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Last Friday, I was driving south on FM 118 and a mule deer doe ran out at full speed (left to right). I had little chance to react, but didn't do anything drastic as any drastic action would likely only make me lose control of the truck and trailer. I hit her square on. As you might have guessed, the impact was far worse for her than it was for the Raptor. The truck operated fine (with the exception of the adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance system). If I can figure out how to upload images here, I'll post a photo of the front end.
But now I'm back home and will likely take this opportunity to upgrade the front bumper to an aftermarket bumper. Any advice on which bumper out there is a good option would be welcomed. I might want a winch. Definitely I'll either want to keep my existing light bar or add more light bars to the front. Also, the skid plate appears to be damaged. So any thoughts on replacement front skids is also welcome.
Surprised your stock bumper help up so well though.
I was very pleased how the stock bumper/skid held up. Nothing critical was damaged in the strike. And I hit her squarely and hard. What helped here was she was running as fast as she could and was therefore very low. Had she been trotting, she would have stuck higher and done some body damage as well.
That's a cool looking bumper, and I like how it protects the grill.
I was very pleased how the stock bumper/skid held up. Nothing critical was damaged in the strike. And I hit her squarely and hard. What helped here was she was running as fast as she could and was therefore very low. Had she been trotting, she would have stuck higher and done some body damage as well.
That's a cool looking bumper, and I like how it protects the grill.
I don't have a Raptor, but am looking to get that same brand and version of bumper for my truck. I almost hit 2 deer driving in the mountains on vacation last year. Luckily for me it was on windy roads and I was able to see them soon enough and stop. one day I may not be able to stop. I want more protection for the grill. Or more accurately, what's behind it.
Surprised your stock bumper help up so well though.
if he runs his raptor fast off-road in desert conditions it’s better to keep the bumpers light. Much harder on the suspension when you add a heavy bumper and a winch. I know from personal experience. My truck is not setup as a go fast off-road machine like the raptor.
I and my family have hit a number of deer over the years, mainly in sedans though, where the damage was much worse. That’s not bad at all. I like the ADD bumpers but you’ll also need to buy a bracket to relocate the ACC.
Raptor vs. Mule Deer
