what is the stock bumper rated at?

[tomtoc]

what is the stock bumper rated at?

would you trust it for the following 3 uses:
1) pulling my family's little john-boat out of the river and up a 1 mile road (no problem)
2) using it as a winch/strap point to pull myself out of somewhere, or pulling someone else out of somewhere (little nervous about that)
3) pulling a uhaul trailer

keep in mind that it was installed to the frame with grade 8 bolts, and i'll do any of the 3 above maybe 5 times a year. i'll keep an eye out for a hitch for the new bumper, but in the meantime, would you guys trust it for those jobs?

**those of you without these trucks (and with newer F150s), this bumper is still pretty hefty. I've seen my mom's expedition's bumper and it just doesn't compare. this thing is made of thick steel, with a big thick steel plate where the hitch ball would go. the newer ones seem like they're tin foil with a little plastic over them

 

[TheRoadVirus]

I've pulled a dual-axle 25 ft ish size camper with my truck before.. from the bumper, lol. Granted it wasn't for very far but it held up fine.

 

[conanski]

The stock step bumper has a class 3 rating.. 6000lbs max tow with a 600lb tongue weight. I trust the bumper more than some reciever installs I have seen.

 

[andym]

#1 and #3, no problem. I'd be a little hesitant about #2, but as Paul says, (he's right as usual) a poorly installed receiver hitch is worse than a bumper hitch.

 

[Raptor22]

what is the stock bumper rated at?

would you trust it for the following 3 uses:
1) pulling my family's little john-boat out of the river and up a 1 mile road (no problem)
2) using it as a winch/strap point to pull myself out of somewhere, or pulling someone else out of somewhere (little nervous about that)
3) pulling a uhaul trailer

keep in mind that it was installed to the frame with grade 8 bolts, and i'll do any of the 3 above maybe 5 times a year. i'll keep an eye out for a hitch for the new bumper, but in the meantime, would you guys trust it for those jobs?

**those of you without these trucks (and with newer F150s), this bumper is still pretty hefty. I've seen my mom's expedition's bumper and it just doesn't compare. this thing is made of thick steel, with a big thick steel plate where the hitch ball would go. the newer ones seem like they're tin foil with a little plastic over them

My dad has done all three with his. Pull our boat (1991 Mariah MX19), Pull out stuck 4x4s (couple chevys, a nissan, and a mitsubishi), and tow a 63 Thunderbird on a trailer (probably 6500lbs+). The bumpers are good on these trucks.

 

[tomtoc]

sounds good guys. i'll just try to avoid driving into a ditch. i'd say the only real "pulling" i'd do would be a car stuck in the snow that just needs traction, not so much pulling a tractor out of the mud

 

[john112deere]

"Light" vehicle pulling like you describe should be OK. I'd be hesitant to yank a truck buried to the frame rails in the mud with the bumper, though.

Another concern for #3 is height... Even on my little Ranger, the step-and-tow bumper sits a little higher than I'd like for towing the little trailers that truck can pull. The receiver allows you to get the appropriate rise/drop so the trailer sits level, which can help a lot with stability.

 

[godblessmud]

I pull out many off the stock bumper, i would never try to snatch someone out off it though

 

[andym]

It does have its limits however. If you're hauling a small RV and rear end a compact Isuzu pickup at 55 mph driven by a Nigerian who speaks no English, this is what the trucks will look like:

And this is what the bumper of the F-150 will look like:

Ask me how I know.

 

[godblessmud]

linky no worky...

 

[andym]

Fixed. Sorry about that.

 

[godblessmud]

OUCH!

Truck held up a fair bit better than the zuk lol

I'l bite...tell us how you know

 

[Raptor22]

OUCH!

Truck held up a fair bit better than the zuk lol

I'l bite...tell us how you know

Truck held up decent in that little fender bender. I cant wait to hear this story.

 

[andym]

The short version is that said Nigerian was parked by an abandoned Volvo on the side of the road in his Isuzu. I came along at the wrong time and he pulled out in front of me. I hit the brakes, but I had no chance of even stopping in time. We hit off-center because I was trying to make it around him without cutting off traffic behind me. Given the situation again, I would have rather hit him dead-on because I had the weight advantage.

My truck was totaled. You can see in the first pic that the bed doesn't line up with the cab anymore. It bent the frame in that front corner, busted the radiator open, and broke the rag joint out of the steering column too.

 

[conanski]

Sorry to hear about your luck Andy... but as the pictures show the trailer is still attached to the bumper, and the bumper to the truck.. even though it's all bent pretty good now. I don't think you could ask for much more from the bumper, and I can't believe the stainless cover plate on the tailgate didn't get dinged.. these things always get dinged!

A good friend of mine was involved in a head on collision involving his 4x4 Ranger towing a loaded snowmobile trailer and a Cavalier, both vehicles were totaled and the car driver was killed. But the trailer stayed attached to the truck even though the bumper was bent into a V shape and pushed up under the truck.

 

[andym]

Yeah, I was impressed by the bumper.

Speaking of bumpers, I found one at the pick n pull around the corner from here on an early 80's F-150. It was in absolutely mint condition. No scratches or dents at all. I'm going to replace the jacked up bumper on my F-150 as soon as the Bronco project is done.

 

[Skandocious]

Andy are you sure that bumper is compatible? I'm not sure if the rear bumpers are swappable from 7th gen to 8th/9th gen...

 

[andym]

I sure hope so. If not I'll put it on craigslist. I'll get at least $150 out of it, I paid $50 for it.

 

[tomtoc]

the guy that swapped mine out had a 79. his looked identical to to the one he was putting on mine. not sure about mounts, but externally, they looked the same