To those that actually know something about fabrication

The plan is a rear bumper essentially made out of steel box tubing attached to the old bumper holes with a bracket. I'm looking for 4"X7" tubing; I don't even know if that size exists, but I'll be looking for it tommorrow at the scrap yard. I need to know what everyone would recommend for thickness. Overkill would not be a problem; my back end sits waaaay to high. I will be mounting a tire carrier and such on it with a rockstomper hinge as well. Would .25 be too overkill and heavy? Can the factory bumper holes support this (I will add .125 stock on either side for the bolts to go through)?

Damnit, I feel like I'm overexplaining. Just tell me what thickness square tubing you would use.

The bumper brackets by themselves wont cut it.You need to tie it into the receiver/skid nut plates.I would recommend .188" wall or .25",no 4x7" doesnt exist plus that to much anyway!

I tend to favor 3/16 myself. Its cheaper, plenty strong, and lighter. I've slammed my bumpers and rockers (all 3/16) more times than I can count, and none of them have dents.

Personally, after making my bumper out of 3x6 3/16 wall, I think 2x6 3/16 wall is the perfect size for the XJ. 2" works perfectly with pre-made receiver hitches because the hole is 2 inches back from the back of the flange, allowing the complete reciever to be recessed and still have access to the hole. Also, 3x16 is plenty strong. Here's a pic of my bumper:

Ary


and w/ unpainted swingarms....

1/4" way too much unless you plan on taking shell shots. 3/16" is very stout. You might also consider using the real heavy stuff where you need it most and thinner gauge where you can. Dont forget, more weight=worse fuel economy and performance.

XJguy

Mine are 1/8" front and rear. I wouldn't consider anything over 3/16" with the exception of D-ring mounts or bumper brackets.

My front bumper weighs around 65lbs. If it were made of 1/4", it would weigh 130lbs. No thanks. IMO, one of the reasons the XJ does so well off-road is because of its low weight.

I built mine out of 4" x 6" x .250". I agree it is overkill but, why not have a little more than you need back there? I have used .188" for the rest of my fab jobs and they all work great. I should have gone with a 3" x 5" though for looks, but as an air tank it holds a little more.

3x5x .188 wall is my recomendation......

I would have gone with .120 wall, but chose .188 since mine is an airtank.

Thanks. I appreciate the picture too Ary.

I used 2 x 6 x .188 for my bumpers.....here in Florida there aren't any rocks to play on....

Well, my rock sliders are .120 and they are still in great shape after many years of severe duty. My Tomken ( I hate saying that name) rear bumper is .188 I believe and it has taken more than its fair share of abuse too. .25 is waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy too thick. The only thing you are doing is adding weight. When I first read that you wanted 4x7 all I could think of was a diving board at your favorite swimming hole. It would give folks a great place to put their feet to give you ballast though. Overkill is good in some situations, but I don't think so in this one. Just my opinion of course.

Sean