Broken bumper bracket? Replace entire assembly?

[theletup]

So thank god I have good snow in my stomping grounds because today was killer! I screwed up and didn't get my sled on it's side while coming down a super steep downhill today and smashed a tree. It bent the bumper and broke the ear off the upper bumber mount. There a couple different ways I was thinking on fixing this but not sure what's possible.

#1 I was thinking of welding the ear back on. (Easy way)

#2 Replace the corner of the chassis that the ear broke off from. Is it possible to break the glue loose and glue on a new corner or do you have to replace the whole upper chassis tube assy?

Also I had to relocate the ground that is located on that bumper mount after wrecking. I couldn't get my sled to stay running at an idle and didn't even realize I broke the mount until further investigating. I can say that I'm pretty damn surprised how much of a hit the sled could take with such little damage. Hit the tree hard enough to rotate my handle bars forward while doing a front flip over the bars. Then to make it even better my buddy came flying down behind me thinking I was clear and smashed into the back of my sled. It bent the rear of the tunnel a little bit where his bumper hit from the inside (right behind my air frames on the side. Looks like I should be able to straighten it out with a little finesse.

Is there a brace kit out there to reinforce the area?

 

[Woodsrider]

I do not think you can just buy the corner piece. Also it is possible that the over structure is bent and should be replaced.

 

[theletup]

Here's a couple pics of the damage. Very possible that the over structure could be bent but it all looks nice and straight. Broke the ear off. Probably designed that way on purpose I'm guessing. I was pretty shocked at how well the sled took the hit. Hit hard enough to rotate my bars forward and throw me about 15 feet downhill doing a front flip. Then the guy behind me thought he was clear to follow me down and piled into the back of my sled. Good times. Still turned out to be a great day.

 

[dcooper]

Mine just did the same thing yesterday, WRP bumper saved a lot of it but it broke the bumper mount, what ended up happening with yours?

 

[seth25]

You cannot buy just the corner piece. Its the whole part or nothing. If you have the capability, prob just weld and go on. However, I have heard that welding cast aluminum is very tough if not impossible. Also, may look at doing a Skinz, or equivalent bumper. They use additional mounting points and you may be able to get by with not using that mounting ear.

 

[LoudHandle]

You cannot buy just the corner piece. Its the whole part or nothing. If you have the capability, prob just weld and go on. However, I have heard that welding cast aluminum is very tough if not impossible. Also, may look at doing a Skinz, or equivalent bumper. They use additional mounting points and you may be able to get by with not using that mounting ear.

Welding the tab back will depend largely on casting quality, I haven't got my hand on any of these PRO parts yet to weld them but is certainly doable. My suggestion would be a good soaking with acetone and a good brushing with a stainless steel wire brush. TIG weld it with 4043 (wets in better on most castings than 5356, but either should be fine in a good welder's hands). Also the proximity to the glue maybe an issue as it softens at about 350-400 degrees F, and the welding may cause the glue to off gas and possibly burn? Hope this is helpful.

 

[goforbroke]

I had mine welded. make sure you unhook electronics, shield from heat. two years later still doing fine.

 

[B&M Fabrications]

Another option would be to switch to an aftermarket bumper that does not mount to the factory tab. It would eliminate the need to replace/repair the overstructure.

 

[cateye5312]

Call around a bit and find a good welding shop that has experience welding aluminum and can do it right. I wouldn't trust it to just anybody. In your area there is probably a shop that welds boat props. Talk to them.

 

[dcooper]

UPDATE: My dealer said they could either epoxy the tab back on with the same adhesive they used to put the whole sled together these days or I could get a new overstructure, dealer cost on the overstructure is 120 so i figured I could manage that.

I like that the WRP bumper just uses those mounting points because it is very strong and it transferred the impact to the weakest point, saving the important parts to the sled. I would worry that if it mounted to the bulkhead bolts and you hit something hard enough it would transfer the impack to your bulkhead and essentially total your sled.