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Rear Bumper w/Swingout Tire Carrier Follow Along

1M views 2K replies 530 participants last post by  boomvader 
#1 · (Edited)
I've been making bumpers for awhile and the biggest question I get is, "When are you going to make a Rear Swingout?!" Well, I finally got most of the parts together and figured I would start today. I thought I'd post along the way with updates as the project progresses. I hope to be done by this weekend. I will post a list of the tools I used (and hopefully substitutions you can use). I will also post a list of materials I used and any useful links that might help to locate parts. Hope this thread helps someone else as Tire Carriers seem to be a pretty popular fabrication topic.

First, a word about shop safety... ya only got one pair of eyes so use the safety glasses/face shield (especially when grinding, drilling.. etc)! Also, when using loud machines (like the grinder) where ear muffs or ear plugs. Lastly, use gloves to save your hands (drilling/grinding).

Tools used:
Plasma Cutter (suppose a chop saw and jig saw could substitute but you'll be cutting for a long time).
Welder (220v wire feed nice but a stick will do)
Grinder (I use both a 7" and a 4 1/2")
Band Saw (chop saw can be used)
Drill Press (hand drill can be used)
2 1/4" bi-metal hole saw
long 1/4" drill bit
1/2" drill bit
11/16" drill bit
1" drill bit (big sucker for the clevis mount holes.. it's a PITA to do!)
Scribe
Center Punch
Tape Measure
Machinist Square
Hammer
Slag Hammer
Phosphoric Acid to clean/etch the steel (Lowe's)

Materials Used: for basic bumper...
2"x4"x1/4" wall rectangular stock 55" long (can sub thinner material if you like but I like it beefy!)
approx 7" length of 2 1/2"x2 1/2"x1/4" wall stock for receiver (can sub a store bought receiver tube.. Northern has one for like $10)
approx 7" of 2 1/2"x1/4" thick flat stock for chain plate
approx 6" length of 3"x1/4" wall square stock (for mounting legs and receiver lip)
approx 18" of 3"x3/8" thick flat stock cut in half for the bumper mounting flanges
approx 18" of 2"x1/4" thick flat stock for bumper end caps
approx one foot of 2"x3/4" thick flat stock for clevis mounts

Materials for the Swingout
2 1/2"x1/4" wall DOM Tubing (from here.. DOM Tubing)
2"OD pipe for the inner sleeve/bearing spacer(Lowe's)
1" trailer spindle rated for 1000lbs (Spindle)
Spindle Bearing Kit (Spindle Bearing )
De Sta Co 2000lb Latch (Latch
2"x3/16" wall square stock for carrier frame

That's as far as I got today with the materials list. I got most of the cutting and drilling done... here are the pics..

First, I cut the pivot tube from the 2 1/2" DOM tube.. 4 1/4" long. Then I cut an inner bearing separator from 2" OD pipe and rosette welded it in 4 places to hole it in place..

You can see the tube in the center with the sleeve in it. The rest of the stuff is the bearing kit and of course.. the 1" spindle.

Rosette welded sleeve

Sleeve with races in it

Assembled Swingout Pivot

Bumper Blank with 1 1/4" hole cut (top and bottom) for spindle... I'm tippy toeing to take the picture.. :D

Pivot test fitted to bumper.. I did this before making any other cuts on the bumper so that if I ruined it, it would be before I went through the trouble of making all the other cuts.

Drilling the 7" long 2 1/2"x1/4" wall square receiver tube for the pin.. I use a long 1/4" bit to go all the way thru both sides of the tube. That way the holes line up...

I then follow up with a 11/16" bit.

EDIT: Instead of making your own receiver tube, it's probably just as cheap and definately easier to buy one from a trailer supply store... Northern sells 6" long weld-in receiver tubes for about $11
 
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#154 ·
That's what?.. slightly less than 1/8" wall? I like at least 3/16" for bumpers/rock sliders..etc. especially if you're gonna hang a carrier on it. There are a few bumper manufacturers that make their stuff with 1/8" wall stock to help save money.. I think some of them have problems with flex though... spend a couple extra bucks and go with 3/16" wall.
 
#156 ·
BESRK - FYI, when you start full time production, call every steel supplier within 50 miles and tell them how much steel you're planning on using in a year. Tell them you're starting a fabrication business. Take the lowest rate you find to the supplier there in Newport and see what they have to say. Steel prices aren't written in stone. If the supplier thinks you're going to be buying a lot, the prices will drop really quick.
 
#157 ·
I switched from 1/4" wall tubing to 3/16" wall tubing for the main bumper.. price of a 20ft stick is $155 so that's about $40 worth per bumper.. a little bit better than before. One problem is that there is only one steel supplier here in Newport News that sells a large variety of steel. I'd have to drive 20-50 miles to hit other steel suppliers. I've been caught up in some other big projects that have taken me away from my bumper making for the time being. I still do the occasional bumper from time to time but it's not like I'm cranking out a couple everyday like last year.
 
#158 ·
Thats still way to much money. They must have a monopoly in that area.
 
#159 ·
do you have a pic of a rear and a font installed on a zj. nice job
 
#161 ·
dang thats high...

i just priced (20') 4" x 2" x 3/16 wall in tifton, ga delivered to thomasville, ga (45 miles each way) at $ 90.00. 5 x 2 x 3/16 20' length is $106.80.

i do have a contracting business acount with these people tho...

priced today at 10:30 am est.

by the way, VERY nice work. i will be using this thread to build mine.

thanks for the thread
pete
 
#165 ·
besrk

what do yo think of using 3 x 4 x 3/16" tubing? i priced it today, its $88.00 per stick. i was thinking it would give me i little more to work with, esp at the hinge pin. plus i could use 2 x 2 x3/16" on the verticle part of the tire carrier.

as an aside, my buddy whos helping me ( were building 2 sets of bumpers ) has a machine shop at his house, car lift etc. must be nice. oh yea, hes also the local rep for the welding supply company around here. HIS buddy is the local welding instructer at the tech college. hes offered to let us use the CNC machine AND the autocad driven plasma cutter for our small parts.

if these bumpers turn out looking like a sheit muslim, we'll have no one to blame but ourselves.

parts ordering comenses henceforth.

pete
 
#167 ·
well..

we are gathering "STUFF" recievers, scrap steel, etc . the build will comence soon.

(the BIG BASS are on the beds HERE) its killin' me, jeep....or catchin really big fish?

pete :thumbsup:
 
#168 ·
Just like to say thanks for the ideas and info to Bersk and those who also contributed to this forum. Here are some pics of my rear swing out and front bumper I've been working on.





 
#171 ·
zachv said:
NO KIDDING!! That front looks better than some Hansen units I have seen. Good work.
:thumbsup:
What's funny is that my last name is Hansen, but no relation. (I believe his is spelled Hanson?)

I am really happy with how they came out. I should have the front painted and back on this week end.

Once again thanks for all the ideas guys.
 
#176 ·
well we started cuttin metal...

got 4 x 3 x 3/16, 20 foot stick layin in the yard. gathered up what we think is all the necessary stuff. (except for the PALLET of bud lite).

tonight we inside machined some 2.5 x .375" DOM down to 1.980" ID for the races on the pivot. got those done. went ahead and saw cut eight pieces of 1 x 2 x 6" long stock for clevis hangers. 45 degree'd the faces and used a haugen annular cutter to bore 1" holes.

so far this is some beefy sheit. this pivot is unreal. we went ahead and cut the DOM down about .003" more to ease race install. seemed a little tight.

we are building two sets of front and rear bumpers. so this is two of everything.

pete
 
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