Trimmed crash bars in place

[Brian]

I have ordered the Icon stage 2 kit along with Icon Rebound wheels and 275-70-17 Falken Wildpeaks for my Ranger. Reading through the forum I don't think the crash bars need to be trimmed for this size tire but I went ahead and trimmed them anyway. Not wanting to take the truck apart to remove them, I opted to trim them in place. I used a hand grinder and 4 or 4 1/2" thin wheel, spending 2 - 3 hours for all 4 crash bars. Just wanted to let people know what can be done without disassembling the truck.

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[Desert Rider]

Did the same thing., and re-painted them. Easy fix...

 

[Cape Cruiser]

I have ordered the Icon stage 2 kit along with Icon Rebound wheels and 275-70-17 Falken Wildpeaks for my Ranger. Reading through the forum I don't think the crash bars need to be trimmed for this size tire but I went ahead and trimmed them anyway. Not wanting to take the truck apart to remove them, I opted to trim them in place. I used a hand grinder and 4 or 4 1/2" thin wheel, spending 2 - 3 hours for all 4 crash bars. Just wanted to let people know what can be done without disassembling the truck.
Nice job on crash bars but I think I would weld a plate to the open end to strengthen it.

 

[Brian]

Thx. I may reinforce them once I see what I have for clearance with the wheels and tires mounted. I don't know what real purpose these bars serve but I'm sure I'm a bit less safe with them trimmed.

 

[Cape Cruiser]

Thx. I may reinforce them once I see what I have for clearance with the wheels and tires mounted. I don't know what real purpose these bars serve but I'm sure I'm a bit less safe with them trimmed.

Cool,good luck with your build. The crash bars protect your legs in an offset frontal crash.

 

[Guinness]

Thx. I may reinforce them once I see what I have for clearance with the wheels and tires mounted. I don't know what real purpose these bars serve but I'm sure I'm a bit less safe with them trimmed.

It looks like the crash bars (especially the front ones) are just simple tubular steel with a plastic cover. Could someone who has cut/modified/removed them measure their dimensions (length, width, height, and wall thickness)?

For those that have trimmed/removed them, did you modify both front and back or just front? From my measurements, I have ~1" horizontal clearance in front and ~1.5" in back at full turn (FX4).

I'm curious for retaining most of their benefits (crash strength) while gaining clearance if those bars could be replaced with a narrower rectangular tube plus a spacer tube/block to ensure fit where it goes into the socket/bolts. Tubular steel is pretty cheap and going with a thicker wall could offset strength losses.

 

[rangerdanger]

It looks like the crash bars (especially the front ones) are just simple tubular steel with a plastic cover. Could someone who has cut/modified/removed them measure their dimensions (length, width, height, and wall thickness)?

For those that have trimmed/removed them, did you modify both front and back or just front? From my measurements, I have ~1" horizontal clearance in front and ~1.5" in back at full turn (FX4).

I'm curious for retaining most of their benefits (crash strength) while gaining clearance if those bars could be replaced with a narrower rectangular tube plus a spacer tube/block to ensure fit where it goes into the socket/bolts. Tubular steel is pretty cheap and going with a thicker wall could offset strength losses.

Fabtech sells replacement crashbars https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/has-anyone-installed-fabtechs-crash-bars.3916/

 

[Guinness]

Fabtech sells replacement crashbars https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/has-anyone-installed-fabtechs-crash-bars.3916/

Right, but they require a fair amount of cutting and fitting as opposed to a couple metal tubes where a supply shop would do cheap cuts to length and then they could just be bolted into place...

Not saying the Fabtech won't work, just curious about alternatives.

 

[SubVet]

I may be a complete fool here, It seems the crash bars are attached with two bolts front and rear. What do you mean by "taking the truck apart" is there something I am missing? Thanks

 

[FULLSCALE]

I may be a complete fool here, It seems the crash bars are attached with two bolts front and rear. What do you mean by "taking the truck apart" is there something I am missing? Thanks

I’m pretty sure the bumper and fender are in the way so you can’t just simply unbolt them and remove without taking other parts off as well.

 

[SubVet]

I’m pretty sure the bumper and fender are in the way so you can’t just simply unbolt them and remove without taking other parts off as well.

Thanks. I kind of figured it was more than just taking off four bolts. I'll be passing on that accessory maybe buy a bigger tire using offsets instead

6 trucks and I Don't Know Jack about suspension and tires Shame on me

 

[AzScorpion]

Thanks. I kind of figured it was more than just taking off four bolts. I'll be passing on that accessory maybe buy a bigger tire using offsets instead

6 trucks and I Don't Know Jack about suspension and tires Shame on me

Don't feel bad I've had 9 and I don't either....lol

All my F 150's I used for work, they were XLT's with the Fx4 pkg which were high enough for me and I never kept them long enough to need tires. My Tacoma I really did not like from the beginning so I had no interest in doing anything to it. I'm usually pretty "frugal" and not the type to take perfectly good tires off and replace them until they need it. But with the Ranger,even though I love it bone stock,I enjoy adding stuff to it. I wasn't going to change the wheels out but after looking at some of the pics on here it's got me thinking about it now.

BTW...Was that your post on TW about the 2023 Tacoma possibly getting a 4cyl turbo?

 

[SubVet]

Don't feel bad I've had 9 and I don't either....lol

All my F 150's I used for work, they were XLT's with the Fx4 pkg which were high enough for me and I never kept them long enough to need tires. My Tacoma I really did not like from the beginning so I had no interest in doing anything to it. I'm usually pretty "frugal" and not the type to take perfectly good tires off and replace them until they need it. But with the Ranger,even though I love it bone stock,I enjoy adding stuff to it. I wasn't going to change the wheels out but after looking at some of the pics on here it's got me thinking about it now.

BTW...Was that your post on TW about the 2023 Tacoma possibly getting a 4cyl turbo?

Yeah. Rumors are 4cyl Turbo..LOL Tacoma fanbois heads will expload.

I was just having this conversation with my brother about tires. I thought if I was going to change my tires out I want a more aggressive tread for aesthetic reasons. It wouldn't look bad because the four don't designate whether to four-wheel drive or two-wheel drive

however, I think having the chrome package on the Platinum white truck makes it more of a GTouring than an off-road vehicle. So replacing tires with a more aggressive tread on my truck would not look right. I decided if I was going to replace the tires I keep doing the ones I have on now and put them back on when I trade the truck. Thankfully I have no complaints with the stock tires.

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