Aluminess Rear Bumpers and Boxes- worth it or overpriced/under-engineered?

[Odontobass]

I have a 2001 RB-50 v10 4x4 that came with Reunel steel bumpers, which seem to be bombproof. I’ve done some pretty serious off roading without a single issue, rattle or squeak on the spare tire carrier, but every time I see that killer looking Aluminess bumper/tire swing arm/deluxe box/bike swing arm setup, I want it!

As cool as it looks, I guess I’m a little reluctant to pull the trigger on the whole Aluminess setup after reading post after post of rattles, cracks, swing arms sent back for gusset welding, etc. And over on Expedition Portal they basically say that Aluminess swing arms seem ok as long as you stay on pavement, which I don’t.

So the question is, since what I have ain’t broke, and cost really isn’t an issue, are Aluminess swing arms really worth it, or is custom fabrication from a good off road shop a better way to go?

Thanks!

[Cyrull]

Cost is an issue for me, but I could find fabricators to do it for significantly cheaper than Aluminess but using steel. I like the weight savings of the Aluminess but don't like the cost, I like the cost of steel but don't like the weight. I will probably go steel, mostly due to cost but I should really focus on the interior vs cool exterior mods first.

[arctictraveller]

I have the entire rear bumper set up from Aluminess. It carries a 33in tire on a steel wheel, and in the box I have a Honda gen, tools, and lots of other stuff, while on top of the box I carry 15 gallons of gas in steel cans. That's a huge amount of weight I worry about, so I had them add a couple gussets but not because anything cracked or broke. Iv'e beefed it up with a landing pad for the box to rest on, and an additional brace from the top of the hinge to the body, and so far all is well, and I spend a lot of time on bad roads. YMMV...............

[larrie]

Aluminess told me that tire carriers has a weight limit of 100 pounds. That is roughly equal to a 33” tire mounted on a steel wheel. A larger tire may over stress the carrier causing it to fail.

[boywonder]

I designed and fabricated a "hybrid" approach.....aluminum bumper, steel swingarm supports and Aluminess swingarms....no issues to date...been using them a few years.

These are the "old" style swingarms; Aluminess now uses square stock for the swingarms.


Here's the build thread...


http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...-up-17870.html


I think one trick to avoiding cracks in the Aluminess stuff is to remove all of the vertical slop/freeplay in the swingarm hinges and latches.

[Twoxentrix]

There have been several people document issues with the Aluminess product, and as unfortunate as this is to contend with it seems to be a small percentage for what’s on the road currently.
Installing the landing pads on the bumper to support the swing arms is encouraged - supports part of the weight where it’s needed most, and keeps the arms from shaking a lot on ruff roads. The new models have the square tubing for the swing arms, so they have already “strengthened” the set-up from the older models (and the added gussets compliment the structure)
I’m like Arctictraveller in what I carry on the rear, except I have a 35x12.5 spare tire. This setup has endured the weight and road conditions since 2006. I have replaced the swing arm latches because they developed a little play, but that’s it.
If cost is no issue, I say get them...benefit is you don’t have to worry about rust.