Bumper Pulled Off Bronco

[Eric L]

Starting in the video below at 15:50, apparently a broken Bronco was being towed in by a Raptor, and at some point the Raptor gave it a hard yank, completely detaching the aftermarket front bumper, winch and all.

My observations from studying the video:

• the driver's side frame horn mount is completely separated from the frame horn
• the passenger side frame horn mount is intact, but the bumper separated from the bolts and flat nuts
• the aftermarket bumper does not use the factory nut plate behind the frame horn mount, but rather bolts from behind to attach to flat nut inserts on the bumper
• the aftermarket bumper has two recovery points which appear slightly inside of the frame horns (not inline)
• there are no frame horn reinforcements installed

My speculation (I could be wrong):
I expect a tow rope was connected to one of the recovery points, so when one side failed the other quickly followed. From the way the metal was bent on the outer part of the driver's side frame horn (16:33 in video), it appears to me that the passenger side bumper connection failed first, causing an extreme twisting load on the driver side frame horn mount.
Edit: A witness said they used a flat strap to connect to both recovery points, so I was wrong about that part.

My opinions and takeaways (again, I could be wrong):

• drivers should have discussed no hard hits (not sure if tow rope was kinetic, but still)
  • Edit: A witness said it was a flat strap, not kinetic; and confirmed it was a very hard hit.
• a bridle connecting to both recovery points might have prevented the issue, spreading the force more evenly
  • Edit: A witness said they used a ~30' strap to connect to both recovery points, so the bridle didn't help.
• the aftermarket bumper's method of attachment to the frame horn mount does not appear very robust
• frame horn reinforcements should have been installed for a bumper-mounted winch, but probably would not have helped in this case, as it appears the bumper failed first (although he'd maybe only have to replace a bumper and not weld a new frame horn mount).

Of course, Matt's team got him out (with a bridle to a-arms connected to a kinetic rope and no hard hits).

That was my bronco the bumper ripped off. We were using a tow strap bridled to the 2 recovery points on the bumper. The frame horn actually sheared off so i have it at a shop in hurricane that is going to reinforce the frame horns and I bought some reinforcement from ADD. We should have used a kinetic rope for sure but the raptor owner was clueless on how to tow in the sand. He stopped when i was just about in the middle of a dune then hit the gas.....I was pissed at first but got over it quickly. It's just stuff that can be repaired. DV8 is sending me a free bumper even though that's not what failed. Their customer service is amazing! I wasn't aware that the frame horns were an issue or i would have had them reinforced at the time I had the bumper installed.

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[Eric L]

MORR recovered DV8's own Bronco and just towing it bent the bumper mounts. (DV8 Bronco) ARB included some hefty brackets to reinforce the bumper mounts. I would hope DV8 would have included something similar by now.

dV8 let me know that they are quickly engineering some frame reinforcement of some sort and should be out soon. ADD already has them out as well as a coupe of other shops.

 

[Eric L]

Alrighty. I know the owner. In fact I invited him to run that trail. That day I also disconnected his driveline after the D60 had issues, and reset his computer to give him front wheel drive for as long as possible to get him to the sand that day. Here’s what happened: A flat strap was hooked up to both recovery points on the bumper. A flat strap was decided on as there were still many climbs on the rocks to get out, and a potential energy rope can sometimes cause issues pulling the tow vehicle back in steep rock crawling situations. They successfully pulled him all the way out of the rocky bits without issue to the dunes, and by then the tow vehicle became hot and needed a break. At this point random raptor dude that noone knew offered to help. They were going to swap to the potential energy rope for the sand but for whatever reason decided to just run how they had it. Raptor bro slowed down before starting the climb, putting slack in the strap, then gunned it for momentum, pulling the bumper cleanly off the non-braced OEM mounts and damaging one side of the bumper with the way the mounts broke off.

I make fun of @dv8 a lot for their preposterous branding choices, but they were actually pretty badass and are sending the owner a replacement bumper for free.

yeah, what Joey said!

 

[geargeek]

That was my bronco the bumper ripped off.

Thanks for the info. Glad nobody was hurt!

 

[Roger123]

I agree with your assessment @geargeek
This is what is worrying about the aftermarket bumpers. They don’t build them for strength, just looks. Most have poor frame attachments and even worse the built in recovery points are weak.

I think the bumpers themselves seem pretty robust, it's the Bronco that seems to need some beefing up.

Like you said, poor frame attachments points but there really isn't anything super sturdy on these newer vehicles.

I guess crash testing and safety standards have messed that up for us. Everything is designed to crush.

