interesting, never seen a bobtail 80, traybacks yes but not bobtail. you know you want to

 

[Navraj Singh]

Bobtail?? Did someone mention bobtail?

Whats a bobtail

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I think bobtail 80's look wrong. A bob tail tray back would be ok though

a bobtail is just shortening the rear overhang by chopping a bit out the middle (of the overhang) and moving everything forwards.

With a decent lift and high clearance bumper you don't really need a bob tail though, losing the OEM rear cross member makes a big difference.

 

[Gav Peter]

Basically hacking out a lump of the body & repositioning the rear tailgate so there's little/no overhang past the rear axle... Quite often carried out on older model range rovers...

Lets see if we can find a piccie or two...

Ah, pipped to the post ;-)

I couldn't find a pic of an 80 bobtail Jon. Sounds like you've seen one though...

 

[Rob]

like this disco:

Sorry, at least i kept it small