Hanson Offroad public service message

[77BroncoWag]

Still waiting. The bumper arrived Nov '25 but none of the hardware or swings for tire mounts etc. Those were supposed to arrive 2 weeks later (early DEC)

 

[nvrstuk]

JGO. Sooooo how does your Hanson bumper fit? Mine does not fit unless I stack up washers and redrill a few holes to get things to line up, kinda....
If I measure from outside-to-outside frame rails, I get 29 1/2, the bumper on a bench with adaptors? installed measures at 30 3/16, if I use the small bit of slop between the adaptor brackets and bumper, I can achieve 29 3/4, and then shim the rest?? seems like the weight of the bumper and spare tire are now depending solely on the bolts and shims. hopefully yours fits better before I start asking for a replacement bumper or refund because this thing is just a huge boat anchor as far as I'm concerned.
Gonna be a battle with Hanson.......


Weld in the shims so it's a solid mechanical fit b4 you bolt it in. Sorry for the total hassle. I went thru something very similar for fit and finish on a flatbed for a F550 a couple years back. Had 2 FULL pages of very specific, ill fitting parts, entire headache rack not centered (noticeably), major design flaws.... the guy drove 200miles to my house, picked it up, drove it back to his shop and fixed all 30+ items on my (you can't sell this like this list) that looked like a HS designed and fitted it together. Sometimes it works out and sometimes not... Sorry for your hassle and low quality product.

Mark.

 

[Soylent]

Whenever I see this thread pop up I think that some magic has happened to restore this brand/quality. A shame

 

[Shimmy]

^same!! i guess i need to let go of the old hanson days.

 

[nvrstuk]

They weren't in any way related to ProtoFab were they?

I build 99.9% of everything so I haven't shopped/bought from either but ProtoFab had good stuff from what I remember.

 

[Soylent]

They weren't in any way related to ProtoFab were they?

I build 99.9% of everything so I haven't shopped/bought from either but ProtoFab had good stuff from what I remember.

No. They did own a line that started with a “P” as well as Full Traction suspension. I bought back in 2013 just before things really went downhill. Had to haggle with Steve to get a good price but the product was good then.

 

[Soylent]

It was Pure Jeep

 

[toddz69]

They weren't in any way related to ProtoFab were they?

I build 99.9% of everything so I haven't shopped/bought from either but ProtoFab had good stuff from what I remember.

No, but Keith and Mike (Protofab owners at the time) got multiple good looks at my Hanson bumper back in the day before they introduced their plate bumper.

Todd Z.

 

[jamesroney]

^same!! i guess i need to let go of the old hanson days.

I refused to let go. I recently needed a set of Hanson's for my Boxwood Bronco. I decided the best course of action was to get a friend to buy my old Bronco that came up for sale, swap bumpers, and sell the Bronco.

No, but Keith and Mike (Protofab owners at the time) got multiple good looks at my Hanson bumper back in the day before they introduced their plate bumper.

Todd Z.

And I have to say "thank you" for that. The protofab spare tire mount is EXACTLY the same shape and angle as the Hanson, but has the protofab cam-lock latch. I put the protofab mount on the Hanson bumper with a trailer spindle. It actually does look like it was made for it.

They weren't in any way related to ProtoFab were they?

I build 99.9% of everything so I haven't shopped/bought from either but ProtoFab had good stuff from what I remember.

Protofab has GREAT stuff. And so does Hanson. Hanson Off Road "rationalized" their EB product line after 2009 by incorporating a multi-mount flange for various body lift heights. I'm sure it was a logistics nightmare to have 3 different body lift bumpers for each bumper type. So you end up with three different families of Hansons. Hanson-Salinas, Hanson- Bakersfield, and Hanson Off Road - Bakersfiled. All with varying levels of engineering and design from the OG Wayne Hanson. @DirtDonk and @904Bronco know the history.

If you look at your Hanson Bumper, there will be a tow recovery D-ring mount welded to the face. It will either be located on the angle face, or on the front. There are many compelling reasons to mount the recovery point on the angle. All Hanson Bumpers built by Hanson Salinas have the d-ring mounts on the angle. No hanson bumpers built by Hanson Salinas have a welded fairlead mount. After many hours of persuasive engineering analysis, and considerable coercion...Now all Hanson Bumpers have the D-ring mounts square to the front...and capable of double use as a tow-bar mount. (you can all thank me later...) There is one prototype with an integrated fairlead mount, and square D-rings, with the adjustable mounts deleted.

 

[ntsqd]

There seems to be an undercurrent of interest in Protofab bumpers here. I'll not dilute a Hansen thread with it so PM if interested in why I won't buy anything more from Protofab.

 

[toddz69]

And I have to say "thank you" for that. The protofab spare tire mount is EXACTLY the same shape and angle as the Hanson, but has the protofab cam-lock latch. I put the protofab mount on the Hanson bumper with a trailer spindle. It actually does look like it was made for it.

