I picked up a Trail Boss replacement bumper for my 2006 F-250. The gentleman I purchased it from had it on a 2006 Superduty truck but did not recall in detail how it was mounted. It had been laying around in his yard for a long period of time.
I was wondering if anyone has one of these bumpers than can assist me in how it is mounted to the truck.
Most bumpers and grill guards I have seen or installed bolt directly to the front bumper plate that Ford makes use of. However it almost appears that this bumper would bolt to the same plate, but mount from the rear of that bumper plate.
Anyone who can supply some assistance, I would sure apprecaite it. This thing is too heavy to play around with, without causing damage to the truck.
Thanks in advance,

 

most of the time front and rear bumper replacement replacement use the factory bumper mounting locations for their bolt holes so there isn't alot of drilling required for installation.

i have seen a handful that required mounting brackets but the trail boss brand was never one of them on top that a bumper for a superduty wasn't one of those either.

so it should just be the factory bumper holes on the frame.

anyway to add a pic or two up here?

Edit: installation for their grille guards use the location for the factory tow hooks for the older superduties. just tossing out ideas that might work with the bumper.

edit2: also watch out for the powder coat to peel. some old trail boss grille guards and bumpers (around 2001/2002 production) had issues with that. Im sure it was fix by the time they produced stuff for the 2005+ trucks but just wanted to throw that out there.

 

Call 1-800-828-6834 and ask em. I don't know where you're located in Texas but if you're in the Round Rock / Austin / Taylor area let me know and I'll be more than happy to give you a hand.

 

I took a couple of photos and placed them on my WebShots page.
http://community.webshots.com/user/jonrjen
I do know the two mounting plates will match up, but it looks as if I do it that way the bumper may sit forward away from the grill a bit far. I was thinking that maybe the three holes used for mounting the Ford factory tow rings may also match up. But this would mean that the bumper flat mounting plate would be to the rear of the Ford bumper mounting plate.
I guess I may just have to get a few extra hands and see what I can get to fit. I thought maybe someone may have experiance with mounting one of these and could save me a few head aches and or scratches or dings to the truck.

Mike, I appreciate your offer to lend a hand. However I am up on the Dallas/Ellis County line, just a bit more than a quick easy drive from Austin. By the way the Ranch Hand replacement you put on your truck looks pretty good. Did you find a way to mount your factory fog lights yet?
This bumper came with the brackets to mount the factory fog light behind the bumper. Only thing is I don't have the factory fog lights.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I have not gotten them mounted yet, but will soon.

It looks to me like it will bolt right up no problem. I don't think it will bolt in to the factory tow hook mounting area. It looks like they've got a relocation bracket welded in. Again from the pics it looks like it will line up just fine but you're eyes are saying different so I'll go with your judgment.

I've got a buddy with an 03 and I'm not sure if it has a Trailboss or Frontier. I'll see him this week and verify. If it's a trailboss I'll snap some pics.

 

okay this thing mounts just like i saw with the grille guard.

Mike is correct it bolts right up to the front.

the photo you have up (P8290011 in the webshot album) the three bolt holes that are on the bottom, bolt holes that are vertically up and down in the pic, are for the factory tow hooks. i going to try to get a couple pics of a trail boss grille guard from a buddys truck and you can see what i mean.

 

Also I wanted to add, you don't need more than one person to put one of these on. I put my rear one on alone using a floor jack which admittedly was difficult but it's possible.

I don't know if you have a fork-lift, an A-Frame hoist, or just a sturdy tree and a piece of rope but it could be done. If you lift the bumper to a stable location and then drive the truck into it that would likely be the easiest way without harming the truck.

 

I appreciate it guys. I have a few extra pairs of hands coming over tomorrow to lift it in place. For some reason, I have this strange feeling that I may not care for the look once it is in place.
But all will not be a loss. If that is the case I go ahead and install my front receiver hitch at the same time I reinstall the factory bumper.
Then I will find a new owner for the Trail Boss. These trucks are almost as good as a Jeep Wrangler when it comes to changing the look from time to time. Add a new grill guard or replacement bumper. Or change fender flares from one style to another. It can all be done on the cheap with the aftermarket dealing in resell items...IE: Gotta love Craigslist and Ebay.

 

Glad to hear you've got people who can help. I think it's going to look real sharp with that Regency hauler bed you've got on there. (Edit this is going on your 06, despite that it will look good) That bumper looks much cleaner than mine, and most ranch hands you see out there. Give it a week or 2 and I bet it grows on you.

The only thing I don't like so much about mine is the extra foot it puts on the front of the truck. It makes parking a bit more difficult, but that comes with the territory I guess.

Throw up some pics when you get it mounted. I'd be interested.

 

well i couldn't get the best photos of the tow hook area cause he welded a tab on to the grille guard like i did with mine and added a bunch of lights on his so i could get the camera to get a top side view of it but that was never in question anyways. lol..

probably wont help much but you seem to have a game plan on mounting the bumper on your truck anyways.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the photos.

 

Did you end up getting this mounted? If so, how's it look?

 

I did get it mounted yesterday morning.....all by myself....no help....no extra hands. Can't say this was one of the smartest things I have ever undertaken....this sucker was heavy for one person to install with out a lift of any kind.
I was planning to wash the truck and take a few photos this morning after I got back from the Ranch, but this was a day of pure Murphy's Law.
Jumped in the F-250 to head down and check cattle, but the truck cranked very slow. But, it did start. So I let the truck idle for a while to see if the battery would take a charge. Turned off the truck, went to restart it and still cranked slow.
Not wanting to be stranded at the ranch with a truck that wouldn't start, I jumped into my F-550 and headed south down I-35. Well, just before I got to Carl's Corner, while crusing at 65MPH, the F-550 just plain died. Managed to take an exit and call for Road Side Assistance. I requested the same tow service I had used to tow the same truck only 600 miles ago. Not only did I get the same tow service, I got the same tow truck and driver. So now we head back towards my dealer near Dallas. I had the spousal unit come pick me up, take me home, then follow me back to the dealer with the F-250 to put it in the shop for the bad battery. We just went and picked the F-250 up somewhere around 45 minutes ago. Battery was covered under warranty since I only had 34,500 miles on the odometer. So in the morning I will try once again to wash the truck and get a few photos posted.
As for the F-550 6.4 diesel, well who knows.

 

OK, here is a link to my webshots photos showing the new bumper installed.

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2087...55219359UApVcb

I can't figure out if I like it or not. Maybe if I were to loose the chrome trim on the fenders and doors, and go back with textured fender wheel trim and the factory black texture door handles.
Then maybe it just needs some nice lights added to the top of the bumper. Of course the bumper has some cut outs behind some of the bumper grill work and brackets for lights.
Or maybe, if I were to cut and remove the Hooptie tubes/bars from the bumper and just run the bumper.
Of course, I can always go back to the stock bumper and install my front receiver hitch at the same time.
Give me your thoughts.

 

YES, lose the chrome trim.

but it looks good. that baja type style of front end replacement has never been my favorites but it still looks real good on the truck!!!!!

I would keep the hoop tube/bar on the bumper cause it would kinda weird with the bumper alone especially with a full black front end (grille, headlight surroundings, bud deflector) because there wouldn't be anything to set it apart, outline wise..