Need a bumper - Dont waste your time on the sport bumper

[Jeff C]

Seriously folks...........

I hit a rock on my trip to Cooke and that so called bumper wrinkled up worse than a 80 year old hooker.....

that thing offers almost zero protection.....

If you look at the lower part of that bumper, the spokes of the bumper will actually catch on rocks.

After taking off the bumper and looking at it and feeling the weight and contstruction, that thin walled aluminum offers no protection whatso ever.

Dont spend your money on this, get an aftermarket bumper.

One option you might want to look at is the racewerx bumper / skidplate

You can see detailed pictures on his facebook page "Racewerx"

There is two other points under that chassis that can get hit real easily
1. Chaincase
2. Brake

He is going to install the full monty on my sled this weekend.
-front bumper
-skid plate
-billet chaincase protector
-disk brake skid plate

The way he designed the bumper is to have the side pieces of the bumper take the force and buckle if needed. Then you just replace or bend out if possible those side pieces.

1/4" aluminum plate and holes drilled for oil nut on bottom.....

I am not necessarily telling anyone that this is the end-all, be-all solution.

The bottom line is that you will be sorely displeased with the "Sport" bumper once you have even grazed a rock.......

Take that money you are going to spend, and spend a few more dollars and do it right........

Cat did not get it right with this bumper at all........THe bumper does not deflect rocks/trees at all on the bottom, in fact it promotes "catching" rocks and stumps by its very design.....

They designed this as a lifting device period - to save weight

Dont do it!!

 

[backcountryislife]

Did it cause any other damage to your sled?

 

[Jeff C]

Ripped that fantastically designed plastic piece off at the very bottom of where the a-arms come into the bulkhead


That was all........

The whole incident would not have even happened if there was an actual skid surface for the rock to hit, instead of getting caught in the spokes of the bumper........

 

[BAD MONKEY]

nice bumper

Thanks Jeff, I've been looking for some protection! And the sport bumper does seem weak.( I bought one out of desperation) That racewerx one looks beef, just wish they had a good pic of it under belly, and, well, some color options. Seems the way to go in light of the lack of snow for the most of us.

 

[Dirty10]

Agree

Seriously folks...........

I hit a rock on my trip to Cooke and that so called bumper wrinkled up worse than a 80 year old hooker.....

that thing offers almost zero protection.....

If you look at the lower part of that bumper, the spokes of the bumper will actually catch on rocks.

After taking off the bumper and looking at it and feeling the weight and contstruction, that thin walled aluminum offers no protection whatso ever.

Dont spend your money on this, get an aftermarket bumper.

One option you might want to look at is the racewerx bumper / skidplate

You can see detailed pictures on his facebook page "Racewerx"

There is two other points under that chassis that can get hit real easily
1. Chaincase
2. Brake

He is going to install the full monty on my sled this weekend.
-front bumper
-skid plate
-billet chaincase protector
-disk brake skid plate

The way he designed the bumper is to have the side pieces of the bumper take the force and buckle if needed. Then you just replace or bend out if possible those side pieces.

1/4" aluminum plate and holes drilled for oil nut on bottom.....

I am not necessarily telling anyone that this is the end-all, be-all solution.

The bottom line is that you will be sorely displeased with the "Sport" bumper once you have even grazed a rock.......

Take that money you are going to spend, and spend a few more dollars and do it right........

Cat did not get it right with this bumper at all........THe bumper does not deflect rocks/trees at all on the bottom, in fact it promotes "catching" rocks and stumps by its very design.....

They designed this as a lifting device period - to save weight

Dont do it!!

Couldn't agree more mine bent in on one side almost clear to the hood! Didnt even remember hitting anything.Cracked in 1 spot, paper line.. I straighten it and shaped a 3/16 piece on plastic down over the front. I will post pic's tomorrow.

 

[Ihntdux]

Ill second that, the regular bumper holds up better than the sports bummper!

