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Ideas for mega front bumper

8

87xjpioneer757

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Suffolk, VA
I recently whacked a deer with my sweet 98 S10, subsequently doing $2500 of damage, a hair away from totaling it. So, since it's becoming "hit a deer" season around here in VA, I'm finishing my XJ for street use. I don't want to destroy the front end of the Jeep the next time I hit a deer (I'm paranoid now), and so I want to custom fab a front bumper. I have the front "cattle catcher" front push bar from an old Ford tractor to start with, and plan on adding square tubing off each side to protect the headlights and corners. I'm basically trying to build a bar that will withstand a 50 mph impact with a 200 pound deer with no vehicular damage. Anybody ever built a heavy duty bar like this before? Pics greatly appreciated.
 
87xjpioneer757 said:
I recently whacked a deer with my sweet 98 S10, subsequently doing $2500 of damage, a hair away from totaling it. So, since it's becoming "hit a deer" season around here in VA, I'm finishing my XJ for street use. I don't want to destroy the front end of the Jeep the next time I hit a deer (I'm paranoid now), and so I want to custom fab a front bumper. I have the front "cattle catcher" front push bar from an old Ford tractor to start with, and plan on adding square tubing off each side to protect the headlights and corners. I'm basically trying to build a bar that will withstand a 50 mph impact with a 200 pound deer with no vehicular damage. Anybody ever built a heavy duty bar like this before? Pics greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
I think Allthingsoffroad is selling his ultra mega wombo front bumper.
 
I always figured a snow plow would do a good job with a deer :laugh3:
 
Hahahaha...that thing could take down a house!:laugh3:
Okie Terry said:
I think Allthingsoffroad is selling his ultra mega wombo front bumper.
Click to expand...
 
Well if your worried about hitting one at night just do one like mine
JeepPhotos002.jpg


If you cant see a deer with that many lights than you shouldnt be driving :D







(I know this post was useless, sorry lol)
 
oh my god.....:scared:
Chero-King said:
Well if your worried about hitting one at night just do one like mine
JeepPhotos002.jpg


If you cant see a deer with that many lights than you shouldnt be driving :D







(I know this post was useless, sorry lol)
Click to expand...
 
noresttill said:
What about the Deer whistlers? They dont work?
Click to expand...

NO, THEY DON'T- Personal Experience, and some scientific studies back this up

From: "Whistles and Whitetails"
By: Randall P. Schwalbach
These findings identify factors that indicate considerable doubt concerning the effectiveness of these whistles as deterrents to car/deer collisions:


1) Some deer whistles do not emit the ultrasonic sound under the advertised operating conditions [typically when the vehicle exceeds 30 mph].


2) The physical properties of ultrasonic sound negate its effectiveness at distances required to warn deer.


3) We know little about the auditory limits of deer, but what we do know indicates that deer hear approximately the same frequencies as humans.


4) If deer could hear ultrasound, we do not know that it would alarm them or induce a flight response.
Click to expand...

Also, Hitting a 200lb stationary object with a 3500lb jeep traveling 50mph = more energy than any bumper is gonna withstand.- in other words, a beefier bumper might hold up better, but expect damage no matter what.
 
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The energy has to be absorbed some where so the stronger you make the bumper the more likely you will do unrepairable damage to the body's frame rails. Let alone the greater force transferred to you! I'd rather chuck a new bumper on than have a good bumper left and need a new XJ to put behind it.
 
I get what you mean about transferring energy, there could be some serious framerail damage with a blunt impact like that, whic is why I was king of thinking cow catcher like on trains, it deflects to the sides, cutting the angle of the impact and greatly reducing the force to the front framerails, I have had the deer whistles, and while I have never hit anything with them, in the instance where I hit one the other day, the deer would have stopped in the street from hearing it and I would have hit in anyway, woods on both sides of the road, running deer.
 
I just had a thought, it's surely stupid, but would it not be a good way to protect the truck from impact and not buckle the framerails if I built a "bumper cover" double tube bumper out of 4" PVC? It might sound stupid, but it would absorb impact without the force reaching the framerails or damaging the real bumper, and I would paint it black to look like metal and make it removable for summer, when I don't need it. I have 2 inches of lift and 31's, which puts a deer at right about the bumper height. Maybe I'm just tired. I got to the point where I was drafting up things that looked like a British "pig" military vehicle bumper. Overkill.
 
that does sound like a good line of reasoning,-same idea behind crumple zones in most newer cars.- although PVC may not be the best choice.

Will you use d-rings on your bumper as a tow point?

when I eventually make my own bumper I was thinking of using a separate tow-point system solidly attached to the unibody, far enough back that they will be less likely to contact an object on impact. I would then attach the bumper (a nice strong all steel one) using some type of weaker attachment point so that it will absorb some impact, but then separate from the frame rails (bend up or down), lessening the likely hood of damage to the unibody.

anybody have any ideas about this?

bolts that would shear off with a certain force?

or notched straps attaching to the frame that will bend away instead of transfering the force?

just some ideas I'm tossing around. will be a while yet before I build anything.

-B
 
short stiff springs that could obsorb the impact? My 1990 plymouth acclaim had these in the front bumper and survived a hit on a new honda civic at 35mph with no damage to the unibody.
 
if you made the bumper solid enough wouldnt the force of the deer rebound off the bumper and the deer kind of bounce off?
 
Yes, but if the bumper is solid and doesn't give any, then all of the force of the deer hitting the bumper is transmitted to the frame. With stuff up front that isn't quite so rigid, you get a cushioning effect because as it breaks apart, it dissipates energy, lessening chance of damaging the much harder to fix frame.

I think he wants to deflect the dear away, if I'm thinking about the cattle guard on a train correctly. It may look funny on the front of an XJ, but why not?
 
how many deer do you plan on hitting?:dunno:
 
I didn't fab mine, and I don't know who did. It was on my XJ when I bought it. It does look pretty hefty though. I don't really like the fact that it sticks out, but other than that, i'm happy with it. It's ready to mount a winch on it. The tabs on the front were really meant for a towbar, but I pulled them in so I could put some d-rings on them. I'll give you some specs on it if you want.

cf3a.jpg


4288.jpg


bdb1.jpg
 
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