Power Wagon Specific Aftermarket Bumpers

hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Fri Dec 16, 2016 4:48 pm

Hey guys,

I have started a small company devoted to making aftermarket gear for the Power Wagon:
http://www.kinzeroffroad.com

I did this following all the encouragement I got from you guys on my original bumper design. The new design is a more refined version of the original.
I have some other products in the works, because there is a serious lack of power wagon specific gear available.
I am now accepting orders for front bumpers, and bolt on brush guards and rear bumper are in the works.

I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Thanks!

drdfblackm · Post by **drdfblackm** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:24 am

Booooo!!!! Not for the 2011.

I only say Booooo....because it looks AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post by **DamageWagon** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:31 am

drdfblackm wrote: Booooo!!!! Not for the 2011.

Hey that can't be the first reply! Haha that was my exact thought though

Hey man power to you, I'm excited! I remember seeing your bumper a while back and thinking it looked great! I am interested in a rear bumper, I'll be waiting patiently

Are you planning to have a version of the front bumper with a built in cattle bar?

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hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:32 am

I think these might fit 2010-2013 as well, but I need to do some more investigating, before I say for sure. I need to find some 2010-2013s to check out!

hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:36 am

Damagewagon- Thank you! Yes I am working on a full coverage brush guard, that will be bolt-on. Would you be more interested in a full coverage brush guard or a single pre-runner style bar?

Post by **DamageWagon** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:54 am

hunterman6 wrote:Damagewagon- Thank you! Yes I am working on a full coverage brush guard, that will be bolt-on. Would you be more interested in a full coverage brush guard or a single pre-runner style bar?

My needs are picky haha. There's a long answer to the question. What I really want is a bumper that gives good frontal protection and good clearance, but also protects against large brush/branch strikes and cattle strikes. I think designers usually pick an extreme and either create a ranch hand style monster bumper designed for guys who want to use their cummins to push a big rig up the Eisenhower pass, or they make a prerunner style that is the bare minimum a bumper can be. My idea is like a cross between the Thuren and Aluminess bumpers. I love the function of the bull bar and light guards on my ranch hand bumper, but it is way too heavy and sticks out too far and takes my approach angle out to pasture

.

The pre runner bars are cool, but from a business standpoint I think there are enough good ones out there, and DIY kits are cheap and easy. If you made one I'm sure you would make money off of it, but usually they are all about the same idea.

Simple answer, I want a plate bumper with good protection across the whole front, and a brush guard that is not too invasive. Really the one I designed for myself is very similar to yours, with less meat in the center/bottom, and a bull bar that is about half the height of most bumpers.

I love your bumper

Photoshop a bull bar on it and we will see lol

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YouTube · Post by **BoldAdventure** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 1:58 am

I love it. I want one. But too rich for my blood. You now have the most expensive bumper on the market. I can get the AEV bumper for a few bucks less, which I wouldn't place yours in the same category as far as fit and finish. No offense. You're also priced above both THUREN and Aluminess. To be honest, I would have expected a price point closer to Thurens. But that's just me.

Site looks great btw. Love the bumper.

Also, are you providing all of the mounting hardware in your kit?

hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 8:47 am

@Damagewagon- Thanks for taking the time to respond. I think you will like what i'm cooking up, we are on the same page- but its still a little ways out, because I am focusing on the bumpers themselves right now. The brush guard will be retrofittable. Have a great Saturday.

hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 9:03 am

@MikeKey. I appreciate your feedback. And thanks for your kind words.

I designed these bumpers for people who want the best, I am not trying to compete with AEV or Thuren, Aluminess or any of the "big boys" on price point. They all make very nice bumpers, but they aren't built for us. They are trying to sell hundreds of bumpers for the whole ram HD line, and I am just trying to provide the best option for us Power Wagon guys looking to improve performance. This is a very niche market, and my goal isn't to sell lots of bumpers, these are built to order- and it isn't cheap to do. When I was looking for a bumper, I couldn't find an acceptable option- so I had to make it.

