Bumper superiority achieved! Deer beware.

[Marveltone]

About a month ago, I was in a little fender bender with my truck. Through a little internet research, I found out that a heavy duty front end replacement was the same price as a stock Dodge bumper. With all the deer and other wildlife in this area, the chances of something going through the grill and into the inter-cooler are fairly high. I thought it would be nice to protect the entire front end of the truck with something more substantial than a brush guard. The choice was obvious.

i called my cousin, who owns a body shop and he called Ranch Hand. Long story short: They didn't have what I wanted in stock, so they had to build it... and they were very busy, so they had a substantial backlog.

It's in, installed, and a thing of beauty! I've been grinning all day.

Joe

 

[buck12]

About a month ago, I was in a little fender bender with my truck. Through a little internet research, I found out that a heavy duty front end replacement was the same price as a stock Dodge bumper. With all the deer and other wildlife in this area, the chances of something going through the grill and into the inter-cooler are fairly high. I thought it would be nice to protect the entire front end of the truck with something more substantial than a brush guard. The choice was obvious.

i called my cousin, who owns a body shop and he called Ranch Hand. Long story short: They didn't have what I wanted in stock, so they had to build it... and they were very busy, so they had a substantial backlog.

It's in, installed, and a thing of beauty! I've been grinning all day.

Joe

Good idea. The front end of my Ford met a small doe and the truck got a new bumper, grill, and headlight. Let us know if you get a chance to test your new bumper.

 

[automech]

beautiful deer smasher you have there. wish my little truck could support that.

 

[Dmace]

Looks good!
Nice step for oil changes too!

 

[Marveltone]

beautiful deer smasher you have there. wish my little truck could support that.

Thanks! 4" schedule 40 pipe and 1/4" plate steel for the main section. 2" and 1.5" schedule 40 grille and headlight surrounds. Shipping weight was 340 lbs! I think it'll suffice.

Joe

 

[jeffsw6]

That looks great! No doubt the 2" receiver will come in handy if you need to do some winching, too. How much did it cost?

 

[Marveltone]

That looks great! No doubt the 2" receiver will come in handy if you need to do some winching, too. How much did it cost?

A bit over $1400. Like I said, Dodge wanted that for a direct replacement. Yes, the receiver will be a very handy thing to have on a farm truck.

 

[k0ua]

you have a nice place to mount a 20 meter antenna now

James K0UA

 

[powerstroke444e]

I have not hit a deer since I started puting them on my trucks in the 90's but did hit a ford tauras that ran a red light. All I had to do was redjust the alignment bolts. My dad and several neighbors have them. They always get talked about when you pull up to a job or gas station.

 

[Bob77064]

That is one serious bumper.

 

[Newblue]

We were traveling at 65 and hit one in my wifes Jeep. Lucky us we had a deer killer bumper built for it. Only thing the Jeep had on it was dust and fur after the strike. I really like the Ranch Hand bumpers. I keep trying to talk the wife into one for her F350.

 

[flyingcow]

Ali Arc Industries


This is what I have on my International. They're designed mainly for moose. i have had the experience of hitting a moose at 65mph. Ruined the bumper, but everything else was fine. All aluminum bumper. Just about the same weight as your ranch hand. Just under 400lbs. But, it's close to $4000.00 But well worth it.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

That is an awesome bumper! :thumbsup:

 

[newbury]

I don't need a full bumper setup YET but am looking at getting a deer catcher for my dually.


(note - not my license plate)
I want it eventually set up with a 2" receiver so I can put my 12,000 lb pull winch on the front if need be, while still being able to move the winch to the back.

Any good recommendations for a brush guard for my F350 for mail order or a factory pickup between either of my travel corridors?

I looked at a few places and one with separate shipping charges wanted $125 on a $550 brush guard.

The travel corridors I use are basically Ithaca, NY to Washington, DC and thence down to Tupelo, Mississippi (NE MS) via either I81 to Knoxville/Huntsville or down I95 and west to Atlanta and west to Birmingham.

 

[Marveltone]

I don't need a full bumper setup YET but am looking at getting a deer catcher for my dually.

View attachment 276774
(note - not my license plate)
I want it eventually set up with a 2" receiver so I can put my 12,000 lb pull winch on the front if need be, while still being able to move the winch to the back.

Any good recommendations for a brush guard for my F350 for mail order or a factory pickup between either of my travel corridors?

I looked at a few places and one with separate shipping charges wanted $125 on a $550 brush guard.

Problem with a separate guard is that you're still relying on the stock bumper to bounce the deer off. They have a tendency to fold those fairly easily. They're called "brush guards" and not "deer guards" for a reason, as most of them are very thin walled construction by comparison. They'll protect against most minor dings, but not a solid hit from a deer. There will also be precious little metal to mount the winch on. The bumper replacement gives lots of solid steel to help anchor the receiver tube. There may be something out there that allows you to keep your stock bumper and add a winch, but I'm not aware of any at the moment.

The travel corridors I use are basically Ithaca, NY to Washington, DC and thence down to Tupelo, Mississippi (NE MS) via either I81 to Knoxville/Huntsville or down I95 and west to Atlanta and west to Birmingham.

Beautiful country out there, between Ithaca and DC. It's been at least 30 years since I've been out that way. I kinda miss it at times.

Joe