No offense taken. I went with the Rugged Ridge for some weight savings, having the heavier diesel motor in the Jeep. Still did what it was supposed to do. Kept the deer off my hood and out of the passenger seat. Thanks and cheers!
That is the Rugged Ridge Spartan bumper. I know it is a little thinner but that is why I went this way, trying to save a little weight since I have the diesel. Still alot better than the stock plastic would have been.
Not a really cheap bumper. It's the Rugged Ridge Spartan. It is a lightweight bumper, and I knew that when I bought it. The bolt on stinger took a hell of an impact. The 3/16 plate steel tore through. Still a lot less damage to the vehicle than if I had the stock bumper.
Insert the other cheek (my 2 cents)—
The stock sheetmetal under the stock plastic bumper isn't absorbing any impact. An impact big enough that you're damaging frame, pushing a solid bumper into the grill, etc is going straight through the plastic/sheetmetal bumper period. They all mount the same way, effectively the frame horns/tow hooks are impacted directly and no bumper is absorbing much of anything. In an off center impact is either small enough to be deflected or is straight through the stock bumper and in to fender/grill/tire etc. If it's small enough to be deflected/absorbed by the stock bumper or isn't transferring anything through a stout bumper. I run the stock steel bumper in stubby mode with the winch plate and winch. Making the frame horns as stout as possible. Any would be off center light impacts should be deflected by the 39s. On my gladiator I went aftermarket stubby with winch mount as the plastic garbage wouldn't deflect me than a shopping cart in my opinion and I needed a winch mount.
Folks were complaining about the aftermarket bumper (that that OP had) - saying it was too thin (experienced damage). Similar to anything you mount on the front…. I’d rather see the bumper (OEM or aftermarket) crumble first before damaging other parts.
As far as I know every bumper, including no bumper at all, is compatible with Jeep airbag sensors. They are inertia sensors located behind the grill somewhere thus allowing customers to do what they want to the front bumper with no ill effects.
The further north you are the taller deer are, winter survival plays a factor. In south Fl, we have Keys deer,they are the size of German Shepards.
If the bumper were more stout, it could have deflected the deer saving the fender. I don't see enough force that it would have bent the frame rails in this impact which is my point. The edge of the bumper as a crumple zone only works in light impacts, which in my opinion wouldn't have caused major structural damage in the first place. A significant head on impact is bending the frame. A light impact isn't. I doubt the bumper changes that much as the frame horns stick out into the bumper. You can see where this bumper bent around the frame horn.
Why didn't i think of that - makes sense, gotta be right.
For sure. I thought I read they were along the front of the frame rails somewhere, but the bumper will only determine how harsh the impact is. The sensors will still work once the correct criteria is reaches. The stock bumpers have those crush cans to absorb small impacts, possibly to prevent air bag blowing under certain conditions, but the very worst that happens is that you no longer have the "crush devices" or bumper to absorb certain impacts, causing MAYBE under certain conditions the air bags to go when they might not have otherwise. There's long discussions on this in other threads in the past - frankly, I don't see it as anything to worry about. The air bags will still work fine when needed without any issue.
