bumper/hitch mount tie-ins

PowerRam1987

NAXJA Forum User

Location

Warwick, RI

• Apr 10, 2012

• #1

So i already have a custom rear bumper(1/4" c channel with some angles around the tailight region) that i'm building stronger now. While i'm at it (bracing, cleaning up another persons old welds, etc) are there any companies that make a bracket that will utilize factory tow hitch bolt holes? i want to weld such brackets with approximately 4/5 bolt holes on each side (where tank skid/hitch bolts up) to my soon to be improved c channel bumper. More reliability for recovery points and stiffening. If these exist premade or if i need to make them myself i will also be integrating my reciever into the the bumper.

 

Johnnie Walker

Piece of Fish!

NAXJA Member

Location

WA state

• Apr 10, 2012

• #2

JCR makes frame "tie-in"s . They also make the nutserts as well. Some other companies use 2x4 ( I think) steel stock that insert into the "frame rails" If you ahve the means you can make them yourself.

 

NCCherokee

NAXJA Forum User

Location

Anderson, SC

• Apr 10, 2012

• #3

jcr is the most common, but they look like flat plate that bolt on, and only pick up i think 3 holes

What i did with my rigid bumper was to cut out the access holes, and slide 2x4 box steel into them. I welded JCR nutstrips inside them to pick up the frame rails. The rigid bumper already had frame tie-ins, but this double them up, essentially sandwiching the framerail.

With your bumper, you could do that by using the 2x4 in the frame rail, and/or adding 2" angle iron to pick up the frame holes. This is better than flat plate because it resists deflection in the vertical vector, rather than just the horizontal one.

 

xjwisconsin

NAXJA Forum User

Location

sturgeon bay, wisconsin

• Apr 11, 2012

• #4

x2 on the 2x4. I used this as the basis of the bumper I built this winter. I used 1/4", opened the "frame" holes where the nutstrip would enter, measured, trimmed my steel for the fuel filler tube and then drilled for 5 bolts per side using the factory skid/tow points, welded some nuts on and bolted it up. If memory serves me its about twenty three inches from the front to back. You could then weld them to your bumper, perhaps a gusset or two would be in order, or not. I did not add mounts for the rear eight bolts that the stock bumper mount to as I felt the 10 half inchers on the bottom with the skid as a sandwich would be more than sufficent. Look up foxwar, he has a great thread on a bumper he did this way.

 

foxwar71

NAXJA Forum User

Location

Foxboro, MA

• Apr 11, 2012

• #5

I highly recommand building some mounts outta 2x4x1/4 rect tubing sleeved inside the rear framerails. Hands down the best way to mount a rear bumper, it'll greatly stiffen up the entire back of the jeep. Its very easy to open up the rear crossmember to get to the rails and make room for the 2x4.


Heres a pic of the one on my trail rig and two of the one on my DD

 

souske

NAXJA Forum User

Location

The land of competition

• Apr 11, 2012

• #6

+1 for Foxwars style
Drug a Travel Trailer from border to border, multiple extractions, drug some dumb kid offf the freeway that ran out of gas, accidentally took same TT through part of Bullfrog looking for camp one night, buddy thought it would be funny to rear end me at a stoplight so I backed into his F-150 and bent up his bumper, etc. Those mounts are never coming off!

 

PowerRam1987

NAXJA Forum User

Location

Warwick, RI

• Apr 11, 2012

• #7

I like the idea of sliding the box tube inside. Probably what i'll do and run the nutserts from the inside out. Either add plating to the outside or just beef up my tank skid so when i bolt it up its all sandwiched

 

souske

NAXJA Forum User

Location

The land of competition

• Apr 12, 2012

• #8

My FS XJ came with 1/8" plates from the rear framerail to 6" ahead of the front bumpstop bolt. Don't know if that was factory or ???

 

PowerRam1987

NAXJA Forum User

Location

Warwick, RI

• Apr 12, 2012

• #9

I think i know what you're talking about... my 89 2 door Had them with the bumpstops mounted on them. Just a narrow functionless piece it seemed like to me. Didnt tie into anything really they just went over the factory tank skid and held the bumpstops in

 

souske

NAXJA Forum User

Location

The land of competition

• Apr 12, 2012

• #10

They seemed kind of worthless to me too.

 

PowerRam1987

NAXJA Forum User

Location

Warwick, RI

• Apr 22, 2012

• #11

so as an update i dropped the gas tank, took the rear bumper off and cut out all my rear floors haha. doing the bumper, putting 3/16" steel plate over the top of the now open unirails, connecting all the rear rails lh to rh side with some 1"x1" box steel about a foot apart, and redoing the floors with sheet metal (haven't picked it up yet-thickness 14G maybe?). oh and i have a brand new gas tank to install after with my tank skid.

 

foxwar71

NAXJA Forum User

Location

Foxboro, MA

• Apr 22, 2012

• #12

If you're going thru all that effort, might as well raise the gas tank at the same time. Bring it up so it doesn't hang below the bottom of the framerails. Use the sheetmetal to box in the raised area above the tank.