 

[CitrusBronco]

“it's the Bronco that seems to need some beefing up.”
“but there really isn't anything super sturdy on these newer vehicles.”

This is exactly why it’s important for the bumpers to come designed with appropriate mounting points which tie into the frame.
Just trying to help educate people so they can avoid future damage.

 

[Tonka Bronka]

Interesting. If it was me, I'd insist they do it - for the personal liability protection. The dealership really has no skin in the game.

They do now, I made them note that airbag recalibration was not needed at this time.

 

[geargeek]

They do now, I made them note that airbag recalibration was not needed at this time.

Smart. Really has me curious why they would say that.
The Ford Performance Winch kit:

https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-1821-B

 

[TruckCamper]

I'm not sure why Bronco guys are surprised.... Just look how it is built. Tiny weld around the parameter on one side. Thin metal. It doesn't take an engineer. Fully expected to reinforce when adding weight or load.

Toyota world is the same issue...

It's neat that ARB and other bumper manufacturers incorporate reinforcement plates. ARB is one of if not the only manufacturer that does crash testing (at least on certain bumpers). However, their bumper is WAY too heavy.

 

[Tonka Bronka]

Smart. Really has me curious why they would say that.
The Ford Performance Winch kit:

https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-1821-B

Because they only know what they know really. I was the first one at this dealership to install the factory 4/7 pin tow harness with the module that needed programming. Installed myself on a 21 then took it in for programming. You would have thought that I was bringing them a Ferrari to tune! They got it done though. Ha.

 

[swamp2]

@swamp2 I agree with most of what you said. However, I don't have any hard data to quantify the risk, and I doubt you do either. Saying it is a fourth order effect is speculation. The risk is not zero, so I thought it was worth sharing.

That said, if I owned that bumper, I would add the reinforcement.

Thanks for your points and a cordial discussion/debate.

Surely, we neither have any data. However, I'm confident about my ranking of first and second order effects in crash dynamics. Whether horn reinforcements are third or fourth orde (or even smaller) is indeed a bit of an educated guess, placing well above speculation. Although lacking any data is a good definition of speculation, in science/engineering, first principles and basic knowledge can get one pretty far without data. I'd call my claims a hypothesis.

Cheers.

 

[swamp2]

This is exactly why it’s important for the bumpers to come designed with appropriate mounting points which tie into the frame.
Just trying to help educate people so they can avoid future damage.

All of these bumper folks have been doing this a long time on lots of models. They absolutely should know better. I see no valid excuses. These products should only be sold with whatever is needed to exceed the limits of factory failure points. Exceed because folks who run these bumpers (sometimes...) tackle extreme terrain with heavy and modified vehicles. Also, it just makes design sense

I tire of this type of ongoing BS. That's why the company I'm starting (news and products coming here soon), will have as founding principle and part of the company name "Engineered".

 

[geargeek]

… I'd call my claims a hypothesis.

That’s fair to say it’s an hypothesis.

I wish we had required independent testing of all this gear. It would be costly, but maybe the manufacturers would save a little on their liability insurance (if they even have it).

 

[geargeek]

All of these bumper folks have been doing this a long time on lots of models. They absolutely should know better. I see no valid excuses. These products should only be sold with whatever is needed to exceed the limits of factory failure points. Exceed because folks who run these bumpers (sometimes...) tackle extreme terrain with heavy and modified vehicles. Also, it just makes design sense

I tire of this type of ongoing BS. That's why the company I'm starting (news and products coming here soon), will have as founding principle and part of the company name "Engineered".

Looking forward to see what you’re cooking up!

I wish Bronco bumpers were designed to be separate from recovery points and winch mounts - really different purposes. I know there are some hidden non-bumper winch mount alternatives out there, but they generally require significant expense and reconfiguration of the engine bay. Maybe they’ll do a better job creating an appropriately designed and engineered space for a winch in Gen 7.

 

[CitrusBronco]

All of these bumper folks have been doing this a long time on lots of models. They absolutely should know better. I see no valid excuses. These products should only be sold with whatever is needed to exceed the limits of factory failure points. Exceed because folks who run these bumpers (sometimes...) tackle extreme terrain with heavy and modified vehicles. Also, it just makes design sense

I tire of this type of ongoing BS. That's why the company I'm starting (news and products coming here soon), will have as founding principle and part of the company name "Engineered".

Glad to see another getting in with more Bronco products.
Yes aftermarket off-road bumpers and winch use are not new. I started off-roading and modifying in the late 80’s, even at that time we knew we had to upgrade the frame mount points or they would tear off in heavy use.

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