FJZ80 Gets a new bumper

[Inukshuk]

Ha, noticed that's at least the second time in the past couple of days you've taken interest in recovery point config/integrity/rating/blah/blah - sumthin' that's been a burr under my saddle for years!

A fair number you see on trucks are purely cosmetic, nothing more than a nice place to store your shackles.

This on one of yours?

 

[DaveInDenver]

This on one of yours?

Nope. That's a photo one of the instructors at welding school had. He knew that I'm a P.E. and he's a certified AWS inspector who's worked with welding engineers.

The conversation was to some extent about the wild difference in material mass. To do this well requires pre-heat and a pretty good welder, which in this case was probably done by a decent welder. It takes experience and skill to glue a hunk of steel like that clevis to such thin material. And it looks like the weld held.

Strictly the weld didn't fail but the geometry and ultimately the material of the tie point as a whole did. You can see both the front fillet and the rear flat weld both appear still intact but the connection itself has many other red flags, insufficient material, stress risers, etc.

It's just a complete craptacular design as a whole with no thought behind it as a recovery point. Not even the most common way shade tree engineers do stuff - throw a whole ton of thick material at it.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

Ha, noticed that's at least the second time in the past couple of days you've taken interest in recovery point config/integrity/rating/blah/blah - sumthin' that's been a burr under my saddle for years!

A fair number you see on trucks are purely cosmetic, nothing more than a nice place to store your shackles.

I saw this the other night

 

[DaveInDenver]

I saw this the other night

It boggles the mind. Even if you assume everything is up to snuff even the heavy kinds of tie-downs (1/2") are rated usually in the 3,500 lbs range. Now I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he's using them for trailer chains maybe. But that's a major benefit of the doubt.

FWIW, I have no issue with bolted on recovery points as long as they're designed for that and have appropriate backing. In fact this isn't any different in geometry (two circumferential welds) than that ripped bumper I posted other than the back plate is 1/4" thick and four 1/2" or 3/4" bolts in tension aren't a problem. It'll require bolting to more than sheet metal though! You see people bolt these to ARB bumpers, which is only 5mm thick. Even if you have a matching backing plate the whole thing could still rip out a'la the pie tin wonder early.

 

[AlpineAccess]

I saw this the other night

 

[AlpineAccess]

Just FYI found this guy's video. At the 6:30 point he goes over how the recovery points tie in.



He didn't get the tire as close to the body as he wanted; but that was just a mistake on his side - 4x4labs has an angle cut on the tire attachment point so if you weld that end of it to the lug pattern plate it allows the tire tighter to the vehicle by tilting it back.

He also doesn't appear to burn in the recovery point all over like I did. I welded any touching surface.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Just FYI found this guy's video. At the 6:30 point he goes over how the recovery points tie in.



He didn't get the tire as close to the body as he wanted; but that was just a mistake on his side - 4x4labs has an angle cut on the tire attachment point so if you weld that end of it to the lug pattern plate it allows the tire tighter to the vehicle by tilting it back.