Watch this Bronco recovery and the damage the owner did to his Bronco

[sadiki2527]

So, this seems to be a great example of why a tail gate reinforcement is needed for larger tires. Thoughts? It looked like the tailgate buckled pretty quick - but yes he did send it quite forcefully.

roof mounted tire rack is next in line

Sponsored

 

[Natethegreat1979]

What a clown.

Easy..... everyone makes mistakes. You're no exception, you wouldn't want someone laying into you for making a mistake.

 

[Tex]

Correct on every point, but as I said I'll give it a try and see how it works. I kind of like the extra measure of safety. Damage the tailgate or hitch mount? To me the choice is easy. If it doesn't work, it's easy to remove.

Take care.

That crossmember by itself isn't terribly durable, and the longer that stinger is (drop hitch, in your case), the more leverage you're putting on it. If you're easing it down a rock and you scrape, it won't be a problem. Coming off a ledge and you get a small hit because your rear tires slid off, not ideal but you should be okay. Anything beyond that up to what was shown in the video, you'll want a solid bumper that ties into the frame as well as that crossmember the receiver bolts to. If you want to go full send in the rocks like 4600 Broncos, you'll want a reinforced tube frame chassis.

I'd recommend buying or making your own stinger as opposed to using a drop hitch in that manner, and at the very least, grind off that sharp edge so it doesn't hang on rocks. Just take some square tubing, notch it for an angle, and weld it back up. The smoother you can make it, the more it'll slide instead of snag and translate more force into the receiver. You can also take a look at forged solid drop hitches that have no sharp edges. Oddly enough the forged hitches are cheaper than purpose built stingers, they're a lot stronger but also a lot heavier too, and they're not really shaped to slide off ledges. You'll absolutely destroy your receiver and crossmember before you damage a solid forged hitch though, even with a bumper tied into the frame, so it'll last a long time I suppose

Bestop makes an interesting bumper primarily for slickrock like Moab, they use a huge roller on the underside. Not particularly relevant to protecting a spare but fits into the same subject of sliding off ledges and whatnot, always thought it was a novel approach to departure issues.

 

[contented]

That crossmember by itself isn't terribly durable, and the longer that stinger is (drop hitch, in your case), the more leverage you're putting on it. If you're easing it down a rock and you scrape, it won't be a problem. Coming off a ledge and you get a small hit because your rear tires slid off, not ideal but you should be okay. Anything beyond that up to what was shown in the video, you'll want a solid bumper that ties into the frame as well as that crossmember the receiver bolts to. If you want to go full send in the rocks like 4600 Broncos, you'll want a reinforced tube frame chassis.

I'd recommend buying or making your own stinger as opposed to using a drop hitch in that manner, and at the very least, grind off that sharp edge so it doesn't hang on rocks. Just take some square tubing, notch it for an angle, and weld it back up. The smoother you can make it, the more it'll slide instead of snag and translate more force into the receiver. You can also take a look at forged solid drop hitches that have no sharp edges. Oddly enough the forged hitches are cheaper than purpose built stingers, they're a lot stronger but also a lot heavier too, and they're not really shaped to slide off ledges. You'll absolutely destroy your receiver and crossmember before you damage a solid forged hitch though, even with a bumper tied into the frame, so it'll last a long time I suppose

Bestop makes an interesting bumper primarily for slickrock like Moab, they use a huge roller on the underside. Not particularly relevant to protecting a spare but fits into the same subject of sliding off ledges and whatnot, always thought it was a novel approach to departure issues.

Thanks for taking the time to type the detailed explanation. Much appreciated. I'm not a full send type of driver. I like finesse, slow and easy. Youtube is full of foolish unprepared off-roaders doing foolish things. I try to learn from their mistakes.

As I sit in my garage looking at the back of the Bronco it occurs to me that perhaps I should raise the spare tire mount just like one would do if going to 37" or 38" tires instead of the stinger thing. Off to research this thought.

Take care.

 

[351W-Bronco]

Easy..... everyone makes mistakes. You're no exception, you wouldn't want someone laying into you for making a mistake.

"Go really easy" by the guy helping you get unstuck, does not equate to lay into the throttle and hope for the best.

Everyone gets stuck, everyone needs to start somewhere, but there were multiple bad decisions by that driver and I stick with my assessment. Damn, the guy almost ran over the guy helping him.

 

[Arokcrwlr]

Bestop makes an interesting bumper primarily for slickrock like Moab, they use a huge roller on the underside. Not particularly relevant to protecting a spare but fits into the same subject of sliding off ledges and whatnot, always thought it was a novel approach to departure issues.

Bumper mounted poly rollers were kind of a fad back in the early 90s. Saw many rigs at EJS sporting the rollers - I guess they worked OK. I never tried it and you don't see it often any more...

 

[dgorsett]

Two words, Tire Chains, well three, winch. Either would have made the whole thing academic. Well at least the dude seems to be happy he's going to become a YouTube star.

 

[SCBronco1]

Lots of BS in the beginning so just go to the 9:30 mark and see the damage

Oops!

 

[Giddyup Buttercup]

A 2 door might have not got that damage.

Sponsored