it looks much bigger than the expedition one bumper

 

Since the hitch is built into the bumper what is the hitch rating for towing?

 

good question, i would assume less than a stock tow hitch, that being said, i would like to see how it mounts or if there are any other supports for the hitch

 

i know some bumper mounts use the same holes for the hitch and bumper (4-6 Bolts) and have soild welds can be very decent in weight ratings. just curious about this setup. looks like soild welds.

 

They look pretty good and they're prices are pretty low. I would definitely consider these guys over FabFours, Road Armor, or Expedition One.

But I've seen AlwaysLooking work in person, it's top notch. Unless you've seen it yourself, I wouldn't knock it. Not to mention he builds the bumpers to include anything you want (lights, sensors, etc) to any specs you need (body lift) and doesn't charge you extra. His track record just with members on this forum is flawless as well.

 

AlwaysLooking builds great looking bumpers. The rear mounts just don't seem strong enough to handle the factory tow ratings.

 

Two months to R&D a bumper? It looks like a fairly simple bumper to build.

 

The bumper was probably simple to build. Replicating the factory brackets was difficult and time consuming. Going 2 months without my truck was awful.

 

I'll be interested to see what "the best part" of the bumper is???

At first glimpse, I'd take the A.L. bumper, hands down.....

Bold statement, to say no one else's compares!!!!

waiting to find out why.....

 

The best thing about the bumper, in my opinion, is retaining the factory towing capacity. I also like having the trailer wire connections in the bumper instead of below the towing package where Toyota put them.

 

All I have to say is thank you members (you know who you are), as to the build design of that bumper, I will keep my opinion to myself.

 

I don't like that at all. Looks like it's very well built, just not my style.

 

At least the trailer plugs are integrated into the bumper. I've been telling bumper builders to do that for years. None of them have so I haven't bought a rear bumper yet.

 

Toxarch I would have done that for you anytime hahaha. It's a simple cut with the plasma cutter, wouldn't take but 5 minutes.

 

I think Always Looking's is more aesthetically pleasing and form fitting. Tactical's looks more like boxer, Alway's looks more like a brief. Chicks dig the briefs

Southern did you donate the truck for R and D in order to get the bumper as a free advertisement for them? That would have been a sweet deal.

 

I let TAG use my truck for R&D. The prototype bumper was free. I was never asked to advertise for them. The company's name is nowhere on the bumper or on my truck. I started this thread to show forum members a new option for rear bumpers.

 

Sorry, but I think that's an ugly ass bumper. Would take A.L.'s over that for sure. That, and I don't ever trust a bumper hitch, no matter how many months it took them to figure out haha.

But to each their own!

 

Sorry, I'm jumping on the band wagon too. A.L.'s bumpers do a lot more for me. I like my stock bumper better than this TAG bumper.

 

AL could go in business making his fulltime and make a killin. Making them for other trucks too.... I just wish I could afford a set.... But all my money goes to truck payment and gas lol

 

The welds in the first picture don't actually look that great to me. Some of the metal even looks warped. As for the fit and finish I don't care for it either. I mean if it was a 300-400 bumper I'd say ok, but not for the price they are asking. It looks more like something a DIYer built in their garage than a professional company. It actually doesn't look that bad on the truck but seeing the build of it (first picture especially) eh I'm not so impressed.

 

A/L's got my vote- ain't nothing like his-and it's built for a 3 inch body lift with fogs and whatever else you want

 

A hell of a lot better looking bumper than the first one. Who build that for you BT? or where you bought it?

 

Now that's purdy . . .

 

Did you start this thread to show off your bumper or do you want people's input?
If you want input, I am not a fan of that bumper at all.

It has no symmetry and looks like it was just laying around and bolted onto your truck after it was painted with rattle cans.

 

I'm not looking for fans. I didn't build the bumper so negative input doesn't hurt my feelings. This is a prototype. It's not meant to look pretty. I just wanted a bumper that can tow factory ratings and protect my truck if I back into something.

 

ha ha, yikes Slim . . . agree, but I tried to be nice about it lol. Hence the DIY garage bumper. lol.

 

honestly, the bumper looks too square and plainish, looks like something i would make, then say ehh, it only cost me 130 bucks to make...

if you look at the support plates, you will notice the top plate isn't welded to the supports... if your gonna make a bumper, you might as well do the other 6 inches while your there, with the welder in your hand, and a helmet on...

and the hitch in the rear bumper, unless they have a hellacious mounting surface using the stock hitch mounts, i wouldn't go above 500 lbs tongue and about 4-5k pulling weight MAX...

aside from that, its a nice looking bumper if you want a planish square bumper.

 

I decided to go outside at 3AM to take pictures of the brackets. The rain made it difficult for me to get any decent pics. I will try again tomorrow.

Factory towing package brackets:

Brackets used to mount the TAG bumper to my truck:

Mounting brackets used by a different fabricator:

The TAG bumper may not be as "pretty" as the competitors but I believe it is tough and functional.

 

The best thing about the bumper, in my opinion, is retaining the factory towing capacity. I also like having the trailer wire connections in the bumper instead of below the towing package where Toyota put them.

Then it sounds like that's exactly what you got,,, and that's great. Your opinion is the only one that counts when modding your rig. I had concerns about the towing capacity of AL's bumpers before I had mine built. All I did was express a concern and ask a question,,, and Josh beefed it up simply because I inquired about the rating and expressed a concern,,, I didn't even ask him to do the extra work.

Do I think my AL bumper is rated at a class 4 like the OEM,,,, in my totally unknowledgeable opinion,,, by looking at it,,, no. Then again,,, I don't think the Tundra is something I should be using to tow the weight that would require me to need a class 4 hitch. The OEM class 4 on the Tundra is WAAAY overbuilt for the truck. I'm pretty sure the frame would fold before the hitch blinked. If I needed to pull that kind of weight,,, I would have kept the Cummins. (But that's me.)

I pull my 5,000 lbs trailer with my AL bumper's incorporated hitch and she doesn't even blink. I wouldn't want to pull much more than that with my lil RCSB 1/2 ton anyway,,,, 5.7 or no 5.7. I've seen what some folks pull with their Tundra's and my heart stops ,,,, not this guy!

 

Good input Southern, no harm intended by anyone I'm sure, photo's do show some good weld points on the mounts-looks a little flimsey where they mount to the back of the bumper- otherwise, not bad.

 

Since a rear bumper is more important to me than a front, I have thought about this a lot.
My points on the OP prototype.
The corners need more work to match the stock. A curved edge and make sure there is a curve on the side pieces to match the quarter panel. A squared off edge makes it look cheap.

Next, the square tubing behind the bumper needs to go full width. You get hit in the corner with that and it will trash your bed.
Lastly, the hitch looks like it would be tough to use. I'd bring it out at least an inch or more. When it is tucked up like that, you are going to find it hard to use.


I would think for a fabricator that using used factory hitches to build from would be a good start. Save a lot of fab work.

 

I agree with you. The bumper could definitely be more aesthetically pleasing. The steel is pretty solid so I think the corners will hold up all right. The factory bumper and most of the body on the Tundra is very flimsy. When I backed into a 4x4 wooden post it dented my oem bumper and creased the metal on the rear corner of the bed. I was able to bend it back by hand but of course it never lined up right.

I love the power and comfort of the Tundra but the paint/body seems cheap and weak.

 

There's more fab work in the mounts than there is in the rest of the bumper. The mounts are impressive. But it would have been easier to just buy a Tundra receiver and build off it.

 

That is exactly what I thought. They could have used my original Tundra receiver and saved a lot of time. Now I have the huge metal receiver hitch sitting in my garage.