Steel vs Aluminum Bumpers

I know the aluminum bumpers are lighter weight than the steel bumpers but are they worth the extra money that company's like Demello, Allpro and others charge ?

I'm about to buy one and I'm trying to decide. Let's hear your thoughts

 

They take longer to weld.
That's the biggest reason they are more expensive.

It's honestly personal preference.

Just know they are about 4x lighter than the steel option and don't rust.

 

I went alu up front, didn't need all that extra weight, there's enough already. And steel out back with integrated tow hitch.

 

Are you going to wheel the truck hard enough where hitting the bumper on rocks and stuff is going to happen? IMO Aluminum front bumpers are for light duty use and winching. A truly HD aluminum bumper that can withstand some hard pulls, winching, and wheeling will need to be a lot stronger than what's out there and will come close to weighing the same as a steel equivalent. Not saying they aren't strong or can't do the job just not to the same ability as steel.
If you are going to be on the more light duty side of wheeling and possibly recovery then Aluminum and going lighter is the better option if you are going to get into some hard pulls and stuck situations or hitting the lower section on rocks from wheeling go steel.

Spool guns my friend spool guns. Doesn't really take that much longer to build. They are more expensive due to cost of materials used and some extra bracing. There is a little more clean up/prep for coatings but not too bad.

 

Interesting,
Thank you for educating me!

 

Not going to wheel it hard at all. I will have a winch mounted in it to be used if needed but that's the extent of it. I use my truck mainly to hunt out of and use a 4-wheeler if it gets too tough.

 

Then I would go aluminum.

 

I went with Aluminum from pelfreybilt when they were an option. Lighter and more expensive yes. They are supposed to be slightly thicker than steel bumpers to make them just as strong as steel(well that’s the thought with the aluminum skids anyway). In the long run I don’t think an aluminum bumper is going to stand up to abuse(a hard hit or hitting a deer) like a steel one would. But does anyone go out trying to run into obstacles or hitting deer. I do not. I think it comes down to what your end goal is. My end goals 4 Years ago weren’t very clear. I recall my thoughts were to cut weight for gas savings and also the weight saving wouldn’t sag out my front end as much since I wasn’t ready to upgrade the suspension at the point(wanted to get my use from the pro suspension). If I had to do it over I probably would have went with steel since I’ve added so much weight with everything else , now I don’t think the weight difference would make a difference. Honestly other than being easier on the front coils im not sure it really matters. I will say if you go to skids, do not buy aluminum. You will be buying twice if you do any rough off-roading with rocks. Just my two cents.

I will say that I have winched out of several gnarly situations and taken some decent hits on the trails. The bumper is still in good condition overall. And I’ve never second guessed it when winching. But definitely not as strong as steel in a side by side comparison.

 

My truck is a daily driver for work and play. I have a 3" lift now with 285's, Camburg UCA's and Bilstein shocks. My gas mileage is actually pretty good as it sits and I'd really like to not see that change.

Thanks for all the replies guys... Sounds like the aluminum version will work for me just fine.

 

I love my Pelfreybilt aluminum front and rear. Hunted them down on the sales threads. All Line-x'ed.