As far as I know, Thuren doesn't offer a Power Wagon Bumper. As far as AEV goes, This bumper blows AEVs functionality out of the water for a Power Wagon. AEV sticks out really far, offers no underbody protection, and requires you to take apart and rebuild your factory winch- It was designed for a cummins and then retrofit to a Power Wagon. This bumper was designed around the power wagon, and that makes all the difference.
The mounting hardware is included.

Post by **DamageWagon** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 10:37 am

@hunterman6 - no problem man

like I said I'm excited! We are moving to Portland in a few months but aside from that I'm strongly considering starting my own business, so I'm happy to see someone else doing the same. I'm looking forward to your bull bar design too.

I agree with Mike Key on the price though. I've designed and built a lot of my own projects and know how some that seem expensive can be done cheap, and some that seem cheap and easy turn into expensive nightmares

I do think you need to work on the price though. Maybe see if you could come up with a sweet price if you offered a group buy first, so you could make 6 at once or something? Offer it to the cummins guys too so you can sell more lol.

I agree with you on the AEV bumper. I think that thing is a total joke in terms of concept. They did absolutely nothing to improve on the downsides of the factory bumper. BUT it is dang sexy. Thuren does offer a Wagon bumper now. 2wagons1driveway prototypes it I believe. For how nice his bumper is, I would suggest really trying to get under his price point since I consider yours and his to be very similar, and Don already has a sweet name for himself. Just trying to help you out, I know getting started is the hard part.

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olyelr · Post by **olyelr** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 3:56 pm

I dono. Being a small one man type show, I am not sure how he could produce one of those bumpers for much cheaper and make any money. There is a lot of material costs there along with labor.

That is where the big manufacturers shine. High production output can yield less product cost.

Sweet bumper hunterman, and best of luck to you!

Post by **DamageWagon** » Sat Dec 17, 2016 4:16 pm

One man shop can mean either a high or low overhead/upkeep cost, depending on how it is run. I know a huge part of pricing comes from what you can make yourself, and what has to be contracted out. Laser/water jet/plasma cutting, plate bending, welding are the big ones usually.

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CrittDog · Post by **CrittDog** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 1:37 am

Any options for a "weld your own" kit? What state are you in?

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hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 12:39 pm

Okay guys, I appreciate all the feedback. I have dropped the price to $2299. As far a cost goes, this is very fair considering what you are getting. My goal is not to sell large volumes of these things, I am just trying to provide what I consider to be "the best option" in Power Wagon bumpers. And fortunately, this is something I enjoy doing! I am anxiously awaiting arrival of my 2017 PW so I can get some more revised pictures up!

hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 12:53 pm

@CrittDog. I am in New Mexico. As far as a weld-it yourself kit, I initially considered that route, but the design requires bending, and homemade fixturing would be a nightmare to get it right. Thanks for your interest.

Reloaderguy · Post by **Reloaderguy** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 2:06 pm

DamageWagon wrote:@hunterman6 - no problem man like I said I'm excited! We are moving to Portland in a few months but aside from that I'm strongly considering starting my own business, so I'm happy to see someone else doing the same. I'm looking forward to your bull bar design too.

I agree with Mike Key on the price though. I've designed and built a lot of my own projects and know how some that seem expensive can be done cheap, and some that seem cheap and easy turn into expensive nightmares I do think you need to work on the price though. Maybe see if you could come up with a sweet price if you offered a group buy first, so you could make 6 at once or something? Offer it to the cummins guys too so you can sell more lol.

I agree with you on the AEV bumper. I think that thing is a total joke in terms of concept. They did absolutely nothing to improve on the downsides of the factory bumper. BUT it is dang sexy. Thuren does offer a Wagon bumper now. 2wagons1driveway prototypes it I believe. For how nice his bumper is, I would suggest really trying to get under his price point since I consider yours and his to be very similar, and Don already has a sweet name for himself. Just trying to help you out, I know getting started is the hard part.

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2wags modified Thuren's standard bumper, it isn't specifically a prototype bumper.

