Rear brush guard

Want to know if anyone has bought and installed one! Do they just go over the plastic cover that is already on the tail gate and is it fairly strong. Like the way it looks in pictures and the box will go all the way up plus as I get old want a little protection when backing up!

Bear said:

Want to know if anyone has bought and installed one! Do they just go over the plastic cover that is already on the tail gate and is it fairly strong. Like the way it looks in pictures and the box will go all the way up plus as I get old want a little protection when backing up!

Click to expand...

I installed one. It is nice because when the tailgate goes down or when the bed dumps, it’s all part of the bed/tailgate. I’m not sure that it’s going to really protect a lot because it is so high. A lower tailgate will be a problem though because of the dumping bed. I’m sure somebody will come up with some thing, but it’s gonna be a little challenging to have it sit far enough out to do a lot of good while still allowing the bed to dump. Because of the way I batched things with Polaris with December discounts, it was sort of “free”. Very easy to install and actually looks good. I am happy I got it and no regrets.

To answer your question, yes, it goes over the plastic that is already on the tailgate. It does go around the side a little bit as well. It is fairly solid steel. Similar to front bumper as far as gauge of material. The white Polaris logo is a decal that you adhere to the bumper.

I should also note, that it does make the tailgate noticeably heavier. Not that that’s a problem but the tailgate definitely comes down harder if you just release it and let it drop and is a bit heavier when you lift it back up. Not a big deal but it does have some impact.

Wincollector said:

I should also note, that it does make the tailgate noticeably heavier. Not that that’s a problem but the tailgate definitely comes down harder if you just release it and let it drop and is a bit heavier when you lift it back up. Not a big deal but it does have some impact.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info!

I ordered the bumper, fab heavy duty rear bumper. They say it reduces bed tilt by 10%. Once I get it installed, I’ll take a couple pictures before and after showing the reduction in tilt.

That’d be great Carolina. I’m having the Polaris rear bumper installed when it comes in. But was also wanting the thumper fab bumper as well for a lower rear winch location and better protection. Can’t wait to see the difference.

OK here we go.

Received bumper from thumper fab three days ago. Installing the brackets proved to be a bit of a chore. Maybe not for a class a Mechanic with three hands, but it definitely took myself and a good friend to install. Note that the brackets will contact the tailgate when lowered, not allowing it to go all the way down, possibly causing damage, Unless they are slid all the way forward. Keep that in mind the first time you lower the tailgate and before you fully tighten up the nuts on the U-boats.


Unfortunately, my kit arrived without the rubber bumper stops, which thumper fab, said they will send to me directly. I have not seen them yet but expect them any day.
I temporarily placed some heavy rubber on the heat shield, where the rubber stoppers are supposed to go. I raise the bed to its fully raised position, which I assume is 10% less than before, and it made very firm contact with my home made rubber stops on the heat shield.
I did this to take pictures for this forum, and to finish touching up the undercoating that I applied to my rig.
Lo and behold, when I went to lower the bed, it was jammed up. The worm gear Drive made the normal clicking sound that it does when it is bottomed out, (Or in this case fully extended) but the bed would not come down. We had to remove the clevis pin on the top end of the ram, which was under significant tension, which then allowed the worm gear to reengage.
Retracted the ram slightly and reconnected the clevis. Bed works normally now, with no apparent damage.
So, in quick summary, without having the actual thumper fab rubber stops in place, it is possible to jam the bumper into the heat shield, resulting in too much tension on worm drive to reengage. Don’t know if that will be the case with the thumper fab stops, but definitely something to look out for When installing this bumper.
I suspect, even with the correct rubber stops, that if you hold the tilt up button too long, it will jam into the rubber stops and lock up the warm drive tilt mechanism
I hope that makes sense.

Good explanation of what the potential issue is, keep us informed once you get the correct bumper stops.

Ya, definitely update once you get the correct bump stops in. Thinking I might skip this bumper for now though. Thanks for the info for sure.

Still waiting on the stops. Would like to also note that when you lower the tailgate, clearance between the tailgate and the bumper is 1/64 of an inch. When you sit on the tailgate it will contact the bumper. Looking to resolve that issue now by trying to get the bumper just a little lower.
would like to say also that, despite these clearance issues, tIght fit, and installation challenges, that this is not a brush guard. It is a heavy duty bumper that will take abuse.
I suspect you would do frame damage before you did any bumper damage in the event of an accident

1/64”, that definitely wouldn’t work for me. Do you also have the Polaris rear bumper on yours? I’m having that installed when mine arrives. Having the tailgate down and bales of alfalfa in the bed, I’m sure I’d contact the TF bumper. I like the winch being in the number though. Maybe someone will make a different one with more clearance in the future. Thanks for all the info clubin!

The bumper is attached to the bed at the pivot point (And just behind on the bed frame.)
adding weight to the bed, won’t decrease the clearance since the bumper will go down in conjunction with the bed. My concern now is when the tailgate is lowered over top of the bumper, it almost touches. It will touch when you sit on the tailgate , and actually will touch when you sit on it, and stretch the cables.
i’ll try to get out to Barn today and see if I can figure a way to increase the clearance. Thumper fab has a install video which shows how it is attached.

And no, I don’t have the Polaris bumper option. You definitely won’t need it with the thumper fab since it extends well past any protection, the Polaris bumper would provide. this rig has 32 inch tires. Took picture of tire to bumper clearance at full tilt. Not much room if you put any larger tires. Still don’t have thumper fab spacers, so don’t know how far they will restrict bed tilt, if at all.

I’m keeping the 30” tires on mine so it’ll fit in my enclosed trailer. Usually when I haul alfalfa it’s 4 bales and the tailgate is down is my concern. It’s a sharp looking bumper and rig for sure.

I meant to put this picture in with the last set. It shows the tailgate making contact with the bumper. I have not had a chance to see how to get the bumper lower to increase clearance yet. Other than that, I didn’t want to give anyone, the idea this was a cheap bumper. It’s very good quality. It’s just mighty tight on clearances. Perhaps it’s too close due to improper installation but it was pretty straightforward. Let me see if I can get sufficient clearance before anybody cancels their order or changes their mind.

Carolina said:

View attachment 361

Click to expand...

I like the look of that.

Well I decided to cancel the factory rear bumper. I’m only going with the thumper fab. Ordered it today with the lights and winch.

Finished the Thumper Fab rear winch bumper today. I opted for the lights and the winch. I have about 3/16”-1/4” of an inch before my tailgate will contact the bumper. Some tips for someone else that chooses to install on their rig.

Don’t install the lights before you install the light covers like they say. It’s more difficult to install the covers. And it wouldn’t be any harder to install the lights after the bumper is mounted.

Install the fair lead to the mounting plate before installing winch set up on the bumper. Also make the wire connections on the winch before you mount it to the bumper.

It can be a 1 person job, but I did and do suggest having someone inside the cab to operate the bed when installing the brackets and making sure the bed is all the way against the cab and centered.
Otherwise the brackets do go past the frame towards the bumper and the tailgate will hit when you lower it.

I call it about a 4 beer job.

Here’s a pic