I smashed my step bumper and would like to replace it. Ford sells an OEM and I see there are after market units out there, but the also sell brackets with these. The aftermarkets are much cheaper. Has anyone installed one of these stock looking aftermarket bumpers and do you also need their brackets or does it bolt to the OEM brackets. Also I went to loosen the mounting bolts for the bumper. The outer one were easy, but the ones near my class three hitch of which there are four two on each side are frozen on there good. I broke a 13/16th socket trying to loosen one nut. The bolts these nuts are on seem to be a weird size also, I've tried metric and std sockets can't get anything to fit. Does anyone know what size these inner bolts are and how do the Pro's get them off? Could you use a saw-all? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Well it would be metric so it might be an 18mm, and I bet your kit doesn't have that one. For some reason must tool kits don't come with 18mm, they jump right over it.