 

[SledBC]

He is going to install the full monty on my sled this weekend.
-front bumper
-skid plate
-billet chaincase protector
-disk brake skid plate

where are you getting these from?

 

[backcountryislife]

Ill second that, the regular bumper holds up better than the sports bummper!

HUH?

Explain please....

 

[ronniehotdogg]

www.xxxmodrods.com SledArmor bumper

 

[KSH]

Ill second that, the regular bumper holds up better than the sports bummper!

HUH?

Explain please....

My guess is that he meant the stock bumper is stronger the way it is mounted.

 

[KSH]

I designed my own bumper. I wanted five major things.

1 Be able to lift sled with bumper
2 The ability to remove bumper without removing line from intercooler.
3 Use front skid plate.
4 A bumper/skid plate that would bounce me up and over landmines.
5 Added protection for hood and intercooler


This is my prototype.

 

[Jeff C]

where are you getting these from?

Racewerx will have these completed in the next few weeks.

The racewerx set up comes in several incremental options.

There is a snocross bumper like what is pictured on his facebook page.

there is a mountain version that has side wings with lifting areas

there is a rear skidplate to replace the existing cheap THIN underbelly plate Cat put on. It also provides a nice billet cover for the oil drain cover.

when you combine the bumper and rear skid, you get a nice smooth surface for the sled to ride up and over obstacles. Others I have seen use tube aluminum that can catch on stumps, trees, and rocks. Those might work well too, but it seems to me that a smooth surface will promote easing over obstacles and not catching on them.

Also on that facebook page, you will see the side brackets. Those brackets were actually weakened slightly (By cutting in the racewerx logo) to serve as an energy absorption device. So instead of transferring the energy to the bulkhead, they are designed to bend on a severe hit. Yep, you will most likely to buy one or two new side braces, but your sled will more likely be able to "survive" without damage to it.

Dont get me wrong, there may be other bumper choices out there just as good or better, but this guy did the math on how thick pieces should be in order to provide good protection to both the sled and the skidplate/bumper set up.

Very impressive combination of engineering and workmanship.........

He tells me the bumper/rear skidplate is just over 4 pounds.

Weight,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, schmate........... This is how Cat should have designed the underbelly of that sled in the first place.......... four pounds to help keep a $11-$13k sled safer..........

 

[SledBC]

Maybe I jinxed myself by asking but I got sucked into a tree well and smoked a tree dead on yesterday with my Racewerx bumper. the main part of the bumper took the brunt of the abuse and it got twisted up pretty badly, the 2 side braces with the logos engraved seem to be still perfectly fine, the bumper pushed back into the plastics and popped them off all the way back to the intake vent, but as far as I can tell, no real damage other than a couple small scratches.

 

[Ihntdux]

My guess is that he meant the stock bumper is stronger the way it is mounted.

You nailed it thanks!

 

[mmsports]

MM bumpers

Mountain Magic Sports


First production bumpers are done sent to be Powder coated must be backed up I can not get them back till Thursday shipping on Fri.Got the raw ones and the final weight is 3.30 which is 1.75 over stock not bad I thought.

 

[Lambert454]

xxx Mod Rod bumper takes a big hit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD9GedfzTgc&feature=plcp&context=C3fd1a93UDOEgsToPDskIZfyghp1XXVgV2UzOEUdK7

 

[sledhead13c]

My guess is that he meant the stock bumper is stronger the way it is mounted.

I am going to try what GEO recommended and take the mounting bracket off the stock bumper and rivet it onto the sport bumper. Hopefully adding a little more strength. If i KO the sport bumper ill be looking for an aftermarket one.

 

[Ace Freely]

xxx Mod Rod bumper gets smashed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD9GedfzTgc&feature=plcp&context=C3fd1a93UDOEgsToPDskIZfyghp1XXVgV2UzOEUdK7

...looks like an A arm to me...Where was the bumper damage?

Ace

 

[Team STE]

totally agree! the sport bumper is a JOKE. I don't know what Cat was thinking with this chinky POS. Im surprised a snow drift doesn't crumple it.