Aftermarket Bumpers and Pulling

[RyanB]

Just curious as to how many guys are pulling with aftermarket bumpers and what the rules state for them in the different classes/organizations that you are pulling with.

Reason I am asking is we had our anual rule change meeting today and came into a heated debate on aftermarket bumpers.

We do not allow hanging weights in our "entry level class" in front of the bumper but do now allow hanging weight anywhere behind the front bumper. My thoughts are that if you are allowing guys to weight up there stock bumper (somehow) why not let the guys only needing a few hundred pounds run one of the many aftermarket bumpers offered in the back of most of our diesel magazines. Weight is weight...no mater how you look at it.

Also from those rules I also believe that it would also limit guys from putting on any sort of aftermaket bumper skin (plastic SRT-10 look-a-like) on there trucks.

Just curious as to what you guys down south are allowing or are pulling with.

Thanks in advance...RyanB

 

[Leadfoot]

Just curious as to how many guys are pulling with aftermarket bumpers and what the rules state for them in the different classes/organizations that you are pulling with.

Reason I am asking is we had our anual rule change meeting today and came into a heated debate on aftermarket bumpers.

We do not allow hanging weights in our "entry level class" in front of the bumper but do now allow hanging weight anywhere behind the front bumper. My thoughts are that if you are allowing guys to weight up there stock bumper (somehow) why not let the guys only needing a few hundred pounds run one of the many aftermarket bumpers offered in the back of most of our diesel magazines. Weight is weight...no mater how you look at it.

Also from those rules I also believe that it would also limit guys from putting on any sort of aftermaket bumper skin (plastic SRT-10 look-a-like) on there trucks.

Just curious as to what you guys down south are allowing or are pulling with.

Thanks in advance...RyanB

While weight is weight, weight placement can effect the handling of a truck and every inch forward counts.

If your rules do not allow hanging weight, but do allow "hidden" weight behind the bumper then I would see aftermarket bumpers NOT being allowed, I would assume they are trying to keep the visual impact down (it's hard to miss a big ass Road Armor bumper on a rig). Also "hiding" weight means putting it behind the bumper, whereas an aftermarket bumper (most of them stick out furthur than OEM) allows more weight furthur forward. I have seen Road Armor bumpers (especially those with winch provisions) and they allow for a ton of weight easily added that would be much furthur forward than possible with an OEM bumper in stock location. It IS an advantage nomatter how you slice it.

I think some aftermarket bumpers look cool as hell though......FWIW. You can buy cheap repro bumpers for just about any truck, so cost should not be a factor (if you have to buy one).

 

[RyanB]

"If your rules do not allow hanging weight, but do allow "hidden" weight behind the bumper then I would see aftermarket bumpers NOT being allowed, I would assume they are trying to keep the visual impact down"

This weight behind the bumper doesn't have to be hidden...if you can some how hang tractor weights behind the bumper your good to go or thats how the rules are stated anyway! The only reasoning for not having your traditional hanging weights 60" out from the axle is because there are only two classes up here and they want a visual difference between the two classes. Not a big deal in my mind...just going to suck for someone wanting to get into pulling up here and have to lose there $2500 road armour bumper just to pull.

We talked about having a distance from the center of the axle to the front of the bumper to make it fair for all which sounded good, say 42" or 44" inches which sounded good untill the actual vote to place.

In a class where you rules state no weight infront of the bed of the truck... then yeah this sounds fair but but when you are already saying that someone could hang 1K worth of case weights directly behind the front bumper it doesn't quite make sense.

Ryan

 

[Leadfoot]

I can see clubs wanting a visual difference between classes (we do in our club). Most places do it by stating front weight or no front weight.

If you want to allow weight but make it hidden vs. out in the open for a different class that makes sense too.

But:

If your going to allow "non-hidden" weight behind the bumper then I would say aftermarket bumpers should be allowed (not much of a difference). Aftermarket bumpers look alot different than weight hanging out 60" so that fits the "visual difference" argument.

Again I think it's a weird rule (as I think there are better ways to handle it from a club and spectators perception standpoint), but who cares about my $.02