The Kinzer bumper looks good but I need to see a production unit.

Hodgepodge · Post by **Hodgepodge** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 3:42 pm

Kinzer, how's the bumpers going?

hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Mon Dec 19, 2016 12:33 am

Reloadrguy,

Good to know. Thanks again for the tire/rim info-very helpful. The bumper pictured on my truck is the bumper being sold, with the exception of some minor esthetic refinements, which are seen in the graphics on the website. These are made to order, Im not keeping a stock on hand.

hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Mon Dec 19, 2016 12:37 am

Hodgepodge- Good! just waiting on orders.

RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Mon Dec 19, 2016 10:30 pm

AWESOME!!!!!! Glad to finally see a truly Power Wagon specific bumper on the market!!!!

Any chance of some pics as to how the bow shackle mounts tie to the frame? Do they tie directly to the mounting points at the frame? How many points to they bolt at? I assume all the mounting hardware is grade 8? What size shackle pin are the holes drilled to accept? (3/4, 7/8, 1?) What material thickness is utilized for the shackle mounts? Does the skidplate portion protect the Smartbar motor? Also, any chance you could make the bumper without light cutouts? I have already bought my lights and they are all rectangular, DOH! (or are the light cutout rings incorporated into the bumper structure?)

Sorry for all the questions, LOL! I just have some very specific desires for the bumper for my truck and it looks like yours may fit all of them but, I want to be sure before I start saving up my $$$! Thank you!

On a separate note- have you thought about perhaps making the lower center section removable so that if it gets dented on rocks it can be easily repaired/replaced? Looks like you could possibly do something akin to Poison Spyder's Brawler. (yes, I realize it is a JK bumper, I am just saying in terms of the removable lower section that integrates well into the upper section) That would be a nice feature for those of us whose Wagons spend most of their time on rocks!

FirerescuePW · Post by **FirerescuePW** » Mon Dec 19, 2016 11:02 pm

The main problem I see with this is that it doesn't look like it fits an '05...

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hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Tue Dec 20, 2016 12:12 am

RAM4ROKS. Thanks! let me try to answer a few of your questions. The bumper mounts directly to the frame with a solid 3/4" steel plate that contains the shackle holes. Rock solid to say the least. The shackle pin holes accept up to 1" pins. I can make your bumper without light holes if you wish. Not sure what size rectangular lights they are, but you might just mount them in the round holes. you see this all the time with people mounting to factory fog lamp holes, and looks fine.
Very interesting idea, with the removable bottom. Thanks for tossing that out. I am probably not going to be adding that because it adds complexity, which adds more cost. But for guys like you that use your power wagon in the rocks all the time- I could potentially provide you with an identical cutout bottom piece that you could bolt on and would take a lot of the abuse. The bumper is strong, but anything banging against rocks consistently is going to get dinged up, as you well know. Anyway, that would be TBD, but some food for thought. Thanks again, you bring up good points.

hunterman6 · Post by **hunterman6** » Tue Dec 20, 2016 12:17 am

FirerescuePW, I would love to have a third gen. Maybe one day!

drdfblackm · Post by **drdfblackm** » Thu Dec 22, 2016 10:38 am

If you want a 2011 to work on I am in Flagstaff AZ.

adeluca73 · Post by **adeluca73** » Wed Jan 18, 2017 7:50 pm

Good evening HUNTERMANsix,

First, excellent work on the bumper. I'm super interested. I'd pull the trigger right now if I hadn't already modded my own bumper & paid to have it sandblasted & Line-x'd. But I won't forget this bumper when I do make the switch, it answers all the needs and some of the wants you. Hopefully you'll have a rear bumper by then with hard point shackle points, cut-outs for back-up sensors, and even accommodate a set of LED cubes.

Coming from a fellow engineer, great work taking the initiative and making your own bumper, good work man, keep it up. I hope you sell a bunch of these. Consider setting up a formal account on the vendor section, it will help. If you're still making them in a few years, don't be surprised to hear from me as I prepare to move back out west.

:winchmob:

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