You're welcome but I can't take credit for that aspect - I only have a Hanson on the front. I've had a variety of bumpers on the rear over the years - including a Cross Enterprises bumper with a Protofab cam-lock latch adapted to it that worked really well. Protofab originally used big spinners to retain their tire carriers and cooler racks, which I didn't like. My Dad built a homebrew cam-lock/over-center latch for our tire carrier back in the '80s and I often showed that to Keith and Mike while I had it. I don't know if that drove them to develop the cam-latch for their stuff or not, but I like to think it did. I wish I still had our tire carrier - it could switch from tailgate latch to a ranch-hand-style location in about 30 seconds if you were slow. Invaluable for tight trailer towing and hauling mountain bikes on the back of the Bronco.

If you look at your Hanson Bumper, there will be a tow recovery D-ring mount welded to the face. It will either be located on the angle face, or on the front. There are many compelling reasons to mount the recovery point on the angle. All Hanson Bumpers built by Hanson Salinas have the d-ring mounts on the angle. No hanson bumpers built by Hanson Salinas have a welded fairlead mount. After many hours of persuasive engineering analysis, and considerable coercion...Now all Hanson Bumpers have the D-ring mounts square to the front...and capable of double use as a tow-bar mount. (you can all thank me later...) There is one prototype with an integrated fairlead mount, and square D-rings, with the adjustable mounts deleted.

My Hanson originally came with two D-rings welded to the front face of it - I don't know which Hanson location it may have come from? Maybe Salinas? They tended to rattle so I eventually had them removed and I just rely on a two hook on the frame if I'm hooking up a line.

Todd Z.

 

[lars]

I came along too late to buy a bumper from Wayne, but I absolutely love my Proto Fab rear bumper that was customized for me. Only complaint was that the spare was too high. Modified and lowered which gave me space for a couple of controversial Rotopax plastic water containers.

Did the original Hanson rears have swiingouts etc? Were they plate style? Back in the day they had a legendary reputation.

 

[toddz69]

Did the original Hanson rears have swiingouts etc? Were they plate style? Back in the day they had a legendary reputation.

Yes and yes.

Todd Z.

 

[Soylent]

Loved them on the heap

 

[gnpenning]

Don't know why I'm just finding this. If it's the same current owner of calmini he has a long history of ripping people off and from what I understand a number of lawsuits.

Google Search

Google Search

 

[77BroncoWag]

Here we go. I got a email saying UPS is delivering on Tuesday. Finally? Ordered May 2024....................................................

I can only hope this shipment is complete........

 

[jamesroney]

Protofab originally used big spinners to retain their tire carriers and cooler racks, which I didn't like.

Todd Z.

Sorry for the delayed comment. What was your complaint about the big spinners? I'm working on a method to "de-rattle" my ARB rear bumper on my LJ, and was looking at (of all things...) a big spinner.

I did not have luck with the Smittybilt bayonet 1/4turn cam lock. And the ARB uses a poly bump stop to pre-load the latch. It only seems to last about 10 years in the sunshine, then disintegrates. I have a valve spring in there now, but it's kind of silly to put huge spring loads against an otherwise mediocre latch.

So I'm back to some kind of redundant clamping device. Would like to know where you landed...

 

[jamesroney]

Here we go. I got a email saying UPS is delivering on Tuesday. Finally? Ordered May 2024....................................................

I can only hope this shipment is complete........

Very interested in a product review. Would like to see what you get!!!

 

[ntsqd]

No idea what the ARB's geometry is, but this is how I latched the spare swinger on our CTD, those are black delrin plates making actual contact with the cross-bar.

That open tube did get capped with a plate that spanned out onto both perpendicular tubes.

ETA: I bought a Protofab rear for the FSB specifically to get their swing-away latch. It came with secondary latches that I deleted because they were sharp, pokey things that would catch me in the thighs. I also had to re-make the anchors that the latches garbbed because they were too tall as the bumper sat and would have dented the tail-gate. I've had trouble with one of them popping loose while driving. Doesn't seem to matter how over-center or not that I adjust it, it pops loose. I rigged a ratchet strap to hold just the lever in place and it doesn't pop loose like that. Eliminates my concern about depth of engagement in the anchor. So I've been noodling on a latch for the lever.

 

[toddz69]

Sorry for the delayed comment. What was your complaint about the big spinners? Would like to know where you landed...

Just that they were clumsy and time-consuming to operate. When I get into the back of the rig, I want to open and swing the tire carrier away in just a few seconds and spinners take a lot longer than that.

I currently run a Duff's rear bumper and I'll say it's the best rear bumper I've ever had on my rig (I think I've had 6-7 different configurations). Had my fab guy do a few mods (which Duffs have apparently incorporated into theirs) to help keep the tire and Hi-Lift steady.

Todd Z.