4x4Labs Rear Bumper - WTH have I done?!

[Corbet]

Are those grooves worn by the arm moving up and down?

Yes. With a heavy spare and a double Jerry can holder, cans generally always full. The swings are still tight against the stop when latched. 150,000 miles on mine. Dirt road every day.

 

[AlpineAccess]

the only harbor freight hydraulic table they still have only goes up to 28” which is not even up to my cross member

I might have to try one of those motorcycle lifts that scissor up to 50”?

I just clamped some 4x4s on there and it worked great.

 

[Corbet]

What is with all this hydraulic table talk? This bumper is not that heavy. If you’re healthy it should not be a problem to lift on and off without the swing arms attached.

 

[AlpineAccess]

What is with all this hydraulic table talk? This bumper is not that heavy. If you’re healthy it should not be a problem to lift on and off without the swing arms attached.

I built mine on the the table so that I could manipulate it and have it at a good height for working on it. It was about 150lbs without the arms attached and around 250lbs with everything on it. Trying to line up the various bolt holes on a 150 lb bumper would not have been something I could do while simultaneously bench pressing it.

 

[Corbet]

I can see the height thing for doing a lot of the welding verse on the floor like I did. But I found it pretty easy to hang it on the frame rails then bolt it on solo.

 

[KC Masterpiece]

I can see the height thing for doing a lot of the welding verse on the floor like I did. But I found it pretty easy to hang it on the frame rails then bolt it on solo.

I also mounted the 4x4 labs solo. I'm a skinny little endurance runner and made it happen. Slee slider step install was harder than the bumper. I'm like 140lbs wet. It was not fun, but it happened. If I remember correctly once it's on the rails you are not holding the full weight while manipulating it to get the bolts lined up.

 

[JohnnyP]

I've been running the one I built for about 10 years and 70,000 miles, my strike plates are not nearly as worn as Corbet's and I haven't replaced the bearings to date. When I built I had plans to add some HDPE skids to the swings or the bumper top to take some of that vertical load and reduce any squeaks.. but I still haven't gotten around to it and don't really see any need today.

One thing I'd suggest is to be sure the two arms are not perfectly parallel when you weld the stops but rather should be "open" about 1/4-1/2" so when the latch draws the two arms together so they'll put some forward pressure on the stops. This should reduce clatter and make the latch adjustment effective in controlling the "closing" force somewhat. You'll see what I mean when you get there.

I should really pull mine for a repaint and freshen up the bearings noticing how long I've been punishing it.

Build on, they are awesome bumpers!

Nailed it… over 150k on my 4x4 labs and have never once had it rattle or wiggle too much. Majority of my bumpers miles has been with a 315/75r16 hanging on it, generally the basket is empty. Strike plates aren’t worn like Corbets either. Like @AimCOTaco said when welding on the stop tab it just needs to make the arms ever so slightly out so that there is that forward pressure when closing. Too much and the latch is a pain to close and open. Just right and it is a single handed easy operation opening the bumper.

 

[LARGEONE]

This is helpful! I’ve been hoisting my TJM solo but it is light.

 

[J1000]

I also love my 4x4Labs bumper. Just looks awesome and is super beefy. I used a hydraulic table. Another option is hanging it from a tree branch with ratchet straps and backing up into it. Did that for my front bumper.

 

[AimCOTaco]

I also have a tree I use for body work

I repositioned mine on jack stands 8000 times to get good welding access.. tacked in a piece of angle as a jig to keep things mo' square.

I did a lot of balancing it on the floor jack to install and remove through the fitting and welding process. (it was winter so my tree station was too cold.)

 

[Rzeppa]

I also did the weld-it-myself 4x4 labs on my 60. I remember a few hiccups, and Luke basically saying that they had encountered every issue I had during assembly. Mine is tight and doesn't rattle. I have a ton of pictures at home I took during assembly. I remember grinding rivets off the frame was kind of a PITA. I think I spent a total of about a months worth of evenings on mine.

 

[KC Masterpiece]

I also did the weld-it-myself 4x4 labs on my 60. I remember a few hiccups, and Luke basically saying that they had encountered every issue I had during assembly. Mine is tight and doesn't rattle. I have a ton of pictures at home I took during assembly. I remember grinding rivets off the frame was kind of a PITA. I think I spent a total of about a months worth of evenings on mine

Thankfully no rivets on the 80. Sawzall with a good blade will cut the 80 frame rails like a butter knife.

 

[Rzeppa]

Thankfully no rivets on the 80. Sawzall with a good blade will cut the 80 frame rails like a butter knife.

Yeah, sawzawling the frame rails was straightforward.

 

[LARGEONE]

I had to travel this past week, but prior to traveling I got was able to get my rear cross member cut off and my bumper tacked up on the truck. This weekend, I made a lot of progress on the bumper. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to get my welder set to not splatter. I’m starting to wonder if it is the new 0.035 wire I purchased, or even the new gas I just got? No matter the wire speed or the amount of overlay gas, it still wants to splatter! Maybe I’ll start a separate thread about my welder frustrations? I’ll eventually figure it out.

Even with the welder issues, I managed to get most of the bumper welded up and I even spent some extra time adding some custom elements to the latch system. I basically did DOUBLE DELRIN (UHDPE?) both on the bump stop for the arms and also under the arms to support the arms on the bumper itself. It is SOLID!!! Arms don’t vibrate at all! I’m happy with it.

 

[LARGEONE]

EDIT: I figured out last night that I am a dumbass (well, I've actually known it for a long time!). The latch issue is totally a mess-up on my part. The latch "hook" was supposed to be welded on sticking straight out, not long side flat to the arm. It works the way I did it, but it doesn't provide as much of a "hook".

When I put the latch on it was not pulling parallel to the arm. This caused the arm to be pulled away from the bump stop. So I had to cut the hook off and weld a 1/2” spacer behind it.

This is the angle after the spacer. Much better.

Here is the thinner delrin on the bump stop.

And here is the 1” spacer of delrin that really does a great job of supporting the swing arm. Absolutely zero vibration or rattle.

 

[LARGEONE]

I was also able to get the tire carrier welded up this afternoon.

Next I need to put the tubes on top of the wings but I think I need to tack those while it’s on the truck to ensure proper spacing.

 

[LARGEONE]

I’m in the process of painting the tire carrier but I’m super happy with how this bumper turned out. The UHDPE tests seem to work perfectly!

 

[Pz10420]

Nice, I also used delrin on the swingouts I built for my oem bumper and they keep it solid and rattle free for about 5 years now.

 

[AlpineAccess]

I’m in the process of painting the tire carrier but I’m super happy with how this bumper turned out. The UHDPE tests seem to work perfectly!

Looks fantastic!

 

[LARGEONE]

Now I just need to create a gas can carrier and maybe a 5lb propane mount!