My first tube bumper versus the one I built last summer, night and day difference

I mean, way back in 2018 I bought this cheap 'universal' tube bumper off Amazon for like 200 bucks. It bolted on okay but the winch mount was so thin you could see it flex when you pulled anything heavy. I lived with it for about two years until I finally got tired of the rust spots. Last summer I decided to build my own from scratch using 1.75 inch DOM tubing and a 3/8 inch plate for the winch tray. Cost me about 450 in materials plus a weekend of welding in my buddy's garage. The difference in ground clearance alone is almost 4 inches more than that old bumper. Has anyone else gone from buying cheap bolt ons to building their own stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarahhart18d ago

Funny how making things yourself makes you realize how much junk we all buy.

henderson.mila17d ago

Oh gosh, you are so right about that. But I gotta say, I think homemade stuff can be just as junky sometimes depending on what you're making. I tried to make my own laundry detergent once and it was this weird slimy mess that didn't even clean properly, so that was a total waste. The real eye opener for me was when I started making my own bread and realized store bought has like twenty ingredients when you only need flour, water, yeast, and salt. But I still buy plenty of junk, I'm not gonna pretend I'm some kind of homesteader or anything fancy like that.