If you own a truck, you probably want to protect that baby as best you can. And one protective accessory you should never skimp on is your bumper.
Bumpers are designed to absorb shocks and prevent damage to your grille, hood, and fuel system in the event of a crash. But when it comes to ultimate protection, standard stock bumpers just don’t cut it. What you need is a good, heavy-duty bumper.
But how do you pick the right manufacturer when there are so many brands to choose from? Not to worry, we’ve already done the homework. Below is our top 5 selection of aftermarket bumper manufacturers that offer great service and high-quality products:
Top 5 Heavy-Duty Bumper Manufacturers
Steelcraft
Quick Facts:
- Headquarters: Southern California
- Year founded: 1998
- Material of choice: Diamond plate and schedule 40 pipe
- Warranty: 2-year warranty on all heavy-duty bumpers
If you’re struggling to find an expertly crafted bumper to go with your newer model truck, then Steelcraft is your guy. With more than 20 years’ experience in the automotive aftermarket, Steelcraft’s team is dedicated to be the first to develop accessories for newly released vehicles.
To ensure maximum strength and durability, they offer one-piece designs that are all E-coated and protected with a black powder coat finish, which has a limited 3-year warranty. They also offer a 2-year warranty on their heavy-duty products, and their stainless-steel products carry a limited lifetime warranty. This earns them extra brownie points as they have the longest warranty when compared to other suppliers.
Hammerhead
Quick Facts:
- Headquarters: Bay Springs, Mississippi
- Year founded: 2008
- Material of choice: A36 Carbon Steel
- Warranty: 12-month warranty on all Hammerhead products
Though Hammerhead has only been around for about 12 years, its founders come from a very knowledgeable background. Back in 2008, a few Hol-Mac employees were inspired by the corporation’s high-strength steel, and decided to venture out on their own to develop the best possible aftermarket bumper.
Not only does Hammerhead pride itself on using industrial-grade materials and highly certified craftsmen, it also aims to create strong, durable accessories that bolt straight onto your vehicle’s existing frame. That means you don’t need to cut, weld, or drill into your truck to accommodate your new bumper.
All Hammerhead Armor products carry a 1-year warranty, and if you’re not entirely satisfied with your bumper, you can return it within 10 business days. They also offer free shipping to any commercial US continental address.
If you want a custom-colored bumper, Hammerhead gives you the option to order raw, unpainted products. However, they don’t recommend this as extensive prep work will be required to ensure a smooth finish.
Ranch Hand
Quick Facts:
Headquarters: Shiner, Texas
Year founded: 1986
Material of choice: Industrial-grade steel
Warranty: 1-year warranty on all Ranch Hand products
Another proudly American manufacturer that puts its heart and soul into its aftermarket bumpers is Ranch Hand. As a subsidiary of Kaspar Companies, which has been around since the late 19th century, Ranch Hand understands what it takes to keep customers satisfied.
Nothing matters more to them than you and your vehicle’s safety. They even claim that their bumper pipe is 90% thicker than that of their competitors!
They also put effort into adapting their designs to match the make and model of your vehicle, and offer a 12-month warranty for each and every product that leaves their factory.
Iron Cross
Quick Facts:
- Headquarters: Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Year founded: 2003
- Material of choice: All-steel, fully welded
- Warranty: Shipped with product
If you invest in an Iron Cross bumper, you can rest assured that your vehicle is protected. These guys take the safety of their customers very seriously - which is not only conveyed by their Maltese Cross-inspired logo, but also in their top-quality workmanship.
They source only the finest grade of materials to bring you replacement bumpers that not only look good, but are strong and durable to boot.
Fab Fours
Quick Facts:
- Headquarters: Lancaster, South Carolina
- Year founded: 2005
- Material of choice: Premium steel
- Warranty: Varies across different products
Fab Fours is driven by passion and the vision to be different. You won’t find any standard, plain-looking accessories in this shop - they strive to be innovative, which is what afforded them a spot in our top 5 list. Not only do they take great care in crafting bumpers that complement each vehicle’s unique design, they even add a personal touch by doing away with mass-production and hand-finishing each product instead.
They also offer varying warranties on all their different products, so be sure to ask us about that when you place your order.
Recap of Top 5 Heavy-Duty Bumper Manufacturers
Now that you know a little more about each of these companies, let’s compare their heavy-duty bumpers across the following categories:
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Available colors
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Ability to accommodate a winch
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Interchangeability between different makes and models
To make things easier for you, we’ve created this handy comparison table:
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Steelcraft
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Hammerhead
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Ranch Hand
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Iron Cross
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Fab Fours
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Available colors
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Black (semi-gloss)
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Black wrinkle powder coat
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Black (gloss or matte)
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Black (gloss or primer finish)
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Various custom colors to choose from
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Winch-compatible
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Only selected bumpers
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Most bumpers accommodate up to 16,500 lb
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Sport Series can accommodate a winch
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HD winch mount up to 9,500 lb
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Premium base front bumpers are winch-compatible
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Interchangeable
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Not interchangeable
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Not interchangeable
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Not interchangeable
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Not interchangeable
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Not interchangeable
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As you can see, all our selected brands manufacture heavy-duty bumpers that are designed to fit specific makes and models. This is much better than fitting a universal bumper that will probably end up looking unnecessarily bulky and out of place.
Conclusion
If you’re still feeling overwhelmed and struggling to decide which bumper will suit your truck best, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We specialize in sourcing some of the most badass aftermarket truck bumpers to make your truck look as tough as it is.
