Mtn2Dsrt

Hello,
Purchased my F150 at the end of October. Fast forward to Christmas Eve and I caught a youngish mule deer with the front at about 70...



Still waiting on insurance adjuster to look at it.. but am planning on paying the difference to get the full heavy duty bumper replacement, I don't think just a grille guard will handle the animals out here with mulies and elk, plus a lot of oilfield and ranch trucks with heavy duty bumpers...

I have been researching on here and elsewhere and have narrowed my choices down to two..maybe

Steelcraft's HD Replacement Bumper https://steelcraftautomotive.com/app...-rear-bumpers/ OR
Ranch Hand's Summit https://www.ranchhand.com/front-bump...917004892.html

I kinda like the Steelcraft better because it looks like it gives more protection to the headlights and had bigger tubing. But I wanted to see what firsthand experiences people have had with quality and performance from these.
Thank you for any input

Ethan.white

iTrader: (3)

https://www.hncusa.com/#!online-stor...&sort=nameDesc

Driftboater

Depending on the weight of the bumper you may want to consider upgrading the front springs to handle the extra weight. I installed a Road Armor with grille guard on my '11 FX4 with Bilstein 5100s set one step below max height. I lost about a 1/4 inch because of the extra weight. As time went on I noticed the front end started bouncing more than usual after going over speed bumps or dips/ rises etc at highway speeds, and bump steer after going over a rough patch at higher speeds; it had never done this before. I thought I was imagining it but when I decided to upgrade this past summer I could tell an immediate difference in handling while test driving other trucks. Just something to consider.

jhelrey

Here is my $.02. Let them put the truck back together the way it should be and make sure you are satisfied with the job, gaps, etc. Then remove it and replace it yourself. Keep the factory bumper to return back to stock when/if you sell.

dhmcfadin

This.