Not to stir the pot but I think what he's trying to say is that the bumpers are designed to collapse to some extent. The brackets will fold and absorb some of the force of the impact. How much force is a matter for debate (not really; Ford knows exactly how much), but in any case it doesn't look like your addon is designed to collapse in the same way; rather you've put a tube (basically) directly in the spot you're most likely to get nailed... and a tube is awfully strong when pressed from either end, and probably wont collapse in this case, meaning those forces will translate directly into the frame.

I have to wonder actually if an insurance adjuster on his game might look at that and think about blaming the damage on it... stranger things have happened...

Edit: I should say that I don't think its really going to matter. This thing looks designed to take an impact up to a certain level, and I have to think beyond that level is going to damage your truck no matter what. Either way, its an interesting concept. Thanks for sharing and posting about it!

 

Dude nice watch!!!!

 

not stirring the pot at all. open discussion is the entire point.

the weakness inherent in our bumpers (which don't need to meet the 5-mph requirements of a passenger car) is known, and can be expensive. since i park where people often don't hit the brakes until they see your car (or truck) move, i thought this would be a good investment.

if you look at this photo:

you can see that there are two very heavy donuts which act as absorbers. there is probably between 3 & 4 inches of travel via those before any force truly gets transmitted.

and when is an insurance adjuster *not* out to screw us?

 

^^ Hah true that!

 

thanks! i have a silver one with a blue face i'm looking to unload that's exactly the same style. i'd get rid of this one, but it matches my truck!

 

I just clicked on that ad yesterday! Pretty interesting concept! My only fear is that its going to cause MORE bumper taps than normal because nobody expects it to be there. Shouldn't it have reflectors on it since it sticks out further than the bed of the truck?

Anyway, great write up, good pictures! I think it's a worthwhile investment, I'll add it to my wish list.

 

It doesn't stick out any farther than my receiver hitch does when I have it in (which is almost always) and I don't have reflectors on that.

It's kind of a neat concept. I can see how it will definitely save you some love taps from vehicles, however, I can also see how someone would say that it might increase how often it gets hit.

 

Had to double check on the link to make sure and what I thought was correct, this thing is designed to absorb the energy of a small collision. That's pretty cool. But how would the pin that holds the reciever in place function. Is it designed to break away?

 

the pin that holds the bumper in place is under tension right now- you use a ratcheting strap to draw the bumper forward enough to slide the pin in.

if the bumper is hit from behind, the pin would slide in a slot cut in the male receiver portion of the bumper. there is probably 3 to 4 inches of travel available.

also, they included a locking pin, so this thing just won't walk away.

 

How far does it stick out? Here if its more then 5 or 6 inches it is illegal