Just wondering if anyone had any opinions about Ranch Hand Bumpers. I am looking at getting some for my 03 SD. Thoughts?

 

They're big, heavy, and tear whitetails in half if you hit them at an angle.

I've used a bunch of trucks with them, done just about everything from moving trailers with the front hitch to pushing gate posts back upright to pulling people out of bar ditches. They take hits from deer out pretty good, but tend to push them under and into the wheels intead of away from the truck.

They're practical from the standpoint that they increase the approach angle so you won't ground out the front air dam as fast, they take minor bumps a lot better, and you can mount everything from lights to winches on them. Rear bumpers are practical for towing, but I've seen most guys get a shorter drop bumper and keep the factory hitch, because the bolt on 2" receiver tube cuts the towing capacity to 500/5000 instead of 1000/10000.

Just don't get in a wreck, they don't crumple and can tweak your frame pretty easily. Your truck may not looked damaged compared to the car that got totaled, but they aren't good for hitting things hard. I think it's either ARB or Road Armour that claims their bumpers are just as good as a stock bumper in a wreck, but at the end of the day it's a lot of steel built into a rigid frame that won't want to give at all.

The all plate steel ones are ok I guess, they seem to bend up a lot faster, but they're significantly lighter than the Legend series.




There are other companies that make variations, and I like some of those more than RH:

 

I secound that on the Ranch Hands. We have tried them all and they are the best.

 

what brand is that tan one? I dont like the one on the white truck, it looks like a gate on my farm lol, or a BBQ grille

 

I think they're both South Texas Outfitters. A lot of older replacements use standard expanded metal for the grille instert which I think looks like junk, but now Ranch Hand, Top Gun, Cattleman, some of the better known brand use custom punched sheet thats more of a honeycomb or has some kind of a design in it.

 

I heard Top gun just went bankrupt? and you cant get their product.

 

Renegade uses the same type. Dealer told me they had to switch b/c the newer engines were shutting down due to not enough air flow w/ the smaller expanded metal. Don't know if that's true or not, but it makes sense...plus you're right, it does look better! Not sure it protects as well against smaller debris though.

To the OP, I'm w/ Tech, go w/ the legend series over the summit - if you're going to spend the money get the strongest, it's not much more expensive and I think looks just as good or better. Unless of course weight is a huge concern.

 

How much heavier are we talking between legend and summit?

 

Don't have exact weights but I was thinking the legend weighs in the 300-350lb range. 4" sch. 40 pipe weighs roughly 11lbs/ft so I would guess the summit weighs 75-100lbs less.

 

I personally like the Cattleman Hd Longorn better than the Ranch Hand Legend. They are the same price at the shop were I ordered mine in El Paso. Cattleman HD - Frontend Replacement (Longhorn Series)

Here is the RH If it floats your boat.
Product Search

 

Thanks for the Info I ended up getting a Ranch Hand. The Cattlemans are made in mexico and I worried about the quality. Ranch Hands were made in Texas and Had really good reviews

 

Ranch Hand and Shiner Bock beer are the two best things to come from Shiner, TX

Where's the pics?!?

 

I thought Cattleman's were made in Dallas? Or is that just where the headquarters are?

 

Just where they distribute from. Manufactured in Mexico painted around San Antonio from what I heard

 

Well, I tell you how this one holds up.