I'm looking to get an XHD full width front bumper, however It seems to me that 3/16'' wouldn't be ideal for withstanding an impact. Would 1/4'' steel not be better in the event that someone pulled out in front of me or something like that? I have a local welder that could build an XHD lookalike out of 1/4'' steel if I asked him to, and I can't decide if I should get a legit XHD, or a custom made 1/4'' steel XHD.

Aside from weight, is there any reason who 3/16 is used over 1/4 steel for bumpers?

 

Wow. I think 1/4" is overkill man. 3/16 is thick stuff. And a bumper made out of 3/16 is really heavy, why add more weight? I think I could take out guardrails with my or fab bumper then sell the thing as brand new.

It's a jeep not a tank. The frame will crumple before my bumper will.

 

Yeah X2 on that my RR rear bumper got rear ended and all that happened was a scratch in the powder coating. That is a hell of a lot of unneeded weight. ORE makes the quarter pounder but its a stubby... Maybe you can fab some ends for it.. Just a thought.

 

I'd have to agree that 1/4" is a little overkill. I thought about it and brought home a piece of 1/4" and thought it was way to heavy. Built my own 3/16" mid width and its pretty heavy. I still haven't added d-ring mounts, a hoop or a winch plate yet. When I'm done it will be at least 70-80lbs. I havent hit anything with it yet but if I do I feel sorry for who or whatever it is. I added the RR rear just because it was so cheap. It's 3/16" also and I have no doubt it will hold up.

 

Inlcude me in the overkill crowd. 3/16 is 7 gauge and is PLENTY big enough to withstand a direct hit on just about anything. If you are going to build it. make sure you really think about how you mount it. This will be your pillar for the rest of the strenght. If you get that part right then you will have a hard time hurting the bumper in the event of an accident. Hell, for that matter you could even get away with 10 gauge and be very strong. 1/4" will weigh a ton also.

 

Have to agree with the rest. 1/4" is really thick. I have built two sets now and 3/16" is plenty for impact.

 

Well then... 3/16th it is!

Thanks for the input everyone!

 

I have used 1/4" steel to build the bumpers for my last 2 jeeps and I didn't change from that when I built a front bumper for the JK. Unfortunately, since my last jeep I built all the brackets/skids/suspension on was a stretched TJ on 1 tons and 40's, I build things overkill to make sure I will never have problems.

As previous stated, 3/16" is plenty for a bumper but I would suggest 1/4" for a winch plate unless braced well.

 

I was running a PureJeep stubby bumper (3/16 plate steel) on my first JK. I hit a PT cruiser head on. Both vehicles were totalled. The Bumper was taken off and bolted onto another JK.

 

If you want a strong full width front bumper I wouldn't go with the XHD as they are just bolt on end caps...