Rear Bumper, Swing Gate, Spare Tire Mount, Jerry Can Holder
Now that the bed is bobbed and extra sheet metal
has been removed we can now construct a rear bumper that comes straight
out from the frame and tight up against the truck.
Fabrication of the swing gate was later down the road that is why the truck is orange in those photos.
For the bumper we used ¼" walled 2x4 rectangular stock.
Receiver stock pierces the 2x4 instead of below so as not to hang up on the rocks. The 2x4 was notched and folded over to create the side protection. This looks
much cleaner than a separate welded on end piece. The wrapped sections
of the bumper are connected to the frame to protect from side hits, the
ends were angled and capped to match the wheel well's angle perfectly. The bumper is securely mounted into the frame rather than to the side
of it. The bumper is also fitted with an air chuck and connects to the
main storage tank underneath, this serves two functions: 1) additional
air, 2) easily accessed rear chuck for air tools and airing up.
Since we bobbed the bed there was a lose in storage space
which doesn't leave room in the bed for both camp gear and our spare tire.
Unfortunately full size spares to not fit underneath between the frame rails!
To solve this issue we fabricated a swing gate out of ½" square
stock and 2x3 rectangular. We fabricated a custom sealed bearing spindle and integrated locking latch for the gate.
We built a modular unit that mounts and locks
behind the spare tire holding two jerry cans side by side. Photos of the
jerry cans and mount will be added soon.
